IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Bailey, of Keighley, in the County of York,
Woolcomber, and Thomas Firth, of Bradford, in the same County, Manager,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 13th April 1880, and dated the 14th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Bailey and Thomas
Firth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th October
1879.
ISAAC BAILEY, of Keighley, in the County of York, Woolcomber, and THOMAS
FIRTH, of Bradford, in the same County, Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
This Invention relates, firstly, to that class of combing machinery in which the
wool is taken in tufts by means of nipping-jaws froin gill combs or fallers, and
deposited upon a circular comb.
Heretofore in such machinery the tufts have been deposited upon the circular
comb, with the portion containing the noil directed towards the interior or centre
of the comb, and the separation of the noil from the "top" has been effected by
drawing-off the "top" or long fibres, so as to leave the noil in the teeth of the
circular comb where it was placed after leaving the "nip." By our Invention we
reverse the operation, that is to say, we deposit the tufts upon the circular comb
with the noil ends outwards or projecting beyond the circumference of the comb,
in which position we retain the fibres by holding plates or knives whilst we remove
the knots or extraneous matter from the long fibres, applying for this purpose any
of the ordinary forms of cleaning apparatus.
To accomplish our object we make the nips, fallers, bars, and hackles curved in
the opposite direction to what they have hitherto been made, so that the hackle
pins have a convex surface instead of a concave one, the lower nipping jaw being
also convex and the upper one concave. The tuft of wool drawn off by the nippers
is received by an endless comb, or an endless belt or chain with a series of combs
fixed thereto, which is placed over the circular comb, and carries the tuft to that
side of the circular comb which is furthest from the nip.

page_text: The tuft is then delivered to a transfer comb or detacher which receives the noil
end thereof, whilst the remainder is gradually lowered on to the teeth of the circle,
and the transfer comb recedes, leaving the noil end of the tuft overhanging as far as
may be required beyond the edge of the circle.
Secondly. Our Invention relates to that class of machinery in which the wool is
deposited in tufts upon the circular comb by means of a lashing apparatus or
feeding or filling heads, and our improvements therein consist in the employment of
an additional comb, circular or otherwise, on to which the tufts are deposited as
heretofore. This additional comb serves as a carrying or feeding comb to the largo
circular comb at present employed, the motion thereof whether rotary or otherwise
being so arranged that on the tufts being transferred to the circular comb the ends
containing the noil shall be placed outside the large circular comb instead of inside
as heretofore, after which the noil or other extraneous matter may be removed by
any of the ordinary forms of cleaning apparatus.
We can also accomplish our object by retaining the ordinary carrying comb, and
forming it similar in outline to the gills, hackles, and nip.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Isaac Bailey and Thomas Firth in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th April 1880.
ISAAC BAILEY, of Keighley, in the County of York, Woolcomber, and THOMAS
FIRTH, of Bradford, in the same County, Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
This Invention relates, firstly, to that class of combing machinery in which the
wool is taken in tufts by means of nipping jaws from gill combs or fallers, and
deposited upon a circular comb.
Heretofore in such machinery the tufts have been deposited upon the circular
comb with the portion containing the noil directed towards the interior of centre of
the comb, and the separation of the noil from the "top" has been effected by
drawing off the "top" or long fibres, so as to leave the noil in the teeth of the
circular comb where it was placed after leaving the "nip."
By our Invention we reverse this operation, that is to say, we deposit the tufts
upon the circular comb with the noil ends outwards or projecting beyond the cir-
cumference of the comb, in which position we retain the fibres by holding plates or
knives whilst we remove the knots or extraneous matter from the long fibres,
applying for this purpose any of the ordinary forms of cleaning apparatus. To
accomplish our object we make the nips, fallers, bars, and hackles curved in the
opposite direction to what they have hitherto been made, so that the hackle pins
have a convex surface instead of a concave one, the lower nipping jaw being also
convex and the upper one concave. The tufts of wool drawn off by the nippers is
received by an endless comb, or an endless belt or chain with a series of combs fixed
thereto, which is placed over the circular comb and carries the tufts to that side of
the circular comb which is furthest from the nip. The tuft is then delivered to a
transfer comb or detacher, which receives the noil end thereof whilst the remainder
is gradually lowered on to the teeth of the circle, and the transfer comb recedes,
leaving the noil end of the tuft overhanging as far as may be required beyond the
edge of the circle.
Secondly. Our Invention relates to that class of machinery in which the wool is
deposited in tufts upon the circular comb by means of a lashing, apparatus or
feeding or filling heads, and our improvements therein consist in the employment
of an additional comb, circular or otherwise, on to which the tufts are deposited as
heretofore. This additional comb serves as a carrying or feeding comb to the large
circular comb at present employed, the motion thereof whether rotary or otherwise
being so arranged that on the tufts being transferred to the circular comb the ends
containing the noil shall be placed outside the large circular comb instead of inside
as heretofore, after which the noil or other extraneous matter may be removed by
any of the ordinary forms of cleaning apparatus.
We can also accomplish our object by retaining the ordinary carrying comb and
forming it similar in outline to the gills, hackles, and nips.
In order that our Invention may be more fully understood we herein give
reference to the accompanying Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof.
The first and second parts of our Invention are illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5. Fig. 1 reprosents a sectional elevation of apparatus consisting of a circular
comb A, above which are a series of gill combs or fallers B, the nipping head C
being placed in the interior of the circle A instead of outside as hitherto. The
jaws of the nipping head are curved, as shewn in front view, Fig. 2, the upper jaw
being concave and the lower jaw convex. D is an endless travelling belt carried by
rollers & and provided at intervals with rows of teeth e (which may be either fixed
to a straight plate or to a plate curved to the same radius as the nipping jaws).
E is a transfer comb which has the usual elliptical motion imparted to it by the
eccentrics F and levers and rods G. Figs. 4 and 5 shew the convex form of comb

page_text: and fallers. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The wool is fed to the gills
or fallers B in the usual manner, and a tuft is drawn therefrom by the nipping
jaws C. From the jaws the tuft is taken by the pins on the apron D, and from
these it is again taken by the transfer comb E, and finally deposited upon the
circle A with the noil end projecting outwards. The noil or other extraneous
matter may be removed from the overhanging tufts by gills fallers H, as shewn
in Fig. 3, which illustrates the second part of our Invention. According to the
second part of our Invention the wool is fed in tufts by a lashing apparatus onto a
small circular comb K (Fig. 3), the noil ends being within the circle; the tufts are
then ploughed out and transferred to a second and larger circular comb L with the
noil ends outwards, these ends being cleaned by means of gill fallers H or by any
of the ordinary forms of cleaning apparatus, and the long fibres drawn off by
rollers M in the usual manner. In Fig. 6 we have shewn an arrangement of
apparatus similar to that shewn in Fig. 1, but instead of the travelling apron for
conveying the wool between the jaws and the transfer comb E we employ a
modified form of the ordinary transfer or carrying comb.
The description of Fig. 1 and the letters of reference will apply to Fig. 6.
The additional transfer comb P, shewn in detail Fig. 4, is operated by crank on the
shaft N, to which motion is imparted by gear wheels from the nipping head or
other convenient source, the exact motion or direction of the comb being regulated
by means of the variable connecting rod R and swivel stud S in the usual manner.
Fig. 7 is a plan view of Fig. 6, in which are shewn the gill fallers H for cleaning
the noil or other extraneous matter from the overhanging tufts.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and shewn by Drawings how
the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practice, we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein shewn and
described, as from the examples given it will be seen that the mechanical arrange-
ments admit of considerable variation, but what we claim as our Invention and
consider to be new is,―
Firstly. The employment of convex gill combs or fallers and nipping jaws, or
similar devices of corresponding form, for the purpose of giving the tufts of wool a
suitable shape previous to their being placed on a circular comb with the noil end
outwards, as and for the purpose herein shewn and described.
Secondly. The employment of a travelling apron and transfer comb E in con-
junction with the nipping head, as and for the purpose herein described and
shewn in Fig. 1.
Thirdly. The employment of the transfer comb P in conjunction with the nipping
head and transfer comb E, as and for the purpose described and shewn in Fig. 6
and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Bailey, for and on behalf of myself and
the said Thomas Firth, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day
of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.