Restoration of a 300-Year-Old Wool Comb Component

Business Need

Calderdale Museum in Halifax, a volunteer-run institution, reached out to Sonic Solutions as part of their mission to restore a 300-year-old wool comb machine — set to become the only working one of its kind in the world.
At the heart of this restoration was one of the machine’s large circular combs, a key component covered in decades of grime and oxidation, with hundreds of razor-sharp pins that made handling and cleaning both hazardous and delicate.
With limited funding and a strong commitment to historical preservation, the museum needed a cleaning partner who could balance expert care with cost-effectiveness.

Our Role

We were proud to support this heritage project by offering our ultrasonic cleaning services at a specially reduced rate, recognising the museum’s volunteer-led nature and the cultural value of the restoration.
Using our ultrasonic cleaning systems, we carefully removed built-up contamination from the comb without damaging the fine brass structure or the sharp metal pins.
Special safety protocols were followed to clean around the pins, which were sharp enough to easily pierce skin, requiring precision handling and non-invasive cleaning techniques to preserve both staff safety and the component’s integrity.

The Outcome

The cleaned comb was successfully refitted into the wool combing machine, and we’ve since received images from the museum showing the machine fully assembled and running for the first time in centuries.
This restoration didn’t just bring a historical artifact back to life — it restored a piece of living industrial heritage, made possible by volunteers and supported by our specialist cleaning team.
We’re proud to have played a part in preserving British textile history and helping the museum make it accessible for future generations.

Client Testimonies

Some words from Roger swift…
“We used Sonic Solutions a few weeks ago to clean one very large wool combing circle and four small ones at the Calderdale Industrial Museum, they were virtually impossible to clean by hand as they were very intricate and easy to damage and no replacements were available at all. We contacted Ryan at Sonic Solutions and he was happy to undertake the job. He arranged the collection and delivery as we didn’t have a vehicle large enough to accommodate them. We were all so impressed with the quality of the finished job, they look like new, and as we are an industrial museum it is very important to us. We hope to have the machine up and running shortly and we believe it will be the only Noble Comb still running in the country, possibly in the world. Many thanks to Ryan and the team at Sonic Solutions, great job!”

Some words from Ian Christie…
“Sonic help led us out at the calderdale industrial museum, great thanks to them, as we struggled to find a way of cleaning the old parts of a 19th century wool combing machine, very professional and friendly service”