IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EMERY, GLASS, OR OTHER ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE IN COMBINATION WITH WOVEN FABRICS OR OTHER FLEXIBLE MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE APPLICATION OF BUCH ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE SO COMBINED TO GRINDING WIRE CARDS OR OTHER SUBSTANCES "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard John Edwards and Archer Edwards, both of
Shoreditch, in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EMERY, GLASS, OR OTHER ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE IN
COMBINATION WITH WOVEN FABRICS OR OTHER FLEXIBLE MATERIALS, AND
IN APPARATUS FOR THE APPLICATION OF BUCH ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE SO
COMBINED TO GRINDING WIRE CARDS OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard John Edwards and
Archer Edwards at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
27th February 1883.
RICHARD JOHN EDWARDS and ARCHER EDWARDS, both of Shoreditch, in the
County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EMERY, GLASS,
OR OTHER ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE IN COMBINATION WITH WOVEN FABRICS OR OTHER
FLEXIBLE MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE APPLICATION OF SUCH
ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE SO COMBINED TO GRINDING WIRE CARDS OR OTHER
SUBSTANCES
"
Our invention relates first to novel methods of applying emery, glass, or other
abrasive powder to the surface of woven fabrics, or other flexible material such as
paper.
For the purpose of carrying out our invention we take sheets, bands, or strips of
such cloth or other flexible material and we apply the abrasive powder to its surface
in alternate strips of the same or different widths, but the emery or other powder
being of different degrees of fineness. In order to do this we coat the surface of
the material with glue or other suitable cement of sufficient thickness and con-
aistency, and whilst this glue is still soft we pass the material under a series of
teeth or scrapers of the desired width and adjusted at the required distance apart,
the teeth being placed in such a position that they scrape the principal part of the
glue from alternate strips which are accordingly left with only a thin coating, the
[Price Bd I

page_text: part removed being added to the intermediate strips the thickness of which is
accordingly increased.
We then coat the material so prepared with emery or other abrasive powder of
the fineness required for the finer strips, and we reheat the glue by means of a jet
of steam or other convenient means, and the powder then sinks below the surface
of the thicker strips of glue, whilst it becomes firmly fixed with its upper part
exposed in the thinner strips of glue.
We then apply Emery or other abrasive powder of the coarseness required to the
surface of the material, and such powder adheres to the thicker strips of glue,
whilst it can be shaken off and removed from the remainder of the material
which therefore remains coated with fine and course Emery or other abrasive
powder in alternate strips which may be fixed upon the material, by means of a
steam jet, or by heat applied to the back or front, or both, in any convenient
manner.
The glue or other cement may be applied to the surface of the material and
formed into alternate thick and thin layers by hand or by suitable machinery
consisting of rollers, brushes, and scrapers, over and under which the flexible
material is passed in long lengths.
Cloth covered with abrasive powder in strips in the way described may be used
for grinding or polishing the surface of any material, but it is especially applicable
to grinding the teeth of wire cards used for carding fibrous substances.
For this purpose we wind bands or strips of the material prepared as described
round the periphery of drums or rollers made to revolve in contact with the teeth
of the cards to be ground. We prefer to wind the strips helically round such
drums or rollers, their ends being fastened by cement, wedges or screws, or other
convenient means. The drums or rollers may in some cases be formed with more
or less angular helical grooves round their periphery, so that the latter presents in
side view a series of teeth round which one or more strips of flexible abrasive
material are wound, each strip being wide enough to cover one or more teeth as
may be desired. The strips being fitted upon the drums or rollers when damp,
contract when dry so that the parts above the points of the teeth project some-
what above the remainder.
Or, sometimes we make a helical recess round the roller or drum, serving as
a guide in which to wind a helical strip of the flexible abrasive material. This
recess may be made either by cutting or forming it in the periphery of the roller
itself, or by winding a narrow helical strip or wire forming a rib round the drum,
so as to project slightly above the surface of the latter. The flexible strip is
wound and fixed in the recess thus formed by the rib, which is not of sufficient
thickness to project above the surface of the abrasive material.
Instead of winding the drum with flexible material composed of alternate strips
of fine and course emery or other abrasive powder as described, we sometimes use
separate strips of course and fine abrasive powder and we wind them alternately in
a helical direction round the drum, their edges either being in contact or separated
by the helical guiding rib already described.
Rollers or drums constructed and arranged in the manner described are very
effective in grinding the wires of cards, the edges of the strips of coarse emery or
other abrasive powder grinding and sharpening the sides of the wires as well as
the bottom of their points, and the latter being also ground and sharpened by the
alternate layers of finer emery. In order to clean the cards as well as to sharpen
them, we sometimes wind strips of wire card round the drums between the strips
of abrasive material.
The material first described may be fixed upon rollers or drums or wheels, by
glue, cement, wedges, or other means, but preferably by means of a transverse slit
or gap in the periphery of the wheel, in the manner described and shewn in the
specification and drawings of Letters Patent granted to Richard John Edwards,
Dated November 6th 1871 and numbered 2982.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard John Edwards and Archer Edwards in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th August 1883.
RICHARD JOHN EDWARDS, and ARCHER EDWARDS, both of Shoreditch in the
County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EMERY GLASS
OR OTHER ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE IN COMBINATION WITH WOVEN FABRICS OR OTHER
FLEXIBLE MATERIALS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE APPLICATION OF SUCH
ABRASIVE SUBSTANCE SO COMBINED TO GRINDING WIRE CARDS OR OTHER
SUBSTANCES"
Our present invention relates, first, to novel methods of applying emery, glass,
or other abrasive powder to the surface of woven fabrics, or other flexible material
such as paper.
.
In order to put this part of our invention in operation we take sheets, bands, or
strips, of cloth or other flexible material and we apply the abrasive powder to its
surface in alternate strips of the same or different width, but the emery or other
powder on the different strips being of different degrees of fineness. In order to
do this we coat the surface of the material with glue or other suitable cement of
sufficient thickness and consistence, and whilst this glue is still soft we pass the
material under a series of teeth or scrapers of the desired width and adjusted at
the required distance apart, the teeth being placed in such a position that they
scrape the principal part of the glue from alternate strips which are accordingly
left with only a comparatively thin coating, the part of the glue which is removed
being added to and heaped upon the intermediate strips the thickness of which is
accordingly increased.
We then whilst the glue is still soft and adhesive coat the material so prepared
with emery or other abrasive powder of the fineness required for the finer strips,
and we then reheat the glue by means of a jet of steam or other convenient means,
and the fine abrasive powder then sinks below the surface of the thicker strips of
glue, whilst it becomes firmly fixed with its upper part exposed in the thin strips
of glue. Emery or other abrasive powder of the proper degree of coarseness
required is then applied to the surface of the material, and such powder adheres
and becomes fixed to the thicker strips of glue, but can be shaken off and removed
from the remainder of the material which therefore remains coated with abrasive
powder in alternate strips, which may be finally fixed upon the material by means
of a jet of steam or by heat otherwise applied to the back or front of the material,
or to both, in any convenient manner.
The glue or other cement may be applied to the surface of the material and
formed into alternate thick and thin layers either by hand, or by suitable machinery
consisting of rollers, brushes, and scrapers, over and under which the flexible
material is passed continuously in long lengths. Or, the glue may be applied by
means of rollers having shallow grooves turned upon their surface so that they
apply alternate thick and thin strips of glue to the surface of the material.
Or, if the grooves in the rollers be made deeper, they can be arranged to leave
alternate spaces between the strips of glue bare and uncovered.
Woven fabrics covered with abrasive powder in strips in the way described may
be used for grinding or polishing the surface of metal or other material, but they
are especially applicable to grinding the teeth of wire cards ordinarily used for
carding cotton or other fibrous substances.
For this purpose we wind bands or strips of the material prepared as described
round the periphery of drums or rollers made to revolve in contact with the teeth

page_text: of the cards to be ground. We prefer to wind the strips helically round such
drums or rollers as shewn in figure 1 in the accompanying drawing, their ends
being fastened by cement, wedges or in other convenient manner.
We prefer the novel method of fastening shewn in the accompanying drawing in
figure 2 in which a is a drum or cylinder round which is wound helically the
strip b the end of which is turned. inward through a slot c in the periphery of the
cylinder and is then turned back. d is a loose transverse arm turning upon
the central spindle e of the cylinder, the outer end of the arm & being of such
shape that when forced against the end of the flexible strips as shewn, it draws the
latter tight and holds it perfectly firm.
The arm & is then fixed in its place by a moveable catch f, or by a screw or catch,
which can be readily released when it is desired to turn back the arm d to free
the end of the strip b. By this novel method of arrangement the flexible abrasive
strip is very easily and quickly fixed or released, and held perfectly firmly when
adjusted in its position.
The drums or rollers may in some cases be formed with more or less angular
helical grooves round their periphery, so that the latter presents in side view a series
of teeth round which one or more strips of flexible abrasive material are wound,
each strip being wide enough to cover one or more teeth as may be desired. The
strips being fitted upon the drums or rollers when damp contract when dry so that
their parts above the points of the teeth project above the remainder.
This method of arrangement is illustrated in figure 3, in which a, a, a are helical
teeth or grooves round the cylinder, b, b, being the strips of abrasive flexible
material stretched upon them.
Sometimes we make a shallow helical recess round the roller or cylinder, serving
as a guide in which to wind a helical strip of flexible abrasive material. This
recess may be made either by cutting or forming it in the periphery of the roller
itself as shewn at c in figure 4, or by winding a narrow helical strip or wire
forming a rib round the cylinder so as to project slightly above the surface of the
latter, as shewn at 6 in figure 5. The flexible abrasive strip is wound and fixed in
the recess c thus formed by the rib b, which is not of sufficient thickness to project
above the surface of the abrasive material.
The cylinder or roller arranged as described instead of being wound with flexible
material prepared with alternate strips of coarse and fine abrasive powder as above
described may be covered with separate alternate strips of coarse and fine abrasive
powder wound helically round it, their edges either being in contact or separated
by the helical grinding rib already described and shewn in figure 5.
Rollers, drums, or cylinders constructed and arranged in the manner described
are very effective in grinding the wires of cards, the edges of the strips of coarse
emery or other abrasive powder grinding and sharpening the sides of the wires as
well as the bottom of their points, and the latter being also ground and sharpened
by the alternate strips of finer emery. In order to clean the cards as well as to
sharpen them we sometimes wind strips of ordinary wire card round the roller or
cylinder, between the strips of abrasive material.
The flexible abrasive material first described may be fixed upon the surface of
rollers, drums, or wheels, by glue, cement, wedges or other means, or by a trans-
verse slit or gap in the periphery of the wheel, in the manner described and shewn
in the specification and drawings of Letters Patent granted to Richard Jobn
Edwards dated November 6th A.D. 1871, and numbered 2982.
Having now described our invention and the manner in which it is to be
performed, we claim :-
First, the method of applying and fixing abrasive powder to the surface of
flexible materials in alternate strips of coarse and fine powder, substantially as and
for the purpose herein described.
Second, the methods of applying glue or other cement to the surface of flexible
material in alternate thick and thin strips substantially as herein described.
Third, the method of preparing rollers, drums, or cylinders, to receive strips of

page_text: flexible abrasive material by forming one or more shallow helical grooves or recesses
round their peripheries substantially as described and shewn.
Fourth, the method of preparing rollers, drums, or cylinders, to receive strips of
flexible abrasive material, by attaching a narrow and thin belical rib round their
peripheries substantially as described and shewn.
Fifth, the method of fixing the end of a flexible strip wound round a roller or
cylinder by means of an arm turning upon the axis of the roller or cylinder, its
outer end tightening and bolding fast the end of the flexible strip, and being itself
held by a moveable catch or fastening, substantially as described and shewn.
In witness whereof, we the said Richard John Edwards and Archer Edwards
have hereunto set our hands and seals this 27th day of August in the year of
our Lord 1883.