IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WASHING OF WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES, AND IN THE APPARATUS THEREFOR.”
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clough, of Grove Mills, near Keighley, in the
County of York, Spinner, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
WASHING OF WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES, AND IN THE APPARATUS THEREFOR.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clough at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th June 1881.
JOHN CLOUGH, of Grove Mills, near Keighley, in the County of York, Spinner.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WASHING OF WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES, AND IN THE
APPARATUS THEREFOR."
The object of this Invention is to pass the wool forward in the bowls without
the intervention of forks hitherto in use.
I accomplish my object by giving a forward motion to a number of laths of wood,
having spikes at an angle outwards and forwards in the direction it is intended to
pass the wool through the sud. The laths form a false bottom within a trough,
which is also within the ordinary washing bowl; one half of these laths are
actuated in a forward direction, whilst the other half are moved in an opposito
direction, and this motion, half forward and half backward, is continued, and the
wool is thereby carried forward evenly through the sud and to the rollers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
December 1881.
JOHN CLOUGH, of Grove Mills, Near Keighley, in the County of York, Spinner.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WASHING OF WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES, AND IN THE
APPARATUS THEREFOR."
The object of this my Invention is to pass the fibre forward through the washing
bowls without the intervention of forks hitherto in use for such purpose, and
consists in the arrangement of a series of reciprocating bars having spikes
projecting in the direction in which the fibre is to travel, and at an acute angle
towards the sides of each bar. These bars form a false bottom within a trough
which is within the ordinary washing bowl, and are arranged so that whilst ono
half of the bars are moving, say, in a forward direction towards the squeezing
rollers, the other half, each of which is placed alternately with one or other of the
forward bars moving in the opposite direction; thus by this reciprocating motion
of the bars the spikes fixed therein carry the fibre through the sud or liquor in the
washing bowl to the ordinary lifting-motion.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 represents a sido elevation of an ordinary
wool washing machine with one side of the bowl and trough removed in order to
better illustrate my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the same with the sides of
the bowl and trough in position; Figure 3 is an enlarged sido viow of a portion of
a bar shewing the direction in which the spikes project; Figure 4 is a plan of a
few bars shewing the angle at which the spikes are set; and Figure 5 is a cross
section through line a, b, in Figure 1.
The bowl of the washing machine is indicated by the letter A, and is of ordinary
construction, as are also the feeding apron B and squeezing rollers C and C₁, to
which motion is communicated in the ordinary manner. Within the bowl A
I place a trough D extending the length of the said bowl, and resting upon a
number of carrying plates E that are secured to the sides of the aforesaid bowl.
Upon these plates E and within the trough are placed a series of bars F and G,
having spikes fixed thereto projecting forward towards the squeozing rollers, and
at such an angle sideways that the points of the same, whilst they clear each other,
are sufficiently near to enable the spikes on the forward bars to remove the
shortest fibre from the spikes of the receding bars; those spikes aro shewn at
F and G' on detailed Drawings, Figures 3 and 4.
The fibre to be washed is fed on to the ordinary feeding apron B, which
travelling in the direction of arrow delivers the same into end of trough D within
the washing bowl, and becomes immersed in the sud contained therein by the
projections H on the ordinary immersing drum, which, revolving in the direction of
curved arrow, presses the fibre down between the drum and guide plate J. Tho
spikes on the reciprocating bars F and G which work under tho guido plate J, lay
hold of the fibre and carry it forward in the manner as hereafter described; the
roller J', which is free to revolve on its axis compressing any loose fibre down on
to the spikes, and thus preventing the fibre floating on the surface of the sud.
Motion to the bars F and Q is obtained in the following manner-On the main
shaft K of machine I secure pinion K', which gears into wheel K mounted on a
stud secured to frame of machine. In the side of this revolving wheel I securo a
crank pin L, which is connected by rod M to lever N that is secured to shaft N',
extending across the machine. To shaft N' I secure another lover P, which is con-
nected by rod P' to another lever P; this last named lever is secured to shaft P³
mounted in journals inside washing bowl A, and near the opposite end of said

page_text: shaft is another lever Pt of similar construction. To these levers are attached
rods Q and Q', which are also attached to cross bars S and S¹. These cross bars
are arranged with a long slot holo S, through which a projection T secured to each
respective bar passes, so that when the machine is in motion the shaft N' will
vibrate on its axis, and by means of the rods and levers connected there with give
a reciprocating motion to cross bars S and S' and bars F and G secured thereto,
the spikes F and G₁ alternately carrying the fibre forward through the sud,
delivering the same on to elevating bars R, which are constructed and actuated in
the same manner as those before described, the latter bars delivering the fibre to
the squeezing rollers.
In new machines, by placing the squeezing rollers lower than those illustrated,
and by raising the ends of reciprocating bars F and a next the squeezing rollers,
the elevating bars R may be dispensed with, as the bars F and G will then
deliver the fibre direct to the squeezing rollers.
What I claim as my Invention is,
The use of a series of reciprocating bars having spikes secured thereto for
carrying or propelling the fibre to be washed in a longitudinal direction. through
the washing trough, substantially in the manner described and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clough, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-one
Witness,
JOHN WAUGH,
Engineering and Patent Offices,
Bradford.
JOHN CLOUGH. (L.S.)