IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."-A communication from
Victor Brosser, of Beauvais, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 5th October 1855, and dated the 10th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th April 1855.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," a communication from
Victor Brosser, of Beauvais, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
mechanism for effecting the combing of wool and other fibrous substances in a
more effectual and speedy manner and with less injury to the fibres or staples
than has hitherto been accomplished by the combing machines at present in
use.. According to this Invention, the fibrous material is combed by a simple

page_text: drawing action, in place of by the action of comb teeth inserted into the fibres,
and then drawn out repeatedly while the wool is held in the teeth of a fixed
comb, or between a pair of nippers, by which latter process the fibres or
staples become weakened and broken to a great extent before the operation
is completed.
The peculiar construction and arrangement of apparatus for carrying out the
improved system of combing consists of a number of comb bars, similar to the
ordinary gills; upon which gills is deposited the wool or other fibrous material
by means of a pair of feed rollers and brush. These gills are driven by screws
at each end, but the screws are each made in two parts; the first portion, which
is of a fine pitch, revolving independantly of the latter portion and at a slower
speed, whilst the latter portion of the screws is made with a large pitch, and is
driven at a greater velocity than the first half of the screws. By this means
the first gill is made to advance suddenly from the rest, and draws off with it
a certain amount of wool, which is held firmly on to the gill by a pressing
bar. This bar is dropped from above, and secures itself to the gill by spring
fastenings. It travels with the gill until it arrives at the end of its traverse,
whereupon it is disengaged and elevated into a traversing screw above in
company with several others, whilst the gill itself is made to descend by two
eccentrics, and deposit its wool on to the teeth of an endless comb which travels
at right angles to the movements of the gills. The wool is pressed well into
the teeth of the endless comb by a descending brush for that purpose. The
gill is now returned to the back of the gill frame by a lower pair of screws in
the usual manner. From this comb the long staples of the wool are withdrawn
by suitable drawing rollers, placed at varying distances from the comb teeth, so
that different qualities of sliver may be drawn therefrom. In place of having
a number of pressing bars actuated by screws similar to gills, as herein-before
described, one bar only need be employed, such bar serving also to give. the
quick motion to the first gill, thus dispensing also with the second or quick
moving portion of the gill-actuating screws. This may be effected by connect-
ing the pressing bar at or near each end. with rods worked by cranks, the ends
of the bar working or sliding in differential grooves, which are so arranged,
that on the back stroker of the cranks, and when the 'gill has arrived at
the end of its traverse, prsser bar will return by an upper groove and be in
readiness for the next gill.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN HENRY
JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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,
usc, 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 OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
STAUCES," a cominunication from Victor Brosser, of Bauvais, in the Empire
of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of mecha-
nism for effecting the combing of wool and other fibrous substances in a
more simple and efficient manner and with less injury to the fibre or staple
than has hitherto been accomplished by the combing machines at present in
use. According to this Invention, the fibrous material is combed by a simple
drawing action, in place of the action of comb teeth inserted into the fibres,
and then drawn out repeatedly whilst the wool is held in the teeth of a fixed

page_text: comb, or between a pair of nippers, by which latter process the fibre or
staple becomes weakened and broken to a great extent before the operation is
completed.
"
The peculiar construction and arrangement of apparatus for carrying out
this improved system of combing consists of a number of comb bars, similar to
the ordinary
gills;" upon these comb bars or "gills" the fibrous material
is deposited by means of a pair of feed rollers and a brush. The "gills" are
driven by screws at each end, which screws are each made in two parts; the
first portion, of a fine pitch, revolving independently of the latter portion and
at a slower speed, whilst the latter portion of the screws, being of a coarse
pitch, is driven at a greater velocity than the first portion. By this means
the first gill is made to recede suddenly from the rest, and draws off with it a
certain amount of wool, which is held firmly on to the gill by a pressing bar.
This bar is dropped from above, and secures itself to the gill by means of
spring fastenings. It travels with the gill until it arrives at the end of its
traverse, whereupon it is disengaged and elevated into a screw above in
company with several others, whilst the gill itself is caused to descend by two
excentrics, and deposits its wool upon the teeth of an endless comb which
travels at right angles to the movement of the gills. The wool is pressed well
into the teeth of the endless comb by a descending brush arranged for that
purpose. The gill is then returned to the back of the gill frame by a lower
pair of screws in the usual manner. From the endless comb the long staples
or fibres of the wool are withdrawn by suitable drawing rollers, placed at
varying distances from the comb teeth, so that the different qualities or
lengths of fibre may be drawn therefrom. In place of having a number
of pressing bars actuated by screws, in a similar manner to gills, as before
described, one bar only need be employed, such bar serving also to give the
quick motion to the first gill, thus dispensing also with the second or quick
moving portion of the screws which actuate the gills. This may be effected
by connecting the pressing bar at or near each end with rods worked by cranks,
the ends of the bar working or sliding in grooves, which are so constructed and
arranged that on the back stroke of the cranks, and when the gill has arrived
at the end of its traverse, the presser bar will return by an upper groove and
be in readiness for the next gill.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention, I will now proceed
to describe the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, and refer to
the Sheet of Drawings hereto annexed, in which the several letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a

page_text: plan view; Fig. 3, an end view; and Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section of the
same through about the line A, B, in Fig. 2.
The gills a are moved in the ordinary manner from the feeding rollers A by
means of screws b. As soon as the gills arrive at the ends of the screws b, they
are taken hold of by mechanism (hereafter described), which presses and holds
the lock of wool at the bottom of the teeth of the front gill, and rapidly draws
this gill away from the rest, thus performing the combing by a simple drawing
process. During the whole of their traverse the gills are supported by the
guides c. As they arrive at the end they come within the range of the
exentrics d, turning with the screw b, which causes them to descend into
the lower screws along the guides e. The screws return them to the
exentrics d', which raise then again to the level of the screws band guides c.
The driving power is obtained by means of the fast and loose pullies B and B'
on the main driving shaft C, which actuate the screws 6 by the mitre wheels
ff. The wheels f' gear with bevil pinions g, fixed upon two short vertical
shafts, and carrying at their lower extremity similar pinions, driving by means
of bevil wheels the screws b. The shaft C also carries a spur pinion D,
which by means of the carrier wheels E drives the feeding rollers A. Upon
the shaft C are also two spur wheels F, gearing with two other wheels F',
keyed one at each end of a lower shaft G. Each of these wheels F' is furnished
with a crank pin, to which the connecting rods H are attached, and cominu-
nicate vibratory movement to the levers H', whose fulcrum is at their lower
end. The upper ends of these levers are connected by rods H2 to a moveable
bar h, to which it communicates reciprocating movement. This bar is
the bar which forces the wool down to the roots of the teeth of the first gill,
and draws it away quickly from the others. The bar h is furnished at
its ends with friction rollers, which (when the bar moves in the same
direction as the gills) move under the guides . The extremity of the guides
is formed by a moveable piece ', which the rollers raise in passing. This
piece falls down immediately, and as the bar returns, the rollers meeting the
inclined planes, mount upon the guides i. Upon arriving at the other end
of these guides i, the bar falls (by its own weight, aided by the springs ',) on
to another gill a, again pressing down and drawing the wool as before, the
points with which it is furnished penetrating into grooves in the bar. The
bar h and gill a are then rapidly thrust forwards by the action of the rods H³,
carrying with them a lock of wool which is drawn between the teeth of the
gills which remain behind. As soon as the bar and gill arrive at the end of
their stroke, the gill a descends; the guides e, by the action of the excentrics d,
whilst the bar h quits the gill a, mounts on to the guides ', i, and returns

page_text: to take hold of another gill. Each gill in falling passes over an endless comb I,
and in descending past it leaves thereon its lock of wool or other fibrous
substance; this comb I, which is continually advancing, conducts the filaments
to the drawing-off apparatus.
The endless comb is formed by pieces jointed together as usual. It travels
around the hexagonal pullies J, J¹, one of which imparts motion to it. Upon
one end of the driving shaft C is a bevil wheel j, driving an horizontal shaft
K. This shaft carries a bevil wheel , gearing with another wheel k¹ on a
shaft K. Upon this latter shaft is keyed a bevil wheel N, gearing with a
wheel n, upon the boss of which is keyed or cast the spur pinion n', which gives
motion by means of a spur wheel n² to the hexagonal pulley J.
The endless comb as it becomes filled by the successive arrival of the gills
advances continuously, and delivers the filaments to one or other of the drawing-
off rollers L and M, placed at different distances from the teeth of the endless
comb, in order to separate the different lengths of fibre or filament. The
rollers L, being at a greater distance, take hold of the longest fibres and form
then into one sliver, whilst the rollers M take hold of the shorter filaments or
fibres left by the rollers L, and form them into another and separate sliver.
The drawing-off apparatus receives its motion from the bevel wheel k. The
sliver proceeding therefrom is taken by the horizontal rollers L'. The conical
drawing rollers M are driven from the rollers L' by means of the gearing 7.
It is obvious that the accelerated movement of the gills may be obtained in
various ways.
For instance, upon their arrival at the end of the screws b
they may be taken hold of by other screws turning more quickly or having a
quicker thread, the principle being in the peculiar movement of the gills, of
which the first or front one is separated from the rest and carried forward
rapidly, carrying therewith a lock of wool or fibrous substance, which it draws
through the teeth of the remaining gills, as above described; and in the
application of an endless comb moving in a direction perpendicular or at right
angles to the movement of the gills, and receiving the wool which is left
thereon by the gills in descending. The regularity and smoothness of motion
attained by this system allows of its advantageous application to the combing
of cotton and other fibrous substances, the teeth of the combs and pitch of the
screws being regulated accordingly.
I would also observe that a brush with alternate vertical movement may be
applied to the machine for the purpose of pressing the wool or other fibrous
material firmly on to the teeth of the endless comb as it is left by the
descending gills.
Having thus described the nature and object of the said improvements

page_text: in machinery or apparatus for combing wool and other fibrous substances,
together with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would
remark, in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention, the general construction
and arrangement of the machinery or apparatus as shewn in the Drawings, and
above particularly set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)