The up and down movement of the crowding fork is to enable the latter to get a proper hold on the bristles when commencing its feeding stroke.
The bristles 0, as they are crowded down and through the twisted receiver L, are turned so as to occupy a horizontal position across the path of a vertically reciprocating bristles-divider and con ductor N* (Fig. 401), attached to the outer or hollow plunger P of the inserting device, which has arranged in it the doubling plunger Q. Before describing the action of the devices which operate upon detached quantities of the bristles as taken by the divider and conductor N from the twisted receiver L, in size or amount corresponding to the bunches to be made, it may here be stated that the resistance of the bristles in the comb space opposite the receiver L serves to restrain the saw feeder M from making a full forward stroke under the action of the spring, and while the saw feeder is thus limited in its stroke it holds a spring stop a' in locking position on the comb J to prevent it from moving forwards; but, on the comb space being emptied of its bristles, by the action' of the saw, the latter is free to move further forwards, and, by an incline b' on its face, is caused to temporarily lift tbe spring stop a', so that the comb J is at liberty to move forward a tooth or succeeding bristles-holding space under the action of the weight p, to keep u,p the supply to the receiver, and so on in succession for each comb space till the e,omb J is emptied, when it is drawn back to be refilled.
The bristles-divider and conductor N*, which passes through the delivery end of the receiver L, bas combined with it an independent follower or gate R (Fig. 397), arranged above the divider N* and serving in conjunction with it to limit the supply of bristles from the twisted receiver L, and to shut off the discharge from it at the periods when they are not required to enter the hollow plunger P, to which they are conducted by inclined upper edges c' of the device N*, in rear of the dividing knife d' and in line with an oblique slot ei in the hollow plunger, within and through which latter the bristles lie and projeet crosswise. The gate R has the lower ends of its side f ' the converse of the upper edges o' of the divider and conductor, BO as to form an inclined passage down into the hollow plunger P. This gate is made capable of sliding tip and down a fixed frame g' under con trol of the plunger P and of the springs 4' hi (Fig. 400). The position of the gate when the plunger P is down to the work is such that egress is shut off from tho receiver L, the gate being drawn and held down to its closing position by the springs h' h', and being slightly tilted from a. vertical position, so that when the hollow plunger P rises from its work, a jection on the upper end of it will catch under the back of the gate R and lift the latter in common with it for a brief interval until ears on the side of the gate come opposite recesses in the edges of the fixed frame g', when the gate will fall out of the way of the plunger, by the ears dropping into the recesses. This locks
the gate R while the plunger slides freely up over its back. The lift of the plunger P on the gate R is such that it establishes a clear space between the top edge of the dividing knife d' (Fig. 397) and the bottom edges of the gate R for the passage of the bristles from the receiver L as the divider passes up through, the size of the opening being regulated if necessary by an adjusting nut k' on a screw stem of the gate. In the re-descent of the hollow plunger P, so soon as its upper projection passes the back of the gate R, the latter hss its side ears thrown out of lock with the recesses in the edges of the fixed frame g', by the contraction of the springs h', to effect which, th,e lower edges of the side ears on the gate and corresponding edges of the recesses in the fixed frame in which they fit are made bevelled, so that the springs h' h' in pulling down on the gate will first throw the latter to a slightly oblique position beyond the fixed frame, to ensure projection i' catching it again in the ascent of the hollow plunger P. The side ears on the gate R being then released from the locking recesses in the fixed frame g', the completing contraction of the springs h' h' next draws down the gate so as to close egress from the receiver L, such closing action following in the wake of the dividing knife d' as it passes down or out of the receiver. A deposit of bristles having been made in the oblique slot e' of the hollow plunger P, the latter remains stationary for a time, while the doubling plunger Q comes down within it. This last-mentioned plunger (Fig. 401) is made bifurcated at the lower end and with longitudinal grooves l' up its sides, so that in the early portion of its descent it catches on or over the bristles lying across and through the plunger P, and, as it continues its descent alone towards a nut or mouth-piece s, at the bottom of the outer plunger P, it folds or doubles up the bristles into tbe side grooves I'. The bristles, in being thus drawn out of oblique slot e' by the descent of the plunger Q, and formed into a bunch, axe straightened by being drawn through a comb T (Fig. 398) attached to, and arranged to partially surround the outer plunger P. After the inner plunger Q, in its solitary descent, has entered the nut s (which is of tapering con figuration internally), and the bottom of the plunger Q of corresponding shape, the wire b for binding the bristles is introduced (through the loop formed by doubling them), by way of cross passages m' made through the nut s and the bifurcated portion of the plunger Q, being of a suitable length to project beyond the passages on opposite sides of the nut. The two plungers P and Q then move down, in common, ou to the back A and over a hole a, and during the descent, or as the end of the downward stroke is reached, tbe doubling plunger Q is revolved, so as to lap the wire.