IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND CARDING AND IN TREATING SILK WASTE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Manningham, Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING
AND CARDING AND IN TREATING SILK WASTE."
Scaled the 18th December 1866, and dated the 28th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe, Lister
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th June 1866.
I, SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PREPARING AND CARDING AND IN TREATING SILK WASTE," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, first, in countersinking the necks into the ends
of the rollers of carding engines to prevent lapping. For this purpose the
ends of the rollers are recessed around the shafts or axles, and covering necks
are applied, the ends of which enter the ends of the rollers, by which the fibres
of the waste silk are prevented lapping round the shafts or axles near the ends
of the rollers.
Second, in making drums for preparing waste silk to work with the points
downwards; also in an improved feeding apparatus, which is arranged so as
Dion 0.77

page_text: to support the silk and hold it against the face of the drum whilst being fed
in and worked. For these purposes the waste silk is to be fed forward to the
drum by a roller clothed with points or with teeth, which move the fibres
over a stationary concave surface and the teeth or points of the drum (which
pass the point where the fibres are fed up to it in a downward direction), act
on the fibres as they are fed up, and also whilst they are supported against a
concave surface; or in place of this arrangement a pair of ordinary feed
rollers, one being toothed or grooved and the other being plain, feed the fibres
of silk forward to the tooth or points on the drum as the points of such teeth
move downwards past the feed rollers, and the fibres are supported by a sta-
tionary concave surface placed near the drum below the lower feed
roller.
Third, in preparing waste silk on pointed surfaces before being prepared
and combed.
Fourth, in preparing and jigging gum waste in the gum and then boiling off
the jiggings and recombing them in place of dressing the same on an ordinary
dressing machine, then cutting the fibres to the length of cotton fibres, then
boiling the same off, and then producing carded yarn, as has heretofore been
donc. For this purpose the gum waste is prepared on a screw gill, or gill
drum, or cylinder; I then jigg or comb it upon any suitable machine; I then
boil the jiggings in soap and water to discharge the gum, and I then again
comb them, by which long combed "top" is obtained in place of cutting and
carding.
Fifth, in carding gum waste in the gum, and then boiling it off and recarding
it, in place of boiling off or discharging the gum before carding the waste silk,
as has heretofore been the practice.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Cunliffe Lister, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Cunliffe

page_text: Lister my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, my 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND CARDING, AND IN TREATING
SILK WASTE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel
Cunliffe Lister, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, 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 follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements consist, first, in countersinking the necks into the ends
of the rollers of carding engines to prevent lapping. For this purpose the
ends of the rollers are recessed around the shafts or axles, and covering necks
are applied, the ends of which enter the ends of the rollers, by which the fibres
of the waste silk are prevented lapping round the shafts or axles near the ends
of the rollers.
Figure 1 shows part of an end section of a working roller of a carding
engine which is recessed at a, a, and b, b, are stationary covers, within which
the shaft of the roller works, and by reason of the ends of the cover b, b,
entering into the recess at the end of the roller the lapping which previously
took place is prevented.
Second, in making drums for preparing waste silk to work with the points
downwards; also in an improved feeding apparatus, which is arranged so as
to support the silk and hold it against the face of the drum whilst being fed
in and worked. For these purposes the waste silk is to be fed forward to the
drum by a roller clothed with points or with teeth, which move the fibres
over a stationary concave surface, and the teeth or points of the drum (which
pass the point where the fibres are fed up to it in a downward direction), act
on the fibres, or they are fed up, and also whilst they are supported against a
concave surface; or in place of this arrangement a pair of ordinary feed
rollers (one being toothed or grooved and the other being plain) feed the fibres

page_text: of silk forward to the teeth or points on the drum as the points of such teeth
move downwards past the feed rollers, and the fibres are supported by a sta-
tionary concave surface placed near the drum below the lower feed
roller.
Third, in preparing waste silk on pointed surfaces before being prepared
by carding and combed.
Figure 2 shows a transverse section of part of a drum d and feeding roller c
with a concave supporting surface e, suitable for carrying out this part of the
Invention. The silk fibres are fed up to the feed roller c by an ordinary
apron, and is by the feed roller c fed to the drum d, the rotation of which is
arranged that the points set thereon may work downwards, as is indicated by
the arrow.
Figure 3 shows another arrangement for carrying out this part of the
Invention. wherein a pair of feeding rollers (the lower one being plane) and a
concave supporting surface are used. The silk fibres are fed up to the rollers
by an ordinary feed apron. In the continued rotation of the drum d the points
thereon become full of the silk fibres, and the lap of fibres thus obtained are
then to be carded and combed.
Fourth, in preparing and jigging gum waste in the gum, and then boiling off
the jiggings and recombing them in place of dressing the same on an ordinary
dressing machine, then cutting the fibres to the length of cotton fibres, then
boiling the same off, and then producing carded yarn, as has heretofore been
done. For this purpose the gum waste is prepared on a screw gill, or gill
drum, or cylinder; I then jig or comb it upon any suitable machine; I then
boil the jiggings in soap and water to discharge the gum, and 1 then again
comb them, by which long-combed "top" is obtained, in place of cutting and
carding.
In carrying out this part of my Invention it should be understood that in
place of pursuing the ordinary process of treating gum waste by dressing it in
an ordinary dressing frame, and then cutting the silk into short lengths and
then boiling off the gum, according to the present Invention the gum waste
is subjected to gill frames, commencing with gills and then finer and finer,
by which the fibres of silk are laid even. The fibres are then rough combed
in a wool combing machine; the "top" or "jiggings" thus obtained are then
boiled to remove the gum; they are then again combed and spun, by which
in place of carded yarns, spinnings of long fibres are obtained superior not
only to ordinary carded silk yarns, but also superior to those silk yarns which
have been before made by other processes of treating silk waste.
Fifth, in carding gum waste in the gum and then boiling it off and recarding

page_text: it in place of boiling off or discharging the gum before carding the waste silk,
as has heretofore been the practice.
It should be stated in regard to this part of the Invention that it has been
usual to card gum waste, and in both cases after the gum has been boiled off.
Now, according to the present Invention (which is more particularly appli-
cable to the lower classes of silk waste, such for instance as those known as
Canton gum waste), the silk was first carded before removing the gum by boil-
ing, after which first carding the gum is boiled off and the fibres are then again
carded and spun, by which superior yarns of waste silk are obtained, more
clean and free from knots, and more valuable in the market.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
First, the recessing of the ends of the working rollers used in carding engines
for carding waste silk.
Secondly, I claim the arranging the drums of machines used for preparing
waste silk, to work with the points downwards, the silk waste being supported
by concave surfaces, as above described.
Thirdly, I claim the carding of the fibres after preparing a lap in a pre-
paring machine or frame, as above described.
Fourthly, 1 claim the manufacture of yarns of silk waste from combed silk
fibres, treated in the manner above described.
And, fifthly, I claim the manufacture of carded silk yarns by first carding
the silk fibres in the gum, and then carding the silk fibres after the gum has
been boiled off.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
S. C. LISTER. (L.S.)