Year: 1887

page_text: I. ROBERT JOHN HICKTON, of 66, St. Dunstan's Road, Burdett Road, Mile End,
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
This invention consists in apparatus for combing and dressing "bass" and similar
material for the manufacture of brooms.
The apparatus consists essentially of a press for holding the bass or other material,
and of a comb for dressing the said material, the press and comb being so operated
that the comb enters the bass near the press and passes through the bass so as to dress
or comb it. This may be performed in the following manner: A suitable press is
affixed to a revolving shaft and into this press are secured the upper ends of the bass
so that the latter project from the press. The comb is guided with the teeth upward
in the frame of the machine parallel to the shaft of the press and to it is given a
reciprocating motion to and from the said shaft. The comb is connected by a bar at
each end or otherwise with the crank of a shaft to which a reciprocating rocking
motion is given equal to about half a revolution by the following means: To the press
shaft is fixed a crank, carrying at its end a ring or sleeve sliding on a rod connected to
a crank on the rocking shaft. The said rod carries two stops adapted to limit the
sliding of the said sleeve on the rod. On the revolution therefore of the press shaft
the sleeve arrives against the outer stop and then carries the said rod with it during a
certain portion of its revolution, by this means the rocking shaft is operated and the
comb is inoved away from the press shaft, the continuing revolution of the press shaft
however brings the crank sleeve against the inner stop of the connected rod and the
comb is in a similar manner returned towards the press shaft. The bass fixed in the
revolving press is at each revolution carried down on to the comb the latter standing
near the shaft of the press, at this moment the comb is as above described carried
away from the shaft and the bass is combed thereby, during the interval in which the
bass returns to the said position over the comb, the latter is as above described again
brought near to the press shaft and the dressing is in this manner continued until the
bass is sufficiently dressed.
D JL th of Februa1887
HERBERT & Co.,
67, Strand, W.C.,
Agents to Applicant.

page_text: Apparatus for the Dressing of Bass and the like for the
Manufacture of Brooms.
I ROBERT JOHN HICKTON of 66 St. Dunstan's Road, Burdett Road, Mile End, Mid-
dlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the dressing of bass, broom corn and like materials for
the manufacture of brooms brushes etc., and it consists in an improved machine for
this purpose.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the improved machine. Fig. 1 being a
perspective view Fig. 2 an elevation of the rear side of the machine as shown in the
said perspective view; and Fig. 3 a plan view of the machine.
On a suitable bed plate A are fixed the wall plates or frames A³ A² suitably stayed
and connected together by the rods C. Projecting from the front of the machine are
two parallel bars D D connected at their rear by the cross bar D¹. On said parallel
bars slides the cross bar E carrying the comb E formed of teeth projecting upward
from said bar. The movable bar E carries also near its extremities lugs E' E' in
which the rod E³ is journalled; the latter carries the fingers or teeth E forming a
comb, each finger projecting between two teeth of the comb E. The one extremity
of the rod E³ carries the crank lever E5 connected by spring E to the frame A¹ at E',
the other extremity of the rod E' carries the crank arm E connected by a link E' to
a pin E sliding in a slot E" of the lever E¹ which is pivoted to the frame A*
at E".
FF are cranks journalled opposite to each other in the walls A² A², the said cranks
being connected at their ends by the rod F. The shaft of the crank F carries the
crank arm F³ fixed thereto, the said arm being provided with a crank handle F* and
so contrived as to depress during a part of its rotary course, the lover E", by abutting
thereon as hereafter described. On the outer end of the said crank F is pivoted the
block F bored for the passage of the rod G. The rod G carries the two stops or
abutments G1 G2 as hereinafter described, and it is pivoted at one end to a crank G³
of the shaft G the rod G being also pivoted at one end to this crank arm; the other
end of said rod G³ being connected to one end of the sliding bar E aforesaid. The
opposite end of the sliding bar E is connected in a similar manner by rod Go to the
corresponding crank G7 on the opposite end of the shaft G. The abutments G¹ G'
are so distanced that during the revolution of the crank arm F the block F' is carried
against the abutments and the rod G is moved longitudinally back and forth whereby
the crank G³ is turned and the rods G' and G likewise and simultaneously moved back
and forth carrying with them the cross bar E that is to say the comb E¹. On the
shaft F2 are pivoted the lugs H of the plate H', the latter carrying the rod H* fixed
thereto and extending downward into the cylinder H³ pivoted to the walls A' A' by
the rod H. By this means the plate H' and parts attached are held in a plane rotary

page_text: about the centre or axis H*. The plate H₁ carries the rearwardly extending and rigid
arm H* terminating in the upright H. To the upper end of this upright is pivoted
the arm H' carrying at its front end pivotally attached thereto, the plate H corre-
sponding to the plate H¹. Through the arm H' passes the spindle H' having the lever
handle H and partly screw threaded to engage in a screw threaded hole tapped in
the arm H', by screwing it into which the arms H' H', therefore the plates HH, are
brought together with requisite: pressure.
The bass is previously arranged between two loose plates M M' connected together
by thumb screws M' M' screwed down on to the upper plate on pins attached to the
lower plate. These plates are then introduced between the plates H H with the
bass directed over the comb E¹, and are clamped between said plates by turning the
screw spindle H°.
The bass having been so fixed the machine is set in operation by revolving the
crank Fs in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Supposing the machinery to be in
the position shown in Fig. 1 the function is as follows. The crank F³ is revolved and
the press with the bass is moved upward and forward, the bass being however retain
always in a plane tangental to the rod H2. The press having moved for a certain distance
upward and forward in this manner, the block F³ on the crank F³ sliding on the rod G
arrives against the abutment G¹ whereby the further rotation of the crank F³ moves
the rod G longitudinally back, this movement causing the comb E¹ to move forward
under the bass towards the press. When the back pressure on the abutment G¹ ceases,
that is to say after the said abutment has been carried past the line of the centres of
the rod G and crank F3 and the latter has commenced its return over course; the
comb E is left in the position nearest to the press, and the further movement of the
crank carries the bass onto said comb, so that the comb enters the bass near to the
press. When the comb is inserted in the bass, the block F arrives against the abut-
ment G and the comb E¹ is thereby thrown out along the bass by the rotation of the
cranks G G7 caused by the longitudinal movement of the rod G. When the comb
has thus traversed the bass the latter passes to the rear while the crank F³ abuts upon
the rod E" and rides thereon depressing the latter; The depressing of the rod E¹
causes a substantially quarter revolution of the crank E³ whereby the comb clearer E
is carried up between the prongs of the comb E¹ so as to free the latter from seeds
etc. which it has combed from the bass. The spring E causes the return of the parts
connected with the comb clearer to their original position as indicated in Fig. 1.
In the combing or dressing of bass and the like it is advantageous to enable the
dressing of the bass to be commenced near the outer extremities and gradually con-
tinued onto those parts nearer to the press, since if the comb where at once to
commence the dressing of the whole length of the bass, the latter would be torn or
pulled from the press, or the comb would be liable to be injured.
To enable this to be done, the improved machine is provided with mechanism
whereby when the comb has been brought into its nearest position to the bass press, a
backward throw or movement is given thereto, adjustable in amount, before the bass
is pressed over the comb, so that the comb enters the bass a greater or less distance
from the press according to the adjustment given to this mechanism.
The following mechanism answers this purpose. The crank G' is formed as shown
in Fig. 2 with the projection G8 and a lever J is arranged in such a manner as to
strike said projection and lift the same a certain adjustable distance, whereby the
comb E¹ is moved back to a certain distance from the bass before being struck by the
latter. The shaft of the crank F¹ carries the short crank J' having the crank pin J'
with engages in the slot J in the link J, the other end of said link being connected
to the lever J-J is a lever pivoted to the frame at Je and provided with the handle J',
the said lever J' carries the rigid post Je to which the lever J is pivoted. By raising
the lever J, the pivot of the lever J is raised, and consequently the periodical throw
given thereto by the revolution of the crank J, lifts the outer end of said lever J
higher or lower according to the position of the lever J, so that the crank G³ is
given a greater or less back throw and the comb E' participating in this movement
enters the bass at a greater or less distance from the press.

page_text: In practice, the lever J will be
is commenced to be combed, and
that each succeeding action of the
towards the press.
raised against the stop pin J' when the bass
gradually lowered during the operation so
comb may dress the bass an increased distance
I do not confine myself to the mechanism here shown for gearing and actuating
the parts of the machine, but may vary or alter such mechanism without departing
from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is ;
In machines for dressing bass and like material
1. The combination with a comb of mechanism for reciprocating said comb in a
plane perpendicular to its teeth.
2. The combination with a comb, capable of being reciprocated in a plane per-
pendicular to its teeth; of a press or holder for the bass or other material adapted to
present said material to the comb in the manner set forth.
3. The combination with a press operated in the manner set forth, of a comb
having an intermittent reciprocating movement to and from said press in a plane
perpendicular to the teeth of said comb.
4. The combination with a press, and a comb having a reciprocating movement in
a plane perpendicular to its teeth; of mechanism for adjusting the movement of the
comb with regard to the press.
5. The combination with a press and a comb operated in the manner set forth, of a
comb cleaner for cleansing the comb when disengaged from the bass or other material
in said press.
6. The combination with a press having a rotary movement about crank centres,
of a pillar H and cylinder H³ for supporting said press in a plane radial to the
pivotal bearings of said cylinder substantially as set forth, comb E'; and mechanism
comprising rods G G-sbaft G* cranks G G7 rod G with abutments G1 G2 crank F
with block F for operating said press and comb; levers J and J' connected and
operated as described; and comb cleaner E* operated by spring E' and rod E";
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day November 1887.