IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRUSHES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Franklin Bradley, of New Haven,
Connecticut, United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MANUFACTURING BRUSHES."
Sealed the 13th October 1871, and dated the 22nd April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Franklin
Bradley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 22nd April 1871.
I, EDWARD FRANKLIN BRADLEY, of New Haven, Connecticut, United
5 States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRUSHES," to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to further improvements in the machinery
described in the Specification of an Invention for, which Letters Patent
O'have been granted to William Robert Lake, bearing date the 12th day
of September, A.D. 1868, No. 2S15.
•

page_text: My present Invention is designed, first, to provide the means whereby
in making a brush by such machinery the bristles or other fibres shall
be formed into tufts of uniform size, or, in other words, shall contain
the same or nearly the same number of bristles or fibres, so that in any
one brush or number of brushes intended to be of the same quality
every tuft of fibres inserted in the stock shall properly fill the hole
formed for its reception, and the entire brush shall be throughout of
the same hardness or stiffness, and the entire surface of the bristles
when the brush is finished shall have a compact, regular, and uniform
appearance. This part of my said Invention also furnishes the means
for insuring the bending or doubling of the fibres in forming the tufts
in such a manner that..when the brush is trimmed only the thin or
inferior portion of the fibres will be cut off.
My said Invention is designed, secondly, to facilitate the manufacture
of irregularly formed brushes by the aforesaid machinery, that is to say,
of brushes in which the tufts of fibre are wholly or partially arranged
in curved or irregular lines instead of being in straight lines or rows of
uniform length from end to end of the stock or back.
According to the first part of my said Invention I provide the
machine which inserts the bristles or fibres into the stock of a brush:
with novel feed mechanism, whose construction and arrangement I will
now proceed to explain. In a horizontal plano in front of the inserting
mechanism I place a bed or table, which is supported on a bracket
or part of the machine frame, and extends forward for a convenient
distance. The bristles or fibres are laid across the middle portion of
the bed or table between two guides, which are adjustable laterally, in
order, first, that the space between them may be increased or diminished
to suit fibres of different length; and, secondly, that the entire body or
'layer of fibres may be more or less to one side of the centre of the
table, so that the fibres will be doubled or bent at a point nearer
to the thick than to the thin end. By this means the tufts are so
formed that in trimming the brush the thin or weak part of the fibres
projects beyond the other portion, and this part only is cut off. Below
the bed is a slide, which carries on a plate two rows of teeth or pointed
pins projecting up through slots, in the top of the bed or table. The
slide is composed of three parts, one of which is connected with an
-operating cam, another supports a plate which carries a set of teeth for
feeding the bristles forward, while the third carries fingers for delivering

page_text: the bristles to the inserting mechanism; and, although these parts have
a common to-and-fro movement, yet each of them moves to some extent.
independently of the others, for purposes herein-after explained. This
aforesaid slide with its teeth or pins moves forward the entire body or
mass of bristles or fibres gradually and regularly up to the mechanism
which separates them into tufts, and delivers them to the inserting
devices; and for this purpose the said slide receives a reciprocating or
to-and-fro motion from a cam through the medium of a lever. The said
lever has its fulcrum in an arm or bracket attached to the frame of the
machine, and the lower extremity of the said lever is connected to a rod
or finger on the first part of the slide.
In order that the reciprocating motion of the slide may effect the
regular advance of the mass of bristles, it is necessary that the pins or
teeth after each forward movement of the slide should be withdrawn
from the bristles before cach return or backward movement of the slide
plate, otherwise the bristles would simply move to and fro instead of
advancing. I therefore so arrange the plate which carries the teeth
upon the slide that it is capable of a slight up-and-down motion thereon.
I prefer to form the said plate with a vertical piecc, which is fitted to
slide in a picce projecting down from the second part of the slide through
a slot in the bracket. On this projecting piece is a spring which bears
against the bottom of the aforesaid vertical piece and tends continually
to hold the plate up against the action of a cam. This cam through the
medium of a rod and rocking arm depresses the said plate just before
each backward movement of the slide. The teeth or pins are thereby
withdrawn from the bristles, and as the return movement of the slide
takes place the points of the pins are below the bristles, and therefore
the latter are left in the position to which they were carried by the last
forward movement of the slide. The lower part of the slide is pressed
forward by a spring which bears against a bent arm connected to and
moving with the aforesaid finger of the slide. By this means I obtain
the greatest pressure of the said spring at the required moment. In the
backward movement of the slide the cam acts on the first part of the
slide. This part after a certain interval strikes the second part, and
the first and third parts then moving together after another interval
strike the second part and move it back against the resistance of the
spring. In the centre of the tooth plate is a sliding bar which is fitted
and guided within the said plate. This bar moves to and fro with
the slide, and up and down with the said plate, but it has an independent

page_text: "
endwise motion in the slide. The said sliding bar carries a single tooth
at its inner end, which tooth projects up through a slot in the centre
of the table. The bristles as they are fed forward by the series of teeth
accumulate in a compact mass at the inner end of the table, and at this
point they are compressed between the central tooth and an angle piccc,
the two together by their peculiar formation and operation forming a
"box
or receptacle which opens to admit the bristles brought to it by
the pins of the feed motion and closes to compress the bristles into a
compact mass containing about enough bristles to make two or two and
a half tufts. This mass of bristles when compressed in the box lies
under a vertically moving divider which descends and separates from
This
it at every stroke a regular and uniform quantity of bristles.
separated or divided portion of the bristles which is to form the tuft is
then held between the divider and the angle piece while the return
movement of the feeding slides takes place, during which time the
bristles outside the divider being released from the pressure of the pins
become temporarily less dense or compact. The said divider is composed
of three pointed fingers or prongs, which when the divider enters the
mass of fibres lie close together and form one point; this point is forced
into the compact mass of bristles at the part which is to form the centre
of the tuft. When this point has thus entered the mass the two outside
fingers are caused to move outward through the bristles and thereby
divide them from end to end, the divided or separated portion to form
the tuft being enclosed between the divider and the angle picce, as
above described. The said angle piece forms the back and top of the
compressing box, and when the divider is down the bristles are enclosed
and tightly held on all sides between the said divider which forms the
front of the box, the angle piece which forms the back and top, and
the table which forms the bottom of the box. To allow the divider to
descend when the box is thus closed the top of the angle piece is formed
of two sliding pieces between which is a space or aperture for the divider
to enter. These pieces are inclined or bevelled on the inner side, and
when the outer prongs of the divider move outward by acting on the
sliding pieces they force back the said pieces and pass in front of them,
the said pieces being then again pushed out over the bristles by a spring.
These fingers are operated by the following devices:-A plate is attached
to the front of the machine. In this plate is fitted a compound slide
consisting of two parts. One part receives motion from the cam; this
part carries the central finger of the divider, and in it are formed

page_text: inclined slots. The other part of the compound slide has a horizontal
groove in which the stocks of the two outside fingers of the divider slide;
these stocks are provided with pins which pass through the inclined
slots in the other part. When the slide is forced down by the cam the
two parts of the compound slide are caused by a spring to move together
till the pins come in contact with a flange on the bottom of the plate.
This flange prevents the further downward motion of the grooved part
while the other part continues its descent, and by the action of the
inclined slots upon the pins causes the points of the divider to open or
diverge. The points of the divider diverge till they reach the end of
the flange, when they pass down outside the same, where they remain
till the divider rises again. The central sliding bar which carries the
central compressing finger or pin is forced forward by a separate spring,
which also bears upon and shares the motion of the bent arm. The rods
around which these springs are coiled are fitted to slide through the said
arm to allow of the independent movements of the parts.
When the quantity of bristles or other fibres to form cach tuft has
been separated from the mass by the devices above described they have
to be taken automatically from the "box" and delivered in the same
dense or compact condition to the inserting devices. For this purpose
I employ the carrying fingers, which are constructed and operate in the
following manner:-The said fingers are made in two parts, one of
which has its points at the proper distance apart to take the two ends
of the fibres, and this part is made to oscillate on a joint or fulcrum.
These fingers grasp the ends of the tuft or bunch of bristles or fibres
held in the box, and at the same instant or immediately afterwards the
angle piece is raised by the cam with which it is connected.
The fingers
are then moved forward, carrying the tuft under the inserting fingers,
the wire staple being then placed on the tuft, and both together forced
into the stock as described in the said former Specification. As these
fingers are attached to the slide it is obvious that their to-and-fro motion
corresponds with that of the said slide. It is necessary that these
fingers should open and close so that they may receive the tuft and
grasp it tightly between them, and for this purpose they are attached
to the different parts of the said slide. As the slide is moved backward
after delivering a tuft to the inserting fingers, one part of the fingers
being connected to the part of the slide which first receives motion from
the cam is drawn away from the other part, the two parts of the fingers
then move backward together, the point of the first part remaining up.

page_text: till an inclined arm pivotted to the bed of the feed mechanism throws
up the end of the finger arm and consequently depresses the point at the
moment when it passes under the tuft held in the box. The said end then
drops down over the rear of the inclined arm, which is bevilled so that
it will rise and allow the end to pass under it as the slide and fingers
again move forward. By these means the points are raised, holding the
tuft between them and the other part of the fingers. The angle piece
of the box is provided with a lining piece, which is adjusted nearer to
or further from the back of the angle piece by means of a set screw
to adapt this device to receive a greater or less number of bristles,
according to the required strength of the tufts. The parts of the feeding
slide are provided with small racks, whose object is to take off the pressure
of the springs from the pins when the latter are being withdrawn from the
bristles. The feeding slide is also provided with jointed bars which rest
on the fibres during the action of the feed mechanism, and they are
raised by turning them up on the joint to allow the bristles to be placed
on the bed. The part to which these bars are jointed is screwed to the
bracket or frame, and its edge against which the divider slides serves to
prevent the displacement of any bristles at this point as the divider rises.
Ordinary bristles and some other fibres are considerably smaller at one
end than at the other, and therefore there is a tendency for ono side of
the mass of fibres on the feed bed to advance more quickly than the
other side; this tendency if unchecked would throw the fibres crosswise
upon the bed, and cause them to be presented unevenly to the dividing
box. I therefore place on one of the bars an adjustable piece, which may
be set a little lower than the edge of the opposite bar. By this arrange-
ment I equalize the friction on both ends of the fibres, and cause them
to advance evenly.
I will now proceed to describe the part of my Invention which relates
to the manufacture of irregularly formed brushes. This part of my
Invention relates equally to the drilling machine and the inserting
machine described in the said former Specification, and may be used
in combination with the improved feed mechanism above described, ar
in a machine having other feeding devices.
In the machine described in the aforesaid former Specification a
shaft imparts the endwise or longitudinal motion to the table on which
the brush block or stock is supported under the drilling and inserting
mechanism,
. J

page_text: I do not change the construction or operation of the drilling or
inserting mechanism, and as the drill and inserting punch descend
always in the same position the stock or block of the brush has to be
moved onward in the drilling machine, so that cach hole will be formed
in the proper position and in the inserting machine, so that each tuft
may be inserted properly in one hole after the other till all the holes are
filled.
By referring to the aforesaid former Specification it will be understood
how the end wise and transverse motions of the table are produced in
such a manner that in the drilling machine a straight row of equidistant
holes is produced from end to end of the stock, then the table moves
transversely a distance equal to the desired space between the rows of
holes, the table then moving back while another row is produced, and
so on. So long as it was required to make regular brushes or brushes
in which the holes were drilled and the tufts inserted in these straight
rows, the mechanism described in the said former Specification was all
that could be desired, but it could not be applied to the production of
brushes which are irregular with regard to the insertion of the tufts, and
therefore those machines could not be applied to the manufacture of
irregular brushes, which form the most important part of the trade. By
my present improvements I remedy this deficiency and provide the
means whereby the table may be automatically moved longitudinally
and transversely with any degree of irregularity, so that I may make
brushes with the tufts inserted in oval, round, zig-zag, taper, or other
irregular rows, but I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not
by this Invention provide the means for making brushes in which the
bristles or fibres diverge or spread obliquely to the stock, although
the said Invention may be used in combination with other devices for
that purpose.
I produce the irregular motion of the table which supports the brush
block or stock by means of cams. The said cams are formed by
grooving the surfaces of two discs or circular plates. The discs are.
secured on opposite sides of a toothed or ratchet plate or wheel which
receives an intermittent rotary motion through a pawl. The cams make
one entire revolution in drilling each brush and also in inserting the
tufts therein. One of the said cams produces the endwise or longi-
tudinal adjustment of the table through the medium of the following
devices: A small rack is fitted to slide vertically in proper supports.

page_text: This rack carries on a stud or pin at its lower end a small roller which
is fitted in a cam groove. The said rack gears into a pinion on the end
of the shaft which is geared in connection with the table. The other
cam produces the transverse adjustment of the table through the
medium of a rod. This rod carries a small roller which works in the
cam groove, and this rod thereby receives an irregular reciprocating end-
wise motion corresponding to the configuration of the said cam groove,
which irregular motion is also communicated to the table. As these
cams rotate simultaneously it is obvious that the result of their action is
a compound irregular motion of the table, which motion is varied to suit
the required form of the brush by changing one or both of the cams, the
said cams being for this purpose secured to the plate by screws or other-
wise in such a manner that they may be readily removed therefrom.
The machine is stopped automatically when each brush is finished in
each machine by a stop in the disc which is carried on the cam shaft,
the said stop acts on the lever of the belt shipping device, and thereby
stops the machine.
In connection with the before-mentioned pawl I use a stop pawl
that in the rapid working of the machine prevents any excess of motion
which might be produced by the momentum of the cams, the said stop
pawl dropping between the teeth after each stroke of the actuating
pawl.
It is, however, necessary that after finishing the drilling of cach
brush, or the insertion of the bristles therein, the table should be brought
back to the proper position for commencing another brush. For this
purpose the ratchet wheel is made with a number of teeth in excess of
the greatest number of holes which I intend to make in any brush. On
the periphery of the cam I fix a projecting piece, which after the last
hole is drilled or the last tuft inserted in the stock will raise the stop pawl
out of action. I then turn the cams round by means of a handle till the
said stop pawl again drops into the teeth, the table being then brought
into the required position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said Edward Franklin Bradley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
FRANKLIN BRADLEY, of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of
America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Franklin Bradley, Her
special license that I, the said Edward Franklin Bradley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Franklin Bradley, my executors, 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 Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRUSHES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Franklin Bradley,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Franklin Bradley, 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 forming a part of this Specification :-
My said Invention relates to further improvements in the machinery
described in the Specification of an Invention communicated by Joseph
Sheldon to William Robert Lake, and for which Letters Patent have
been granted, bearing date the 12th day of September, A.D. 1868,
No. 2815

page_text: My present Invention is designed, first, to provide the means whereby
in making a brush by machinery the bristles or other fibres shall be
automatically separated into tufts of uniform size, or, in other words,
shall have the same or nearly the same number of bristles or fibres, so
that in any one brush (or number of brushes intended to be of the same
quality) every one of the tufts of fibres inserted in the stock shall
equally and properly fill the hole formed for its reception, and the
entire brush shall be throughout of the same hardness or stiffness, and
the entire surface of the bristles when the brush is finished shall have a
compact, regular, and uniform appearance. Also to provide means for
regulating the position of the fibres under the tuft forming mechanism,
so that they may be bent or doubled into tufts from which only the thin
or inferior portion is removed in trimming the brush.
My said Invention is designed, secondly, to facilitate the manufacture
(by machinery) of irregularly formed brushes, that is to say, brushes in
which the tufts of fibres are wholly or partially arranged in curved or
irregular lines, instead of being in straight lines or rows of uniform
length from end to end of the stock or back.
According to the first part of my said Invention I provide the
machines which insert the bristles or fibres into the stock of a brush
with novel feed mechanism, whose construction and arrangement I
will now proceed to explain by the aid of the following Figures of the
Drawings :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of the aforesaid machines show-
ing the adaptation of my improved feed mechanism to the same;
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the parts shewn in Figure 1; Figure 3
is a horizontal section on the line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 4 is a vertical
longitudinal section on the line y, y, Figure 3; Figure 5 is a vertical
longitudinal section on the line y, y, Figure 3, shewing the parts in a
different position; Figures 6 to 15 illustrate detached portions of my
improved mechanism, and are herein-after fully described. Like letters
indicate corresponding parts throughout the Drawings.
I have not thought it necessary to shew any of the hitherto existing
parts of the said machine, except a portion of the frame A and those
parts that are in immediate connection with my present improve-
ments, but it will be readily understood that the movements of my
improved mechanism are so arranged that the feeding action takes place
always at the proper time to bring the fibres properly up to the

page_text: mechanism which receives the tufts, places the wire staples thereon, and-
inserts the same in the brush stock, as described in the said former
Specification.
In a horizontal plane in front of the inserting mechanism I place
a bed or table a, which is supported on a bracket A' or part of the
machine frame, and extends forward beyond the same, as shown. The
bristles or fibres are laid across the middle portion of the bed or table a
between two guides a', which are adjustable laterally, so that the space
between them may be increased or diminished to suit fibres of different
length, and also that the entire body or layer of fibres may be laid more
or less to one side of the centre of the slide. By varying the lateral
position of the fibres on the slide they may be so presented to the
doubling and inserting mechanism that the bunches which form the
tufts will be creased or folded with the thin ends projecting beyond the
thick ends, or, in other words, the thick end of the bristles may be
drawn lower in the stock than the other or inferior end, consequently
in trimming the brush the thin or weak part of the fibres only is
removed. Below the bed a is a slide b which carries on a plate c two
rows of teeth or pointed pins c¹ projecting up through slots a³ in
the top of the bed or table. The slide 6 is composed of three parts
b, 63, 6, and although these parts have a common to-and-fro movement,
yet each of them moves to some extent independently of the others for
purposes herein-after explained. This slide with its teeth or pins c¹
carries forward the entire body or mass of bristles or fibres gradually
and regularly to the mechanism which separates them into tufts, and
delivers them to the inserting apparatus, and for this purpose the said
slide receives a reciprocating or to-and-fro motion from a cam C through
the medium of the lever . The said lever has its fulcrum at C¹ in an
arm or bracket A* attached to the frame A of the machine, and the
lower extremity of the said lever is connected to the rod or finger U* on
the part 6 of the slide b. In order that the reciprocating motion of the
slide 6 may have the desired effect of carrying the bristles gradually
forward it is necessary that the pins or teeth c¹ after each forward
movement of the slide should be withdrawn from the bristles before each
return or backward movement, otherwise the bristles would be simply
moved to and fro instead of advancing. I therefore attach the plate c
(which carries the teeth c¹) to the part 6³ of the slide 6 in such a manner
that it is capable of a slight up-and-down motion thereon. I prefer to
form the plate c with a vertical piece fitted to slide in the piece 65

page_text: projecting down through a slot in the bracket A² from the part &³ of
the slide. On this piece 65 is a spring 6 which bears against the bottom
of the vertical piece c³, and tends continually to hold the plate c up
against the action of the cam c³. This spring, through the medium of
the rod and the rocking arm c³ which bears on a projection on the
plate cat c, depresses the said plate just before cach backward or
return movement of the slide b. The teeth or pins are thereby
withdrawn from the bristles, and during the return movement of the
slide 6 the points of the pins c¹ are below the bristles, and therefore
the bristles remain in the position to which they were carried by the
previous forward movement. The part 6s of the slide is pressed forward
by the spring 1 which bears against the bent arm 6. This arm is con-
nected to and moves with the finger of the part b² of the slide. By
this means I obtain the greatest pressure of the said spring at the
required moment. If desired I might have a stationary arm instead of
the arm b', but the spring would not in that case act so advantageously.
In the backward movement of the slide the cam acts on the part &².
The part 2 after a certain interval of "lost motion" strikes the
shoulder 6 of the part b', and the parts b' and ' then move together,
then after another interval the bent arm strikes the collars 6 on the
rods 3, 4, and moves the parts 63 and d back to the position shown in
Figures 1 and 5. The part d is a sliding bar which is fitted and guided
within the said plate c. This bar moves to and fro with the slide 6 and
up and down with the plate c, but it also has an independent endwise
motion in the plate c. The said sliding bar carries a single tooth d*
at its inner end, which projects up through a slot d**, Figure 3, in the
centre of the table. The bristles as they are fed forward by the teeth c¹
accumulate in a compact mass at the inner end of the table a, and at
this point they are compressed between the last-mentioned tooth d* and
an angle piece e, the two together by their peculiar formation and
operation forming a box or receptacle which opens to admit a small
quantity of the bristles brought to it by the pins c' and d* of the feed
apparatus and then closes upon them, the said box containing about
enough bristles to make two or two or two and a half tufts. This small
quantity of bristles when compressed in the box lies under a vertically
moving divider f, which descends and separates from it at every stroke a
regular and uniform quantity. This separated or divided portion of the
bristles which is to form the tuft is then held between the divider ƒ and
the angle piece c,, while the return movement of the feeding slides takes

page_text: place, during which time the bristles outside the divider being released
from the pressure of the pins become temporarily less dense or compact.
The said divider is composed of three pointed fingers or prongs ƒ¹‚ƒ³, ƒ³.
When the divider enters the mass of fibres these fingers lie close together,
as shown in Figures 6 and 7, and form one point which is forced into
the compact mass of bristles at the centre of the feed. When this point
has thus entered the mass the two outside fingers ƒ³,ƒ³, are caused to
move outward through the bristles, and thereby divide them from end
to end, the portion to form the tuft being enclosed between the divider f
and the angle piece e, as above described. The said angle piece forms
the back and top of the compressing box, and when the divider f is
down the bristles are enclosed and tightly held on all sides between the
said divider which forms the front of the box, the angle piece which
forms the back and top, and the table which forms the bottom of tho
box. To allow the divider to descend when the box is thus closed the
top of the angle picce e is formed of two sliding picces e¹, between which
is a space or aperture e³ for the divider f to enter. These pieces e¹ are
inclined or bevelled on the inner side e³ (see Figs. 10, 11, and 11ª),
and when the outer prongs f², f³, of the divider move outward by
acting on the sliding pieces e¹ they force back the said pieces and pass
in front of them, the said pieces being then again pushed out over the
bristles by a spring e³.
When the
The fingers f¹ƒ³, f³, are operated by the following contrivances :-
A is a plate attached to the front of the machine. In this plate is
fitted the compound slide g, consisting of the parts g¹, g². The part g¹
carries an arm g³, which has a roller on a stud g', and thereby receives
motion from the cam h. The point f¹ is also fixed to this part g¹. In
this part are the inclined slots 95. The part ³ has a horizontal
These stocks
groove g³, in which the stocks of the points f², f³, slide.
are provided with pins g', which pass through the slots g³.
slide is forced down by the cam the two parts g¹, g³, are
the spring g³ to move together till the pins g' come in contact with
the flange A* on the bottom of the plate A³. This flange prevents the
farther downward motion of the part g³ while the part g¹ continues
its descent, and by the action of the inclined slots upon the pins g'
causes the points f³, f³, of the divider to open or diverge from the
position shewn in Figures 6 and 7, to that of Figures 8 and 9. The
parts ff, diverge till the pins g' reach the end of the flange A', when
caused by

page_text: the points f³, pass down through the bristles, completely dividing
them, and remain down till the divider rises again. The central sliding
bar d which carries the compressing finger or pin d* is forced forward
by a separate spring 2, which also bears upon and shares the motion of
the bent arm 67. The rods 3, 4, around which these springs are coiled
are fitted to slide through the said arm to allow of the independent
movements of the part 6 and the bar d. As before stated by means
of this arm I relieve the pins of the pressure of these springs at the
backward or return motion of the plate.
:
When the quantity of bristles or other fibres to form each tuft has
been separated from the mass by the devices above described they have
to be taken automatically from the box and delivered in the same dense
or compact condition to the inserting devices. For this purpose I
employ the carrying fingers i, , which are clearly shewn in Figures 4,
5, 12, and 12ª, and which operate in the following manner:-The said
fingers grasp the ends of the tuft or bunch of bristles or fibres held in
the box, and at the same instant or immediately afterward the angle
picce e is raised by the cam h¹, with which it is connected by the rod
or bar e'. The fingers are then moved forward carrying the tuft under
the inserting fingers B, as shewn in Figure 4, the wire staple being
then placed on the tuft, and both together forced into the stock, as
described in the said former Specification. As these fingers are attached
to the slide bit is obvious that their to-and-fro motion corresponds with
that of the said slide. It is necessary that these fingers should open
and close so that they may receive the tuft and grasp it tightly between
them;
and for this purpose they are attached to the different parts b¹
and b³ of the said slide, as hercin-before described. The part i is attached
to the part . As the slide b is moved backward after delivering a tuft
to the inserting fingers the part i of the fingers being connected to the
part of the slide which first receives motion from the cam is drawn
away from the part j till the part of the slide strikes the shoulder
on the part b² at bº. The two parts i and ; then move backward
together, the point of i remaining up as in Figure 4 till the bevilled
end of the arm 2, pivotted to the slide at , comes in contact
with the inclined arm k, which is pivotted at k¹ to the bed of the feed
mechanism. This incline throws up the said bevelled end of the finger
arm, and consequently depresses the point i, which at this moment
passes under the tuft held in the adjustable box. The said end then

page_text: drops down over the rear shoulder of the arm k, which is bevelled
so that it will rise and allow the end to pass under it as the slide and
fingers again move forward. By this means the points i are raised into
the position shown in Figure 4, holding the tuft between them and the
part j. The angle piece e of the adjustable box is provided with a lining
piece e, which is adjusted nearer to or farther from the back of the
angle piece by means of a set screw e to adapt this box to receive a
greater or less number of bristles according to the required size of
the tufts. At the bottom of the part of the slide is a small rack 1,
whose object is to take the pressure of the spring 1 from the pins c¹
when the latter are being withdrawn from the bristles. Without this
rack or some equivalent contrivance the said pins when their points
were bearing only against the bottom layers of bristles would advance
a little and throw the bristles out of their proper position; but when
the said rack is used the point of the tooth m enters the teeth of tho
rack, and holds the slide so that the pins are kept from advancing while
they are being withdrawn. Another rack on the sliding plate d in
combination with a tooth m* on the bed of the feed mechanism has
the same effect with regard to the central pin or tooth d*. The bars o
rest on the bristles or other fibres, as shown in Figure 4 during the
action of the feed mechanism, and they are raised by turning them
up on the joint o³, as shewn in Figure 5, to allow the bristles to be
placed on the bed. The part o² to which these bars are jointed is
screwed to the bracket or frame, and its edge o³ against which the
divider slides serves to prevent the displacement of any bristles at this
point as the divider rises.
Ordinary bristles and some other fibres are considerably smaller at one
end than the other, and therefore there is a tendency for one side of the
mass of fibres on the feed bed to advance more quickly than the other
side; this tendency if unchecked would throw the fibres crosswise upon
the bed and cause them to be presented unevenly to the dividing box.
I therefore place on one of the bars o an adjustable piece o*, see Figures
14 and 15, which may be set a little lower than the edge of the opposite
bar. By this arrangement I equalize the friction on both ends of the
fibres and cause them to advance evenly.
I will now proceed to describe the part of my Invention which relates
to the manufacture of irregularly formed brushes, and which is illus-
trated in the remaining Figures of the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: :
Figure 16 is a plan of part of a machine with my improvements
applied to the same; Figure 17 is an elevation of one side of the parts
shown in Figure 16; Figure 18 is an elevation of the opposite side of
the same; Figure 19 is a transverse section on the line x¹, x¹, Figure 17.
Like letters indicate the same parts in all of these Figures.
This part of my Invention relates equally to the drilling machine and
the inserting machine, and may be used in combination with the
improved feed mechanism above described, or in a machine having
other feeding devices.
A is part of the frame of the machine; p is the shaft which in the
machine described in the aforesaid former Specification imparts the
endwise or longitudinal motion to the table on which the brush block or
stock is supported under the drilling and inserting mechanism.
I do not change the construction or operation of the drilling or
inserting mechanism in which the drill and inserting punch descend
always in the same position, the stock or block of the brush having
to be moved onward in the drilling machine so that each hole will be
formed in the proper position and in the inserting machine, so that each
tuft may be inserted properly in one hole after the other till all the holes
are filled.
By referring to the aforesaid former Specification it will be understood
how the endwise and transverse motions of the table are produced in
such a manner that in the drilling machine a straight row of equidistant
holes is produced from end to end of the stock, then the table moves
transversely a distance equal to the desired space between the rows of
holes, the table then moving back while another row is produced and
so on. If it was only necessary to make regular brushes or brushes in
which the holes were drilled and the tufts inserted in these straight rows
the mechanism described in the said former Specification for moving the
table would leave nothing to be desired, but the manufacture of irregular
*brushes forms the most important part of the trade, and the aforesaid
mechanism is not applicable to this purpose.
By my present improvements I remedy this deficiency and provide the
means whereby the table may be automatically moved longitudinally
and transversely with any degree of irregularity, so that I may make
brushes with the tufts inserted in oval, round, zig-zag, taper, or other
⚫irregular rows, but I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not by
this Invention provide the means for making brushes in which the

page_text: bristles or fibres diverge or spread obliquely to the stock, although the
said Invention may be used in combination with contrivances for that
purpose.
I produce the irregular motion of the table which supports the brush
block or stock by means of the cams q and q¹. The said cams are
formed by grooving the surfaces of two discs or circular plates q³, q³.
The discs are secured on opposite sides of the toothed or ratchet plate or
wheel q', which receives an intermittent rotary motion from the shaft r
through the pawl". The cams make one entire revolution in drilling
cach brush, and also in inserting the tufts therein. The cam 9 produces
the endwise or longitudinal adjustment of the table through the
medium of the following devices:-s is a small rack which is fitted to
slide vertically in proper supports 8. This rack carries on a stud or pin
at its lower end a small roller which is fitted in the cam groove q.
The said rack gears into the pinion on the end of the shaft p, which,
as before stated, is geared in connection with the table. The cam q¹
produces the transverse adjustment of the table through the medium of
the rod t. This rod carries a small roller which works in the cam
groove q', and this rod thereby receives an irregular reciprocating end-
wise motion corresponding to the configuration of the said cam groove,
which irregular motion is also communicated to the table. As these
cams rotate simultaneously it is obvious that the result of their action is
a compound irregular motion of the table, which motion is varied to
suit the required form of the brush by changing one or both of the
cams, the said cams being for this purpose secured to the plate q* by
screws or otherwise in such a manner that they may be readily removed
therefrom. The machine is stopped automatically when each brush is
finished in either the drilling or inserting machine by the stop ❝ in the
disc ', which is carried on the cam shaft; the said stop acts on the
lever us of the belt shifting device, and thereby stops the machine.
In connection with the pawl ¹ I use a stop pawl, which when the
machine is working rapidly prevents any excess of motion that might be
produced by the momentum of the cams, the said stop pawl 7º dropping
between the teeth after each stroke of the actuating pawl »¹.
It is, however, necessary that after finishing the drilling of each brush
or the insertion of the bristles therein the table should be brought back
to the proper position for commencing another brush. For this purpose
the wheel. q' is made with a number of teeth in excess of the greatest
B

page_text: number of holes which I intend to make in any brush. On the
periphery of the cam q³ I fix a projecting picce q³, which after the last
hole is drilled or the last tuft inserted in the stock will raise the stop
pawl out of action. I then turn the cams round till the said stop
pawl again drops into the teeth, the table bring thus brought into the
required position. This adjustment of the cams is effected by means of
the handler, on the end of the shaft r³, the said shaft having a pinion v²
which is geared into teeth on the periphery of the disc u².
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I claim in connection with the first
part of the said Invention,―
First. In machines for manufacturing brushes the provision of means
for effecting the automatic measurement and separation of the fibres in
such a manner that all of the tufts for a brush or any number of brushes
of the same class or quality shall be of one uniform size, and for
changing or adjusting the measurement to form tufts of any desired
size.
Second. In machines for manufacturing brushes the provision of
means for presenting the fibres to the measuring or separating apparatus
in such a manner that the tufts may be doubled or folded at any desired
point between their two ends, for the purpose set forth.
Third. In machines for making brushes a feeding device with an
elastic feeding action, and whose extent of feed motion at each stroke is
regulated and varied by the quantity of fibres previously fed forward and
remaining on the table.
Fourth. The adjustable box or receptacle wherein the bristles are
compressed, measured, and divided previous to their delivery to the
inserting devices arranged at the inner end of the feeding slide, and
operating in combination with the divider and delivery fingers, as herein
set forth.
Fifth. The central pin or finger of the feeding apparatus controlled by
a separate spring or weight, so that any desired pressure may be applied
by the said pin to a small quantity of fibres separated from the mass on
the feeding slide, and contained in a box or receptacle which acts in
combination with means for separating, measuring, and dividing the
fibres, as herein set forth.
J.

page_text: Sixth. The double row of pins or teeth of the feeding apparatus
operating with combined reciprocating or intermitting horizontal and
vertical movements to carry the fibres forward to the central or com-
pressing pin or finger, as hercin described.
Seventh. The compound feeding apparatus or slide with its several
portions constructed, combined, and operating together and in combina-
tion with the other parts of the mechanism, as herein described.
Eighth. The bent arm arranged and moving in combination, with the
aforesaid feeding apparatus for sustaining and equalizing the pressure of
the springs thereon, as set forth.
Ninth. The small racks arranged in combination with the points or
teeth to sustain the pressure of the springs while the feeding pins are
being withdrawn from the fibres, as herein described.
Tenth. The plates for guiding the fibres on the feed table or bed made
adjustable to various widths, and also to any position to one side of the
centre of the table, for the purposes set forth.
Eleventh. The hinged or jointed piece arranged in combination with
the feed bed or table for pressing and keeping the fibres level while they
are fed forward, as hercin set forth.
Twelfth. The divider consisting of three parts so operated by the
inclined slots in the slide that they first descend together into the mass
of fibres, and the outer parts then diverge or spread outward through
the fibres, as herein described and for the purpose set forth.
Thirteenth. The fingers for taking the tuft from the separating box
and delivering them to the inserting apparatus operating in combination
with the feeding slide and with the small arm jointed to the feed bed,
and arranged in such a manner as to depress the points of these delivery
fingers, as set forth.
And in connection with the second part of my said Invention I claim,—
First. The two cams constructed and operating and connected to the
table, as set forth, for producing the required irregular longitudinal and
transverse movements of the said table.
Second. The toothed disc or wheel and the actuating and stop pawls in
combination with the said cams as herein set forth, for the purposes

page_text: .
Third. The combination of devices for throwing the stop pawl out of
gear with the said toothed disc or wheel, and allowing the table to be
adjusted by hand after each brush is finished, and for stopping the
machine automatically after cach brush is finished as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Franklin Bradley, have 5
hiereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
EDWARD FRANKLIN BRADLEY. (L.S.)