IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HACKLING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Bury Street Foundry and
Cross Street Works, Salford, County of Lancaster, Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HACKLING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 12th September 1871, and dated the 17th March 1871.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Lowry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 17th March 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LOWRY, of Bury Street Foundry and Cross Street Works, Salford, County
of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF HACKLING MACHINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal

page_text: Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I
an the true and first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Lowry, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement:
:―
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction
of the stripper for doffing the hackles, and consists in applying a
rectangular frame, made from one piece of sheet iron, tin plate, or other
suitable material, which frame surrounds or partially surrounds the
hackles, and is hinged to or hung from suitable provisions, forming
part with the hackle bars, so that when the hackles are passing round
the bottom guide rollers the stripper swings or moves outwards, and
throws off the tow. To control or govern the distance that the stripper is
allowed to move to effectually perform its action I apply an endless band
or bands, chain or chains, or other similar expedient, which passes round
the whole of one sheet of hackles, and rests or rest upon the strippers,
the said bands or chains being so adjusted as to allow the strippers to
fall a suitable distance when they pass round the bottom rollers, which
action throws off the tow from the hackle pins, and the tension of the
bands or chains keeps down the strippers when passing..the top rollers,
while the hackles are entering the flax at the nip of the holder.
Also my Invention consists in the application of a current of air
supplied by a fan or other suitable means for the purpose of blowing or
doffing the tow from the hackles.
And that the Invention may be fully understood I will proceed
to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed, and forming part of this
Fig. 1 represents a plan of a hackle bar with double action stripper,
as herein-before described, applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the
same.
Fig. 3 shews the mode of applying the endless band or bands and
chain or chains to a sheet of hackles.
3

page_text: Figs. 4 and 5 represent plan and clevation of stripper with certain
modifications of the mode of governing the motion of the stripper.
Figs. 6 and 7 represent the mode of applying a fan or blast of air for
blowing off or doffing the tow from the hackles.
Figs. 8 and 9 shew a mode of arresting the motion of the hackle
sheets when the trough is ascending. In each of the above Figs. the
same letters of reference indicate like parts.
My stripper, which I term a double-action stripper, is constructed as
follows: I cut a piece of iron, tin, or other suitable plate of a rectan-
gular shape, as shewn in the Drawing indicated by the letter A, and
punch out or otherwise make suitable openings in said plate for the
hackle pins to pass through; on the edge which forms the hinge is a
wire or iron rod round which the plate is bent, and thus secured thereto;
the ends of the said wire or iron rod take into holes drilled in the
ears B, B¹, which form one piece with the hackle bar, and are bent
upwards to form brackets to receive said ends of wire or iron rod, and
thus form the hinge from which the stripper swings and turns upon.
The lines in Fig. 3 shew the course of the endless bands or chains which
are indicated by the letter C; it will be readily understood that when
the strippers A, A, arrive at the bottom roller H that they will fall by
their own weight and centrifugal force in passing round the roller H,
and consequently throw off the tow from the hackles, also that the
bands or chains C control or govern the distance they can swing upon
the hinges; again, immediately the strippers begin to ascend to the top
roller P the pressure of the bands or chains brings them below the
hackle points, so that when passing over the top roller the hackles are
free to enter the flax at the nip, and in that position travel to the bottom
roller H, when they strike out as before described, and the operation is
repeated.
In Figs. 4 and 5 shewing a modification of the mode of governing the
motion of the strippers the endless bands or chains are dispensed with,
and the following contrivances substituted. Next to the ears or
brackets B, B', but fixed to the strippers are stops K, K³, which govern
the distance the stripper can swing by coming in contact with the
hackle bars when a proper distance has been travelled to throw off the
tow, and fixed to the front of the stripper A is a catch spring M, which

page_text: is made to latch or catch on the hackle bar, and thus serves to keep the
stripper against the hackle bar when passing over the top roller, and is
unlatched when passing round the bottom roller by being brought in
contact with a tongue piece fixed to the shaft carrying the bottom roller.
When the hackle sheets are made to travel at a slow speed the stops
K, K', or other like contrivances are alone required to govern the motion
of the stripper A, and the bands, chains, and catch springs herein-before
described may be dispensed with. To throw off the tow by means of a
blast or current of air I use the apparatus shewn in Figs. 6 and 7. A
pipe R is supplied with a blast or current of air from a fan or blower,
the said pipe R being placed immediately above the course of the
hackles as they turn beneath the bottom rollers T, T, and connected to
said pipe are narrow mouth pieces V, V, the length of the hackle bars,
through which the blast of air issues, and directs the current in a
favorable direction for blowing off the tow, as shewn in the Drawing.
My Invention also consists in arranging the driving gear of hackling
machines in such a manner that at the commencement of the lift of the
holder or trough carrying the flax the rotation of the sheets of hackles is
stopped until the flax is drawn up and moved forward to the next
gradation of tools. This is effected as shewn in Figs. 8 and 9.
a² is the driving shaft of the machine, upon which is a friction
coupling b, one part c is made to turn with the shaft by means of a key
fixed therein fitting in a slot in coupling c, and can slide freely thereon;
the part of said friction coupling is loose upon the shaft, and has a
spur wheel & fixed to it; to the end of the shaft working the holder is
fixed an arm or crank g, and attached thereto is a rod e connected also
to a bell-crank lever f, one end ƒ¹ having a jaw that takes into a collar
or coupling c; when the holder or trough rises it withdraws the part o
from b, and thus stops the rotation of wheel d which drives the hackle
sheets; continues to revolve, and keeps the gear working holder in
motion, and when holder begins to descend the friction coupling is again
brought in contact.
Whilst giving preference to constructing the stripper A in one picce I
would have it understood that I do not intend that my Invention only
applies to that mode of construction, as it might be made of more parts
and the principle of my Invention not departed from; also the endless

page_text: bands or chains may be substituted by short bands or connections
extending from stripper rod to stripper rod.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lowry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
JOSEPH WILLCOCK,
Engineer & Agent,
Bradford,
Yorks.
GEORGE LOWRY. (L.S.)