WORSTED MANUFACTURE. 



' This combing-machine is found to break the fibre of the 

 •wool, and it increafes the quantity of noil very much, uulels 

 the wool is previoufly combed once or twice by hand ; 

 rand as it then beconif* only a fubllitute for the fecond or 

 third combing, it faves little or no expcnce. The advantage 

 of the machine is found, in the great regularity and equality 

 of the fliver whi^h is produced by it, a circumilance of 

 particular importance for fine fpinning. In combing by 

 hand when the fliver is drawn off, thofe fibres which the 

 comber firll takffs hold of are longer than the others ; then 

 as the fliver continues to be drawn, fiiorter fibres are found 

 in it, and the (horteft are laft of all. Thefe are called the 

 long and (hort ends of the fliver; the ftiort end is always 

 imarked by twilling or rolling it up, in ordi. r that when the 

 flivers are joined together into one for fpinning, the long and 

 Tiort ends may be equally intermixed and difperfed through- 

 out the whole length. In drawing off the wool from the 

 ::ombing-machine, the long and fliort fibres are intermixed 

 ind taken up together, fo that the fliver is of very equal 

 'rexture. 



There have been feveral other attempts to make combing- 

 Tiachines which deferve notice, though they have not come 

 'nto ufe. 



Meflrs. Wright and Hawkfley had a patent in 1793 for 

 •i combing-machine ; and Mr. Toplis of Cuckney had alfo a 

 jatent of the fame date, which contains fome good ideas. 

 Mr. Hawkfley, in 1797, had a patent for improvements on 

 ,2artwright's : the principal one was, to make the combing- 

 ■able by the combination of a number of fmall combs, which 

 ■•ould readily be applied to the table, or detached at plea- 

 fure. If this would allow the combs to be heated, as the 

 (iventor propofed, they would work much better. 

 i Mr. Amatt had a patent in 1795, and Mr. Pearce in 

 ^798 : after this time, Mr. Cartwright's machines had re- 

 i:eived fome improvements from Mr. Hawkfley, and came 

 nto ufe ; and we find lefs fpeculation on the fubjeft. 

 j Gilpin's Comhin^-Machinc. — In 181 1, Mr. George Gilpin 

 [>f Sheffield perfefted a very ingenious machine, which 

 ;!ombed the raw wool in a moft complete manner. We do 

 tot hear that this machine is yet come into ufe, although 

 ive have no doubt of its anfwering the purpofe, having fre- 

 [uently examined it while at work : its only fault was a 

 omplication of parts, which might be eafily removed. 



The outhne of this machine is taken from that of Mr. 

 foplis in 1793, but is very much improved and perfefted. 

 Fi^. 4. of Plate I. IVorJled, is a fketch of the principal 

 !)arts. The machine works with eight combs at once, 

 Vhich are of rather larger fize than the ordinary hand- 

 tombs, the rows of teeth being twenty inches long. 

 iPhefe combs are fixed upon two reels or frames A, B, 

 ivhich revolve upon their axles by the power of the mill ; 

 bur combs, D and E, are fixed upon each reel, and in 

 uch pofition that both ends of the comb-teeth, •viz.. the 

 i)0)nt3 and roots, are equally dillant from the centre of the 

 (•eel to which they are fixed ; and the reels, with the combs 

 lixed upon them, form two revolving wheels or frames. 

 The combs D and E are fo made, that they can be detached 

 •rom the reels, or replaced and fixed fafl in a moment, by 

 'he attendants ; and they can, therefore, be heated in a 

 ,love, in the fame manner as the hand-combs. The wool is 

 jjfo filled upon the combs by hand, and the combs and wool 

 ;ire heated in the ufual manner before they are put into the 

 Inachine, in order to comb the wool. 



I One of thefe reels A is fimply turned upon its axis, but 

 ■he other reel B has a curious compound motion given to it 

 j)y the machinery : thus it revolves on its own axis ; but the 

 :ixis alfo advances to, and recedes from, the other reel with 

 : Vol. XXXVIII. 



a motion parallel to itfelf, which is repeated four times in 

 every revolution. Whilll B advances towards A, it moves 

 with only one-third of the velocity with which it returns 

 from A. The advancing movement is of a limited and 

 conilant extent ; but at the fame time, there is a third 

 movement which regulates this extent, fo that at every fuc- 

 ceeding ftroke which the machine makes, the two reels will 

 approach nearer together. 



Suppofe all the combs filled with wool, rnd mounted in 

 their places upon the reels, the machine is then put in mo- 

 tion, and the two reels A and B turning round in oppofite 

 direfticns, their combs D and E meet each other ; and by 

 the compound movement of B, {viz. advancing flowly to- 

 wards A, and turning round at the fame time,) the combs 

 D and E approach in fuch a manner, that the points of 

 each comb penetrate the wool v/hich is in the other comb, 

 and this is reciprocal of both combs. When the te«h are, 

 thus entered into the wool, the moveable reel B retreats 

 quickly from the other, and the teeth, by drawing through 

 the wool, comb and feparate its fibres. 



The circular motion of both reels is not regular and 

 equable, but is communicated by means of elliptical cog- 

 wheels, which occafion the reels to move round very flowly, 

 at the moment when the comb of the reel B is draw- 

 ing out or combing the wool ; but this motion being 

 finifhed, the reels begin to turn round more rapidly, and at 

 the fame time the reel B approaches towards A with a flow 

 movement, in order to prefent another pair of combs to 

 each other, which meet ; and each one penetrates the wool 

 which is upon the other, and then the reel B draws out to 

 comb it, in the manner before defcribed. 



In this way they continue to make fucceffive ftrokes, until 

 the wool is fufficiently combed : the machine is then flopped, 

 and the combs taken off one by one, to be replaced by others, 

 which are filled with frefh wool, and properly heated. 



There is likewife another movement of the reel A, which 

 we have not yet mentioned : the axifi of that reel has a flow 

 motion backwards and forwards, endways in the direftion 

 of its length, for a fliort diftance.. The intention of this is, 

 that the fame parts of the combs ftiall never come oppofite 

 to each other at two fucceflive. flrokes. 



It fhould be obferved, th-at when the machine is firfl fet 

 to work, the combs at the'.r point of meeting do not come 

 within three or four inches of each other, and the points 

 only penetrate amongil t'he lougefl fibres of the wool upon 

 the combs ; but at ever y ftroke which is made, the combs 

 advance nearer toget'uer, and take deeper into the wool, 

 until, after a certain number of flrokes are made, the combs 

 approach as near as they can without touching. They 

 continue to work, in this manner for fome time, and when 

 the intended number of flrokes is made, a bell rings as an 

 indication that, the machine fliould be flopped. This is 

 done by drav;ing a lever, and in confequence the machine 

 wilbilop itfe If in the exaft pofition for changing one of the 

 combs on ■each reel. Thefe are removed, and others ready 

 filled with wool and heated are put on in their places, which 

 being d-one on both reels at the fame time by two perfons, 

 is only the work of a moment. The machine is then put in 

 motiaa again, but by the machinery it will flop itfelf again 

 at the required pofition for changing the next pair of combs ; 

 it IS then put forwards, and fo on, until all the eight gombs 

 are changed. 



The combs which are removed from the machine are 

 put into the ftove to heat for a few momenti, and then 

 the wool is drawn off from them by a feparate machine. 

 The head of the comb is here placed in a perp dicular 

 groove, fo that its teeth fland horirontal ; and a piece 

 4 X of 



