IMPROVEMENTS IN WOOL-COMBING MACHINERY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of Buckfastleigh, in the County of Devon,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WOOL-COMBING MACHINERY."
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th July 1877.
WILLIAM CLARK, of Buckfastleigh, in the County of Devon.
WOOL-COMBING MACHINERY."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention relates to that class of wool-combing machines in which two or
more circular combs are used, the smaller combs working within the larger and
drawing out the noil and short fibres therefrom.
The object of the present improvements is to provide an efficient substitute for
what is known as the dabbing brush, the office of which instrument is to force
down the fibre as it is laid on the combs in rear of their intersecting points into the
spaces between the pins, and ensure its being properly acted upon by the pins both
at the recession of the combs and when taken up by the stripping rollers. In place
of this dabbing brush I provide discs of thin metal, which are so mounted as to dip
into the spaces between the rows of pins, and reach down to near the bottom of
their stems. The discs which enter the spaces of the large circular comb will be
flat and set vertically, and rounded at the off edge of their periphery, and those
which enter the spaces in the small circular comb will be dish-shaped and canted
inwards. As the fibre is fed to the combs by the ordinary feed boxes it will lie
loose on the top of the pins, and as the combs rotate it will be carried under a fixed
roller which will depress it immediately before it conies under the action of the
discs. The discs which are free to rotate under friction of contact with the fibre
will then press down the fibre as before explained and ensure the proper combing
action taking place.
Situate between the two series of discs and entering the innermost space of the
large comb and the outermost space of the small comb, are knives or blades, which
serve to keep down the fibre in the pins while the combing action is going on. In
the spaces thus occupied by these knives no rotating discs will be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th January
1878.
WILLIAM CLARK, of Buckfastleigh, in the County of Devon.
WOOL-COMBING MACHINERY."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention relates to that class of wool-combing machines in which two or
more circular combs are used, the smaller comb or combs working within the larger
and drawing out the noils and short fibres therefrom.
The object of the present improvements is to provide an efficient substitute for
what is known as the dabbing brush, the office of which instrument is to force
down the fibre as it is laid on the combs at or near their point of intersection into
the spaces between the pins, and ensure its being properly acted upon by the pins
both at the recession of the combs and when taken up by the stripping rollers. In
place of this dabbing brush I provide depressing wheels or discs of thin metal,
which are so mounted as to dip into the spaces between the rows of pins and reach
down to near the bottom of their stems. The discs which enter the spaces of the
large circular comb will be flat and set vertically, and those which enter the spaces
in the small circular comb will be dish-shaped and canted inwards. As the fibre is
fed to the combs by the ordinary feed boxes it will lie loose on the top of the pins,
and as the combs rotate it will be carried under rollers which will press it on to the
pins immediately before it comes under the action of the discs or depressing wheels.
These discs or wheels which are free to rotate under friction of contact with the
fibre will then press down the fibre as before explained and ensure the proper
combing action taking place.
Situate between the two series of discs and entering the innermost space of the
large comb and the outermost space of the small comb, are knives or blades which
serve to keep down the fibres between the pins while the combing action is
going on.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews in plan view so much of a combing
machine with my improvements applied thereto as will serve to explain the nature
of the Invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1;
and Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of my improvements applied to the combing
machine. In these Figures, A is the large circular comb; and B, a small circular
comb mounted on the pillar C. From this pillar projects a bracket D which is
adjustable vertically thereon; from this bracket depend the bearings and supports
for the wheels, discs, and knives employed to depress and keep down the fibres in
the pins of the combs, all of which supports or bearings are adjustable both
vertically and horizontally by means of clamping screws to suit the work in
hand.
The pendent support E serves to carry three pressing wheels a, a, a, which dip
into the spaces between the teeth of the large comb A, and are free to turn on a
stud axle attached to the support E. In like manner the pendent support F carries
a knife b which stands between these wheels and occupies one of the spaces between
the pins of the large comb.
Attached to the support G is a blade.c which is fitted with circular knives, as
shewn best in the detached view, Fig. 4, such knives being free to turn under
friction of contact with the fibres as they are carried forward by the rotating combs;
H and I are supports for the depressing surfaces applied to the small comb B, the
one carrying a knife d, and the other two dish-shaped discs e, e. To steady the
knives c, d, they are further supported by rods pendent from the bracket Bi (see
Figs. 1 and 3). These latter are free to turn on a stud axle fixed to the pendent
support I, and set at an angle so as to cant the discs e and permit of their rotating
within the annular spaces of the small comb formed by the concentric rings of pins.
In front of these depressing surfaces are the rollers K, mounted on an axle L, which is

page_text: supported in a bearing M attached to the bracket D. These rollers bear down the
loose fibres upon the pins, bringing them in a proper position to be acted upon by
the wheels and discs a, a, a, and e, e.
The wheels a, a, I prefer to form with rounded teeth, as shewn at Fig. 3, as they
are found to take a better hold on the fibre and depress it between the comb pins.
These wheels may however be formed as shewn at Figs. 5, the external or off edges
of their periphery being rounded to prevent obstruction to the passage of the fibres
as they are drawn out of the comb.
It will be understood that the number of the depressing and holding down
surfaces may vary, and also that the position of the depressing wheels and discs, and
of the knives, may be changed relatively to the rings of comb pins to suit the
length and quality of fibre under treatment. Their vertical adjustments to give
the desired amount of dip will depend upon the thickness of wool supplied to
the combs; such points must however be left to the judgment of the skilful
attendant.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention for "Improvements in Wool-
combing Machinery," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I
claim, the application to wool-combing machines of adjustable rotating depressing
surfaces as above described for forcing down the fibres as they are fed to the comb
into the spaces between the pins, in lieu of the reciprocating dabbing brush hitherto
employed for that purpose.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.