CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF WOOL, HAIR, FEATHERS, FUR, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY HULSEBERG, of Mile End in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of March,
in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did give and grant unto me, 'the said
William Henry Hulseberg, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence;
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Henry
Hulseberg, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Henry Hulseberg, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter, during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and also in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and
Man, and in all Her Colonies and Plantations abroad my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF WOOL, HAIR, FEATHERS, FUR, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE SAME;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, requiring that I, the said
William Henry Hulseberg, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an

page_text: instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
enrolled in Her said Majesty's Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Henry Hulseberg, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by this present Specification or instrment in
writing reference being had to the several Drawings hereunto annexed (that
is to say):-
My Invention, which I divide into two distinct heads, relates, firstly, to the
cleansing, purifying, and drying of hair as well as of wool, feathers, fur, and
other fibrous materials; and, secondly, to machinery or apparatus for carding,
picking, and otherwise preparing the same. But, in order that these, my said
improvements, may be more fully understood and carried into effect I will
proceed to describe the Drawings and Figures hereunto annexed, with refer-
ence to the first head thereof, that is to say:-Fig. 1, Sheet 1, represents an
external front elevation of a purifying or disenfecting gas chamber; Fig. 2, a
transverse vertical section; Fig. 3, a longitudinal side elevation; Fig. 4, a
top or plan view, and Fig. 5, a longitudinal section thereof. The same letters
of reference in each Figure denote similar corresponding parts. A, A, is a
purifying or disinfecting chamber with leaden lining B, B, and mounted upon
a common stand or platform C, C, the shell or case of which I construct of
wood as in the manner shown; D, D, are folding doors opening outwards from
the chamber, forming a communication with the interior; E, E, perforated
wooden troughs or trays, horizontally arranged in rows and kept apart from
each other by means of the division pegs F, F, for the purpose of facilitating
their removal and allowing a central communication and free passage of the
gas to all parts of the chamber, in which the troughs, as aforesaid, filled with
wool, horse-hair, or other fibrous material are placed, as represented at G, G;
H, H, escapement valve or pipe, communicating with the interior from the top
of the chamber, passing outwards into a shaft or flue I, I, for the purpose of
letting off or discharging the gas or vapours evolved during the process; J, J,
a retort, the mouth of which passes into the interior through the side of the
chamber, and supported by a small bracket standard K, K, in which a small
spirit lamp or sand bed over kindled charcoal L, L, is also placed for supplying
head to the retort and generating the gas; M, M, feed valve, in communication
with the interior and lower leaden trough N, N.

page_text: My improvements in the process or mode of treatment are as follows :-I
take the raw material, such as horse hair, cattle or hogs hair, as well as wool
and other fibrous substances, as aforesaid, and wash them well in warm soft water
with soft soap, adding one half pound of potash to about one hundred gallons
of water; I then rinse the hair until it has been sufficiently cleansed and place
it in a bath composed of two pounds of unslaked lime to one hundred gallons of
water, or in such other proportions or admixtures as in practice may be best
determined. I then allow the hair or wool, as aforesaid, to remain immersed in
the bath for the space of two hours, at the end of which time it is to be taken out
from the bath and the water or other liquid squeezed out; at this stage of the
process the hair or wool, which has been freed from the superfluous moisture, is
then placed in the perforated troughs or trays E, E, inserted in the gas chamber
A, A, and the doors D, D, closed, and the crevices secured with clay; the
retort is then charged with a half pound of black peroxide of manganese, upon
which is poured three-quarters of a pound of hydrochloric acid, and a spirit
lamp or bed of heated sand is placed under the retort until chlorine gas is given
off and passed into the chamber. Gas may also be made of peroxide of man-
ganese, common salt, and sulphuric acid. In order that the gas may be made
to pass in at the top of the chamber it is necessary to connect the retort there-
with by means of glass tubes, so that the gas, which is considerably heavier
than the common atmosphere, shall descend in such manner upon the hair or
wool, which has been previously saturated with a solution of lime (for which
the gas has a strong affinity), so as to penetrate immediately the said hair or
wool and destroy all moth and animal life as well as remove all impurities
therefrom. At the expiration of two hours I pass through the communication
pipe H, H, one pound of the solution of ammonia; immediately after, the
escape valve, which passes into the chimney, must be opened, and the ammonia,
which extracts the chlorine gas from the hair, is conveyed away up the chimney
in a thick white vapour, produced by the combination of chlorine gas and
ammonia; the ammonia thus neutralizing the gas by its volatile base. The
chamber must remain closed for about two hours, after which the hair must be
taken out and exposed to the atmosphere for three hours. In purifying
feathers, old hair, or furs the lime bath must be omitted, and the goods
slightly sprinkled with a little powdered lime before being placed in the gas
chamber, in which, after they have remained four hours, the escape pipe must
be open and the gas passed off with the ammonia as before; the feathers, old
hair, or furs are then to be taken from the gas chamber and placed in any
suitable apartment or room, in which the atmosphere has been previously.

page_text: charged with vapour from the slaking of lime, for the purpose of absorbing
any chlorine that may remain in them; care must be taken in applying the
gas
that all joints and crevices be made air-tight, by means of the clay lutes or
otherwise, as the gas would be very injurious 'to hiny 'one breathing it.
My Invention for carding, picking, and otherwise preparing hair and wool
and other fibrous materials (as set forth under the second head of these 'my' said
improvements), has reference to certain variations or modifications in the
machinery employed therein, by which 'the operation of carding is rendered
more perfect than at present, and the fibre less liable to be injured or broken.
The accompanying Drawings represent at Fig. 1, Sheet 2, a front elevation
of my improved carding 'machinery; Fig. 2, 'a side elevation; Fig. 3, an end
elevation; Fig. 4, top or plan view; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section thereof;
Fig. 6, enlarged detached views of the teeth; and at Fig. 7, a transverse section
of a comb frame, showing the flexible bed in which the teeth are set. A, A, are
the standard frames; B, B, wire screen; C, C, revolving carding cylinder or combi
frame wheel; D, D, driving shaft; E, E, plumber block bearings, in which the
shaft revolves; F, F, revolving 'lugs or comb frames, in which the teeth or
pickers are set; G, G, the teeth or pickers, set in flexible beds of leather or
vulcanized india-rubber canvass H, H, the elasticity of which renders them
moveable, the back of the teeth being so formed as to bring them back to their
centre when there is no strain upon them; I, I, upper spring combs or lags,
also fitted with teeth projecting from flexible beds; J, J, lengthening bolts con-
necting the upper lags to the cylinder arch or framing K, K, in which their
lower ends are fixed; L, L, thumb screws or nuts, for regulating the distance
between the upper and lower teeth or pickers; M, M, spiral strings, for giving
lateral play to the comb frames or lags. N and N¹, upper and lower feed rollers
gearing in each other; 0, 0, spring bearings and standards, in which their
shafts rotate, on which a uniform downward pressure is exerted for the pur-
pose of yielding to the feed as it is drawn in; P, P, feeding apron, or travelling
endless cloth, for supplying the feed rollers with the fibre; Q and Q', uniting, by
means of coupling or neuter wheel R, the rolls on which the endless cloth
revolves and the lower feed roller N; S and 'S', connecting strap wheels,
receiving motion from the driving shaft by means of the straps and bands T
and T¹; U and U', driving wheel with crank handle, for turning or giving hand
motion to the same; V and V, fixed and loose driving strap pulleys, for throw-
ing the machinery in or out of gear when employing "steam or other motive
power direct from the engine or through the intervention of rigger wheels and'
shafts; W, W; brush frame or cylinder, mounted on moveable bearings as

page_text: 5
represented, for the purpose of being readily removed when not required, as
hereinafter described; X, X, feeding trough, in which the wool, hair,, or 'other
fibrous material is placed. The mode of operation is as follows:-I 'take the
raw material, such as hair, wool, or fibre, as aforesaid, and place it in the
trough first; having dried it in the usual manner, it is then carried forwards
into the machinery, by the rotatory action of the feed rollers, which are so
regulated by adjusting pressure springs on each bearing, that the supply shall
be proportionate to the requirements of the cylinder. The fibre, after passing
into the apparatus, is then drawn by the revolving motion given to the cylinder
or .combs between the teeth or pickers, which being set in flexible beds as
aforesaid, yield more or less, according to the quantity of material pressing on
them, so as to take up only such a quantity of the fibre as to admit of being
freely separated; the remaining fibre slips the first teeth and is carried by the
next set to the upper lags, which, rising and falling, as they are regulated by
springs, yield either way, so as to allow the fibre to be drawn through towards
the brush cylinder; the cylinder being set so that the brushes catch the fibre
on the teeth of the main cylinder, 'brushes it off and throws it out every way
separated and ready for spinning or curling. When the best curled hair is to
be carded it must first be taken out of the hard curl-in the usual-manner, or
otherwise, then passed between the feed rollers until the machine is full, and
next broken between the lags or cards, the lower portion of the hair being held
in the right hand, and the motion of the machine being reversed with the left
band, until a sheet of carded hair is drawn off. When common or short hair
is to be carded, the brush cylinder is fixed so that the brush interferes with the
teeth of the machine, so as to brush the hair off the main cylinder.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into effect, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details hereinbefore given, but what I do
claim as new, and of this my said Invention, under the first head thereof, is :-
Firstly, the purifying of new horse hair, cattle tail hair, hogs hair, feathers,
wool, or other fibrous substances, by the employment of a lime bath and the
application of chlorine gas, in manner set forth and described, by which all
impurities and infectious matter contained in the said substances are removed,
and all moth or animal life destroyed.
Secondly, the purifying of old hair feathers, furs, and wool, as in manner set
forth and described.
Thirdly, I claim under the second head of my Invention the adaptation of
moveable teeth to the revolving cylinders of machinery for carding curled hair
or cocoa-nut fibre or other material, as above set forth and described.

page_text: Fourthly, setting the said teeth in a bed of elastic material.
Fifthly, regulating the upper lags with springs, so as to give them a suitable
adjusting lateral play.
Sixthly, the application of pressure spring bearings to the feed rollers.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Hulseberg, have hereunto 5
set my hand and seal, this Tweuty-fourth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
WILLIAM HENKI (L.B.) HULSEBERG.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of September
in the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid William Henry Hulseberg came 1
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord 1