IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING, HACKLING, DRAWING Out, and STRAIGHTENING FIBRES OF SILK, FLAX, HEMP, MANILLA, JUTE, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Turner Wright, of Universe Works, Poplar,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Rope Manufacturer, and William Henry Laidler, of
Poplar, aforesaid, Manager of Rope Works, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING, HACKLING, DRAWING Out, and
STRAIGHTENING FIBRES OF SILK, FLAX, HEMP, MANILLA, JUTE, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
.
Sealed the 21st December 1874, and dated the 7th July 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Turner Wright
and William Henry Laidler at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 7th July 1874.
We, JOHN TURNER WRIGHT, of Universe Works, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, and of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Rope Manufacturer, and WILLIAM HENRY LAIDLER, of Poplar, afore-.
said, Manager of Rope Works, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING, HACKLING, DRAWING
OUT, AND STRAIGHTENING FIBRES OF SILK, FLAX, HEMP, MANILLA, JUTE, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has for its object the construction of a machine which

page_text: -
will more effectually dress and hackle out shorts and other impurities, or
draw out and straighten the fibres of silk, flax, hemp, manilla, jute, or
other fibrous substances, than the machines ordinarily used for those
purposes, and our said Invention consists in constructing and arranging
the parts of machines for the said purposes in the manner herein-after
described: We place one or more hackle bars between two circular discs
rotating on horizontal axes, the said hackle bars having hackle pins of
various degrees of fineness. These circular discs are moved in concert,
and preserve during their motion the parallelism of the ends of the
hackle bars. One end of the hackle bar passes through one of the discs,
and is provided with a wheel or pinion, which is geared into a stud
wheel, and this again into another wheel which is fixed, and through the
last named wheel the spindle which actuates the discs rotates loosely.
On the rotation of the discs the gearing wheels described perform what
is called a sun-and-planet motion, by means of which the hackle pins
always keep themselves parallel to the position to which they have been
set.When the two discs revolve, the hackle bars and pins enter and
leave the fibre operated upon in any desired position, either perpendicular,
or any angle which may be found most desirable. The discs are connected
together by rigid connecting rods fixed at or near their peripheries, and
at one extreme of that diameter of the discs at the other extreme of
which the hackle bars work; the space between the two discs is thus
left free for the hackle bars and pins to pass round with the pins placed
in the desired position.
The fibres to be operated upon are.. firmly. held by two serrated or
grooved plates. The upper plate turns on a joint or hinge on one of its
sides, the other side of the said upper plate being fixed down by a spring
catch turning on a joint, and having a projecting handle or lever fixed
on its top, by which the operator can readily force it into the spring
catch and press the hemp or fibre placed underneath it. The lower plate
engages in grooves in the side frame, and is operated upon by means of
two worms and worm wheels, which by their rotation force a screw bolt
upwards with collars pressing on the bottom plate, and thus forcibly
press the bottom plate towards the upper one, and secure firmly all the
fibres while the hackle pins are hackling the shorts and other impurities
out from the fibres.
-
We combine any required number of the discs carrying hackle bars,

page_text: different velocities, and containing hackle bars with pins of the same
or different degrees of fineness, or the same or different in number, so
that the fibres operated upon may be perfectly straightened and dressed,
or made into a sliver of the greatest regularity and evenness.
•
The mechanism by which the fibrous substance to be operated upon is
fed into the machine is constructed as follows:-We place a pair of feed
or retaining rollers directly in front of the first circular disc. The hemp
is carried to these rollers by a travelling sheet or endless band, and
immediately in front of the last of the series of circular discs we place a
pair of delivering rollers, which are moved at a greater velocity than the
feed rollers, the purpose of which is to dress, hackle, elongate,, draw out,
and straighten the fibres, and deliver. them in the form of a sliver made
uniform, even, and free.
By the combined action of the feeding or retaining rollers, hackle bars
and pins, and delivering rollers, the fibres are delivered in the form of a
sliver of great regularity and evenness, the said combined action more
completely drawing out and separating any thick places and equalizing
small places in the mass or body of fibres moving forward than is
effected by the machinery at present in use. By means of moveable
guides the mass or body of fibre before being finally delivered may be
contracted laterally or narrowed into a compact, and even, flat, and
ribbon-like sliver, in which form it is delivered into a can placed in front
of the machine to receive it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Turner Wright and William Henry Laidler
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
TURNER WRIGHT, of Universe. Works, Poplar, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, and of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Rope Manufac-
turer, and WILLIAM HENRY LAIDLER, of Poplar, aforesaid, Manager
of Rope Works, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-

page_text: cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Turner Wright and William Henry
Laidler, Her special license that we, the said John Turner Wright and
William Henry Laidler, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Turner Wright and William Henry Laidler,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRESSING, HACKLING, DRAWING OUT, AND STRAIGHTENING FIBRES OF
SILK, FLAX, HEMP, MANILLA, JUTE, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the
*condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Turner Wright and
William Henry Laidler, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW. KNOW YE, that we, the said John Turner Wright and William
Henry. Laidler, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:-
Our Invention has for its object the construction of machinery which
will more effectually dress and hackle out shorts and other impurities, or
draw out and straighten the fibres of silk, flax, hemp, manilla, jute, or
other fibrous substances than machinery ordinarly used for those
purposes, and our said Invention consists in constructing and arranging
the parts of machinery for the said purposes in the manner herein-after
described. We place one or more hackle bars between two circular
discs connected together by semi-cylindrical drums or shells,. the said
hackle bars being provided with hackle pins of various degrees of fineness;
these circular discs are moved in concert and preserve the ends of the
hackle bars parallel. On one side of the disc the hackle bars project to
receive a wheel or pinion which is geared into a stud wheel, and this
again into another wheel which is fixed; and through this wheel the

page_text: spindle which actuates the disc rotates loosely, and while the discs are
made to revolve together the wheels described perform what is called a
sun-and-planet motion.
The object of this motion is to keep the hackle bars and pins in
any position they may have been placed in. When the two discs revolve
the hackle bars and pins enter and leave the fibre to be operated on in
any desired position, either perpendicular, upwards, or downwards, or at
any angle that may be found most convenient. The discs are on each
side of the machine, and are moved by spindles which come flush with
the face of the disc, thus leaving the space between the two discs free
for the hackle bars and pins to pass round with the pins at any angle or
position desired.
The hemp to be operated upon lies in a trough carried by a travelling
table; this trough keeps the hemp up to the hackle pins which work in
it. This trough has a reversing motion in order to feed the fibres into
the hackle pins, and then quickly withdraw them and allow the shorts
and other impurities to fall on to a travelling sheet. We place on the
face of each set of hackle pins a stripper kept up by means of a spring,
to force off any small fibres which may still adhere to the said pins as
the latter leave the hemp, and so drop it on to the said travelling sheet
to be conveyed away clear of the points of the hackle pins, while the
operation of hackling or dressing is being performed. The holding of
the fibres securely is accomplished by two flat serrated plates, the upper
one being fixed on one side by a moveable joint and pin, and. the other
side being made to fit into a spring catch moving on a joint, and having¨
a handle or lever fixed on the top of it and projecting over for the more
readily giving power to the operator to press it into the spring catch and
press the hemp or fibre placed underneath it. The lower plate is
moveable in grooves in the side of the frame, and is actuated by means of
two worms, worm wheels, and screw bolts, which when the said worms
and wheels revolve force the two screw bolts upwards, collars on the
said bolts pressing on the bottom plate and forcibly pressing the said
bottom plate up to the upper one, and securing firmly all the fibres
between them, while the hackle pins are hackling the shorts and other
impurities out of the fibres.
We combine any number of the said circular discs following each

page_text: bars with pins pointing downwards, and having the same or different
degrees of fineness or number, so that the fibres which are confined in a
trough into which the pins work may be operated upon, and perfectly
straightened and dressed or prepared into a sliver of greater regularity
and evenness than by the other methods now in use.
And in furtherance of this object we place a pair of rollers directly in
front of the first circular disc, which we call feed rollers, or retaining
rollers; up to which the hemp is first carried by a guide board or
travelling sheet, and immediately in front of the last circular disc (any.
number of the said discs being employed and acting in unison) we place
another pair of rollers, which we move at a greater velocity than the
feed rollers, and we call these drawing rollers. These rollers hackle,
elongate, draw out, and straighten the fibres, and deliver them in the
form of a sliver, made uniform, even, and free by the combined action of
the retaining rollers, hackle bars, and drawing rollers.
The combined action described more effectually draws out and
separates any thick places, and equalizes small places in the body of
the fibres moving forward than the process or method at present in use,
and by means of moveable guides the mass of fibre is narrowed before
being finally delivered in a compact and even, flat, and ribbon-like
sliver into a can placed in front to receive it. .
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
•
Figure 1 represents in plan, partly in horizontal section, a machine
for hackling out shorts and other impurities, the said machine being
constructed according to our Invention. C'; C¹, are fast and loose
driving pulleys on the main shaft D of the machine. On the said
shaft D is fixed the pinion E, working into stud wheels fixed on the
main frame F¹; the wheel E gears into the first wheel E° which
revolves the disc wheel d¹; the said wheel E° gears into the stud wheel
on the stud S¹, which said stud wheel gears into the wheel E³, giving
motion to the disc d²; the wheel E2 gears into the stud wheel on the
stud S²; the stud wheel on the stud S2 gears into the wheel Es, giving
motion to the disc d³; the wheel E³ gears into the stud wheel on the
stud S³, and the said stud wheel on S³ gears with the wheel E', giving
motion to the disc d'.

page_text: On the opposite side of the machine discs similar to those described,
and marked with the same letters are situated. Each of the pairs of
discs is connected together by semi-cylindrical drums or shells (seen in
section in Figure 2, herein-after described), that is, the discs of each
pair of discs d³, d¹, d², d², and so on, are connected together by the semi-
cylindrical drums referred to. Between the discs of each pair of discs.
hackle bars are situated marked respectively e¹, e², e³, e¹, and the said
bars carry hackle pins, as shown by dots. On alternately opposite ends
of each of these hackle bars pinions marked respectively 61, 62, 63, 6ª, are
keyed, the said pinions working into stud wheels fixed on the outer side
of the discs by means of the studs c³, c², c³, c, which stud wheels gear
into wheels cast on the plates a³, a, a, a, attached to the main
frame F, F. The wheels cast on the said plates a¹, a³, a³, a, are
fixed. The spindles Z pass through the said fixed wheels. When the
wheels E°, E, E³, and E' rotate they cause the hackle bars e¹, e², e³, e¹,
to rotate, and by means of the mechanism described to perform a sun-
and-planet motion, and while being carried round to preserve the hackle
pins in any position to which they may in the first place have been
adjusted. ff, f³, f, are balance weights attached to the spindles Z
to counterbalance the discs and make them run smoothly. The wide
pulley C on the shaft D is for the belt driving the loose pulleys 0³, 0³,
which work on a stud G. A pinion H is keyed on the boss of the inner
pulley C³ which pulley actuates the wheel I on the shaft K which runs
through the centre of the frame F', F. At the other extremity of the
shaft K is fixed a disc plate L. On one side of the disc plate L is a
shifting stud M, which can be adjusted to a greater or less distance
from the axis of the plate L by means of the slot represented, and on
the opposite side of the plate L is a stud X with a counterbalance
weight also capable of adjustment by means of a slot. The connecting
rod N is attached by a stud O to the fixing piece P secured
to the travelling carriage Q which runs on the frame F2, F³, on the
wheel R', R2, R³, R*..
In the middle of the travelling carriage Q is fixed an apparatus for
holding the hemp or fibre; constructed as follows: The handle U fixed

page_text: the sides of the carriage frame. The said plate extends from one side to
the other of the carriage Q and over the top of the worm wheels. When
the worms v², v², are rotated in one or other direction the said plate A
moves up or down. Over the top of this plate is placed another corre-
sponding plate B which is provided with a joint on one end, and is
secured by a stud pin S to a knuckle fixed on the side of the carriage Q.
The other side of the said plate B is fixed down on the carriage Q by
the pin T. A handle H¹ is fixed on the last named plate in order the
more readily to close or throw it back and leave the fibres or hemp at
liberty to be reversed or replaced. When the top plate B is fixed down
in its place upon the under plate A by the catch the fibres are tightly
gripped between the two plates A, B, by the bottom plate B being
forced upwards by the worms, worm wheels, and screwed bolts, as
herein-before described; the said fibres are thus firmly held while the
discs are revolving and the hackle pins are combing out shorts. The
handle h actuates the sliding bar i which is furnished with belt forks for
putting the driving band on the pulley C³, to which pulley is fixed the
pinion H actuating the wheel I and disc L connected to the carriage Q
by the connecting rod N. The rotation of the pinion H gives motion to the
carriage Q inwards, that is, towards the revolving discs d', d², d³, d', and
when the carriage has advanced as far as the pin M on the disc L, will
bring it, the pin k, on the disc L, presses against the wedgej, and acting
upon the bar i, forces the driving belt outwards on to the plain loose
pulley C³, thus stopping the carriage Q when it has arrived at the end
of its course on the frame F2, F2, at the same time withdrawing all long
fibres out from the revolving hackle bars e', e², e³, e', and allowing shorts
and other impurities to drop on to a travelling belt or sheet & driven by
the roller, and running under the travelling carriage Q round a loose
roller held on each side of the frame F³, F³, by sliding blocks marked
t, t. On the roller 71 presses a roller g, between which and the roller r
the shorts are drawn and drop down clear of the machine; making the
operation of hackling out shorts and other impurities complete."
Figure 2 represents in elevation, partly in cross section, the mechanism
represented in plan and horizontal section in Figure 1, and the samé
letters of reference indicate in most cases similar parts. After the
description given of Figure 1 it is only necessary to add the following
with respect to Figure 2 :-E is the driving wheel which communicates
motion to the disks d, d², d³, d, by means of the stud wheels E, SE;

page_text: SE, SE³, and the wheel marked E'. The roller ¹ on the driving
shaft D, and the loose roller in the frame F³, F³, carry the sheet 8,
indicated in dotted lines, by which the shorts and other impurities are
carried away.. The disc plate L is in part broken away to show the
gearing and the section of the discs d, d, d³, d'. The gripping
mechanism in the middle of the travelling carriage Q is lettered with
the same letters as in Figure 1, and shows one of the worms and worm.
wheels and screw bolts of the said gripping mechanism. The plates A, B,
between which the fibres are gripped are shown in section.
Figure 3 represents in plan our improved machinery for drawing out
and forming the fibres of hemp, flax, and other fibrous materials into a
straight and even sliver. The said machinery is constructed as follows:→
C, C, are fast and loose pulleys on the main shaft D¹ which passes
through the frame F; K is a pinion on the shaft D' gearing into the
wheel L, the shaft of which wheel L carries the disc marked d. The
letters V, V, V³, V+, V³, Vº, V³, and V8 indicate shells cast in one piece
with the side discs to keep the said discs together. The pinion R₁ on
the shaft of the disc d¹ gears with the wheel T by means of a stud
wheel working on the stud S¹, and similarly on the opposite side of the
frame the disc d is geared by the pinion R³ into the pinion T by
means of a stud wheel on the stud S³, and similarly each disc is geared
to the next one on alternate sides of the frame F until the train of
wheels and stud wheels reach T on the shaft of the disc d³. On the
opposite end of the shaft of the disc d³ is a pinion M working into the
wheel N on the shaft D%, on which is the feed roller O.
or table for feeding the hemp or fibre on to the roller O'. The action of
each disc containing a hackle bar with pins, alike or increasing in
number or fineness as they approach the drawing rollers, is the same as
herein-before explained with reference to Figure 1. The castings marked
a', a, and so on to a³ have fixed wheels producing the sun-and-planet
motion necessary to keep the hackle bars and pins e¹ to e' straight by
means of the pinions marked 6', 68, and similar ones at corresponding
places with respect to the several discs, stud wheels c¹, c³, and similar
ones with respect to the other discs gearing with the pinions 6², b³, and
so on. E is a boss roller on the shaft D¹ for drawing out the fibres
from the hackle bars when the latter are in motion. On the end of the
shaft D' is a wheel H working into the stud wheel I, and the latter into
the pinion J on shaft J which carries the roller marked G³, which
P is a board

page_text: roller draws the liemp or fibre from the roller E' along the guide board
or plate marked Q, and delivers it finished in a sliver into a can placed
underneath to receive it. Blocks 'marked U' to U are for carrying the
various shafts in their journals. f¹ to f³ are counterbalance weights to
make the discs run smoothly...
Figure 4 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the machine,
Figure 3, corresponding parts being marked with the same letters of
reference. The hemp or fibre is placed on the feed board P and held by
the retaining rollers O¹, O", while the hackle bars e to e' are working
pins downwards into the hemp which is held up to them by a trough
marked W and shown in section, along which it travels and is drawn
along to the rollers E', E²; the latter rollers travel quicker than the
rollers O; O", thus drawing out the hemp or fibre straight and even, and
passing it along the guide plate Q to the delivering rollers G, G, into a.
cam placed underneath to receive it in a straight and ribbon-like sliver.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and
illustrated as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of our Invention, but we claim as our Invention of improvements in
machinery for dressing, hackling, drawing out, and straightening fibres
of silk, flax, hemp, manilla, jute, and other fibrous substances,-
First. The arrangement or combination of parts for moving each
hackle bar or a series of hackle bars between circular discs by means of
sun-and-planet wheels, as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, or other similar contrivances for the purpose
of keeping the said hackle bars and pins in one position, any number of
the said hackle bars being used in combination and provided with hackle
pins, either similar or varying in number and fineness, the said pins
working downwards into the hemp or fibre which is confined in a trough
for the purpose of dressing or making such fibres into a sliver, sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.
. Secondly. The combined arrangement of apparatus, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accom-

page_text: Thirdly. The combined arrangement of apparatus, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accom-
panying Drawings for making fibrous materials into a sliver.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Turner Wright and William
Henry Laidler, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and seventy-four.