Improvements in Machinery for Preparing Wool or other Fibrous Substances to be Combed.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Preparing Wool or other
Fibrous Substances to be Combed.
I, THOMAS REDMAN, Gas and Mechanical Engineer, 172 Manningham Lane, Brad-
ford, in the County of Yorkshire do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING WOOL OR OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES TO BE COMBED" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to what are known as preparing or drawing machines—
also technically called gill-boxes) in which wool or other fibrous substances are
prepared for being combed.
The material in these machines is at the feeding end spread on an endless sheet,
band, or carrier and delivered to rollers from which it is passed to a system of
fallers provided with pins and actuating screws, thence passing through other
rollers and from the delivery end in the form of a ribbon or lap to and between
another pair of endless sheets or bands which are revolved by suitable means and
are set one above the other. The material is there gathered or wrapped round the
upper band or sheet, herein referred to as the gathering band, until it shall have
acquired a sufficient thickness or density before being taken off by the attendant
and put through another and similar machine or machines preparatory to putting
on the combs.
It is usual to have several courses of these machines for the better preparing of
the material, and it is necessary to have attendants to collect the laps from off the
gathering bands of one machine and pass them forward to feed the next machine.
As the laps are thus taken from one machine to the other, they have to be laid on
the back end of the preceding lap in the feed of the next machine to ensure a con-
tinuous feed, thereby forming a thick joint in the material which is objectionable
and injurious.
My invention consists of elongating or lengthening the upper or gathering band
so as to enable it to be brought round the end of and under the original lower
or carrier band, which in my arrangement will now become the upper bearing or
carrier band, because, having brought round the original gathering band to the
underside of it by elongation, I fix another bearing or carrier band to work on

page_text: the underside of the elongated gathering band after the manner of the original
lower band, and which I call the lower bearing or carrier band; the whole being
revolved by suitable means.
In this way I am enabled to get a much longer ribbon or lap on the gathering
band or sheet at the delivery end, thus having fewer joinings or double thicknesses
in feeding the next coming machines. Also in taking longer time to fill, it requires
less of the attendants attention, thus enabling them to have control over a larger
number of machines.
A saving of time and labour is thus effected, as well as expenses in the repair
of breakages in the machines themselves; also resulting in an improved quality of
work done by the machines when operated in this manner.

page_text: Fibrous Substances to be Combed.
I, THOMAS REDMAN, Gas & Mechanical Engineer, 172, Manningham Lane Brad-
ford, in the county of Yorkshire do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES TO BE COMBED and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to what are known as preparing or drawing machines, also
technically called gill boxes, in which wool or other fibrous substances are prepared
for being combed.
The material in these machines is at the feeding end spread on an endless sheet,
band or carrier and delivered to the rollers from which it is passed to a system of
fallers provided with pins and actuating screws, thence passing through other
rollers and from the delivery end in the form of a ribbon or lap to and between
a pair of endless sheets or bands which are revolved by suitable means and are
set one above the other. The material is then gathered or wrapped round the
upper band or sheet herein refered to as the gathering band, untill it shall have
acquired a sufficient thickness or density before being taken off by the attendant
and put through another and simillar machine or machines preparatory to putting
on the combes.
It is usual to have several courses of these machines for the better preparing of
the material and it is necessary to have attendants to collect the laps from off the
gathering bands of one machine and pass them forward to feed the next machine
as the laps are thus taken from one machine to the other they have to be laid on
the back end of the preceding lap in the feed of the next machine to insure a con-
tinuous feed thereby forming a thick joint in the material which is objectionable
and injurious.
My invention consists of elongating or lengthening the upper or gathering band
so as to enable it to be brought round the end and under the original lower or
carrier band which in my arrangement will now become the upper bearing or carrier
band because having brought round the original gathering band to the underside
of it by elongation I fix another bearing or carrier band to work on the under-
side of the elongated gathering band after the manner of the original lower band
and which I call the lower bearing or carrier band the whole being revolved by
suitable means. In this way I am enabled to get a much longer ribbon or lap on
the gathering band or sheet at the delivery end thus having fewer jointing or double
thicknesses in feeding the next coming machines also in taking longer time to fill
it requires less of the attendants attention thus enabling them to have control over
a larger number of machines.
A saving of time and labour is thus effected as well as expenses in the repaire
of breakages in the machines themselves. Also resulting in an improved quality of
work done by the machines when operated in this manner.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to discribe the accompanying drawing referance being had

page_text: to the letters marked thereon. A. is the original upper gathering band elongated as
shewn and which is brought round rollers D and E and supported by brackets L
and M and back underneath carrier B and round roller F and supported by
bracket N. B is the original lower carrier band which I now call the upper bearer
or carrier band which passes over rollers E and G. C is the carrier band which in
my arrangement I call the lower bearing or carrier band which passes round the
rollers H, J and K and supported by brackets L. P and O as shewn.
When the wool or other fibrous substance to be treated is passed through the
machine it is delivered from the gills on to carrier B and delivered by carrier B on
to gatherer A, the substance is then passed along between bands A and C and up
between rollers K, D and supported by bracket L on to uppermost surface of
gatherer A where the ribbon or lap thus formed may be either removed or allowed
to repeat the traverse through the carriers again untill a sufficient suitable thick-
ness shall have accumulated when it can be removed by the attendant and the
process repeated as before.
The whole being actuated and driven by suitable means.
Having now particulaly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
I. The improved apparatus for preparing wool or other fibrous substances to be
combed, substantially as and for the purposes herein shewn and discribed.
II. The sheets or bands A, B and C when used as shewn and for the purposes
herein discribed.
III. The rollers D, E, F, J, K and H and brackets L, M, N, O and P for actuating
and suporting substantially as and for the purposes herein shewn and described.
Dated this 15th day of October 1886