IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING AND CARDING MACHINERY
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Laidlaw and Thomas Fairgrieve, both
of Ladhope Mills, Galashiels, in the County of Selkirk, North
Britain, Yarn Spinners, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARDING AND CARDING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 1st November 1872, and dated the 16th May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Laidlaw and
Thomas Fairgrieve at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 16th May 1872.
We, WILLIAM LAIDLAW and THOMAS FAIRGRIEVE, both of Ladhope
Mills, Galashiels, in the County of Selkirk, North Britain, Yarn Spinners,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARDING AND CARDING MACHINERY," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This said Invention has reference to a new or improved mode of and
means or construction and arrangement of carding mechanism for
producing "spotted" or "colored" woollen slivers and yarns, (that is

page_text: "
putting black spots on a white thread, and vice versa, or it may be
any other colored spots on thread of any different color from that of
the spots,) all for the purpose of producing a spotted or clouded effect
or contrast in the narrow bands of fleecy sliver and the finished thread
or yarn spun therefrom; and the nature of the Invention consists in
feeding a set of prepared narrow slivers (of the color or colors it is
desired to make the spots) from their set of bobbins through a horizontal
transverse "heck and two feeding rollers on to a small carding and
carrying cylinder having one or more working and "fancy" carding rollers
spreading and teasing the said wool on the card teeth or surface of the
card cylinder prior to its reaching the opposite side, where a new
stripping card beater is arranged to revolve on its transverse horizontal
shaft, just over the condenser doffer at the rear or delivery end of any
ordinary wool carding engine or machine (for carding or preparing the
narrow fillets or slivers to form the thread or yarn), all so that its
patches or sets of stripping card teeth (arranged in four or other number
of rows, divided regularly round the circumference and parallel to its
axis,) work into and lift a thin patch or cloud of the colored wool from
the cards of the cylinder and lay it at regular distances on to the card
teeth of the condenser doffer above the bands or slivers already spread
on them for forming the uniform body of the thread or yarn, and just
before the same is removed and formed substantially as heretofore in
such carding engines, except with the spots or clouds of colored wool
applied as described. The number of fillets or slivers fed in, and rings
of cards and strippers ranged across, the new feeding and carding rollers
and beaters are made the same, and set to agree to the rings of card teeth
across the surface of the condenser doffer, and the circumferential length
of each piece of toothed card or stripper fixed round the beater depends on
and is made to suit the desired length of the colored spot or cloud,
and their number depends on the circumference of the beater and the
distance the spots are desired to be placed apart. The said new set of
feeding and carding rollers and beater are preferred to be carried in
journal bush bearing brackets fixed and adjusted by screws at each side
to portable standards or a frame of its own, attached to the main frame
of the carding machine, all placed over the rear part of the condenser
doffer, out of the way of the doffing and delivery mechanism, so that
the new carding and spotting mechanism can be easily removed, or
its actuating spindles set out of gear or motion when not required
by removing the first motion belt or wheel which actuates them from

page_text: one of the main spindles of the carding machine itself, so that the new
machinery will always revolve at the desired ratio to the condenser doffer
upon which it puts the spots.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Laidlaw and Thomas Fairgrieve in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
LAIDLAW and THOMAS FAIRGRIEVE, both of Ladhope Mills, Galashiels,
in the County of Selkirk, North Britain, Yarn Spinners, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Laidlaw and Thomas Fairgrieve
Her special licence, that we, the said William Laidlaw and Thomas
Fairgrieve, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said William Laidlaw and Thomas Fairgrieve, our exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Chaunel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS
IN CARDING AND CARDING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said William Laidlaw and Thomas Fairgrieve, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Laidlaw and Thomas
Fairgrieve, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference
being had to the several illustrative Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
which we have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing the best
modes and means we are at present aware of for carrying the said
Invention into effect or practice, the same reference letters and numerals
indicating the same or like parts in all the Figures.
Our said Invention has reference to a new or improved mode of, and
means or construction and arrangement of the carding mechanism for
producing "spotted" or "colored" woollen slivers and yarns (that is
putting black spots on a white thread, and vice versa, or it may be other
colored spots on threads of any different color from that of the spots)
all for the purpose of producing a spotted or clouded effect or contrast
in the narrow bands of fleecy sliver and the finished thread or yarn spun
therefrom.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a side elevation
of the back or delivery end of a usual construction of wool carding
machine for producing sliver threads ready for spinning, having our new
or improved parts attached thereto for spotting the said sliver threads.
These new parts are indicated by letters, and the old parts of the machine
by numerals. Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same machine
with the central part shown as broken away to take up less width in
the sheet. Figure 3 is a full width end elevation of the same machine
corresponding to Figure 1, with the upper delivery roller 12 and
receiving beam 14 only being broken away in the middle to show the
usual lateral reciprocating rubbing and longitudinal rolling and travelling
bands 10, 10', and upper reciprocating heck or divider 13, all as here
indicated for making sixty sliver threads in the width, thirty of which
are passed through the upper heck 13 over the delivery roller 12, which
rolls them equally on to the upper receiving beam 14, while the other
thirty alternate threads are conducted down under the reversing con-
ducting roller 11, so as to pass through the lower heck 13¹ and over
the delivery roller 12' on to the lower receiving beam or roller 14',
in a
similar manner to the upper thirty.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the new mechanism or feeding and
working card toothed rollers B, B, B"; cylinders C, D, and beater E,
and the ordinary condenser doffer 6, 6³, and carding cylinder 2, 2¹, with
its workers 4, 4', strippers 3, 31, and fancy card roller 5, 5¹, all to a large
scale to show the construction and action of the new parts, and the

page_text: nature of the Invention more clearly than can be seen by the small scale
general views Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Referring to these several Figures 1 to 4, 1 are the two main side
frames of the ordinary carding engine or machine; 2 is the main carding
cylinder or drum covered all over with the card cloth and teeth 2¹;
3 and 4 show one of the rear or last strippers and workers with their
card toothed surfaces 3' and 4', and 5, 51, is one of the last fancy carding
cylinders for opening and raising up the sliver Z, indicated by the blue
lines on the main cylinder 2, 2¹, before it reaches the carding condenser
doffer 6, 61, which strips it off the cylinder 2, 2', and conducts it in sixty
sliver bands or fillets Z, z, round its under side to the strippers 7, 8, and
groove guide roller 9, which delivers these slivers to and between the
ordinary rubbers 10 and 10', from which they pass in the form of rough
soft rolled threads or slivers Z, z, over the roller 11 and 12, 12¹, and
through hecks 13, 13', so as to be delivered and rolled regularly on the
receiving drums 14 and 14' as before stated.
Referring to these Figures 1 to 4, the nature and mode of performing
our said Invention consists all as follows:-In feeding in a set of prepared
narrow slivers, indicated by red lines at z (of the numbers and color
or colors it is desired to make the spots), from a stack or set of bobbins,
or other equivalents, suitably placed near and preferably above the back
end of the carding machine 1 to 14 just referred to, through a horizontal
transverse "heck" or rack A, A', from under the guiding bar a, and two
or more feeding rollers B, B, B", with carding teeth surface B' on to a
small "intake" or carding and carrying cylinder C, C¹, having one or
more working and fancy carding rollers D, D', spreading and teasing the
said wool slivers z on the card teeth or surface C¹ of the card cylinder C
prior to the slivers z reaching the opposite side C³ (from which they are
fed in) where a new or improved stripping card beater E, E', is arranged
to revolve on its transverse horizontal shaft E" just over the ordinary
condenser doffer 6, 6', all at or near the rear or delivery end of any
ordinary wool carding engine or machine, indicated by the numerals
1 to 14, for carding or preparing the narrow fillets or slivers Z to form
the thread or yarn, and so that the patches or sets of stripping card
teeth E' of this beater E (in this case shown as arranged with four, but
it might be other number of rows of these card teeth E' divided regularly
round the circumference and parallel to its axis E") work into and lift
thin patches or "clouds" of the colored wool from the card surface C¹

page_text: or
"
of the intake cylinder C and lay them at regular distances on to the
card teeth 6' of the condenser doffer 6, which carry them round to the
part of the large cylinder 2, so as to be pressed over or into the body
of the bands or slivers Z previously spread on the cards 2¹ of the cylinder
and just before these are removed therefrom to be formed into the
uniform body of the thread or yarn Z, z, by the rubbers 10, 10¹, all
otherwise substantially as herein-before referred to and done in such
carding engines or machines, except in reference to forming the spots
"clouds z of colored wool, as and by the means and mechanism so
far described and indicated by the letters A to E. One or more colored
fillets or slivers z are fed in for each ring of cards C¹ across the carding
and conducting roller C and strippers E', ranged across and round the
new feeding beater E, and when made the same in number are set to
agree to the rings of card teeth 6¹ across the surface of the ordinary
condenser doffer 6 to suit the machine and particular work or yarn being
formed, and the segmental or circumferential length of each piece of
toothed card or stripper E' and their distance apart round the beater E
depends on and is made to suit the desired length of the colored spots
or clouds desired to be in the thread, and the number desired on the
circumference of the beater depends on its size and that of the circum-
ference of the condenser doffer 6, and the distance the spots z are desired
to be placed apart on the yarn or thread Z, z. The said new set of
feeding and carding rollers B, C, D, and beater E are preferred to be
carried in journal bush bearing brackets b, b¹, b¹¹, c, d, and e fixed and
adjusted by screws f, g, at each side to a new duplex portable frame or
side standards F, G, attached to the upper edge of each main side
frame 1, 1, of the carding machine, and all by preference placed over
the back part of the ordinary condenser doffer 6, 6', out of the way of
the doffing, stripping, rubbing, and delivery mechanism 6 to 14 so that
the said new carding and spotting mechanism B, C, D, and E can be
easily removed, and its actuating spindles B", C", D", and E" set out of
gear or motion when not required, and by removing their first motion
belts b, c, d, and e" (or wheels when these are used) which actuate
them from pulleys on one or more of the main spindles 6", 6, 5¹¹, 3¹¹,
and 2 respectively of the carding machine itself, so that the said
respective cylinders and beater of the new machinery may always revolve
at the desired ratio or circumferential speed to suit that of the surface
of the condenser doffer 6, upon which the latter E, E', puts the colored
spots or clouds z, all substantially as described and shown in the

page_text: Drawings, the arrows at the several parts indicating the direction of the
motion of the entering red clouded slivers and acting carding surfaces,
both of the old and new mechanism, and the direction of the motion of
the blue sliver forming the body of the thread.
Although the beater E is shown with only four narrow strips of the
card teeth E¹ round its circumference and right across, yet it is to be
understood that it might have a greater or less number, and that instead
of putting them right across they might be put on in short pieces opposite
the positions of the rings of cards 6¹ on the condenser doffer 6.
Having this described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be performed, we have to state that what
we consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The construction and arrangement of the parts of carding
machines or mechanism for producing spotted or "clouded" colored
woollen slivers and yarn, all substantially in the new or improved
manner herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction and arrangement of the parts of the new
mechanism of carding machines, indicated by the letters A to G, for
producing spotted or "clouded" colored woollen yarn, all substantially
in the new or improved manner herein described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Third. The construction and use of a card cylinder or beater (as
E, E,) with strips of cards for placing or beating the colored spots or
clouds upon the card rings of the" condenser doffer" of carding machines
for producing spotted or " clouded colored woollen yarn, all substan-
tially in the new or improved manner herein described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
"
In witness whereof, we, the said William Laidlaw and Thomas
Fairgrieve, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth
day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.
WILLIAM LAIDLAW. (L.S.)
THOMAS FAIRGRIEVE. (L.S.)