872 



SPINNING 



Carding Engine. When a set of cards -work together, any interruption or stoppage 

 of a single carding-engine causes a defect in the produce of the whole lap. Interrup- 

 tions occurred several times a day by the stripping of the main cylinder, and during 

 this operation, the missing band or silver was supplied out of a can, being the produce 

 of a single carding-engine working into cans (a spare card). The more objectionable 

 defect was, however, the difference of the product of the carding-engvne after the main 

 cylinder had been stripped ; the band or silver from it will be thin and light, until 

 the cards of the main cylinder are again sufficiently filled with cotton, when the band 

 will again assume its proper thickness. Another irregularity was caused by the strip- 

 ping of the flats or top cards, but was not so fatal as the first one. These defects 

 were, of course, a serious drawback to the system of working, the latter of which was 

 provided against by stripping the top cards by mechanism ; the former was conquered 

 by the invention of the self-strippers for the main cylinders ; thus the carding-engino 

 may now work from Monday morning to Saturday night without interruption, the 

 cylinders requiring only to be brushed out every evening ; the consequence is, that 

 mucli time is gained, and a very equal, clean, and clear product is obtained. Old 

 carding-engines to which he applied his feeders (see Jig. 1869) and main cylinder- 

 clearers produce much superior work, and increase the production from 18 to 24 per 

 cent. 



The main cylinder- clearer consists of a very light cast-iron cylinder, upon which 

 five, six, or more sets of wire-brushes are fixed, which are caused to travel to and fro 

 across the main cylinder ; the surface or periphery of the brushes overrunning the 



1869 



1871 





surface or periphery of the main cylinder by 8 or 19 per cent., the brushes thus 

 lifting the cotton out of the teeth of the cards of the main cylinder, and causing the 

 dirt and lumps to fall. 



As the brushes are not above a quarter-inch in breadth and travel to and fro, it is 

 clear that no irregularity can take place in the fleece which comes from the doffer ; 

 not more than l-40th part of the breadth of the cylinder being acted upon at the same 

 time. Figs. 1870, 1871, give an idea of the clearer : the mechanism within the 

 clearer, and by which the brushes are caused to travel is simple and solid. The main 

 cylinders for the cardi'ng-engines are made of cast iron, the two sets of arms and rims 

 are cast in the same piece ; when complete, they weigh 50 Ibs. less than those made of 

 wood. 



The lap machine connected with these engines is almost self-acting ; a girl has only 

 to turn a crank when the lap is full ; by this turn the full lap is removed, and an 

 empty roller put in its place, the band of cotton is cut, and no waste is made. 



Drawing Frame. The laps from the carding-engine lap-machine are put upon de- 

 livering rollers, behind a set of drawing rollers, and from them delivered upon a belt 

 or trough, and again formed into laps similar to those from the carding-engines. The 

 next operation formed the laps into untwisted rovings, and the next again into smaller 

 untwisted rovings, or rovings with false twist in them. The false twist was objection- 

 uble, and a number of rovings on the same bobbin, with left and right permanent 

 twist in them was adopted. This does very well ; there is, however, a little objection 

 to that place in which the twist changes from right to left when it comes to the last 

 -operation before spinning. The loft and right hand twist is confined to the drawing- 

 frame, which converts two laps into one roving, and forms a roller or bobbin ot \\ 



