IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL OR OTHER FIBRES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederic Harrison, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Commission Wool Comber, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL OR OTHER FIBRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederic Harrison at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th May 1881.
JOHN FREDERIC HARRISON, of Bradford, in the County of York, Commission
Wool Comber. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL OR OTHER
FIBRES."
This Invention relates to the improvements hereinafter described in machinery
for combing wool or other fibres.
It is well known that a "Noble's" comb leaves combed and cleaned fringes of
wool or other fibre free from noil on the inside of the large or outer circular comb
after the drawing off rollers have drawn a sliver, and this cleaned or combed fibre
which remains is dabbed into the teeth or the inside of the small circular comb, and
partly or altogether converted into noil.
Now by my improvements the said cleaned fringes of wool or fibre are converted
entirely or in bulk into " top," thereby increasing the proportion of "top" to noil,
also the quantity of work produced.
In carrying out my Invention I adapt and fit to a "Noble's "comb in place of
one of the small inner circular combs thereof a circular revolving nip of similar
construction to that for which Letters Patent were granted to Christopher Bradley
and John Campbell, dated the Third day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy six, and numbered 4252, for "Improvements in Machinery for Combing
Wool and other Fibres."
The said circular revolving nip is so adapted to the comb that the cleaned and
combed fringes of wool or fibre free from noil left on the inside of the large or
outer circular comb after the drawing off rollers have drawn a sliver, and which
travel on with the comb, are seized by the said nip and drawn from the large outer
revolving circle, and are carried by the nip to a small circular comb working at an

page_text: angle (such as that described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
Christopher Bradley and John Campbell, dated the Ninth day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy five, numbered 480, for " Improvements in
Machinery for Combing Wool and other Fibres"), or to sectional lifting combs, the
nip holding the fibres until the teeth of the angular comb or of the sectional lifting
combs strike through the fibres; the nip then liberates them. The fibres are then
drawn off by drawing off rollers, producing continuous slivers free from noil.
Or the fringes or fibres left after the operation of the drawing off rollers of the
large circle can be partly drawn from the large outside circle by means of the nip
liberating them before they are fully drawn out, and allowing them to be carried
on by the large circle to suitably placed drawing off rollers which seize the elongated
fringes and form them into a sliver in the usual manner.
Or I may, instead of removing one of the small inner circular combs of a
"Noble's" comb, place within the large circular comb two nips, that is to say, a
nip to each small circular comb, and I operate in a manner similar to that herein.
before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said John Frederic Harrison in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th February 1882.
JOHN FREDERIC HARRISON, of Bradford, in the County of York, Commission
Wool Comber. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL OR OTHER
FIBRES."
This Invention relates to the improvements hereinafter described in machinery
for combing wool or other fibres.
It is well known that a "Noble's" comb leaves a combed and cleaned fringe or
fringes of wool or other fibre free from noil on the inside of the large or outer
circular comb after the drawing off rollers have drawn a sliver, and this cleaned or
combed fibre which remains is dabbed into the teeth or the inside of the small
circular comb, and partly or altogether converted into noil.
Now by my improvements the said cleaned fringes of wool or fibre are converted
either partially or entirely into "top," thereby increasing the proportion of "top"
to noil, also the quantity of work produced.
"
In carrying out my Invention I adapt and fit to a Noble's "comb in place of
one of the small inner circular combs thereof a circular revolving nipping apparatus
of similar construction to that for which Letters Patent were granted to Christopher
Bradley and John Campbell, dated the Third day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy six, and numbered 4252, for " Improvements in Machinery
for Combing Wool and other Fibres."
The said circular revolving nipping apparatus is so adapted to the comb that the
cleaned or partially cleaned and combed fringe or fringes of wool or fibre left on
the inside of the large or outer circular comb after the drawing off rollers have
drawn a sliver, and which travel on with the comb, are seized by the said nipping
apparatus and drawn from the large outer revolving circle, and are carried to a
small circular comb working at an angle (such as that described in the Specifica-
tion of Letters Patent granted to Christopher Bradley and John Campbell, dated
the Ninth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and seventy five,
numbered 480, for "Improvements in Machinery for Combing Wool and other
Fibres"), or to sectional lifting combs, the nipping apparatus holds the fibres until
the teeth of the angular comb or of the sectional lifting combs strike through the
fibres and then liberates them. The bulk of the fibres are then drawn off by
drawing off rollers, so as to produce a continuous sliver free from noil.
Or the fringes or fibres left after the operation of the drawing off rollers of the
large circle are partly drawn from the large outside circle by means of the nipping
apparatus, liberating them before they are fully drawn out, and thus allowing them
to be carried on by the large circle in an elongated state to suitably placed drawing
off rollers, which seize the whole of the elongated fringes, and form them into a
sliver in the usual manner.
Or instead of removing one of the small inner circular combs of a "Noble's"
comb, I in some cases place within the large circular comb two sets of nipping
apparatus, that is to say, one to each small circular comb, and I operate in a
manner similar to that herein before described.
But in order to enable my improvements to be better understood, I will proceed
to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
represents a block plan of a " Noble's "comb with one of the usual small inner circular
combs removed and fitted, instead with a circular revolving nipping apparatus for

page_text: the purpose of converting very nearly the whole of the fringe into "top," according
to my Invention. Figure 2 represents a block plan of a "Noble's" comb fitted
with a circular revolving nipping apparatus, for the purpose of converting substan-
tially the whole of the fringe into "top."
Similar letters in both Figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
66
In the arrangement shewn in Figure 1 for converting the bulk of the fringe
into "top," A is the ordinary large outside circle or comb, and B, one of the
small inner circular combs of a Noble's" comb; C is the circular nipping
apparatus constructed according to the Specification of the said former Letters
Patent, dated the Third day of November, One thousand eight hundred and seventy
six, No. 4252, and adapted and fitted to the comb, in place of the usual second
small comb.
The drawing off rollers D after drawing the sliver E from the comb A in the
usual manner, leave, as is well known, a. cleaned or combed fringe E¹; this
fringe E is on the inside of the large or outer circular comb, and travels with the
revolving comb from the drawing off rollers D to the point F, where the teeth of
the comb A and the nipping apparatus C come in contact, or nearly so, and the
fringe E of wool or fibre is at the same point F seized by the nipping apparatus C,
and carried by the nipping apparatus to the teeth of a small angular comb G, such
as is described in the Specification of the said former Letters Patent, No. 480,
dated the Ninth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and seventy five, or
to sectional lifting combs, such as those described in the Specification of the said
former Letters Patent, No. 4252, dated the Third day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy six, the nipping apparatus holding the fibres until the
teeth of the angular comb or of the sectional lifting combs strike through the fibre,
the nipping apparatus then liberates them; the fibres are then drawn off from the
angular rising or the sectional lifting comb G by the drawing off rollers H, and
form a sliver in the usual way. It will thus be seen that the fringe E' left by the
rollers D and seized by the nipping apparatus C at the point F is recombed and
entirely cleaned, and the bulk of it drawn off into " top "by the rollers H. The
noil remaining in the teeth of the comb or combs is removed in any suitable
manner, such as by ordinary noil knives.
In Figure 2, which shews the arrangement for drawing off the whole of the
fringe into "top," the nipping apparatus C seizes the fringe E' at the point F, as
herein before described, but instead of fully withdrawing the said fringe E¹ from
the circle A, it liberates it when partly drawn out or elongated, as at E², and
allows the elongated fringe E2 to travel on with the circle A to the drawing off
rollers J; the nipping apparatus is adjusted so as to lift and liberate the elongated
fringe Eat a point I, and which point will depend on the diameter of the drawing
off rollers J, and their distance from the circle A.
By this arrangement, as the circle travels on, the rollers J seize and draw off
substantially the whole of the elongated fringe E² into a sliver of "top."
"
I, in some cases, adapt two sets of nipping apparatus C to a Noble's" comb, in
place of removing one of the small inner circular combs B, as herein before
described, that is to say, each set operates on the cleaned or combed fibres in a
manner similar to that hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed and carried out in
practice, I wish it to be understood that what I claim is,-
Firstly. The combination as herein described of the circular nipping apparatus
(and an angular or sectional lifting comb or combs) with a "Noble's" comb by
means of which the cleaned or partially cleaned and combed fringe or fibre
remaining after the usual drawing off rollers of the large circle have drawn a sliver
is recombed and drawn into a sliver of "top," substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described and represented in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The use of the apparatus employed for operating on the fringe

page_text: "
remaining on the inside of the large circle of a "Noble's" comb after the usual
drawing off rollers have drawn a sliver, in such a manner as to protrude the fringe
and allow the whole to be drawn into a sliver of "top," as herein before described.
Thirdly. The combination as herein described of nipping apparatus with a
'Noble's" comb so operating that the fringe which remains after the usual
drawing off rollers of the large circle have drawn a sliver, is partly drawn out and
elongated, thereby presenting it in a condition to be seized by a suitably placed
pair of drawing off rollers, and converted wholly into "top," substantially as
herein before described and represented in Figure 2 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederic Harrison, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
Witness,
G. F. REDFERN,
Patent Agent,
4, South Street,
Finsbury.
J. FRED. HARRISON. (L.S.)