IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS. FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, SILK, FLAX, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUB- STANCES
Year: 1854

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Miles Binns and John
Pollard at, the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Peti-
tion, on the 15th March 1854.
We, MILES BINNS and JOHN POLLARD, both of Bradford, in the County of
York, do, hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS. FOR COMBING WOOL, COTTON, SILK, FLAX, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
STANCES" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that description of combing known as "hand comb-
ing, and consists, firstly, in the use and employment of an auxiliary comb placed
crosswise with respect to the other comb, or in such manner as that the teeth or
broaches of such said combs cross each other when in use, at right angles, or
nearly so. And, secondly, in constructing some of the teeth or broaches of combs
of a square, octagonal; and triangular form, and in combining these forms with
the present round.or circular broaches now in use; and by thus using and con-
structing, the combs we are enabled to bring off a considerably larger quantity.
of fibres or "slivers" than heretofore, and leave less noil therein, and at the

page_text: same time cleanse the fibres more perfectly. And we would here remark, that
by the use of the auxiliary or cross comb the sliver is brought out entirely free
from knots and "shives," the said cross comb operating so as to prevent the
knots and shives from passing through the spaces between the teeth or cross
broaches, thereby perfecting the combing at one operation, and thus avoiding
and rendering unnecessary the combing of sheep-wool, mohair, alpaca, flax,
hemp, silk, cotton, and other fibrous substances twice and three times, as at
present. practised. And this mode of combing produces more and better yarn,
with considerably less labour, than by the modes at present employed for
performing such operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Miles Binns and John Pollard in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MILES
BINNS and JOHN POLLARD, both of Bradford, in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Miles Binns and John Pollard, Her special licence that we, the said
Miles Binns and John Pollard, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Miles Binns and John Pollard, our execu-
tors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL,
COTTON, SILK, FLAX, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Miles Binns and John Pollard, by an instru-
ment 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.

page_text: :
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Miles Binns and John Pollard,
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 relates to that description of combing known as "hand comb-
ing," and consists, firstly, in the use and employment of an auxiliary comb placed
crosswise with respect to the other combs, or in such manner as that the teeth or
broaches of such said combs cross each other when in use, at right angles, or
nearly so. And, secondly, in constructing some of the teeth or broaches of combs
of a square, octagonal, and triangular form, and in combining these forms with.
the present round or circular broaches now in use; and by thus using and con-
structing the combs we are enabled to bring off a considerably larger quantity
of fibres or slivers than heretofore, and leave less noil therein, and at the same.
time cleanse the fibres more perfectly. And we would here remark, that by
the use of the above-mentioned auxiliary or cross comb the sliver is brought
out entirely free from knots or "shives," the said cross comb operating so as.
to prevent such said knots or "shives" from passing through the space
between the teeth or cross broaches, thereby perfecting the combing at one-
operation, and thus avoiding and rendering unnecessary the combing of sheep's
wool, mohair, alpaca, flax, hemp, silk, cotton, and other fibrous substances.
twice and three times, as at present practised. And this mode of combing
produces more and better yarn, with considerably less labour, than by the modes
at present employed for performing such operation.
But in order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible we
now proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a comb of the ordinary kind. Figure 2 is a
side elevation thereof. Figure 3 is a front elevation of a comb constructed and
employed as above stated. Figure 4 is a side elevation of such said comb.
Figure 5 shows the above-mentioned comb (which I call a cross comb) in its
working position, and as it would appear when used in combination with an
ordinary comb. Figures 6, 7, 8, exhibit sections of broaches or teeth of new
and peculiar shape; and Figure 9 is a broach or tooth of the ordinary

page_text: MODE OF OPERATING.
The comb at Figure 1 is held in a fixed position in what is termed a "pad"
of the ordinary kind, and the prepared material to be combed is then donned
thereon. The cross comb at Figure 3 is then placed in front of the last
mentioned comb, or, in other words; on the opposite side of the fixed comb to
that at which the workman operates, the teeth or broaches of the said cross
comb being passed through the material, and as close as practicable to the first
or fixed comb. The workman then takes the comb exhibited at Figure 2,
which is the comb belonging to the old pair hitherto used, and operates there-
with upon the material which is in the before-mentioned fixed comb in the
manner usually practised, excepting that for the purposes of our said Invention
the auxiliary or cross comb before mentioned is withdrawn from and inserted
into the material from time to time during the combing operation, and as
frequently as the workman finds it necessary, and by thus operating upon the
material the workman is enabled to bring off a considerably larger quantity of
"slivers" than heretofore, with the advantage of leaving much less "noil" in
the comb, and cleansing the wool or other fibrous substance more perfectly
than heretofore, and by means of the before-mentioned cross comb the sliver
is brought out entirely free from "knots" and "shives," said cross comb
operating so completely as to prevent the knots, "shives," or other "scurfs"
from passing through the cross broaches or teeth of such said combs, thereby
perfecting the combing at one operation, and consequently avoiding the
necessity for combing wool and other fibrous substances twice and three
times, as before mentioned.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention of
"Improvements in Apparatus for Combing Wool, Cotton, Silk, Flax, or other
Fibrous Substances," and in what manner the same is to be and may be per-
formed, we would remark, in conclusion, that what we claim is,-
The novel mode set forth of performing the operation of hand combing by
so placing two of the combs employed in such operation as that the teeth or
broaches of one of such said combs are maintained crosswise of the teeth or
broaches of the other and fixed combs, whilst the workman is operating with a
third comb upon the fibrous material in the two first-mentioned combs, as herein-
before particularly described, and represented by the illustrative Drawing

page_text: hereunto annexed, or any other arrangement of two of such said combs,
provided the teeth or broaches thereof cross each other, as above stated.
In witness whereof, we, the said Miles Binns and John Pollard, have
hereunto set hands and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
ALEX
PRINCE,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
JOHN POLLARD.
(L.S.)