WORSTED MANUFACTURE. 



This wool they deHver to a larger porcupine, which is 

 placed beneath the revolving-wheel, or on the oppofite fide 

 to the feeding-cloth. This porcupine is a cylinder nineteen 

 linches diameter, and fourteen inches long : its axis is placed 

 horizontally, and direfted nearly to the centre of the vertical 

 axis ; fo that the fmall porcupines will be parallel to the large 

 one when they pafs over it. The great porcupine is furnifhed 

 with rows of teeth exaftly fimilar to thofe of the fmall ones, 

 which teeth are not very numerous, but large and ftiarp- 

 pointed, and rather hooked, with the points forwards. When 

 the fmall porcupines pafs over the large one, there is fo Tittle 

 ;lear fpace between their teeth, that the wool which is con- 

 :ained in the teeth of the fmall ones will be taken off by 

 ■he large one, and remain in its teeth. The reafon of this 

 s, that the teeth of the large porcupine prefent themfelves 

 ;o the teeth of the fmall ones with the points forwards, and 

 the fmall porcupines at the fame time move with the 

 points of their teeth backwards. It was before ftated, that 

 the porcupines move with the points forwards when they 

 take the wool from the feeding-rollers, but this wool is ap- 

 plied on the upper fide of the porcupines, and the great 

 porcupine is at the lower fide ; hence the direiElion of the teeth 

 is reverfe in the two cafes, and occafions the wool to be given 

 to the great porcupine, a fmall quantity at a time, from each of 

 the fmall porcupines, as they pafs over it. The great por- 

 cupine being turned flowly round upon its axis clothes itfelf 

 ^ivith the wool in a continued fleece, and this is drawn off 

 from its teeth by a pair of fluted rollers, between which it 

 paffes in a continued fliver or band ; this band is alfo con- 

 dufted through a (hort tube, which revolves round its axis, 

 land rolls up the fliver, to make it adhere better together in 

 '1 round and compaft form. 



; The aflion of this machine is not to comb the wool, 

 but to divide the mafs of raw wool, which is fpread on the 

 feeding-cloth, into a great number of fmall and equal por- 

 itions by the fucceffive itrokes of the fmall porcupines ; thefe 

 .portions are again mixed together in one film of wool upon 

 ithe great porcupine, from which the wool is drawn off in 

 la continued fliver, and as much twift is given to it as is 

 Tequifite to make the fliver fufficiently compaft to fubmit it 

 to the combing-machine. 



Carl'Zf right's Combing-Machine, or Combing-Table ; called 



lalfo amongil the workmen Big Ban In Plate II. ^g. i. 



^Worjled Spinning, is a horizontal plan of the machine, which 

 exhibits nearly all its parts ; we have alfo given a perfpec- 

 itive view in Jig. 2. of the operative parts, as they would 

 'appear if detached from the framing which fuitains them. 

 A A is a circular ring of wood, which is fixed down on the 

 framing ; B B is a fimilar ring, which is fitted into the fixed 

 iring, with liberty to turn round within it. The interior of 

 'this ring is furniflied with a row of comb-teeth, with the 

 'points direfted to the centre, and there are two otlier rows 

 jof (horter teeth beneath, fo as to make three circular rows of 

 leeth. This forms a large circular comb, called the combing- 

 itable, about five feet diameter ; it is moved flowly round in 

 'the diredlion of the arrow by means of a pinion, which 

 iworks into a ring of cogs, fixed in fegments withinfide of 

 'the circular comb beneath the row of teeth, as is fliewn in 

 'the feftion,_^. 3. 



I The wool is filled upon the teeth of the circular comb by 

 imeans of two maclunes F and G, called crank-lafliers. Thefe 

 ifupply the wool by lafliing or throwing the lock of 

 tWool upon the teeth of the comb, and then drawing up the 

 |wool from the comb, with a motion very fimilar to that 

 lOf the hand of the workman in filling the combs, as we have 

 ; before defcribed. The crank-lafliers repeat their ftrokes 

 'with great rapidity j but as the comb-table is kept in con- 



tinual motion, the wool which is lalhed upon the teeth by 

 the firfl; crank-laflier F is carried away, and in its courfe 

 comes beneath the other crank-laflier G, by which more 

 wool is filled upon the teeth, and they receive the intended 

 portion. This wool, by the rotation of the comb-table, is 

 then carried beneath a fmall comb K, which works by a 

 crank movement, but with its teeth always horizontal ; they 

 penetrate through the wool, and then rife up fo as to comb 

 it. After this operation, the wool is taken off from the 

 teeth of the comb-table between a double pair of fluted 

 rollers N, fituated immediately over the comb-teeth ; thefe 

 draw off the combed wool in a continued fliver, which is 

 condufted through another pair of plain rollers R, and falh 

 into a tin can placed there to receive it. 



This machine was not found capable of combing the raw 

 wool, chiefly becaufe the comb-teeth are not heated, and 

 alfo becaufe the aftions of lafliing on the wool, and after- 

 wards combing it, begin to aft upon wool, at firfl with their 

 full force, and break the fibres if they are entangled 

 together ; hence it is found beft to comb the wool by 

 hand once over, or for fine goods twice. The wool is thus 

 formed into flivers, which are joined together, by laying 

 them on a table, with the ends lapped over each other ; and 

 rolling them together, they will join into one long fliver. Three 

 of thefe flivers are put into tin cans i i, which are placed 

 upon a circular table I, and carried upwards to the crank- 

 laflier F or G, which are both of fimilar conftruftion. The 

 table I is mounted on an axis, fo as to be capable of turning 

 flowly round horizontally, in order to twift; the three flivers 

 together into one ; but in the machines which we have feen 

 in ufe, this movement is commonly neglefted, for if the flivers 

 are prepared by hand-combing, as we have before defcribed, 

 they will hang together without twilling. 



The flivers, which are carried up from the cans to the crank- 

 laflier { (eejg. 3. ), firft pafs over a roller at e ; the axle of this 

 roller is alfo the fixed centre of motion of a trough H, which 

 forms one part of the crank-laflier. The fliver of wool is con- 

 dufted along the trough H, and then turns over a fecond 

 roller aty"; the centre-pin of this roller is the joint, which 

 unites the end of the trough H with a moveable frame J J, 

 which has a tube g fixed in front for the fliver of wool to pafs 

 through. A little below the middle of this frame Jd are holes 

 through its fides, to receive the pin of a crank b b, of which 

 the central axis isfupported in bearings fcrewed to the frame 

 of the machine, and it is turned round by the power of the 

 mill. By means of a pair of bevelled wheels D and E,^. I. 

 the cranks of the two crank-lafliers are connefted together, 

 and have a common motion, but in a direftion at right angles 

 to each other. At the lower end of each of the moving 

 frames dd, a pair of fluted rollers i are fixed, which draw 

 the fliver between them. The rollers are put in motion by 

 means of a cog-wheel i, fixed on the extremity of the axis 

 of the lower roller ; this is turned by a fmall pinion, fixed 

 at the end of an axis, which paffes through the frame d d, 

 and which at the oppofite end has a wheel i, that receives 

 motion from a pinion fixed faft to the pin of the crank. 

 The upper of the two fluted rollers is preffed down againfl 

 the lower one by fprings, which bear on its pivots with lufii- 

 cient force to hold the wool firmly between them, and draw 

 the fliver forwards when they turn round. 



The motions of the crank-Ialher are not eafy to be under- 

 ftood from a verbal defcnption. It mufl; be recollected, 

 that the upper end of the frame dd which carries the rollers, 

 being jointed to the end of the trough H, it muft always 

 move in the arch of a circle, as fliewn by the dotted lines, 

 fg. 3 ; the centre of this arch is f : alfo that the middle 

 part of the frame d, where the crank-pin paffes through 



It. 



