Fig. 79.
Fig. 80.
Fig. 81.
Fig. 82.
(165) Having prepared the fillets for wrapping on, the operation is completed. Formerly they were wound on manually, but this is now almost invariably done automatically by a machine made by Messrs. J. Whiteley and Sons, which is illustrated in Fig. [82]. One end of the fillet is securely fixed, and the cylinder is then started. The cross slide K is fixed on the frame of the machine, or on a special frame if preferred, when the doffers are being clothed, and the apparatus is then ready for work. On the slide K a carriage is fitted which is traversed by a screw, on the end of which is a chain wheel L, by means of which the necessary movement can be given from the chain-pulley O automatically, or it can be manually given by the handle R. The carriage bears a drum mounted on a cradle hinged to the carriage. The angular position of the drum is regulated by the tension screw, and the tension put upon the fillet, in pounds, is registered by a finger moving over a graduated scale. The card fillet is taken from the basket through the trough D, thence over the drum, from which it is taken to the cylinder. The cylinder is revolved by means of the handle R, and the card clothing is slowly wrapped on, the traverse of the carriage being arranged to be at the required speed. In lieu of the drum Messrs. Dronsfield Brothers use a stepped cone, which gives a similar result. Thus, cylinder fillets, when made of hardened and tempered wire, can be wound under a tension of 270lbs., while doffer fillets of the same quality only require one of 175lbs., and for roller fillets, which are only 1 inch wide, 120lbs. is sufficient. What is required is to so wrap the fillets that, without straining them, they adhere closely to the surface of the cylinder or doffer; and do not, after working, rise in places or “blister,” as it is called. After the cylinder is covered the fillet is fastened at its free end, and is then allowed to rest for a few hours, so that it adjusts itself throughout its length. It is necessary to shape the fillet at each end so that, when wound, no break in the carding surface occurs; and, for this purpose, it is usually cut to a shape which permits the first and second coils and the last two to lie close together. It is then tacked on in the way previously described, a special tool being used to drive the tack and avoid damaging the wire.
Fig. 83.J.N.