IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND GINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Macdonald, of Aston, near Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND GINNING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 20th July 1866, and dated the 17th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Macdonald at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th May 1866.
I, GEORGE MACDONALD, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND GINNING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in substituting cylindrical buffs made in the manner
herein-after described for the roller gins ordinarily employed in machinery or
apparatus for cleaning and ginning cotton and other fibrous, substances. I
make the acting surfaces of the said cylindrical buffs of fibre, and the fibres
which I prefer to employ are cocoa-nut fibre, hemp, and jute.. I
compress the
fibre of which the buff. is to be made by means of screws or otherwise, and
while in a compressed state. I cut it into pieces of the required size and form

page_text: and impregnate those portions of the said pieces which are to be attached to
the rollers with a strongly adhesive resinous substance in a state of fusion,
such as a mixture of Stockholm tar, rosin, pitch, and oil. I insert the suitably
shaped pieces of the compressed and partially impregnated fibre in compart-
ments made for their reception on the cylindrical surface of the roller, the
fibres being arranged radially or at right angles to the axis of the roller, similar
to the position of the bristles of a rotary brush. The pieces of compressed
fibre are inserted in their respective places on the roller while still under
compression; or instead of inserting pieces of the compressed. and partially
impregnated fibre in compartments in the roller the said compressed and
impregnated fibre may be made into rings, and the said rings attached to the
roller in the following manner :-While the compressed fibre is in the press I
stitch over the impregnated portion of the fibre a binding made of leather or
cloth; these bound pieces of compressed fibre are then bent into rings and
their ends joined. I take a series of these rings of compressed fibre and
arrange the said rings on the cylindrical surface of the roller, metal washers
alternating with the rings of compressed fibre, and the said rings and washers
are compressed together, and the whole finally bound together by means of a
screw cap working or screwing on the end of the roller. There is thus
produced a cylindrical buff having a continuous cylindrical surface of com-
pressed fibre, which from its elasticity and density, and its capability of seizing
and holding the cotton or other fibre,. is well suited. to clean, or gin cotton or
other fibre in place of the rollers ordinarily employed for that purpose.
The essence of my Invention consists in making cylindrical buffs of
compressed fibre, whether of vegetable or animal origin, the said cylindrical
*buff's being substituted for the rollers ordinarily used in machinery or apparatus
for cleaning or ginning cotton or other fibres.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Macdonald in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th September 1866.
: "
J
3
TO ALL: TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
MACDONALD, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil...
-Engineer, send greeting:
;
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord 8
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, thǝ
said George Macdonald, Her special licence that I, the said George Macdonald,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,. the .said
George Macdonald, my 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND GINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS,
SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Macdonald, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer 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 George Macdonald, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
:
My Invention consists in substituting cylindrical buffs made in the manner
herein-after described for the roller gins ordinarily employed in machinery
or apparatus for cleaning and ginning cotton and other fibrous substances.
I make the acting surfaces of the said cylindrical buffs of fibre, and the fibres
which I prefer to employ are cocoa-nut fibre, hemp, and jute. I compress
the fibre of which the buff is to be made by means of a screw or other press,
and while in a compressed state I cut it into pieces of the required size and
form, and impregnate those portions of the said pieces which are to be attached
to the rollers with a strongly adhesive resinous substance in a state of fusion,
such as a mixture of Stockholm tar, resin, pitch, and oil. I insert the suitably
shaped pieces of the compressed and partially impregnated fibre in compart-
ments made for their reception on the cylindrical surface of the roller, the
fibres being arranged radially or at right angles to the axis of the roller, similar
to the position of the bristles of a rotary brush. The pieces of compressed
fibre are inserted in their respective places on the roller while still under
compression; or instead of inserting pieces of the compressed and partially
impregnated fibre in compartments in the. roller- the said compressed.and
impregnated fibre may be made into rings, and, the said rings attached to the
roller in the following manner:-While the compressed fibre is in the press

page_text: I stitch over the impregnated portion of the fibre a binding made.of leather.
or cloth; these bound pieces of compressed fibre are then bent into rings
and their ends joined. I take a series of these rings of compressed fibre and
arrange the said rings on the cylindrical surface of the roller, metal washers
alternating with the rings of compressed fibre, and the said rings and washer's
are compressed together and the whole finally bound together by means of a
screw cap working or screwing on the end of the roller; or instead of the
arrangement last described I prepare the rings of compressed fibre in the
following manner :-I take rings of the proper size made of sheet tinned iron
or brass or other metal or alloy, the outer surface of which rings are concave,
that is, their edges are situated higher than the middle. I arrange around
the concave surface of these rings the compressed fibre, and I bind the fibre
to the ring at the middle by means of a ring or sheet-iron washer or by wire,
under which the fibre is doubled, and at the sides by raising the edges of the
concave ring in a press. The edges of the ring are thus pressed up against
the fibre, doubling up the fibre around the middle washer or wire, and binding.
it securely and compressing it between the said washer or wire and the outer
raised edges of the ring. After fixing the compressed fibre to the ring the
fibre is cut round the said ring to the required size. The rings of compressed
fibre made in this way are placed upon metal or wooden rollers, and the said
rings are bound together by a screw cap working or screwing on the end of
the roller.
By either of the arrangements described there is produced a cylindrical
buff having a continuous cylindrical surface of compressed fibre; which from
its elasticity and density, and its capability of seizing and holding the cotton
or other fibre is well suited to clean or gin cotton or other fibre in place of
the rollers ordinarily employed for that purpose.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
I
Figure 1 represents in cross section a cylindrical buff made according to
my Invention, in which pieces of compressed and partly impregnated fibre
are inserted in compartments made on the cylindrical surface of the roller.
a is the wooden roller fixed upon the inner iron spindle b. In the cylindrical
surface of the said roller a a series of equidistant radial grooves are made,
into which grooves strips c of tinned sheet iron or other hard metal are
inserted, so as to form a series of longitudinal compartments marked d, in
which compartments & the compressed and impregnated pieces of fibre are
fixed in the manner represented in the Drawing. The ends of the compressed
:

page_text: fibre, impregnated with a strongly adhesive resinous, substance, are indicated:
by the dark colouring in the Drawing. In building up this buff or roller,
Figure 1, I first compress the fibre by means of a screw or other' press; and;
while in a compressed state I cut it into pieces of the length and breadth of
the compartments d of the roller, and having impregnated with a' resinous.
substance in a state of fusion the parts of the fibre indicated by dark colouring:
in the Drawing, I insert the said pieces of compressed and partly impregnated:
fibre while in a state of compression into the compartments. d. By this:
means the compressed fibre is firmly secured in the compartments of the:
roller, the fibre being arranged radially, similar to the position of the bristles
of a rotary brush.
: Figure 2 represents in longitudinal section, another cylindrical buff:
constructed according to my Invention, composed of a series of rings of:
compressed fibre bound together; Figure 3 represents a section of one of the
rings separately; Figure 4 represents a section of a ring before the fibre is:
fixed to it; and Figure 5 represents in front elevation, and Figure 6. in side:
elevation, the metal ring and washer employed to bind the fibre together...
In making the ring of compressed fibre, Figure 8, I take the concave ring.6:
represented in Figures 5 and 6, the said ring being made of tinned sheet iron,
brass, or other hard metal or alloy, and I place upon the middle of the; said,
concave ring a flat ring or washer f, the diameter of the opening in the said
washer being equal to that of the sides of the concave ring e.-I place around.
the concave surface of the said ringe the fibre to be fixed to the said ring,.
the said fibre being placed or doubled under the inner edge of the flat ring-f..
A ring of fibre in this stage of its manufacture is represented in Figure 4... I
take the ring, Figure 4, and place it upon a cylindrical bed or mandril 'of a
press used for shaping or raising metals, and by the operation of the said,
press the curved edges of the concave ring are raised into nearly vertical-
planes, in the manner represented in Figure 3. By the raising of the edges o
of the ring e a flat ring is- produced having a flange on either, side-marked e³
in Figure 3, between which flanges e³ and the washer f the fibre is further
doubled and compressed and firmly held, the fibre at the middle of the ring
being firmly kept down by the said washer f. In order to facilitate the
bending of the edges of the concave rings against the fibre the said edges may
be slit at short intervals. Instead of the ring or washer fa wire binding, may
be employed. After fixing the compressed fibre to the metal ringe the edges
of the fibre are trimmed or cut to the required size. The ring of compressed'
fibre is then complete. A cylindrical buff having a continuous cylindrical
surface is made from a series of these rings of compressed fibre in the manner

page_text: illustrated in Figure 2, that is to say, I take a metal roller 9 (or a wooden roller:
may be used) of a diameter a little less than that of the opening in the rings,"
the said roller having at its ends axes or spindles h, upon which the buff or
roller turns when in use. One end of the roller has a fixed flange or annular
shoulder i, and the other end is provided with a moveable collar k and screw
nut or cap 1. By placing a series of the rings of compressed fibre, Figure 3,
upon the roller, g, and screwing up the screw, nut'l, the fibre of the said rings
is still further compressed, and the said rings bound firmly together and held.
in their places upon the cylindrical surface of the roller.
When I construct the cylindrical buff or roller-of rings of compressed fibre.
bound together by a binding of leather or cloth as herein-before explained, I
arrange the said rings upon the surface of the roller, and compress and fix
them thereon in the manner described and represented with respect to rings
of compressed fibre having metallic foundations or bindings, metal washers
in this case alternating with the rings of compressed fibre, the said washers
taking the place of the flanges e³ of the rings represented in the Drawing.
Although I have described the best methods or arrangements with, which I-
am acquainted of combining the compressed fibre into cylindrical buffs, yet I
do not limit myself thereto, as other methods or arrangements may be adopted:
with the same or nearly the same effect.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as. my Invention making the acting surfaces of cylindrical buffs to be
substituted for the rollers ordinarily employed in machinery or apparatus for
cleaning or ginning cotton and other fibrous substances of compressed fibre,
whether of vegetable or animal origin, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
= In witness whereof, I; the said George Macdonald, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
GEORGE MACDONALD. (L.S.)