IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES." SP
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Worrall, of Ordsall, Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Dyer, John Lawrence, of the same Place, Mechanic, and John Lea,
of Eccles, in the same County, Copper Smith, for an Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Worrall, John
Lawrence, and John Lea at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 22nd January 1881.
JAMES WORRALL, of Ordsall, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, JOHN
LAWRENCE, of the same Place, Mechanic, and JOHN LEA, of Eccles, in the same
County, Copper Smith. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES."
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of brushes, such as
those used in the dressing and finishing of cut pile fabrics and woollen cloths, the
chief object being to avoid the defects attendant on the use of wooden rollers and
lags occasioned by the warping of the material, and yet to secure lightness of
construction and economy in the manufacture of the brushes.
To this end we avoid the use of wood, and provide a thin metal or copper
cylinder to receive the tufts of bristle, wire, or fibres which are to form the elastic
brushing surface.
This cylinder we mount upon two, three, or more hubs of cast iron, which are
keyed to the brush axle, and around the cylinder we arrange helically groups of
open or slit tubes of copper or other metal, into which have been inserted the tufts
of bristle, wire, or fibre.
The bristle, wire, or fibre, which is folded upon itself in the way commonly
practised by brushmakers, is retained in the tubes by wires extending longitudinally
through the tubes, and also by pressing the edges of the open tubes tightly upon
the fibres. The pressing of the tubes at each of the tufts of bristles can be effected
by a machine which will "crimp" or press the tube round each tuft, and so stiffen
each tuft if required.
The lines of fibres thus prepared we secure to the metal cylinder by means of
solder, and also secure the retaining wires in place by the same means.

page_text: This mode of manufacture will enable us to produce a rotary brush of moderate
weight, and capable of being easily handled without the disadvantages attendant
on the use of wood.
It is also applicable to the manufacture of chains of brushes, which are frequently
exposed to heat and moisture.
As an improvement upon the Invention for which we applied for Letters Patent
on the 14th day of December 1880, we now propose to secure the lags which
carry the tufts of bristles or wires in place by providing at their extremities and
at intermediate points dovetail pieces to fit dovetail recesses formed in cast iron
hubs, which are to be keyed to the axles of the brushes.
To prevent endway motion the lags are retained in place by metal caps which
are screwed to the end bosses.
This mode of attachment applies both to the metallic lags described in the
application above referred to and to the hard rubber lags, and indeed to removable
lags generally.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Worrall, John Lawrence, and John Lea, in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th July 1881.
JAMES WORRALL, of Ordsall, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, JOHN
LAWRENCE, of the same Place, Mechanic, and JOHN LEA, of Eccles, in the same
County, Copper Smith. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES."
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of brushes, such as
those used in the dressing and finishing of cut pile fabrics and woollen cloths, the
chief object being to avoid the defects attendant on the use of wooden rollers and
wooden lags occasioned by the warping of the material, and yet to secure lightness
of construction and economy in the manufacture of the brushes.
To this end in forming rotary brushes we avoid the use of wood, and provide a
thin metal or copper cylinder to receive the tufts of bristle, wire, or fibres which
are to form the elastic brushing surface.
This cylinder we mount upon two, three, or more hubs of cast iron, which ⚫
are keyed to the brush axle, and around the cylinder we arrange helically groups
of open tubes of copper or other metal, into which have been inserted the tufts of
bristle, wire, or fibre.
In the accompanying Drawing our improved construction of rotary brush is
shewn in side elevation partly in section at Fig. 1, in end elevation at Fig. 2, and
in the enlarged cross section at Fig. 3.
In these Figures A is a copper cylinder, on the periphery of which the tufts of
metallic or other fibres are helically arranged. This cylinder is made fast to cast
iron bosses B, B, which are keyed to the brush shaft C.
D, D, are open tubes or troughs of copper composed of strips drawn to the
required form in any well known manner. One of these open tubes is shewn
detached and at its full size in end view at Figures 4, where also is represented a
tuft of metallic or other fibre ready for insertion in the tube; Fig. 5 shews the
tuft inserted in the tube, and the tube closed upon the tuft, and Fig. 6 is a side
view of a portion of one of these closed tubes with a length of wired tufts inserted
in the tube.
It will be seen that the tufts of bristles, wires, or fibres (which fibres to form
a tuft are folded upon themselves in the way commonly practised by brush
makers) are connected together by twisted wires extending longitudinally through
the tubes, and are retained in the tubes by pressing the edges of the open tubes
tightly upon the fibres. The pressing of the tube edges on to the tufts we effect
by means of a beading machine, a machine such as that commonly used by copper-
siniths.
'The lines of fibres thus prepared we secure to the metal cylinder by means of
solder, as shewn at Fig. 3, and we also secure the retaining wires by soldering their
exposed ends to the tubes.
This mode of manufacture will enable us to produce a rotary brush of moderate
weight, and capable of being easily handled without the disadvantages attendant on
the use of wood.
The above described mode of securing the metallic and other fibres is also
applicable to the manufacture of chains of brushes which are frequently exposed to
heat and moisture.
This application of our Invention is illustrated at Figures 7 and 8, where Fig. 7
is a side elevation of a portion of an endless chain of brushes, and Fig. 8 is a partial
plan view of the same.

page_text: In these Figures it will be seen that the troughs or open tubes D constituting
the tuft holders are soldered to flat plates E, which plates are carried by stems F
standing up from and rivetted to the links G of the endless chain.
As an improvement upon the Invention for which we applied for Letters Patent
on the Fourteenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and eighty, we
now propose to secure the lags which carry the tufts of bristles or wires in place
by providing at their extremities and at intermediate points dovetail pieces to fit
dovetail recesses formed in cast iron hubs which are to be keyed to the axles of the
brushes.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the adaptation of this part of our Invention to the
metallic lags formed from sheet copper, as described in the Specification of the
above named Patent.
In these Figures, H, H, are dovetail blocks or filling pieces composed of metal or
hard rubber, and entering dovetail recesses formed in the cast iron hubs B, B, keyed
to the brush shaft C.
Figures 11 and 12 shew in cross section and in partial longitudinal section a
rotary brush in which the lags are formed of moulded hard rubber, as described in
the Specification of our above named Patent with the dovetail attachment combined
therewith.
To enable us to secure a good fit for the lags in the dovetail recesses of the hubs,
it is necessary to provide against inequalities in the width of the dovetail due to
the unequal contraction of the moulded rubber during the vulcanizing operation.
To this end the dovetail is moulded to a thickness in excess of the requirements
of the hubs, and any excess that remains after the vulcanizing process is readily
removed by a planing machine.
To prevent end way motion the lags are retained in place by metal caps I, as
shewn at Fig. 12, which caps are secured to the end bosses by screws.
Having now setforth the nature of our Invention of " Improvements in the
Manufacture of Brushes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent we claim,―
First. The construction of rotary brushes, as described with reference to
Figures 1 to 6 inclusive of the Drawing.
Secondly. The adaptation to endless chain brushes of the metallic tuft holders
above described and illustrated at Figures 7 and 8.
Thirdly. The improvement in the construction of metallic and india rubber lags
of rotary brushes, and the mode of fitting them to the brush shafts, as described
with reference to Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Worrall, John Lawrence, and John
Lea, have hereunto set our hands and, seals, the Fourteenth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.