Apparatus for and method of making brushes

A method of making brushes, comprising:

• rotating a brush core about its axis, feeding a strip having a side edge toward the core, guiding the strip, and positioning it for winding in a helix on the core by rotation of the core, progressively notching said side edge of the strip and forming inwardly directed tabs on the strip at spaced locations therealong as the strip travels toward the core, and feeding bristles to the notched edge of the strip as it is fed onto the core.

A method of making a wound, tufted brush having a core with tufts of brushes projecting generally radially therefrom, which comprises rotating the brush core, feeding toward the rotating brush core a notched bristle tuft retaining strip having notches spaced longitudinally along an edge thereof, feeding bristles against the notched edge of strip so that the traveling strip carries tufts of bristles toward the brush core, the strip having interfitting formations on its opposite edges, winding the notched strip and the bristle tufts on the brush core, and snapping the edge formation on the strip as it first approaches the brush core into the formation on the exposed edge of the last wound convolution of strip while compacting the portion of the strip being bent around the core axially toward said last wound convolution thereof.

A machine for making brushes, comprising:

• means for rotating a brush core about its axis, means for feeding a strip having a side edge toward the core, means for guiding the strip and positioning it for winding in a helix on the core by rotation of the core, means for progressively notching said side edge of the strip and forming inwardly directed tabs on the strip at spaced locations therealong as the strip travels toward the core, and means for feeding bristles to the notched edge of the strip as it is fed onto the core.