CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN CARDING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Evan Leigh and Frederick Allen Leigh, of the City
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineers, for
the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
USED IN CARDING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 26th September 1865, and dated the 29th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Evan Leigh and Frederick
Allen Leigh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 29th March 1865.
We, EVAN LEIGH and FREDERICK ALLEN LEIGH, of the City of Manchester,
in the CountyofLancaster, Mechanical Engineers, dohereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
USED IN CARDING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improved grinding apparatus for
sharpening the wire of carding engines as follows, namely, we construct the
grinding roller of an iron cylinder as usual, but before covering it with emery
we chase a thread upon it like a screw, then we flute it diagonally or otherwise,
which leaves the periphery of the cylinder or roller covered with points, we
then cover it in the usual manner, except that we use fine instead of coarse
emery. The fluting of the roller is not an absolute necessity, as it will answer-
very well if only chased before being covered. The chasing of the roller
answers a two-fold object, as it dispenses with the traverse motion usually
employed, and it grinds the wire to a nice needle point, care being taken
..

page_text: to cover the roller true, to accomplish which we make an apparatus like a
slide rest,and traverse a tool over the roller at a slow speed which knocks off
the inequalities of the emery; the same machine may be used to chase the
thread on the roller.
Our next improvement is to run the grinding roller at a very rapid speed
(it being first carefully balanced) when grinding up the cylinders and doffers
of carding engines, and turn the said cylinders and doffers at a slow speed
during the operation, by driving them from the grinding roller by suitable
mechanism or otherwise. This is reversing what is done at present. By this
means the grinding roller is more durable, and the cards are sooner ground to
a point with less injury. We afterwards take away the grinding roller, aud
put in its place a circular brush. This brush we make with bristles of a
vegetable called "katool," in preference to have bristles of the ordinary kind,
and set them in the brusù at a slight tangent from the centre of the brush.
Some of these bristles may be coated with flour of emery. This brush is also
run at a rapid speed, and mainly depended upon for keeping the cards sharp
after the engine is once ground true by the emery roller.
The second part ofour Invention relates to doffing combs of carding engines
which we cause to oscillate by an eccentric shaft running the whole, or
nearly the whole length of the comb, and working in a box which is formed
by the oscillating shaft being cast hollow in the U form.
The third part of our Invention consists of a better method of casting the
iron flats of self-stripping carding engines, so as to ensure them being straight.
This is accomplished by fixing the "gits," at each end, whilst the metal is
hot, in such a way that the castings are stretched by the contraction in
cooling.
The fourth part of our Invention consists in suspending the under casing
of card cylinders in two flexible bends or segments, so as to adjust them more
perfectly to the cylinders.
The fifth part of our Invention consists in stripping the traversing flats of
"Leigh's self-stripping card" (Patents March 26th 1850, No.13,027, October
16, 1852, No. 409, and February 9, 1858, No. 242), by a brush, and putting
the strips on the licker-in, the said brush being constructed with the bristles
set a little tangential to the axis, and the same acting as a medium to keep the
wire of the flats sharp.
The sixth part of our Invention consists of a better method of driving the
said traversing flats by the employment of a loose box pulley on the driving
shaft, which carries within it a small spur wheel. This wheel works into two
other spur wheels on the said driving shaft, the one being fast, and the

page_text: other loose, one of which is a tooth or more larger than the other, there-
fore it gives a slow motion to the shaft, whilst the pulley is moving quickly,
the said pulley being cased up at the back, and carrying tappets to work the
strinning comb.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Evan Leigh and Frederick Allen Leigh in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EVAN
LEIGH, and FREDERICK ALLEN LEIGH, of the City of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Evan Leigh and Frederick Allen Leigh, Her special license that
we, the said Evan Leigh and Frederick Allen Leigh, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Evan Leigh and
Frederick Allen Leigh, our executors, administrators and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 USED IN CARDING COTTON OR OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Evan Leigh and Frederick Allen Leigh, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 Evan Leigh and Frederick Allen
Leigh, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
figures and letters on the accompanying. Sheet of Drawings (that is to
say):-

page_text: Fig. 1 is an end view and Fig. 2 a plan of a grinding roller made according
to this Invention; Fig. 3'a side elevation of the self-stripping carding engine
known as Leigh's (and for which Letters Patent were granted to Evan Leigh,
bearing date respectively the Twenty-sixth day of March in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty, Number 13,027, the Sixteenth
day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-two, Number 409, and the Ninth day of February in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, Number 242,) provided
with our present improvements.
Fig. 4, a section, and Fig. 5, a side elevation of some of the parts, and
Figs. 6 and 7 are end and front elevations of our improvements connected
with the doffing comb.
This Inventionconsists, first, inanimproved grindingapparatusforsharpening
the wire of the cards used in carding engines. We construct the grinding
roller a, Figs. 1 and 2, of an iron cylinder as usual, but before covering it with
emery we cut in it flutes y diagonally or otherwise, and then chase in it
threads z like a screw. This fluting and chasing leave on the cylinder a
number of fine points, and if the threads be cut triple the pitch is greater and
the angles of the points more acute. We now cover the roller in the usual
manner, with the exception that we use fine emery instead of coarse. The
fluting of the roller is not an absolute necessity as it will answer very well if
only chased before being covered. The chasing of the roller answers a two-
fold object, as it dispenses with the traverse motion usually employed, and
grinds the wire to a nice needle point, care being taken to cover the roller true,
to accomplish which we make an apparatus like a slide rest, and traverse a
tool over the roller at a slow speed which knocks off the inequalities of the
emery, the same machine being used when desired to chase the threads on the
roller. After carefully balancing the grinding roller we run it at a very rapid
speed when grinding up the cylinders and doffers of carding engines, and turn
the said cylinders and doffers at a slow speed during the operation by driving
them from the grinding roller by suitable mechanism or by manual labour
This system is the reverse of that at present adopted, and by its means the
grinding roller is more durable and the cards are sooner ground to a point
with less injury, and after the operation of grinding has been performed, we
take away the grinding roller and put in its place a circular brush. This
brush we make with bristles of a vegetable called "katool," in preference to
hair bristles of the ordinary kind, and set them in the brush at a slight
tangent from the centre of the brush. Some of these bristles may be coated
with flour of emery. This brush is also run at a rapid speed, and mainly

page_text: depended upon for keeping the cards sharp after the engine is once ground
true by the emery roller.
In Fig. 3, a is the grinding roller (or circular brush as the case may be).
On one end of this is keyed a small worm b, which takes into a pinion e fixed
on a small shaft d. At the other end of this shaft is fixed another worm e,
which takes into the ordinary spur wheelf that is keyed upon the doffer
shaft g.
The small shaft d is made to rise out of gear from the doffer by
allowing.the bracket which carries it to swivel when not in use, as seen by
dotted lines, but when pushed down ingear it gives a slow motion to the.doffer
from the grinding rollera. The grinding roller (or brush) a receives its motion
direct from the main driving pulley h on the shaft of the cylinder which is
disengaged from the cylinder by reversing its motion in the following manner,
namely, it is furnished with one or more catches i,i,i,which take into suitable
notches or holes in the cylinder shaft k, on which it fits loose. When the
driving strap is put on so as to drive the cylinder for carding these catches
fall into the notches or holes in the cylinder shaft and carry it round, but when
the strap is reversed for grinding the catches no longer take hold, but fly back
and the cylinder remains stationary, but subsequently receivesla slow motion
from the doffer being connected with a strap or otherwise to it, temporarily,
when grinding in the ordinary manner.
The second part of our Invention relates to doffing combs of carding engines,
which we cause to oscillate by an eccentric shaft running the whole or nearly
the whole length of the comb and working in a box which is formed by the
oscillating shaft being cast hollow in the U form.
Fig.6,shews an end elevation, and Fig. 7 a front elevation of our improved
doffing comb. In Figs 6 and 7 m shews the oscillating shaft which carries
the comb in the usual manner. The peculiarity of this oscillating shaft is that
it is made in the U form, and the eccentric shaft j fits it nearly the whole
breadth across the engine. The open side of the oscillating shaft mmay either
work up or down, the sides being slightly elastic admit of being screwed up
to fit the eccentric shaft to great nicety.
The third part of our Invention consists in pinning the "gits," when casting
our iron flats either to the moulding boxes by pegs, or taking them out of the
boxes whilst hot, and laying them on stretchers arranged to take hold of
the "gits," which are left of sufficient strength to stretch the flats before they
break off from contraction.
The fourth part of our Invention consists in suspending the under casing of
card cylinders in two flexible bends or segments so as to adjust them more

page_text: perfectly to the cylinders, this part of our Invention is shewn in the dotted
lines at n, Fig. 3, and consists in using flexible segments or bends for suspen-
ding the under casings of card cylinders so as to better adjust them and set
them up close to the wire.
The fifth part of our Invention consists in stripping the traversing flats of
Leigh's self-stripping card by a brush and putting the strips on the licker-in,
the said brush being constructed with the bristles set tangential to the axis, and
the same acting as a medium to keep the wire of the flats constantly sharp,
which will be clearly understood on reference to Fig. 3, where o shews the
brush set between the flats p, p, and licker-in q. The brush o is set so as to
penetrate into the wire of the flats about the sixteenth of an inch, but just
passes the licker-in without touching, by which means it both strips the flats
and keeps them sharp at the same time. We prefer this brush being made
of "katool," as being both cheaper and more durable than ordinary bristles,
which being set tangential allows the licker-in to take the strips or cotton
more effectually from it, and for this particular action we prefer the flats to
move in the opposite direction (as shewn by the arrow) to that in which they
move when the strips are taken off by a comb in the usual way.
The sixth part of our Invention consists of a better method of driving the
said traversing flats by the employment of a loose box pulley on the driving
shaft which carries within it a small carrier spur wheelt (seen in dotted lines.)
This wheel works into two other spur wheels, the one being fast on the shaft s
and the other keyed fast ou the boss of the bracket holding the said shaft,one
of which has a tooth more than the other, therefore it gives a slow motion to
the shaft whilst the pulley is moving quickly, the said pulley being cased up
at the back and carrying tappets to work the stripping comb.
7,-Figs. 3, 4, and 5, is the loose box pulley fitting on the end of the driving
shaft s, to which motion is communicated by a strap either from the doffer (as
shewn) or any other convenient manner. If the spur wheels have thirty and
thirty-one teeth respectively, the larger of the spur wheels may be keyed fast
on the shafts, or the smaller, according to which way the shaft s is required
The carrier wheelt works loose on a stud which is carried round
with the box pulley r.
to move.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we claim in machinery or apparatus used in carding cotton
or other fibrous substances,
First, the grinding roller constructed as shewn and described, chas. d and
grooved.

page_text: Secondly, the method shewn of driving the grinding roller or brush at a rapid
speed from the same pulley that drives the main cylinder, also the mode
of communicating a slow motion to the doffer and cylinder at the same
time.
Thirdly, the "katool," or other brush with bristles set tangentially, some of
which are coated with emery when used for grinding the cards, and without
emery when used for stripping the top cards or flats and keeping them sharp
at the same time, as shewn.
Fourthly, the method described of straightening iron flats when cast.
Fifthly, the new doffing comb as shewn.
And, sixthly, the method of driving flats at a slow motion, as all such im-
provements are hereindescribed and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Evan Leigh, for and on behalf of myself
and the said Frederick Allen Leigh, have hereunto set my hand and
seal,this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
0
Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the within-named Evan Leigh,
in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
EVAN LEIGH.
L.S.)
"