IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING WORSTED, MOHAIR ALPACA, COTTON, AND OTHER YARNB
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Midgley, of Salterlee Mill, in the Parish of
Halifax, and County of York, and George Collier, of Halifax, in the
said County, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING WORSTED,
MOHAIR ALPACA, COTTON, AND OTHER YARNB."
Sealed the 6th June 1856, and dated the 12th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Midgley and
George Collier, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 12th December 1855.
We, ROBERT MIDGLEY, of Salterlee Mill, in the Parish of Halifax, and
County of York, and GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the said County, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRE-
PARING WORSTED, MOHAIR, ALPACA, COTTON, AND OTHER YARNS," to be as follows:-
Worsted and other yarns are usually subjected to a singeing process to burn'
off the projecting fibres from their surface, thereby to give them smoothness
better to fit them for their different uses. The yarns are also washed in
open vessels, and boiled or steamed in bobbins to set them. And our
improvements consist in removing the projecting fibres from the yarns by
the action of knives, thereby to cut them off in place of singeing or burn-
ing. For this purpose we employ one knife stationary, the other rotating, &
of a helical character, such as now used in shearing the surface of woollen:

page_text: and other cloths, by which the projecting fibres in place of being burnt off
(by which the yarns become discoloured) will be cut or sheared off with-
out the colour of the yarns being affected, or otherwise injured by heat.
We also give to the yarns a rotary motion whilst being acted upon by
the knives in order to their surface being uniformly treated. And we
then form the yarns in hanks or coils, and place them upon pins carried.
by a rotating or vibrating frame, so that they may be capable of receiving
an agitated motion in a vessel or chamber containing suds or other wash-
ing liquid; and when by the agitation given to them in such wash liquid
the yarns are cleansed, we withdraw the waste liquid from the vessel or
chamber, and having distended the hanks or coils by shifting the supporting
pins in the frame, we then introduce boiling water, or water mixed with other
matters, to set the yarns; or we set the yarns by closing the vessel or chamber,
and then introducing thereto steam under pressure.
When the yarns are sufficiently cleansed & treated, as explained, we dry
and stretch them by operating upon them in manner such as was described
in the Specification of a former Patent granted to us on the Fifth of May
last. Yarns thus treated will be found better fitted for their various purposes
than as prepared by present methods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
: by the said Robert Midgley and George Collier in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th June 1856.,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
MIDGLEY, of Salterlee Mill, in the Parish of, Halifax, and County of York,
and GEORGE COLLIER, of Halifax, in the said County,, send greeting.
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen. Victoria, by, Her, Letters
Patent, bearing, 'date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred, and, fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her-reign,
did, fór Herself, Her. heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the, said,
Robert Midgley and George Collier, Her special licence that, we, the-said, 3
Robert Midgley and George Collier, our executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as we, the said Robert Midgley and George Collier, our execu.:
tors, 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 ex-:
pressed, should, and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the,3

page_text: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an. Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING WORSTED, MOHAIR,
ALPACA, COTTON, AND OTHER YARNS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Robert Midgley and George Collier, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain.
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Robert Midgley and George Collier,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained. in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
T
Worsted and other yarns are usually subjected to a singeing process to burn:
off the projecting fibres from their surface, thereby to give them smoothness
better to fit them for their different uses. The yarns are also washed in 'open
vessels, and boiled or steamed on bobbins to set them. And our improvements
consist in removing the projecting fibres from the yarns by the action of knives,
thereby to cut them off in place of singeing or burning. For this purpose we
employ one knife stationary, the other rotating, and of a helical character, such
as now used in shearing the surface of woollen and other cloths, by which the
projecting fibres in place of being burnt off (by which the yarns become
discoloured). will be cut or sheared off without the::colour of the yarns being
affected or otherwise injured by heat. We also give to the yarns a rotary:
motion whilst being acted upon by the knives, in order to their surface being
uniformly treated. And we then form the yarns in hanks or coils, and place
them upon pins carried by a rotating or vibrating frame, so that they may be,
capable of receiving an agitated' motion in a vessel or chamber containing suds
or other washing liquid; and when by the agitation given to them in such wash
liquid the yarns are cleansed, we withdraw the wash liquid from the vessel or
chamber, and having distended the hanks or coils by shifting the supporting.
pins in the frame, we then introduce boiling water, or water mixed with other.
matters to set the yarns; or we set the yarns by closing the vessel or chamber,
and then introducing thereto steam under pressure.
But that the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner we carry
the same into effect, may be fully understood, we will proceed to describe the
means pursued by us.
A helical knife acting with a stationary one to cut or shear loose fibres off

page_text: the surfaces of fabrics being well understood, especially in connection with the
finishing of woollen cloths (machines arranged with which are ordinarily called
Lewis's machines), we have not thought it necessary to show the means which.
we adopt in carrying out the first part of our improvements, as a workman
acquainted with such machines will readily make the adaptations necessary,
and we would only further state that the yarns to be sheared are conducted'
between the cutters by suitable guides or eyes. And we communicate to the
yarns, a rotary motion by conducting them, after passing under the operation of.
the cutters, between a pair of belts, or other travelling surfaces. By the rotary.
motion thus given to the yarns, not only will the various parts of the surface
of the yarns be subjected to the action of the cutters to shear off the loose
fibres therefrom, but the surface of the yarns so treated will be more evenly,
laid..
:
Yarns in coils or hanks we then submit to the following treatment:-In:
apparatus such as shown by the Drawings, of which Figure 1 shows a section;
Figure 2, a sectional plan; and Figures 3 and 4, other views; a, a, is a strong
chamber or vessel, formed by preference of wrought iron, and provided with a.
vertical shaft b, carrying a wheel or frame c, on the outer circumference of
which are arranged a series of pins c', which with the pins d in the ring d
support in pairs the coils or hanks of yarns, as shown. The ring d¹ with its
pins d is capable of moving partly round upon the frame c, to give tension to
the yarns supported between the pins c¹ and the pins d, as also of rotating:
or vibrating with the frame c in. manner which we will hereafter explain.
The axis bis supported at its lower end in a step or bearing, as shown,
and at its upper end it passes through a stuffing box a¹ to the arm e. The
shaft 6 is also provided with collars 6, 61, by which strength is given to the
chamber or vessel a to enable it better to resist the pressures to which in:
operation it is subjected.
The outer end of the arm e according to the arrangement shewn, is by a
projecting pin connected to one end of the link f, the other end of which is
connected to a pin g' from the crank g affixed to the shaft or axis h, which
is supported in suitable bearings h³, and at its other end has affixed to it
the bevilled wheel h², by which it receives rotary motion from the bevilled
pinioni affixed to the shaft or axis i, upon which is affixed the drum or
pulley, which receives motion by a strap or band from a steam engine or
other suitable power. In this manner will a vibrating motion be imparted
to the arm e, and thence to the axis b, when that is made fast to it. The arm e
is capable of moving freely on the upper end of the axis b, in order that the
frames c, d, may be moved independently thereof for the purpose of applying

page_text: or removing coils or hanks of yarns; and the arm e is capable of being made,
fast to the shaft b, so as to cause it to impart its vibrátory motion to that shaft,:
and thence to the frames in the chamber or vessel a by means of the set
screw j. The coils or hanks. of yarn are introduced to and removed from the
chamber or vessel a through the opening a¹, which is closed by the lid or
cover k, which is capable of being made fast, as shown, suitable packing being
applied to make the same steam and air-tight; suds or other wash liquid to be
used in washing the yarns are supplied to the chamber or vessel 7, and when the
yarns have been arranged as desired upon the pins c, d, in the vessel a, such
suds or wash liquor is forced up into the chamber a by the passage m, m³, by
the pressure of steam passed by the pipe n through the valve n', and it is there.
retained by closing a valve at m²; and when, by the agitation thus given to the
yarns in the wash liquor employed in the chamber a, the yarns are cleansed,
the valve n' is closed, and the valve at m² is again opened, and the wash liquor
is allowed to flow back into the chamber l. is an air tap to the chamber 7,
to be used when required. We then distend the yarns by causing the one
wheel or frame of pins & partly to rotate on the other c in the following
manner-Upon the frame d' are formed or affixed teeth da, which are taken
into by a pinion o upon the axis o', carried partly by
frame c, and partly by being stepped into the frame c.
also affixed the ratchet wheel o³, which is taken into by
to hold the parts in position, as desired.
a frame o³ from the
Upon the shaft o is
a click or stop, so as
The upper end of the shaft o is formed square to receive the socket p',
formed at the lower end of the spindle p, which is passed through the stuffing
box p formed in the cover of the vessel a, and at its upper end is formed with
a neck embraced by the fork q, by which it may be raised or lowered into
connection with the spindle o'; and when the spindle o' is thus in connection
with the spindle p, it may be caused to rotate as desired by a key applied to
the
square part formed at the upper end of the spindle p; when the yarns
have been tightened between the pins c, d, to the extent desired, we admit
steam under pressure to the yarns in the chamber a by the pipe n through the
valver to set them. In place of steam, boiling water, or water mixed with
other matters, may be employed.
When the yarns are sufficiently cleansed and treated, as explained, we dry
and stretch them by operating upon them in manner such as was described in
the Specification of a Patent granted to us on the Fifth of May, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five. Yarns thus treated will be found better fitted
for their various purposes than as prepared by present methods.
In some

page_text: cases where it is not necessary to set the yarns under pressure in the vessel a,
such vessel may be formed open. in place of closed.
Having thus: described the nature of our said. Invention, and the. means
which we adopt in carrying the same in practice, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves' to the. precise details herein referred to, as
variations.may be made.therein without departing from the peculiar character
of either part of the improvements. But what we claim is,-
First, the mode of operating upon yarns to remove the projecting fibres
therefrom by means of cutters opérating in manner substantially as explained.
Secondly, we claim the arranging and combining parts forming apparatus,
and the mode. of operating to wash and set yarns, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Midgley and George Collier,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of June, in
'the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
ROBERT MIDGLEY. (L.8.)
Witness,
G* SUNDERLAND.
GEORGE COLLIER.
(L.B.).