comb

Comb structure test

Record the observed tooth structure and intended strand interaction as the basis for classification.

1. Which projecting elements are teeth, what supports them, and where can strands pass between them? definition
2. What distinguishes this object from a brush, cutting tool or unrelated toothed component? boundary

Role evidence

Record whether the comb is intended for moving through strands, remaining in them or performing a specialised separation task.

1. Which roles are supported by the tooth arrangement and body design? definition
2. What marking, instruction or observed use supports each assigned role? provenance

Tooth zone dimensions

Locate zones with different gaps, lengths or orientations and preserve their measurements separately.

1. What are the clear gaps and tooth lengths in each working zone? measurement
2. Where do spacing, length or orientation change enough to require a separate zone? boundary

Tips, edges and roots

Record tip shape, edge finish and tooth-root transitions relevant to smooth passage and contact.

1. What tip shapes, edge profiles and root transitions are present in each tooth zone? definition
2. Where are seams, burrs or abrupt transitions that require closer inspection before use? action

Handling features

Record the usable grip, spine support and any tail or folding feature that changes handling.

1. Where is the intended grip, and how does it position the active teeth or parting tip? definition
2. Can the intended operator maintain control under the expected dry, wet or product-coated conditions? action

Working material response

Connect material identification and observed flexibility to the proposed working conditions.

1. What evidence identifies the tooth, spine and coating materials? provenance
2. How much do the teeth or spine deflect under a stated non-damaging test load? measurement
3. What documented limits apply to exposure to heat, water or grooming products? boundary

Use context match

Record the intended strands and task, then identify the candidate working zone and evidence for its suitability.

1. What strands, section thickness, tangle state and wetness will this comb encounter? definition
2. Which tooth zone is suitable for the intended result, and what supports that choice? action

Use continuation decision

Record task-specific observations that justify continuing, adjusting or stopping a combing or retention action.

1. During a permitted trial, does the comb pass through or remain positioned as intended, and where does it catch, slip or flex? measurement
2. What observed resistance, discomfort, strand damage or instability requires stopping or changing the method? action

Working integrity decision

Record missing, bent, rough or fractured features and their effect on the usable tooth zones.

1. Which teeth, tips or spine sections are damaged, and what change in geometry or finish is observable? measurement
2. Does the defect require withdrawing the whole comb from the intended use, and what supports that decision? action

Cleaning evidence and release

Distinguish visible cleanliness from any additional reuse requirements imposed by the actual use setting.

1. What strands, residue or soil remain between the teeth, at their roots or in body joints? measurement
2. Which material-compatible cleaning method is supported, and what record shows it was completed? provenance
3. What further inspection or setting-specific requirement must be satisfied before the comb is reused or shared? action

Kinds and varieties

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Dressing or fine-tooth hair comb
• Wide-tooth or detangling comb
• Lice or nit comb (very close-set, often metal)
• Pocket or folding comb
• Rattail or sectioning comb (thin tail used to part hair)
• Ornamental hair comb (including Spanish peineta and Japanese kushi)
• Textile or wool comb used to align fibres for worsted spinning
• Animal-grooming comb (including curry comb and pet flea comb)

1. Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Identifiers and schemes

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Wikidata - Q162857 - Item for the toothed grooming/processing implement, not honeycomb or cockscomb.
• Harmonized System (WCO) - 9615; 9615.11 (hard rubber or plastics); 9615.19 (other) - Customs heading covering combs and similar hair ornaments; excludes electric hair appliances of 8516.

1. Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Standards and regulation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Harmonized System heading 9615 - World Customs Organization (commodity classification for trade).
• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 General Product Safety - European Union (consumer hair combs as general consumer products).
• Sikh Rehat Maryada - Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (kangha as a prescribed article of faith, typically wooden).

1. Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Real-world use

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Daily personal hair grooming and detangling, including on wet hair with wide-tooth combs.
• Salon and barber work: sectioning, cutting guides, and finishing with rattail or dressing combs.
• School and household lice checks and nit removal with close-set metal combs.
• Worsted mills: mechanical wool combing to remove short fibre and align remaining fibres.
• Dress ornament: peineta with mantilla in Spain; decorative kushi in Japanese hairdressing.
• Carried and used to keep kesh neat by initiated Sikhs (kangha).
• Equine and pet grooming to lift dirt, loose hair or parasites.

1. Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Typical measurements

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• overall length (personal hair comb) - 80-220 - mm
• tooth pitch (dressing comb) - 1-3 - mm
• tooth pitch (nit/lice comb) - 0.1-0.3 - mm
• tooth pitch (wide-tooth detangling comb) - 4-10 - mm
• mass (personal comb) - 5-40 - g

1. Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Failure modes and hazards

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• Broken teeth leaving sharp stubs that scratch scalp or skin.
• Hair breakage from forcing a fine-tooth comb through tangles, especially wet hair.
• Sharing combs spreading head lice and some scalp infections.
• Static charge on plastic combs causing flyaway hair and discomfort.
• Nickel or plastic-additive contact dermatitis from metal or cheap moulded combs.
• Choking hazard from small pocket combs and broken teeth in young children.
• Ineffective lice control if tooth gap is wider than nit attachment or if hair is not systematically sectioned.

1. Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Regional variation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• English 'comb' vs Spanish peine (grooming) and peineta (large ornamental comb).
• Japanese kushi and related kanzashi ornaments as dress objects, not only tools.
• Punjabi/Sikh kangha: typically a small wooden comb worn in the hair.
• Afro pick and wide-tooth practice concentrated in African-diaspora hair care; fine-tooth dressing combs dominate European salon kits.
• Horn, wood and metal remain common in parts of South Asia and Africa; injection-moulded polymer dominates mass retail in Europe, North America and East Asia.

1. Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

• hairbrush - A brush presents many bristles or pins from a pad or cushion; a comb has one (sometimes two) row of rigid teeth on a spine.
• Afro pick (lift pick) - Long, widely spaced teeth and usually a distinct handle (often fist-shaped); used to lift coiled hair rather than to pack it into a flat aligned sheet. Some catalogues treat it as a comb subtype.
• carding cloth / hand card - Many staggered rows of hooked wire pins that tease fibre into a web; a comb has aligned teeth meant to parallelise and drop short fibre, not to card.
• hackle - A board or block of dense upright pins for flax or hemp; larger, stationary, and not a hand-spine comb even though the action is related.
• hair clip / barrette - A fastener that clamps hair in place; a comb may hold hair only by friction of teeth and is primarily passed through hair.
• honeycomb - A hexagonal wax cell structure built by bees, not a toothed tool; English 'comb' is shared only as a homonym.
• cockscomb (caruncle) - Fleshy crest on a bird's head, not an artefact.
• music-box or harmonica comb - In instruments, 'comb' names a toothed tuned plate or the slotted harmonica body; function is acoustic, not grooming or fibre alignment.

1. Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of comb this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance