IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PICKING, BURRING. AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PICKING, BURRING.
AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES." -A communication
Sealed the 5th September 1862, and dated the 29th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by thesaid William Edward Newtonat
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th April 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chaucery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PICKING, BURRING,
AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to an improved mode of fitting and
securing the teeth in the lags of the picker cylinder, whereby convenience is
afforded for easily removing such as may be worn, broken, or otherwise injured
or impaired, and for replacing them by new ones. It consists in providing in
the lags holes through which the teeth are inserted from the backs of the lags.
All the teeth are secured in a lag with a single strip or bar, or one or more
Price Sd.]

page_text: strips or bars arranged in line with each other by securing each strip or baror
strips or bars at the back of the lag in such position as to cover the several
holes therein, and serve as an abutment to the teeth.
The second part of the Invention relates to the construction of the surface
of the burring cylinder, whereby it is adapted to the burring of those kinds of
wool known as "mestizo" wool, including all the South American wools, and
much of the Cape, Australian, and Californian wools. The "mestizo" bur from
which the wool derives its name is exceedingly difficult of removal, and though
the wool obtained from the sheep feeding on the plant which produces this
bur is of exceeding fineuess, its use for the manufacture of fine goods has
heretofore been regarded as almost impossible; this bur is of spiral structure,
and has numerous barbs upon it, and by the systems of teeth ordinarily
employed in burring machinery is torn open or unwound, and so made to fasten
itself more strongly into the wool than when whole. The object of this part
of the Invention is to separate these burs from the wool without breaking
them or tearing them open; and to this end it consists in the construction of
the working surface of the cylinder of steel rings, having long-topped teeth,
each of which from point to back is a segment of a circle concentric with the
axis of the cylinder, and alternate smooth-topped rings, i.c., rings without
teeth, such toothed and smooth-topped rings being kept by interposed rings of
smaller diameter at such distances apart that the said smooth-topped rings are
made to support the burs in the burring operation in such a manner that the
teeth will catch only on the projecting fibres of wool without catching the burs,
and thus separate the fibres from the burs without catching the latter.
The third part of the Invention consists in the use of an additional rotating
guard for the purpose of driving back from the burring cylinder the burs and
the wool which is imperfectly picked. The single guard heretofore employed,
owing to the high velocity of its revolution, has a tendency to carry over with
it wool which has not been burred, and some of the wool so carried over would
be declined on to the back part of the burring cylinder, and be thrown out
with the clean wool, and some would be thrown over the ends of the bonnet of
the rotating brush, which clears the burring cylinder, and be drawn into the
brush through the ends thereof, and so also be thrown out with the clean wool.
In applying the additional rotating guard it is placed above the usual one, and
driven at a sufficiently higher velocity to counteract the above-mentioned
tendency, arranging the lower or usual one with its axis directly over the axis
of the burring cylinder, and the additional one in a position so much more
forward as to enable it to give the blows it produces on the burs or wool a
ownward direction, and as to bring it within a suitable distance of the picker

page_text: cylinder to allow no more than sufficient space for the incoming current of air
produced by the suction fan that is connected with the casing of the machine
above the cylinder.
The fourth part of the Invention consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of a plate in front of the upper rotating guard above mentioned, or in
front of the single rotating guard when only one is used, and across the
opening where the current of air rushes in over the guard in such manner that
the lower edge of the said plate is higher than the axis of the rotating guard.
The plate, however, has its face which is toward the guard running upward in
a direction away from the direction of the rotation of the guard, and the under
side of the plate should have such an inclination that the current of air
produced by the rotation of the guard should strike against the underside, and
so with the burs and wool which have been driven back toward the picker by
the guard be caused to move inward into the picker, and not outward
from it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PICKING, BURRING, AND CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that 1, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain

page_text: 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, thatI, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby declare;
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The first part of this Invention relates to an improved mode of fitting and
securing the teeth in the lags of the picker cylinder, whereby convenience is
afforded for easily removing such as may be worn, broken, or otherwise injured
or impaired, and for replacing them by new ones. It consists in providing in
the lags holes through which the teeth are inserted from the backs of the lags.
All the teeth are secured in a lag with a single strip or bar, or one or more
strips or bars arranged in line with each other. These strips or bars are
secured at the back of the lag in such position as to cover the several holes
therein and serve as an abutment to the teeth.
The second part of the Invention relates to the construction of the surface
of the burring cylinder, whereby it is adapted to the burring of those kinds of
wool known as mestizo wool, including all the South American wools and
much of the Cape, Australian, and Californian wools. The mestizo burr, from
which the wool derives its name, is exceedingly difficult of removal, and no
"burring machinery hitherto employed has been entirely successful in removing
it, and the consequence has been that though the wool obtained from the
sheep feeding on the plant which produces this burr is of great fineness, its
use for the manufacture of fine goods has heretofore been regarded as almost
impossible. This burr is of spiral structure and has numerous barbs upon it,
and by the systems of teeth ordinarily employed in burring machinery is torn
open or unwound, and so made to fasten itself more st: ongly into the wool than
when whole. The object of this part of the present Invention is to separate
these burrs from the wool without breaking them or tearing them open, and
to this end it consists in constructing the working surface of the cylinder of
steel rings, having long-topped teeth, each of which from point to back forms
an arc of a circle concentric with the axis of the cylinder, and alternate
smooth-topped rings, that is to say, rings without teeth, such toothed and
smooth-topped rings, being kept by interposed rings of smaller diameter at
such distances apart that the smooth-topped rings are made to support the
burrs in the burring operation in such a manner that the teeth will catch only

page_text: on the projecting fibres of wood without catching the burrs, and thus separate
the fibres from the burrs without catching the latter.
The third part of the Invention consists in the use of an additional rotating
guard for the purpose of driving back from the burring cylinders the burrsand
the wool whichis imperfectly picked. The single guard heretofore employed,
owing to the high velocity of its revolution, has a tendency to carry over with
it wool which has not been burred, and some of the wool so carried over
would be delivered on to the back part of the burring cylinder and be thrown
out with the clean wool; and some would be thrown over the ends of the
bonnet of the rotating brush which clears the burring cylinder and be drawn
into the brush through the ends thereof, and so also be thrown out with the
clean wool.
In applying the additional rotating guard, this latter is placed
above the usual one, and is driven at a sufficiently higher velocity to counteract
the above-mentioned tendency; the lower or usual guard is placed with its
axis directly over the axis of the burring cylinder, and is placed in a so much
more forward position as to enable it to give the blows it produces on the burrs
or wool in a downward direction, and as to bring it within a suitable distance
from the picker cylinder to allow no more than sufficient space for the
incoming current of air produced by the suction fan that is connected with the
casing of the machine above the cylinder.
The fourth partof the Invention consists in the construction and adaptation
of a plate in front of the upper rotating guard above mentioned, or in front of
the single rotating guard when only one is used, and across the opening in the
bounet where the current of air rushes in over the guard in such manner
that the lower edge of the plate is higher than the axis of the rotating guard.
The plate has its face which is toward the guard running upward in a direc-
tion away from the direction of the rotation of the guard, and the under side
of the plate should have such an inclination that the current of air produced
by the rotation of the guard should strike against the under side, and so with
the burrs and wool which have been driven back toward the picker by the
guard will be caused to move inward into the picker and outward from it.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of a machine for
picking, burring, and cleaning wool, having all of the above-mentioned improve-
ments applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same parallel
with Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the burring
cylinder drawn on a larger scale than Figures 1 and 2, and representing some
of the rings in section; Fig. 4 is a transverse section corresponding with
Fig. 3; Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the rings of the burring cylinder.;
Figures 5 and 6 are transverse sectional views of portions of the picker

page_text: cylinder, illustrating two different constructions of the lags and of the strips or
bars for securing the picking teeth therein; Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the
upper guard and the plate arranged across the opening in the bonnet above it,
and drawn on a larger scale than in Fig. 2.
The first part of the Invention is illustrated by Figures 2, 5, and 6. A is the
shaft of the picker cylinder mounted in bearings in the side frames B, B, of
the machine, and having secured to it two wheels or spiders C, to which are
bolted the lags D, D, in which the picker teeth a, a, are secured. The lags
are composed of flat bar iron, and are set with their faces at angles of about
forty-five degrees to tangents of the circle C, on which are formed bevilled
projections, b, for the support and for the reception of the bolts c, c, by
which they are secured in place. In Figures 2 and 5 the lags are represented
with a groove in the back of each extending its whole length, the sides of the
groove being bevilled inward to make it of dovetail form, and the width of the
groove at its mouth or narrowest part being sufficient for the teeth to pass
through. The holes for the reception of the teeth are drilled through the
grooved portion of the lag, and the teeth, which are made round and smooth,
are slightly flattened at their butt ends by a blow of a hammer, so that when
inserted in the holes from the back of the lag and through the groove, and
driven in tightly with the ends flush with the face of the groove, they will not
draw out in a forward direction. When the teeth have all been driven into
a lag, they are secured by a bar or strip d of iron fitted snugly into the
dovetail groove in the back of the lag, the bar or strip being inserted in the
groove at one end thereof. The bar or stripd must be inserted before the lag
is placed on the cylinder; and when it is desired to withdraw the bar or strip
from the groove to permit the removal of the teeth, the lag must be first
removed from the cylinders, for the bars or strips d cannot be very conveniently
inserted or withdrawn through the sides of the machine. In the modification
of this part of the Invention, shewn in Fig. 6, the projections b, provided on
the wheels or spiders C, for the reception of the lags D, are bevilled in
opposite directions, the face and back being at right angles to each other.
The lags, which are secured by the bolts c to the faces of the projections, have
no grooves in them, but are perfectly plain flat bars, and are wide enough to
project over the backs thereof; in the part which so projects are drilled the
holes for the teeth a, which are formed as before described, and driven into the
holes from the back of the lags, their butt ends being left flush with the backs
of the lags. The teeth thus applied in a lag are secured in place by means of
a flat bar E of iron, secured to the spiders C, at the backs of the projections
b, by means of bolts e, the bar E being so arranged that one edge of it abuts

page_text: against the back of the lag and against the butt ends of the teeth. By thus
securing the teeth by means of a bar or strip of iron applied at the back of the
lag, and covering the holes provided therein for their reception, the teeth are
held much firmer and rendered less liable to break than when secured by the
ordinary methods, and if broken, they can be easily driven out through the
back of the lag on the removal of the bar or strip d or E. The bar or strip
E may extend the whole length of the lag in one piece, or be composed of two
or more pieces or lengths.
The picker cylinder, having its teeth applied as above described, operates in
the usual manner, the wool being taken by the feed rolls F, F1, Fig. 2, from
an endless apron G*, and delivered by these rolls to the teeth of the picker
cylinder. Below this cylinder there is the grating H, through which the
heavier dirtand foreign matters fall, and the bonnet I, thatcovers the cylinder,
is furnished with a trunk or short tube J, to which is applied a fan blower or.
other exhausting apparatus for carrying off the dust and finer and lighter
foreign matters. This bonnet I has a lining 1' of finely perforated metal to
prevent the escape of any loose fibre that might otherwise be drawn into the
trunk or exit pipe J.
The second part of the Invention is illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 4*;
G is the body of the cylinder furnished with moveable heads or ends G¹,
between which rings K, K, L, L, and M, M, of three different kinds, are
clamped and secured in any suitable manner, as by screw threads and nuts,
upon the shaft of the cylinder. The interiors of these rings fit snugly to
the bottom of the cylinder, and they are all made of steel plate, K, K, being
toothed, and L, L, and M, M, being plain. The toothed rings K, K, have
their teeth .. constructed in a peculiar manner, as shewn in Fig. 4*, vizt.,
by cutting, oblique notches h, h, in the outer edges of the rings, leaving the
tops of the teeth long and in the form of arcs concentric with the axis of the
rings, and making the teeth as wide at the top as they are at the bottom.
The rings L, L, which may be termed float rings, have unbroken circular
peripheries of a circumference equal to that of circles circumscribing the
tops of the teeth of the rings K, K, so that their surfaces are even with the
tops of the teeth of the rings K, K, and they are arranged upon the cylinder
alternately with the toothed rings K, K. The rings m, m, are what are
known as packing rings or washers, being employed to keep the rings K, K,
and L, L, at the proper distances apart, and are of a circumference equal to
or not greater than that of circles inscribed within the bottoms of the spaces
or gullets h, h, between the teeth of the rings K, K. The rings M, M, are
placed one between each toothed ring K and the adjacent float ring Lon either

page_text: side of it. The rings K, K, L, L, and M, M, may be severally of such
thickness that there are about twenty of the rings K, K, and L, L, vizt.,
ten of K, K, and a corresponding number of L, L, in every inch of the
length of the cylinder, but this number may be varied. The effect of this
construction of the surface of the burring cylinder is that the float rings L, L,
will support the burrs so that the latter will be prevented from getting in
between two adjacent float rings, and will be caught by the teeth of the
interposed toothed ring, so that the teeth will be only permitted to catch the
fibres of the wool, and not permitted to catch and tear open the burrs, which
will be allowed to drop from between the burring cylinder and the picker
cylinder, or be driven away from the teeth of the latter cylinder by the rotating
guard N, which rotates above and at a suitable distance out of contact with
the picker cylinder. The wool is taken from the cylinder G by the rotating
brush, which also acts as a fan, and blows out the fibre through the spout T¹
into a suitable receptacle.
The third part of the Invention is illustrated in Fig. 2. The rotating
guard N, represented as having its axis arranged directly over the axis of the
burring cylinder, corresponds with the rotating guard commonly employed in
wool-burring machines. The additional rotating guard P may be of similar
construction, but I prefer to make the guard N of a fluted cylinder of wrought
or cast iron, having wings ii, of steel plate firmly secured in it, the wings
running lengthwise of the cylinder. The shaft p of the guard P is arranged
in suitable fixed bearings parallel with the shaft of the guard N, and with
the shafts of the burring cylinder and picker cylinder, the distance between
the shafts p and being such that the rings i, i, will rotate clear of the
guard N, and the position of the shaft p being such that the wings, in striking
back the wool or burrs from the guard N, will strike in a downward direction,
as may be understood by reference to the arrows marked on the guards in
Fig. 2 to indicate the direction of their rotation.
The fourth part of the Invention is illustrated in Figures 2 and 7.
k represents the opening through which a current of air is drawn inward over
the rotating guard P and under the bonnet I by the draft produced in the
trunk J by means of the fan, and R is the plate placed across the opening.
This plate has its lower edge / higher than the axis of the rotating guard P,
and the face m of the plate, which is toward the guard, runs upward in a
direction away from the direction of the rotation of the guard, and the under
side of the plate has such an inclination upward and inward, that the current
of air produced by the rotation of the guard will strike against the under
side, and so, with the burrs and wool which have been driven back toward the

page_text: picker by the guard, be caused to move inward into the picker, and not
outward from it. The plate R, constructed in the same manner, may be
applied in the same way relatively to the single rotating guard in machines on
which only one is used.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Machines for
Picking, Burring, and Cleaning Wool and other Fibrous Substances," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, as commu-
nicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim, as the Invention secured
to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid,―
First, securing the picker teeth a, a, in the manner herein set forth.
Second, constructing the outer surface of the burring cylinder of alternating
toothed rings K, K, and float rings L, L, and interposed packing rings or
washers M, M, as herein specified.
Third, the combination of theadditional rotating guard P with the rotating
guard N for the purpose herein specified. I also claim the plate R, con-
structed and applied in combination with a rotating guard, as herein specified,
for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)