717,662. Brush-making machines. DEVOE & RAYNOLDS CO., Inc. Sept. 16, 1948 [Sept. 20, 1947], No. 24368/48. Class 19 A brush making machine of the type for manufacturing brushes wherein a knot of bristles is mounted in a ferrule forming a brush unit to which a handle may be secured, comprises a bristle knot forming unit comprising a knot carrier having a bristle-holding pocket, means for operating the carrier to move the pocket alternately between a bristle receiving position and a bristle discharge position, a bristle feed box for supplying bristles to the pocket comprising a floor arranged to support the bristles, a roof member for confining the bristles to the width of the pocket and guides for the ends of the bristles, the floor being adapted to support the flag-ends of the bristles received in' the carrier pocket, and a movable knot shaper operated in timed relation to the movement of the carrier to and from the loading position and adapted to cooperate with the floor and prevent sidewise distortion of the flag-end portion of the knot in the carrier pocket; a needle member movable on the carrier segregates the bristles in the pocket from those in the feed box. In the embodiment described, for producing paint brushes, bristles are fed by a conveyer system (see below) to a feed box 57 (Fig. 7) having a floor 92, side walls 59, 60 adjustable to the length of bristle used and a roof member 110 adjustable to the desired width of brush. A vertical bristle feed finger 78 (Fig. 9) operates vertically and horizontally in a slot 113 in roof member 110 to divide out and push forward a knot of bristles. The knot enters the .bristle-holding pocket 77, adjustable in width and depth, on the carrier disc 117 in the loading position shown, the bristle ends of the knot being supported by floor extensions 96. A needle member 136 on a rotatable arm 137 keyed to sleeve shaft 139 is then caused to move upwards to close pocket 77 and segregate the bristles therein; this movement also causes an arcuate member 163 carried on arm 137 to compress the knot in the pocket. A bristle separator 187 is adapted, by motion of a supporting rotatable arm 188 and associated mechanism; to move downwardly alongside needle 136 through the bristles and then outwardly to their flag-ends to disentangle the flag-ends of the bristles in the pocket from those in the feed box, during which the separator is caused to vibrate laterally. Sidewise distortion of the knot is prevented by a movable T-shaped knot shaper 168 mounted on a support 172 adapted to move the knot shaper 168 from the dotted line inoperative position to the operative position near the flag-end of the knot, Fig. 7. The pocket carrier disc 117 is loosely supported on sleeve shaft 139 and is secured to a rotatable locking disc 142 by a flanged member 141, Figs. 9 and 16). The carrier disc is locked in its bristle loading and discharge positions by the engagement of a latching lever 145, pivoted on a bearing bracket 206, in either of two notches 143, 144 on the perimeter of locking disc 142; engagement of lever 145 is effected by upward movement of a control lever 207 caused by the action of a cam 220 on the locking disc contacting a roller 221 on lever 207; release of latching lever 145 is effected by one of two release blocks 217, 218 on a disc 212, adapted to rotate with shaft 139, engaging a lug 219 on lever 207. The carrier disc 117 is oscillatable between the limits allowed by stops 141a and 141b which alternately engage a block 141c, on the disc; the oscillatory movement is effected by the engagement of one of the lugs 149, 150 on the disc with one of the driving pins 147, 148 on needle arm 137. In operation, the carrier disc 117 is locked in the loading position by lever 145 engaging notch 143 and bristle feed finger 78 inserts a knot in pocket 77 and knot shaper 168 moves into operative position through rotation of support 172 on a shaft 178. Shaft 139 then rotates anticlockwise via cam-operated rack-andpinion mechanism resulting in movement of arm 137 to cause needle 136 to close the pocket 77 and knot compressing member 163 to proceed to the compressing position, whereupon bristle separator 187 carries out its operation. Shaft 139 then rotates again causing the driving pin 147 and a lug 165 on the arm 137 to engaged the lug 149 and a lever 164 respectively on the disc 117, the lever 164 serving to lock the arm to the disc, while the knot shaper 168 moves to its inoperative position and latching lever 145 is released. The whole unit then rotates 90 degrees to the knot unloading position, Fig. 47, whereat lever 145 again locks the locking disc 142 and lever 164 is released whereupon shaft 139 begins to rotate in reverse causing like motion of arm 137 thereby releasing the bristle knot which is transferred to a ferrule; then further rotation of the shaft brings the unit back to the original loading position for another cycle of operations. The embodiment described includes also improved means for transferring the knot to the ferrule, supplying ferrules to the machine, inserting wedges in the knots contained in the ferrules and for supplying bristles to the feed box. The knot transfer mechanism comprises an elongated carriage 222, Fig. 47, adapted to slide longitudinally and supporting an oscillatable shaft 241. A pair of jaws 230, 234 having tines 232, 238 are pivoted to the ends of a double arm 244 keyed to shaft 241 and each jaw has a slot 245 receiving a block 246 swivelling about a pin 247 on a bearing bracket 242 mounted on the underneath of the carriage. Anticlockwise rotation of shaft 241 causes the jaws to grip the knot compressing it in two directions at right angles. This movement is effected following the beginning of the reverse movement of arm 137 to cause withdrawal of the pocket closing needle 136 and release of the knot compressing member 163. The carriage 222 is then moved lengthwise laterally to the machine by cam mechanism so carrying the jaws holding the knot to a position where the flag end of the knot is in the ferrule with the jaws adjacent the ferrule (see Fig. 59). The jaws are then partially opened to allow a patter plate 260 to push the knot further into the ferrule. The.patter plate 260 is mounted on a support 271 which is pivoted to the ends of a patter lever 272 and a link 273. Lever 272 is pivoted on a pin 274 fixed to the lower end of a double armed lever 275 which is pivoted loosely at x on a continuously rotating shaft 276, the other arm of lever 275 being connected at 278 by a tension spring 279 to a pin 280 on an arm 281 on patter lever 272. The spring 279 maintains a roller 282 mounted on the end of lever 272 in contact with a cam 283 keyed to rotating shaft 276 resulting in a continuous vibrating motion being imparted to the patter 260. The patter is maintained normal to the bristles by virtue of the link 273 which is pivoted at its upper end y to a lever 284 which is itself pivoted on shaft 276 at x; initially, the patter unit swings about x into operative position and thereafter patter lever 272 pivots about x but a stop screw 287 on lever 284 then contacts bracket 286 resulting in link 273 pivoting about y. The patter unit is positioned by means of a rod 264 camoperated in timed relation to the movements of the knot carrier disc, jaw-mechanism and jaw carriage. At the end of the patting operation, the butt end of the knot is left still projuding from the ferrule and the jaws and patter are returned to their initial positions for the next cycle of loading. Ferrule feeding mechanism provided comprises a ferrule magazine D Fig. 71 (not shown), associated with a reciprocating conveyer type feed whereby ferrules are supplied to knot loading station 2, Fig. 59, and subsequently moved stepwise leftwards to other stations where various other operations are effected on the knot-ferrule unit. Thus, a pair of reciprocating parallel spaced feed bars 291 extend from the ferrule magazine alongside station 1 to the left or discharge end of the machine the bars are supported at each end on rollers 293 mounted on yokes 294 fixed by their stems 295 to brackets on the machine frame and are reciprocated by a crank-lever, mechanism at their left end. The ferrules are slidably supported between stationary guide rails 299, 300 yieldably mounted on the machine frame above the feed bars. The successive movements of the loaded ferrules is effected by a series of spring loaded dog-members 307 Fig. 71 (not shown), pivoted at intervals between the feed bars 291. Each dog-member engages the near-side of a ferrule and the leftward movement of the feed bars results in each ferrule being moved between the guide rails to the next station whereupon'the feed bars return to their original position, during which each dog-member is depressed below the ferrule behind it and then springs up into engagement with it, a new ferrule having been meantime supplied to station 1. The knots are maintained in the ferrules, prior to being wedged therein, by means of upper and lower bristle control rails 313, 314, Fig. 77, which compress between them the butt ends of the knots. Rail 313 is fixed to the supporting means for stationary guide rail 299 but control rail 314 is fixed to and moves with feed bars 291. The right-hand end of the upper rail 313 is hinged and adapted to be raised to allow. furnishing of a ferrule at station 1 and insertion of the knot therein (see Figs. 59 and 71 and 73, (not shown)). Distortion of the knots when they are pushed in the ferrules along the stationary bristle control rail 313 is prevented by a card mechanism shown endwise in Fig. 77, comprising a rectangular bar 349 carrying three groups of needle-like teeth 354 and arranged for lengthwise sliding movement in an elongated member 350 adapted to move vertically. In operation: each group of needles is positioned underneath a bristle knot at each of the three stations f