440 



FLAX 



forward. All such lumps and fibres as ;vro not sufficiently opened and straightened by 

 this first contact, remaining prominent on the surface of points on the cylinder, aro 

 carried by it against another roller, whoso axis is parallel, and whoso -wire-covered 

 circumference is brought as near as possible, without absolute contact, in order to catch 

 and retain these prominent lumps and fibres ; the points of this roller (called a ' worker ') 

 are inclined in a direction opposed to the movement of the swift, and, therefore, hold 

 the tow to be again combed and straightened as at first it was by the feeders : this 

 is repeated eight or nine times, by having that number of workers to the card ; each 

 of these workers has its attendant roller also covered with wire points, by whoso incli- 

 nation in a contrary direction, and by the greater velocity of the roller, the tow is 

 stripped from the workers, to be again laid on to the cylinder. The strippers, though 

 running at a greater velocity than the workers, aro still slower than the cylinder. The 

 tow thus carried forward gradually improving in openness and regularity as it passes 

 each pair of ' workers and strippers,' finally arrives at the roller called a ' doffer,' of 

 which there are two or three upon a card, the wire points of which aro in such a 

 direction as to hook or catch the tow ' as it flies.' The use of these several doffers is, 

 that by placing each succeeding one progressively nearer tho swift, the longer and 

 shorter fibres are successively and separately taken off. Each doffer is cleared by an 

 oscillating comb, and the slivers conducted, if intended for the lap machine into a can 

 by delivering rollers ; but if finished, these delivering rollers are, as it were, tho back 

 rollers of the auxiliary gill, patented for this application by Messrs. Fairbairn and Co. ; 



968 



whereby tho slivers are not only saved from all danger of derangement in their loose 

 and porous state as direct from a card, but the hitherto double expense of carding and 

 first drawing is reduced to that of carding alone. 



AAA (fig. 968), framing; B, swift or main cylinder; c, feed rollers; DJ>J>, strip- 

 pers to feed rollers and workers driven by one belt from pulley E, and maintained 

 tight by the moveable pulley v ; o o o, workers ; i I i, the three doffers ; H H H, 

 intermediate wheels to connect the movement of the doffers with one another ; K K K, 

 c scillating combs for their respective doffers ; L, delivering rollers ; M, back roller of 

 auxiliary gill ; N, gill surface; o, p, drawing rollers ; Q, delivering rollers and bell 

 motion for measuring the sliver in the cans K; s s, doubling plate ; T, pulley for driv- 

 ing auxiliary gills by bell from the pulley K. 



Tho lap frame, to which allusioti has already been made as the necessary adjunct 

 to the cards when double carding is to bo performed, is employed to collect together H 

 number of slivers from the breaker by winding or lapping them upon a cylindrical 

 piece of wood, which may be described as a bobbin shank, thus producing ai 

 lisation of the slivers of tow as the making up of sets effected in line preparing ; from 



