The washing machines in use for wool on the rake principle have during
the last few years experienced many improvements in the details of
their arrangement, which we have illustrated at different times in our
columns. The introduction of these improvements and alterations shows
that the washing of wool has attracted more attention on the part of
observant manufacturers and machine makers, and demonstrated at the same
time that the machines hitherto in use, with all their advantages, left
much to be desired in other respects. The main difficulty with all
washing machines for wool has been the avoidance of felting of the wool,
which tendency is increased by the use of warm water for washing and by
the agitation that some consider necessary for a thorough cleansing of
the wool and removal of the adhering impurities, but which agitation is
deprecated by others.
[Illustration: IMPROVED WOOL WASHING MACHINE.]
Referring to our different illustrations of improvements in this
direction, our subscribers will observe that the tendency of all these
has been to keep the wool floating in the water, and to apply all
mechanical appliances required for its cleansing and pressing as much as
possible while it is in this suspended condition. The success which the
different appliances and improvements mentioned by us have had when used
for the class of wool for which they are intended, has induced us to
look up any attempts in a similar direction which have been made on the
Continent, where the subject has attracted attention, as well as with
us. We therefore give the annexed illustration of a machine invented by
a German woolen manufacturer, which in many respects is a wide departure
from the acknowledged type in use in this country. As with the English
machines, the wool enters from a creeper at one end, passes through a
long trough, filled with water or lye, ascends an inclined plane, and
passes out through a pair of squeezing rollers. The invention mentioned
applies to the treatment in the trough which latter is shown in our
illustration at K. It has a second bottom, a little distance from a
false one, at K. The false bottom is traversed in its whole length by
an air pipe, communicating with the atmospheric air outside the trough.
From this longitudinal pipe other pipes branch off at right angles at
stated intervals, as shown in section in Fig. 2. These smaller pipes
contain a number of small perforations on their upper part, through
which the air ascends into the water in innumerable small bubbles. This
is one of the principal aims of the invention, for in ascending the
bubbles lift the wool more or less to the surface and tend to open it
out without the risk of doing so by any mechanical means liable to
produce felting. This is the same effect that is produced in many cases
so successfully in boiling. Instead of rakes the inventor has placed
four hexagonal drums into the trough, marked D, E, F, G. The flat parts
of these drums are made of perforated metal and set back a little. This
produces an alternate passing of the water into and out of them during
their revolution and consequent sucking and repulsing of the wool, which
also likewise agitates it. These drums are made wide at the entrance end
of the trough and gradually narrower toward the delivery end. The pipe,
V V, is the usual steam pipe for heating the water.
We have said before that the improvements introduced into the wool
washing machines nearer home have been of advantage for the wools for
which they are intended, and possibly the invention just described will
also be valuable in some cases.--_Tex. Manuf._
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