CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stead, William Spence, and Samuel Wood;
of Bradford, in the County of York, for the Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 8th May 1855, and dated the 8th November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stead, William
Spence, and Samuel Wood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents;
with their Petition, on the 8th November 1854..
We, WILLIAM STEAD, WILLIAM SPENCE, and SAMUEL WOOD, of Bradford,
in the County of. York, do hereby declare the nature of, the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING, WOOL AND:OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
This Invention applies to that class of preparing and combing machine
well known to the trade as Preller's. cylinder or wheel machine, and consists
chiefly of certain improved mechanism or apparatus to be applied to the
cylinder or "swift," in order to impart the requisite motion thereto. The
cylinder or "swift" is composed of about six longitudinal combs, mounted upon
two drums or pullies, which are keyed upon a shaft. This shaft is supported

page_text: at each end in moveable pedestals, capable of sliding upon the framing of the
machine. The shaft which carries the cylinder or "swift" is furnished at one
end with a fly wheel, by means of which it may be turned by hand when
required. Upon the other end of the shaft are keyed two spur wheels.
Attached to the framing is a stud, upon which is mounted a spur pinion, which
is caused constantly to revolve by means of a strap passing round a pulley in
connection therewith. This spur pinion is opposite to one of the spur wheels
upon the cylinder shaft. The other spur wheel has a spur pinion always in
gear therewith, the said pinion being mounted upon a stud fixed in a plate, which
is carried by the cylinder shaft. This spur pinion is attached to a disc, upon
which is a pin, which works in a slot in a lever connected to the brush which
presses the wool, &c. into the teeth or brooches of the "drawing-off comb."
The slot in this lever is widened out at one end into a hexagonal form, so
as to allow of the pin revolving without communicating motion to the brush.
The card cylinder for cleaning the wool in the "swift" as it revolves is placed
at the back of the cylinder, and is mounted in brackets attached to the
framing. The sliding pedestals which carry the cylinder shaft are connected
to two levers by means of connecting rods; these said levers are keyed upon a
transverse shaft, upon one end of which a long hand lever is also keyed. In
working the machine, the cylinder or swift is moved up to the feed rollers by
means of the hand lever. The spur wheel upon the cylinder shaft comes
into gear with the revolving pinion, causing the "swift" to revolve and fill
itself; at the same time the card cylinder is revolving and cleansing the wool,
&c. The pin in the revolving disc is then in the hexagonal or open part of
the lever, and consequently not acting upon the brush. When the "swift"
has taken up a sufficient quantity of wool, &c., it is withdrawn from the feed-
ing rollers by means of the lever and advanced to the drawing-off comb."
The "swift" is then caused to revolve in the reverse direction by hand, by
means of a fly wheel, so as to don the wool, &c. on to "the drawing-off comb."
The pin in the revolving disc. is then in the slot of the lever, causing it to
_vibrate and bring down the brush after each of the combs on the swift passes
the "drawing-off comb," so as to force the wool, &c. down-to-the-roots_of
the teeth or brooches.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Stead, William Spence, and Samuel Wood in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
STEAD, WILLIAM SPENCE, and SAMUEL WOOD, of Bradford, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Stead, William Spence, and Samuel Wood, Her special licence
that we, the said William Stead, William Spence, and. Samuel Wood, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Stead, William Spence, and Samuel Wood, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,. from time to time
and at all times thereafter 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR: APPARATUS FOR PRE-
PARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Stead, William Spence, and
Samuel Wood, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Stead, William Spence, and
Samuel Wood, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,.and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
Our Invention of certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for pre-
paring and combing wool and other fibrous materials applies to that class of
preparing and combing machine well known to persons conversant with such
machinery as "Preller's cylinder or wheel machine," and consists chiefly of
certain novel and improved mechanism to be applied to the cylinder or "swift,"
in order to impart the requisite motion thereto. The cylinder or "swift." is
composed of about six or eight longitudinal bars or combs, mounted upon two

page_text: drums or pullies, which are keyed upon a shaft. This shaft is supported at
each end upon moveable pedestals, capable of sliding upon the framing of the
machine. The said shaft which carries the cylinder or "swift" is furnished
at one end with a fly wheel, by means of which it may be turned by hand when
required. Upon the other and opposite end of the said shaft are keyed two
spur wheels. Attached to the framing is a stud upon which is mounted a spur
pinion, which is, caused constantly to revolve (whilst the machine is in action)
by means of a strap passing around the driving pulley which is keyed upon the
same stud. This said spur pinion is opposite to one of the spur wheels upon
the cylinder shaft. The other spur wheel has a spur pinion always in gear
therewith, the said pinion being mounted upon a stud fixed in a plate, which is
carried by the cylinder shaft, and moves to and fro with it. This
spur pinion
is attached to a disc, upon which is a pin, which works in a slot in a lever
connected to the brush which presses the wool, &c. into the teeth or
"brooches "of the "drawing-off comb." The slot in this lever is widened
out at one end into a hexagonal form, so as to allow of the pin revolving
without communicating motion to the brush. The card cylinder for cleaning
the wool, &c. in the "swift" as it revolves is placed at the back of the cylin-
der, and is mounted in brackets attached to a lever, one end of which is
attached to a pin fixed to the framing, and the other end thereof is supported
by being connected to the brush lever by means of a chain. The sliding
pedestals which carry the cylinder shaft are connected to
of connecting rods; these said levers are keyed upon
upon one end of which a long hand lever is also keyed.
clearly to illustrate the method of carrying our said Invention into practical
effect, we have annexed hereunto a Drawing, representing a side elevation of
our improved 'apparatus, and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference, corresponding with those in the following explanation
two levers by nieans
a transverse shaft,
But in order more
a, a, represents part of the framing of the machine; and b, b, represents the
cylinder or "swift," keyed upon the cylinder shaft c, c. One of the moveable
pedestals is shown at d, d, (the other being at the opposite side of the machine).
At the further end of the cylinder shaft c, c, is keyed a fly wheel e, e, by means
of which it may be turned by hand when necessary. Upon the nearer end of 3
the said shaft are keyed two spur wheels f, f, and g. g. The wheel 9, g,
being immediately behind the wheel f, f, and being of the same diameter,
only the arms thereof are seen in the Drawing. h is a stud attached to the

page_text: 11
framing, and having keyed thereon the driving pulley.i, i, and a spur pinion
k, k. This pinion is opposite to, and at certain times gears with, the spur
wheel.ff. There is a spur pinion 1,7, always in gear with the spur wheel g, g,
being mounted upon a stud fixed in a plate m, m, suspended from the cylinder
shaft. and carried with it. To the spur pinion. is. attached a disc n, n,
furnished with a pin o, which works in a slot p, p, in the brush,lever q, q.
The slot p is widened out at one end, as at *, *, into a hexagonal form, so as
to allow of the pino revolving without communicating motion to the brush
lever q, q. There is a similar pinion disc and lever at the other side of the
machine. The card cylinder is shewn at r, r, and is mounted in brackets
attached to levers s, s, (one at each side of the machine).These levers work
upon studs attached to the framing, the outer ends thereof being. connected
by chains t, t, to the brush levers q, q. The sliding pedestals d, d, are con-
nected by rods u, u, to levers u, v, (one at, each side of the machine,) keyed
upon a shaft w, w, upon which also the long hand lever a, a, is keyed. In
working the, machine, the cylinder, or "swift" b, b, is moved up to the feed
rollers by raising the lever into the position shewn in red lines in the Draw-
ing, the pedestals d, d, sliding upon the framing; the spur wheel f, f, then
comes into gear with the revolving pinion k, causing the "swift" b, b, to
revolve and fill itself from the feed rollers; at the same time the card
cylinder r, r, is revolving and cleansing the wool, &c. The pino of the disc
n, n, is then in the open part *, *, of the slot p, p, and consequently not
acting upon the brush. When the "swift" has taken up a sufficient quantity
of wool, &c., it is withdrawn from the feeding rollers, and advanced to the
drawing-off comb by depressing the lever x. The spur wheel f, f, being
thus moved out of gear with the pinion k, the revolution of the "swift" is
stopped by placing the hand upon the fly wheel e, e; the "swift" is then
caused to revolve in the reverse direction by hand, so as to don the wool, &c.
on to the drawing-off comb. The pin o being then in the straight part of
the slot p, will cause the lever q, q, to vibrate on its fulcrum y, and bring
down the brush after each of the combs on the "swift" passes the draw-
ing-off comb, so as to force the wool, &c. down to the roots of the teeth or
"brooches."
Having thus described the nature and object of our said Invention of
Certain Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Preparing and Combing
Wool and other Fibrous Materials, as applied to what are termed "Preller's
cylinder machines," and having represented by the Drawing and description
the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the-same-into-practical
effect, we would remark, in conclusion, that we claim as our Invention, the

page_text: novel and peculiar arrangement of apparatus shewn in the Drawing and above
described, for actuating the "swift," the brush, and the card cylinder.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Stead, William Spence, and
Samuel Wood, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-five..