IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR HACKLING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Manningham, in the County of
York, Silk Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR HACKLING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th September 1877.
SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, in the County of York, Silk
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR
HACKLING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
My improvements relate to the combing, dressing, or hackling of silk waste and
other fibrous material.
Combing machines as at present used, for combing silk have circular nips, but in
order to gain working surface I propose to use straight, and, to facilitate the reworking
of the material, robbed by the cleaning cards or combs, I propose to use similar
cleaning cards to those now used by the silk dressers, and to strip them when loaded.
in a similar manner.
The novelty of this arrangement consists, firstly, in using a straight nip in place
of a circular one, and the success of the machine depends much upon the nip being
efficient.
The plan, which I find to answer well, is to form two endless chains of blocks of
wood; these blocks may be made of any convenient length, say, about a foot and
two or three inches broad which are jointed together by hinges; these wooden chains
are carried by pullies fixed at each end of the machine, which I prefer to be about
ten yards in length. The upper chain and lower chain travel together at the same
speed, the lower wooden blocks rest upon a bed, and the upper blocks are pressed
against them by a succession of rollers (but other means may be used), and in that
manner, form a continuous nip of any desired length.
Other nips may be used, such as two endless straps of leather, gutta percha, or
india-rubber, being pressed and travelling together so as to form a nip, or metal
[Prine Bd1

page_text: surfaces may be used. The upper and lower blocks are grooved and fit into each
other, so as to take a firm grip of the fibrous material under process.
Although the pullies at each end of the machine assist in carrying the endless
chain, still, to prevent undue strain upon the hinges the blocks of wood are
forced along the bed by means of pegged wheels working into holes in the wooden
blocks.
The mode of feeding the material into the machine is as follows:-At one end of
the machine the pullies round which the chains travel are set so that the
blocks of wood or other nipping surfaces may be sufficiently apart (say, about
two inches), so as to allow the fibrous material being fed in between them, which I
accomplish as follows:-It is taken from the filling engine, in what is technically
termed a" book," and placed upon a travelling apron which moves at the same speed
and in the same plane, and is parallel to the nipping surfaces, and the end
of the fibrous material standing out of the "books," as the apron travels along,
enter between the nipping surfaces, which are then closed by pressure, as
previously described.
<
I would remark that, instead of a book," a series of comb teeth either fixed
in or attached to the travelling sheet may be made to carry the feed into the
machine.
The arrangement of the cleaning cards is as follows:-I propose to have the nip
ten yards in length (but it may be varied), and to have ten sets of cleaning cards,
each about 30 inches in width, so as to cover the entire working surface or nearly so
of the nip. The first cards are set so as to just comb the outer fringe, the finishing
end being set slightly nearer to the nip than the beginning side. The next set of cards
are made to work still nearer to the nip, and so on until one side of the material is
thoroughly worked close up to the nip. The fibre in the nip is then worked on the
other side, the cards being set in a similiar manner to that before described. One
end of the fringe, having been thus sufficiently worked on both sides, it is then
delivered to another straight nip in the following manner-The nips being placed in
close contact and travelling at the same speed, and parallel to each other, that
portion of the tuft that has been combod passes under the second nipping
surfaces (in the same manner that the feed did into the nippers as above described);
the two surfaces are pressed together, and the end which was held by the first nipper
is set at liberty, and as it passes along is worked, combed, and cleaned, and may
then be made into a sliver or lap by drawing it from the nip with rollers, the pressure
being first removed.
As a large portion is robbed away by the cleaning cards it is important such
portion of the fibrous material should be readily dealt with.
By using cards or combs placed in strips or bars on an endless sheet, similar to
those now used in dressing frames, the fibre as it accumulates is stripped from the
card or comb in books, is again fed into the machine, or the robbing may be placed on
the teeth of the travelling comb, as previously described, or it may be put through
(if necessary) a preparing process before being fed up.
The bars of card or comb teeth are so arranged as to work at right angles
to the nip in the same manner as the dressing frame, or as nearly so as possible.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
March 1878.
SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, in the County of York, Silk
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR
HACKLING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
My improvements relate to the combing, dressing, or hackling of silk waste and
other fibrous material.
Combing machines as at present used for combing silk have circular nips, but in
order to gain working surface I propose to use straight, and, to facilitate the reworking
of the material, robbed by the cleaning cards or combs, I propose to use similar
cleaning cards to those now used by the silk dressers, and to strip them when loaded
in a similar manner.
The novelty of this arrangement consists, firstly, in using a straight nip in place
of a circular one, and the success of the machine depends much upon the nip being
efficient.
The plan, which I find to answer well, is to form two endless chains of blocks of
wood; these blocks may be made of any convenient length, say, about a foot and two
or three inches broad, which are jointed together by hinges; these wooden chains
are carried by pullies fixed at each end of the machine, which I prefer to be about
ten yards in length. The upper chain and lower chain travel together at the same
speed, the lower wooden blocks rest upon a bed, and the upper blocks are pressed
against them by a succession of rollers (but other means may be used), and in that
manner form a continuous nip of any desired length.
Other nips may be used, such as two endless straps of leather, gutta percha, or
india-rubber, being pressed and travelling together so as to form a nip, or metal
surfaces may be used. The upper and lower blocks are grooved and fit into each
other, so as to take a firm grip of the fibrous material under process.
Although the pullies at each end of the machine assist in carrying the endless
chain, still to prevent undue strain upon the hinges, the blocks of wood are
forced along the bed by means of pegged wheels working into holes in the wooden
blocks.
The mode of feeding the material into the machine is as follows:-At one end of
the machine the pullies round which the chains travel are set so that the blocks of
wood or other nipping surfaces may be sufficiently apart (say, about 2 inches), so as
to allow the fibrous material being fed in between them, which I accomplish as
follows: It is taken from the filling engine in what is technically termed a "book,"
and placed upon a travelling apron which moves at the same speed and in the same
plane, and is parallel to the nipping surfaces, and the ends of the fibrous material
standing out of the "books," as the apron travels along, enter between the nipping
surfaces which are then closed by pressure, as previously described.
I would remark that instead of a "book" a series of comb teeth, either fixed
in or attached to the travelling sheet, may be made to carry the feed into the
machine.
The arrangement of the cleaning cards is as follows:-I propose to have the nip
ten yards in length (but it may be varied), and to have ten sets of cleaning cards,
each about 30 inches in width, so as to cover the entire working surface, or nearly so,
of the nip. The first cards are set so as just to comb the outer fringe, the finishing
end being set slightly nearer to the nip than the beginning side. The next set of cards
are made to work still nearer to the nip, and so on until one side of the material is
thoroughly worked close up to the nip. The fibre in the nip is then worked on the
other side, the cards being set in a similar manner to that before described. One
end of the fringe having been thus sufficiently worked on both sides it is then
delivered to another straight nip in the following manner:-The nips being placed

page_text: in close contact and travelling at the same speed, and parallel to each other, that
portion of the tuft that has been combed passes under the second nipping surfaces
(in the same manner that the feed did into the nippers, as above described); the
two surfaces are pressed together, and the end which was held by the first nipper is
set at liberty, and as it passes along is worked, combed, and cleaned, and may then
be made into a sliver or lap by drawing it from the nip with rollers, the pressure
being first removed.
As a large portion is robbed away by the cleaning cards it is important such
portion of the fibrous material should be readily dealt with.
By using cards or combs placed in strips or bars on an endless sheet similar to
those now used in dressing frames, the fibre as it accumulates is stripped from the
card or comb in books, and is again fed into the machine, or the robbing may be
placed on the teeth of the travelling comb, as previously described, or it may be put
through (if necessary) a preparing process before being fed up.
The bars of card or comb teeth are so arranged as to work at right angles
to the nip in the same manner as in the dressing frame, or as nearly so as
possible.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shows a plan view, and Figure 2 a
side view of part of a combing, dressing, or hackling machine, arranged as above
described; Figure 3 shows a vertical transverse section of the same.
A. A, are two endless chains composed of blocks of wood joined together by hinges;
B, B, are pullies over which the chains are carried. Two only of these pullies,
namely, those at the left hand end of the machine are shown in the Drawings, the
other pair of pullies are not shown. The blocks of the two chains meet together
as shown, and form a continuous straight nip.
The outer surfaces of the blocks of the upper and lower chains are grooved with
longitudinal grooves and fit into each other, as shown at Figure 4, which is a transverse
section, full size, of two of the blocks (one of each chain). The lower blocks of the
nip rest on a bed C, and the upper blocks are pressed downwards against them by
roller weights D, which turn loosely on fixed studs. The weight of the rollers thus
comes upon the top of the upper blocks, whilst at the same time the rollers are free
to revolve as the blocks move onwards below them.
The blocks have holes formed in them, and pegged wheels E gear with these holes;
the pegged wheels receive a slow revolving motion by bevil pinions on their axes,
gearing with bevil wheels on an upright axis F. A worm wheel on this axis is driven
by a worm on the horizontal driving shaft G, which extends from end to end of the
niachine.
As the peg wheels revolve they force the blocks forwards along the bed C, and
when they have passed beyond this bed they pass over pullies B, and back towards
the left-hand end of the machine, the returning blocks being supported in troughs H,
see Figure 3.
The fibrous material to be combed, dressed, or hackled, is fed continuously to the
moving nip, either in books placed on to a travelling apron, as above described, or by an
endless travelling comb; this latter arrangement is shown in the Drawing. I is an
endless chain composed of straight lengths of comb jointed together. Where they
carry fibre up to the nip they are supported on a fixed bed, and caused to travel
in a straight line. As they are travelling up to the nip fibre is laid into them from
a " book in such a manner that the ends project from the comb. As the combs
come up to the nip the projecting ends of the fibre are carried between the upper and
lower blocks of the nip, and the blocks close upon and grip them.
"
As the blocks grip the fibres the combs pass beyond the end of the bed along
which they were travelling and descend from amongst the fibres, and pass back around
a roller on the axis of one of the peg wheels before mentioned, and which thus
serves to give motion to the endless comb.
As the fibre is carried forward by the nip and hangs down from it it is carried
past the several series of cleaning cards or combs; one of these only is shown in the
Drawing. Each set of cleaning cards or combs consists of cards or combs placed in

page_text: strips on bars on an endless sheet, similar to those now used in dressing frames; the
sheet is carried by rollers, one of which in the machine shown is driven by a band
from a pulley on the driving shaft G. L, L, are guide bars which serve to guide the
cleaning cards or combs at the time when they are moving downwards, and acting
upon the fibres held in the nip. It will be seen that the endless apron is set at a
slight angle to the nip, so that the finishing ends of the cards or combs are slightly
nearer to the nip than the beginning ends.
When a sufficient quantity of fibre has accumulated on the cleaning cards or combs
it is stripped from them in books, without stopping the movement of the endless
sheet which carries them, and is again fed into the machine.
When the fibres have been thus acted on at one end by a number of sets of cards
or combs they pass into another nip in the manner before explained, and as
is illustrated by the diagram view, Figure 5. The uncleaned ends of the fibre are
then cleaned in a similar manner, or before the fibres are passed from one nip
to the other they may after having been cleaned on one side be subsequently cleaned
on the other by endless sheets carrying card or comb strips, but set to act upwards
instead of downwards, and when they have been cleaned on both sides they may
be delivered to the second nip, and their uncleaned ends similarly cleaned on both
sides. Afterwards the fibres when thoroughly combed and cleaned are put into a
travelling comb and drawn off into a sliver. The means for effecting this are not
shown in the Drawing as they are well understood.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The combined arrangement of machinery for combing, dressing, or hackling
silk and other fibrous material, substantially as described.
Second. The employment of a pair of continuous straight nips to carry fibre past
cleaning cards or combs successively nearer and nearer to the nip to clean both ends
of the fibre, substantially as described.
Third. The employment of a straight nip composed of two travelling endless
chains of grooved nipping blocks or endless grooved straps of suitable material
interlocking with one another, substantially as described, to carry fibre past cleaning
cards or combs.
Fourth. The employment of a continuously moving straight nip in combination
with cleaning cards or combs working at right angles, or nearly so, to the nip,
substantially as described.
Fifth. The employment of a straight nip composed of two travelling endless
chains of interlocking nipping blocks or straps in combination with cleaning
cards or combs working at right angles, or nearly so, to the nip, substantially as
described.
Sixth. The employment of strips or bars of cleaning cards or combs carried by
endless aprons, substantially as described, for cleaning fibre carried past the aprons
by a straight nip.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.