IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING MACHINERY
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Little, of Oldham, Lancashire, Mechanical
Engineer, and Thomas Charles Eastwood, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Machine Wool Comber, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 10th November 1871, and dated the 13th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Little and
Thomas Charles Eastwood at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th May 1871.
We, GEORGE LITTLE, of Oldham, Lancashire, Mechanical Engineer,
and THOMAS CHARLES EASTWOOD, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Machine Wool Comber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to machinery for combing wool, cotton, flax,
or other fibrous substances, and consists,-
Firstly. Of a series of (by preference six) pairs of nipping and carrying
or transferring jaws mounted upon a horizontal shaft which is supported
in suitable framework. These jaws are caused to revolve intermittently

page_text: or by stages around the shaft by means of a catch or pawl and ratchet
operated by suitable crank motion; also by means of cams they are
caused to open at a certain place or point in their revolutions, and
there remain for a time stationary to receive the end of a sliver of wool
or other fibre fed thereto by a gill comb feeding head or other suitable
instrument or means, then to close or nip and hold the same in the same
stationary position whilst the gill comb or other feeding instrument
recedes and detaches a tuft of the fibrous substance from the sliver,
which becomes combed or cleansed by being drawn through the teeth
of the gill comb. The jaws are then moved on a stage where the
projecting tuft may receive a further cleansing by comb cards or pointed
surface, and at the same time the succeeding pair of jaws are brought
into position to be fed, and a tuft detached in like manner as before.
The jaws are then again moved forward and gradually opened by the
reverse action of the cams, when the tuft cleansed on its projecting end
is deposited on either a circular or other travelling comb, from which
the wool or other fibrous substance is drawn off either by ordinary
drawing-off rollers and belts, or by apparatus which forms the second
part of this Invention.
Secondly. The improvements consist in the construction, application,
and use for drawing off (instead of the drawing-off rollers as heretofore
used) of a pair of discs each mounted on a separate shaft; the axial line
of one shaft will be at a suitable angle to the other to enable the two
discs to be in contact at one point or place only. The surface of the
discs are beveled to fit each other at the point of contact, and one is
corrugated or fluted radially, and the other is faced with leather or
other suitable impressable material. On the same shaft and behind one
of these discs is mounted loosely a helically grooved boss of about
equal diameter to the said disc, which boss is caused to rotate in reverse
direction to the rotation of the discs, and the helical grooves are formed
in the proper direction, so that when this apparatus is in use the ends
of the tufts projecting from the travelling comb will be carried forward
to the junction of the two discs (which are placed in near contact with
the teeth or pins of the travelling comb), by which the wool or other
fibrous substance will be seized and drawn off in a sliver. By this
Invention we are enabled to comb wool or cotton of the shortest length
of staple, and it is equally applicable to the combing of long wool and
flax or other long stapled fibrous substance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Little and Thomas Charles Eastwood. in.
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
LITTLE, of Oldham, Lancashire, Mechanical Engineer, and THOMAS
CHARLES EASTWOOD, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine
Wool Comber, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said George Little and Thomas Charles
Eastwood, Her special licence that we, the said George Little and
Thomas Charles Eastwood, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said George Little and Thomas Charles East-
wood, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING MACHINERY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said George Little and Thomas Charles
Eastwood, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, 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 we, the said George Little and Thomas Charles
Eastwood, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
Sheets of Drawings (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to machinery for combing wool, cotton, flax, or
other fibrous substances, and consists,―
Firstly. Of a series of (by preference six) pairs of nipping and carrying
or transferring jaws mounted upon a horizontal shaft which is supported

page_text: in suitable framework. These jaws are caused to revolve intermittently
or by stages around the shaft by means of a catch or pawl and ratchet
operated by suitable crank motion; also by means of cams they are
caused to open at a certain place or point in their revolutions and there
remain for a time stationary to receive the end of a sliver of wool or
other fibre fed thereto by a gill comb feeding head or other suitable
instrument or means, then to close or nip and hold the same in the same
stationary position whilst the gill comb or other feeding instrument
recedes and detaches a tuft of the fibrous substance from the sliver,
which becomes combed or cleansed by being drawn through the teeth
of the gill comb. The jaws are then moved on a stage where the
projecting tuft may receive a further cleansing by comb cards or pointed
surface, and at the same time the succeeding pair of jaws are brought
into position to be fed, and a tuft detached in like manner as before.
The jaws are then again moved forward and gradually opened by the
reverse action of the cams, when the tuft cleansed on its projecting
end is deposited on either a circular or other travelling comb, from
which the wool or other fibrous substance is drawn off, either by ordinary
drawing-off rollers and belts or by apparatus which forms the second
part of this Invention.
Secondly. The improvements consist in the construction, application,
and use for drawing off instead of the drawing-off rollers as heretofore
used of a pair of discs each mounted on a separate shaft and placed so
that the axial line of one shaft will be at a suitable angle to the other
to enable the two discs to be in contact at one place or point only. The
surfaces of the discs are beveled to fit each other at the point of contact,
and one is corrugated or fluted radially, and the other is faced with
leather or other suitable impressable material.
By this Invention we are enabled to comb wool or cotton of the
shortest length of staple, and it is equally applicable to the combing of
long wool and flax or other long stapled fibrous substances.
Such being the nature and object of this our said Invention we will
now proceed to describe the same in detail, and in order that the
Invention may be clearly understood we have hereunto annexed three
Sheets of Drawings, and have marked the same with figures and letters
of reference, the same letter referring to the same part in the various
views or Figures.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a machine constructed according to
our Invention; Fig. 2 is a view of the nipping jaws detached; Fig. 3 is
a plan view of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of feeding
head; Fig. 5 is a detached view of pawl and ratchet for imparting to
the jaws, disc, and cam the required intermittent motion.
A and A¹ are the jaws; A is mounted on stud A' attached to the
disc As, which disc is caused to revolve intermittently or by stages
around the shaft B by means of the catch or pawl C and ratchet D, the
latter being provided with a number of teeth or notches corresponding
to the number of pairs of nipping jaws A, A¹. The catch or pawl C is
operated by the rod C³, which is connected to a stud on the wheel E
forming a crank motion, the wheel E receiving motion from the pinion G
keyed on the first driving or pulley shaft G'. Each pair of jaws on
arriving opposite or under the gill comb feeding head H remains
stationary until the gill combs H' descend, introducing to or between
the open jaws A, A', the end of a sliver of wool or other fibre H* (see
Fig. 2). The gills H' now by the action of the spiral spring H³ close on
and pierce the sliver (as shewn at Fig. 1), the cam I bearing on the
friction rollers A* of the nipping jaws A', which on reaching its greatest
throw at K will close the jaws on the end of the sliver, nipping and
holding the same therein. The feeding head H will now through the
rack and pinion L (see Fig. 1) actuated by the lever M connecting
rod M attached to the lever N, which is operated by the cam N", recede
from the jaws, and the gills H₁ will be drawn through the tuft of
fibre as it is being detached from the sliver, thus combing or cleansing
the same. The jaws and cam are now moved on a stage through the
action of the catch or pawl and ratchet wheel as above described, when
the projecting tuft of fibre held thereby will receive a further combing
or cleaning by being operated upon by the pins or cards on the
cylinder R, which cylinder is concave, or of other form suitable to the
shape of jaw working in connection therewith; meanwhile the next
succeeding or second pair of nipping jaws will have been moved forward
under the gill head H, and fed or supplied with sliver in like manner
as before described. The cam is then reversed to close the second pair
of jaws, and at the same time the friction pulley on the first moveable
jaw descends the incline S to a surface of the cam I nearer its centre,
allowing a partial opening of the jaws A, A', preparatory to their being
moved forward by the pawl and ratchet another stage, when the fibre

page_text: is removed therefrom and deposited on the comb T by the dabbing
brush T, and so on from stage to stage. The motions of the cam are
obtained through the rod C¹, and the link C³ secured to the cam shaft B
on each half revolution of the wheel E will through the rod C¹ and
pawl or catch C operate or move on a stage the nipping jaws and cam.
The other half revolution will draw back or down the rod C¹ and the
pawl, and at the same time by the link C³ reverse the cam fixed on
the shaft B. C³ is a holding catch to prevent the reverse action
or backward motion of the nipping apparatus and disc. It will thus
be seen that whilst the disc and the nipping jaws rotate intermittently,
receiving the feed and detaching the tuft, carrying it forward to be
further cleansed, and thence to be deposited on the circular comb, the
cam simply oscillates from one pair to the succeeding pair of nipping
jaws, opening and closing the same. It will also be seen the jaws are
curved to an arc of corresponding radius to the interior of the circular
comb T, and that the portion of fibre held between the jaws will be
deposited within or behind the pins on the circular comb, so as to
be cleansed by being drawn through the pins of the said circular comb.
The wool or fibre is "drawn off" or removed from the circular comb T
in the form of a sliver by means of a pair of discs V, V¹, mounted on or
secured to the shafts W, W¹, the said shafts being arranged at an angle
as shewn, so that the discs are in contact at one point only. The
drawing surface of the discs are bevelled to fit each other at the point
of contact; the lower one is corrugated or fluted radially, and the other
is faced with leather or other suitable impressible material. Endless
travelling belts, fan, vibrating finger, or other ordinary means for
leading the ends of the fibre to the disc "drawing off" apparatus, may
be employed in connection therewith. It will be evident that the
nipping apparatus herein described may be used in connection with
chain or other travelling comb, and that the jaws may be concave
instead of convex, or curved if desired to deposit fibre from the outside
of a circular comb.
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and
shewn by Drawings in what manner the same is to be performed or
carried into practical operation, we would have it understood that what
we claim as of our Invention is,―
Firstly. The construction, application, combination, and use of a

page_text: with circular chain or other travelling comb, in manner and for purposes
substantially as herein described.
Secondly. The construction, application, and use of revolving discs
for drawing off the sliver from circular chain or other travelling combs
as shewn and described.
And thirdly. The combination and general arrangement of the appa-
ratus in manner shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Charles Eastwood, for and
on behalf of myself and the said George Little, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
THOMAS CHARLES EASTWOOD. (L.S.)
Witness,
WM TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax & Bradford.