AN IMPROVED COMB OR GILL FOR HECKLING, DRAWING, ROVING, AND OTHERWISE PREPARING TO BE SPUN, HEMP, FLAX, Tow, SILK, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William King Westly, of Leeds, in the
County of York, Flax Machinist, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED COMB OR GILL FOR HECKLING, DRAWING, ROVING, AND
OTHERWISE PREPARING TO BE SPUN, HEMP, FLAX, Tow, SILK, WOOL,
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
led the 17th May 1853, and dated the 18th March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William King
Westly at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 18th March 1853.
I, WILLIAM KING WESTLY, of Leeds, in the County of York, Flax
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED COMB OR GILL FOR HECKLING, DRAWING, ROVING, AND
OTHERWISE PREPARING TO BE SPUN, HEMP, FLAX, Tow, SILK, WOOL, AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved gill comb, wherein both
sides of the fallers are furnished with combs, each comb acting
alternately upon the material to be treated. The fallers are traversed

page_text: forwards by spirals in the ordinary manner, but as they each arrive
at the end of their traverse they are successively detached from the
spirals at each end by the descent of a cog or tooth projecting from the
interior of a revolving ring, one of these rings being fitted at each end
of the fallers, just inside the spirals. As the various fallers are suc-
cessively thrown out of the spirals they are carried back, by the pro-
jecting tooth herein-before mentioned, along a semicircular guide
beneath the spirals, and inserted again at the first thread. In order
to prevent the faller from being carried entirely round with the
revolving rings, a small fixed incline is made to project slightly inside
the rings, so that as the fallers are brought against it, they are pushed
off the cog or tooth, and left free to be carried in a direct line by the
spirals. The number of teeth or cogs in the rings must of course be
regulated according to circumstances, and to suit the pitch and speed of
the spirals, in order that as fast as the fallers arrive at the end of the
spirals they may be removed by the teeth in the rings. It will be seen
from the above description that the course of the fallers is that of
a direct line and semicircles combined, and that the comb which was
in action during one traverse of the spiral will be out of action the
next traverse, and vice versa.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William King Westly, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 17th September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM KING WESTLY, of Leeds, in the County of York, Flax
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William King Westly, Her special
licence, that I, the said William King Westly, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William King
Westly, my executors, administrators, or 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 Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED COMB OR GILL FOR HECKLING, DRAWING, ROVING, AND OTHER-
WISE PREPARING TO BE SPUN, HEMP, FLAX, TOW, SILK, WOOL, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William King Westly, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 I, the said William King Westly, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of
an improved gill combing apparatus for the treatment of fibrous
substances, in which apparatus both sides of the fallers are furnished
with combs, each individual comb on each faller acting alternately
upon the material to be treated. The fallers are traversed forward by
spiral traversers or screws in the ordinary manner, but as they cach
arrive at the end of their forward traverse they are successively dis-
engaged from their conducting spirals by the descent of a tooth
projecting from the interior of a revolving ring or annular toothed
wheel, one such ring being fitted at each end of the line of fallers,
just inside the spirals. As the various fallers are in this way succes-
sively thrown out of connection with their traversers, they are severally
carried back for a new action, by the onward progress of the tooth
herein-before mentioned, along a semi-circular guide beneath the spirals,

page_text: when they are again engaged with the fibrous stream and with the spirals.
In order to prevent the fallers from being carried entirely round with
the revolving rings, a small fixed incline is made to project slightly
inside each ring, so that as the fallers are brought against the incline
they are each pushed off the actuating tooth and left free to be carried
in a direct line upon their guide rails by the spiral traversers. The
number of internal teeth in the revolving rings or wheels must ob-
viously be regulated to suit the pitch and speed of the spirals, so that
as each faller arrives at the end of its traverse it may be duly
removed by its allotted tooth. It is thus obvious that the course of the
fallers is that of a direct straight line and a semicircle combined;
and that the comb which is in action during one traverse along the
spirals goes out of action during the next traverse, and so on throughout
the action.
I shall now proceed to describe my said Invention in detail, as
founded upon the "screw gill," for which Letters Patent for England,
bearing date the Twentieth day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-three, were granted to myself in conjunction
with Samuel Lawson, Machinist, of Leeds.-Figure 1, on my sheet of
drawings is a vertical longitudinal section of the working mechanism of
the improved or drawing frame; and Figure 2, is a corresponding plan
of the same. Figure 3, is a side elevation of one of the fallers or comb
bars detached; and Figure 4, is an end view of the faller alone. In the
main views, Figures 1, and 2, the drawing and pressing rollers are at
A, B; the roller C, behind being the detaining rollers. The spiral
traversers or screws D, which actuate the gill combs E, work in end
bearings in the side standards of the framing, being actuated by the
two pairs of bevil wheels F, from the cross shaft G. This cross
shaft G, is driven by the train of spur gearing H, from the front
drawing roller spindle I, the opposite end of which spindle carries the
fast and loose driving pulleys J, whence the whole of the movements
are derived. The duplex arrangement of the comb bars or fullers E, is
clearly delineated in Figures 1, and 3; one line of comb teeth K, being
on each side of each bar, and each bar being reversed on every traverse,
it follows that the combs act alternately in carrying forward the treated

page_text: In order to give
material. The revolving rings L, are in this instance modifications of
"mangle wheels" as commonly used in textile machinery, each wheel
having internal projections or teeth M, upon it for acting at statel
periods upon the fallers. They are supported and retained in position
by the rollers or anti-friction pulleys N, N', and O. These details are
precisely the same on each side of the machine.
motion to the ring or mangle wheels the spur pinion P, in each case,
is keyed fast upon its transverse shaft Q, which shaft is actuated at the
required rate by means of the wheels R, from the spur train. The
spur pinion on Q, has on each side of it an anti-friction pulley N, loose
on the shaft, the two pulleys in each arrangement being set to embrace
the pinion closely, although loose on the shafts; these pulleys rotate with
the shafts, but at a slightly different velocity, as the diameters of the
pulleys are slightly different to the pitch line diameter of their pinion.
Within each of the rings or mangle wheels is fitted a semi-circular
guide plate S, and the horizontal upper edges T, of these plates serve as
supports for the gills during their forward traverse when in real work.
At U, are fixed inclined stops for entering the gills into the threads
of the screws as the gills commence their forward traverse. I may
here remark that in order to exhibit the screws clearly several of the
gills are removed in Figure 1. The action of this machine is this:-
The gills are carried along the upper edges T, of the guide plates, in
the direction of the arrows, by the spiral traversers or screws D; but as
each successive gill arrives at the termination of its traverse along the
upper edges of the guide plates, it is carried down out of the screw
threads by the descent of one (on each side) of the projections or
teeth M, in the revolving rings. The gill is then directed into and
carried along between the lower curved or semi-circular edges of the
guide plates as at V, and the interior surfaces of the mangle wheels.
When the gill arrives at the beginning of the screws again-that is, at
the back of the machine-it is disconnected from the projections M, by
coming in contact with the fixed inclined stops U, which now force the
gill off the acting edges of the teeth, and place it in a position to be
carried along by the screws, as before described. The spiral traversers
may either be single or multi-threaded screws.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of
my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the general arrangement of machinery or apparatus as herein-
before described for drawing and heckling fibrous materials.
Second, the application and use of the revolving rings, in conjunction
with the semi-circular guide plates, in the manner and for the purpose
herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of constructing duplex gills or fallers, or
gills with two combs, one on each edge or surface, as herein-before
described.
Fourth, the system or mode of combing or heckling fibrous materials
wherein duplex combs or gills are alternately traversed forward in
action, and returned out of action along a curved guide in the direct
line or continuation of the forward guide, whereby the gill is reversed
at each movement.
In witness whereof, I, the said William King Westly, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-three.
WILLIAM KING WESTLY. (L.S.)