IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, FLAX, AND SUBSTANCES." OTHER FIBROUS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Whitehead, of Holbeck, in the Parish of Leeds,
in the County of York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, FLAX, AND
SUBSTANCES."
OTHER FIBROUS
Sealed the 16th July 1878, and dated the 12th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Whitehead at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th February 1878.
CHARLES WHITEHEAD; of Holbeck, in the Parish of Leeds, in the County of York,
Mechanic. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, FLAX,
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
My improvements are applicable to the machine well known as Noble's combing
machine, and consist, firstly, of fixing each dabbing brush to the end of a hollow
tube, which hollow tube is connected by a stud and loop to an oscillating hollow
connecting rod, which may be driven by a crank or excentric from the driving
shaft or in any other convenient manner.
My second improvement consists in the application to the before-mentioned
combing machines of a conductor formed in such a manner as to dispense with the
stud which has hitherto been used to press out the drawing-off leathers or sheets
of.the drawing-off rollers towards the comb. This conductor is made to traverse up
and down, and is placed in such a position within the leather sheet and as near as
possible to the bite of the drawing-off rollers that it not only conducts the leathers
or sheets to the drawing-off rollers, but at the same time straightens out the leathers
or sheets and keeps them free from any indentations made by the sliver, and also by
means of ribs or guides fixed at the top and bottom of the conductor prevents the
edges of the leathers being doubled as is the case where revolving collars fixed on
the stretching and drawing-off rollers are used. The said conductor is also
applicable to gill boxes and other machines where drawing-off rollers with leathers

page_text: or sheets are used, by which means the leathers or sheets are prevented from
working sidewise or off the rollers, and a great saving is effected in the cost of the
leathers or sheets, and at the same time dispenses with the collars of the stretching
rollers in either combing machines or gill boxes. · ˆˆ.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by -
the said Charles Whitehead in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
August 1878.
CHARLES WHITEHEAD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Mechanic. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON; FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
The object of this Invention is, firstly, so to mount the dabbing brushes of Noble's
and other circular comb machines that they will admit of being driven with greater
rapidity than heretofore without risk of injurious vibration being imparted thereto.
To this end I lighten the parts in connection with the brush and provide for the
steady action of the same by guiding the brush stem in its reciprocating movements.
At the same time I provide a facile means for adjusting the penetration of the
brushes into the circular comb teeth. This part of my Invention is illustration
by several views in Sheet I. of the Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation of one arrangement which
I adopt for working the dabbing brush. In these Figures A is a pillar which carries
the cross driving shaft B, and to the side of this pillar is secured a bracket C, which
is cast with an extended socket that forms a vertical guide for the reciprocating
stem D of the brush E. This stem is made hollow and is screwed to the back
plate of the brush. F is a hollow rod connecting the crank of the shaft B with the
hollow brush stem by means of a socket piece G which- embraces the brush stem
and is furnished with two lateral extensions, one of which enters the eyes of the.
hollow connecting rod and the other carries an eye or guide which works upon a
fixed guide rod H (pendant from the bracket C), and thus serves to steady the
brush stem in its movements. This brush stem D is threaded at the part where it
connects with the socket piece G in order to receive two nuts d, d, one above and
the other below the socket piece; by means of these nuts the distance which the
brush enters into the comb teeth may be accurately adjusted with facility. When
properly adjusted the nuts are to be tightened up, and a firm connection will thus be
secured between the brush stem and the crank which operates it. A modification
of this mode of fitting the brush is shown at Figures 3 and 4; Fig. 3 is a front view,
and Fig. 4 a slide elevation of the arrangement. In this example the brush is
worked by an excentric, the rod F of which is hollow, and connects with the upper
end of the hollow brush stem D through a tapped coupling piece F¹ jointed to the
connecting rod by a screwed bolt and nut. A screw d' welded or otherwise secured to
the upper end of the hollow stem D enters the tapped hole in the coupling piece F',
which serving as a link to connect the two hollow rods together may extend or

page_text: contract their length by being screwed up or down on the screwed pin d¹ before the
insertion of the screw bolt which connects the parts F and F¹ together; thus the
adjustment of the dip of the brush into the comb teeth may be readily effected, as
in the first example.
A further modification of this part of my Invention is shewn at Figures 5 and 6,
Fig. 5 being a front view, and Fig. 6 a side view of the arrangement. In this
example the reciprocating motion is imparted to the brush E by means of a band
and pullies I receiving rotary motion from the driving shaft B. The lower band
pulley is mounted on a short horizontal shaft I, which turns in bearings i carried
by the bracket C. To this shaft I¹ is keyed an excentric I², the rod I³ of which.
extends upwards and connects with a pin projecting from a socket piece G that is
made fast adjustably, as before described, to the hollow brush stem D.
The nuts for securing the adjustment of the dip of the brush E into the comb
teeth are shewn at d, d. The hollow stem D works in an extended socket guide
forming part of the bracket C, and to prevent its twisting or moving axially in its
reciprocations the stem is slotted vertically, and a guide pin c is passed through the
slotted stem and made fast to the bracket. This arrangement ensures great
steadiness of action, and thus enables the brush to be driven at greater speed than
heretofore.
The second part of the Invention relates to the application to the before-mentioned
combing machines of a conductor formed in such a manner as to dispense with the
stud which has hitherto been used to press out the drawing-off leathers or sheets of .
the drawing-off rollers towards the comb. This conductor is made to traverse up
and down, and is placed in such a position within the leather sheet and as near as
possible to the bite of the drawing-off rollers that it not only conducts the leathers
or sheets to the drawing-off rollers, but at the same time straightens out the leathers
or sheets and keeps them free from any indentations made by the sliver, and also
by means of flanges or guides fixed at the top and bottom of the conductor prevents
the edges of the leather being doubled, as is the case where collars fixed on the ends
of the stretching and drawing-off rollers are used.
In Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 7 is a partial plan of a Noble's
combing machine, which will suffice to show the application of my conductor to the
large and small circular combs; Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the same, showing
the means for actuating the conductor.
Fig. 9 is a detached view of the conductor as made with single flanges or guides
suitable for botany machines; and Fig. 10 is a sectional plan of the same.
Fig. 11 is a front elevation of a modified form of my conductor, in which the
flanges have an inner lip or return. This form of conductor is designed for use
when long wools are being combed.
Fig. 12 is a vertical section of the conductor, showing the return flanges, with the
sheet of leather within the flanges.
Similar letters indicate like parts wherever they occur.
In Figures 7 and 8 A is the large circular comb and A' the small circular
comb; B is the steam chest ; C and D are the drawing-off rollers; and E is my
improved conductor, shewn as near as the nip of the drawing-off rollers as possible.
This conductor is cast with lugs at its back to receive the stud pin carried by a
vertically sliding support E', the lower end of which works in guides formed in the.
main framing; F is the leather or sheet which runs through and is backed up by
the conductor E, the belt or sheet F being made sufficiently wide to bear against
the flanges or guides of the conductor, as shewn at Figures 8 and 12. These guides
where they meet the advancing leather or sheet open outwards in a curved form to
prevent the cutting of the edge of the travelling sheet as they raise or depress it
by the reciprocatory motions of the conductor. G, G, are the tension rollers which
turn on the studs H, H, and are made of suitable length to provide for the vertical
traverse movement of the leather or sheet F.
The conductor E is actuated, as shown at Fig. 8, by means of an excentric I,
keyed to the shaft J and working between angle pieces made fast to the sliding

page_text: support E This shaft J turns in fixed bearings and receives an intermittent axial
motion through a pawl and ratchet wheel from the rack circle K; as is well
understood.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machines for Combing Wool, Cotton; Flax, and other Fibrous Substances," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it. to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,→
ĥollow
First. Mounting the dabbing brushes of circular combing machines upon a
adjustable stem, constructed and fitted as and for the purpose above described.
Second. The application to the drawing-off leathers or sheets of the conductor;
constructed and operating as and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof; I, the said Charles Whitehead; have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the said Charles Whitehead
in the presence of
EDWARD, WHITELEY,...
"..
Clerk to Mr. Thos. Turner,
Solicitor,
Leeds.
CHARLES WHITEHEAD: (L.S.)