IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPA- BATING AND STRAIGHTENING THE FIBRES OF SILK WASTE AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Newton, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPA-
BATING AND STRAIGHTENING THE FIBRES OF SILK WASTE AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 23rd June 1863, and dated the 18th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
April 1868.
I, ROBERT NEWTON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist, do hereby
leclare the nature of tho said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SEPARATING AND STRAIGHTENING THE FIBRES OF SILK WASTE AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in machinery for separating and straight-
ening the fibres of silk waste and other fibrous substances, relates to a novel
construction or arrangement of apparatus whereby the operation of filling
may be carried on without the loss of time heretofore experienced when it is
required to remove a filled cylinder from the machine, and place an empty one
instead thereof.
The Invention consists in mounting in a moveable rotating frame two or
more cylinders armed with teeth or combs which are filled with the fibrous

page_text: material from the feeding-in apparatus in the usual manner. On the axle of
each of the comb cylinders is mounted a toothed wheel which when the cylinder
is brought into a position to be filled is put in gear with driving gear attached
to the machine. Upon the machine being set in motion and the fibres fed in,
the comb cylinder is made to rotate and gradually fill the combs with fibres.
When filled the cylinder must be removed and a fresh cylinder put in its
place. To effect this the rotating frame in which the comb cylinders are
mounted is drawn back a short distance, and then made to rotate on its axis
so as to bring away the filled cylinder, and put in its place an empty one;
the rotating frame is then pushed back so as to bring the toothed wheel on
the axle of the empty cylinder into gear with the driving wheels of the
machine. The rotating frame is kept steady by causing a projecting pin thereon
to take into a corresponding socket on some convenient part of the stationary
framing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
NEWTON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Newton, Her special license that I, the said Robert
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Robert Newton, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING AND STRAIGHTENING THE FIBRES OF SILK
WASTE AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Robert Newton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "improvements in machinery for separating and straight-
ening the fibres of silk wasto and other fibrous substances, relates to a novel
construction or arrangement of apparatus whereby the operation of filling may
be carried on without the loss of time heretofore experienced when it is required
to remove a filled cylinder from the machine and place an empty one instead
thereof.
The Invention consists in mounting in a moveable rotating frame two or
more cylinders armed with teeth or combs which are filled with the fibrous
material from the feeding-in apparatus in the usual manner. On the axle of
each of the comb cylinders is mounted a toothed wheel, which when the
cylinder is brought into a position to be filled is put in gear with driving gear
attached to the machine. Upon the machine being set in motion, and the
fibres fed in, the comb cylinder is made to rotate and gradually fill the combs
with fibres. When filled the cylinder must be removed, and a fresh cylinder
put in its place. To effect this the rotating frame in which the comb cylinders
are mounted is drawn back a short distance and then made to rotate on its
axis, so as to bring away the filled cylinder and put in its place an empty one.
The rotating frame is then pushed back so as to bring the toothed wheel on
the axle of the empty cylinder into gear with the driving wheels of the
machine. The rotating frame is kept steady by causing a projecting pin thercon
to take into a corresponding socket on some convenient part of the stationary
framing.
The Figure in the accompanying Drawing represents a side clevation of a
machine constructed according to the present Invention.
A, A, are two upright frames bolted together by cross framework; B, B,
are frames of which there is one at each side keyed to the shaft 6 for carrying
the cylinders D and D'; C are a pair of blocks which carry the shaft 6 and
frames B. These blocks rest upon and embrace the beading of the frame A,
but are free to move in a horizontal direction; D and D₁ are the cylinders which,
revolve in bearings provided for them in the cylinder frames B; c, c, are the
filling combs which are fastened to the cylinders D and D'; E is a flexible
sheet covered with pius set at an angle as shown in the Drawing; F and G

page_text: are two rotary or porcupine gills; H and I are two circular brushes to clean
the gills F and G; K is a lever hung from a stud a, and embracing the
shaft b, and having on its lower end a projecting stud c, which is embraced by
the lever L; the lever L is keyed to the shaft d, which extends across
the frame on the other side of which there is a similar lever L;
M, M, are the driving pulleys which are keyed fast to the shaft e on
which there is a toothed, wheel N gearing with the wheel O on the axle
of the cylinder D; f, g, h, i, k, are a series of wheels communicating motion
to the roller P, which drives the flexible sheet E; l, m, n, o, and p are wheels
on the opposite side of the frame for giving motion to the porcupine gills F
and G.
The silk to be operated upon is laid upon the flexible sheet E, and fed to
the cylinder between the sheet and the porcupine gill F. The action of the
cylinder combs which revolve rapidly is to open and straighten the silk, and an
advantage of this machine is that the cylinders being only about one-third of
the usual size the combs are able to get closer to the bite of the flexiblo sheet
and gill, thereby straightening the silk better, and permitting fewer lumps to
pass through without being combed out. The other porcupine gill G revolves
slowly and straightens the fibres which are attached to the filling combs c, c.
The revolving brushes H and I keep the porcupines F and G clean. After
the cylinder D has been filled with silk to the required thickness the machine
is stopped, and the workman by pulling the lever Ļ to the position shewn by
the dotted line draws out the cylinder clear of the gills and other working parts
and then by grasping the projecting handles on the cylinder frames B causes
the latter to make half a revolution, thereby transposing the position of the
cylinders D and D¹. The workman then pushes the lever L back into its
former position where it is retained by the catch R. The conical projection o
on the frames B enters at the same time into a conical hole in the bracket S,
and the frame B is thus prevented from moving in either direction. The toothed
wheel O' on the cylinder shaft slips into gear with the driving wheel N, and
the machine is again put in motion. The workman then proceeds to strip
the cylinder D, which has been filled whilst the other cylinder D' is engaged
in filling. By this means a great amount of time is saved, the machine being
nearly always at work, whereas the ordinary machine is stationary about half
its time whilst the workman is stripping the cylinder.
Having now described my Invention of Improvements in Machinery for
Separating and Straightening the Fibres of Silk Waste and other Fibrous
Substances," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patout, as aforesaid, the

page_text: application of two or more cylinders to one filling engine for operating on silk
or other fibrous substances as herein set forth, so that one cylinder may be at
work whilst the other is being stripped as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed and sealed by the said
Robert Newton in the presence
of
WILLIAM SMITH.
ROBERT NEWTON. (L.S.).