IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING MACHINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn of 169 Fleet Street in the City
of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING MACHINES " communicated to him from abroad
by Jules Cardon of Lille, France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th March 1883.
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING MACHINES
[A communication to him from abroad by Jules Cardon of Lille, France]
"
Various attempts have been made to modify machines for hackling flax so as to
improve the work; for example as many as 18 holders have been employed in the
machine instead of 8 as formerly. The hackling undoubtedly is finer in proportion
to the increase in the number of holders but hitherto it has not been found possible
to dispense with the manual work of preliminary hackling (émouchetage) and of
finishing or combing (repassage) after hackling.
The hackling machine which forms the subject of the present invention is
intended to do away with these expensive manipulations and to effect by the
machine itself the whole work comprising the three operations of preliminary
hackling, hackling properly so called, and finishing or combing.
The machine is composed for this purpose of 3 distinct and independent parts
corresponding with the 3 stages referred to.
In the first stage which is to take the place of the preliminary hackling by hand
the hackling devices are constructed as follows:-First, of flat triangular teeth
rounded at the angle or point, or simply of wire of V form rounded at the point; as
these teeth have no points they will not tear the curled or twisted parts of the fibre
but will straighten and dress them as is done with the fingers. Secondly of very
long pins at considerable intervals apart for continuing the straightening process;
and lastly of brushes which without tearing the fibre will remove the knots or
lumps which have been produced by the pins. These parts may be constructed in
any other analogous manner.

page_text: In this first stage the fibre to be hackled is submitted to the hackling devices
for only a part of its length which may be varied according to the requirements
of the material.
The devices for the second stage comprise a number of holders about equal to
those in ordinary hackling machines and effect the hackling properly so called like t
the ordinary machines effect it, but the hackling is performed with greater ease
and less waste on account of the good preparation in the previous stage. In this
second stage the first hackle is composed of rounded pins in lieu of pointed steel
pins and they may be made of ivory or other suitable material. The most desirable
form is that of a rod rounded and flattened at the end.
The third stage is that which for certain materials should take the place of
finish ng or combing by hand. In the ordinary hand work the workman does
not hackle or comb the whole length of the tress of fibre but only the end,-
about a half or a third. It is therefore necessary that in this third stage as in the
first, only a portion of the length of the fibre or strick according to the nature of
the material should be acted upon.
The devices for this third stage which constitutes the finishing stage are not
composed only of pins. The final devices for this stage like those in the first
stage are brushes the effect of which is to entirely extract the tow which the
preceding backles have left therein. The utility of these brushes is this:-The
hackles indefinitely divide the fibres of the textile materials. At the ends of the
tresses the backle having no longer sufficient material to hackle leaves a part of
the fibres previously detached. It would be indefinitely thus if only hackles were
employed and this is why brushes are employed for finishing. The brushes detach
the short fibres and the lumps without further affecting the material. This
improvement is important because it alone allows of the backling being completely
finished by purely mechanical means.
•
Instead of placing brushes on the bars in continuation of the hackles for
finishing the hackling, circular brushes can be employed which are adjustable
These circular brushes would be
according to the requirements of the material.
independent of the hackle sheets and would fulfil the same object as brushes fixed
on the bars.
The results above explained can be obtained in either of two ways. First, by
dividing the carriage for the holders into 3 distinct and independent parts and by.
preventing the holders for the first and third stages descending as low as those for
the hackling proper or intermediate stage. Second, by dividing the hackle sheet
into three distinct and independent parts such that the hackles of the first and
third stages would only act on the stricks or bundles of fibre at a determined
distance from the holders. The holders of the three stages thus perform their
whole course as formerly. This last arrangement also allows of the 3 series of hackles
having different speeds suitable for each operation if the materials require it. Thus
the improved machine constructed in the one or the other manner can effect at one
time and automatically what is at present only effected in three distinct operations,
two of which are manual. As is well known every manipulation of the tresses of
flax causes entanglements and the benefit to be derived from the improved machine
is therefore evident.
Further, the tow obtained in the first stage with the improved machine being
collected by the circular brush and a doffer will be of greater commercial value
than that obtained by the old manual process.
The improved machine may be made with stripper bars instead of the brushes
and doffer.
In order to prevent any risk of the workman pushing the holders while the
carriage is at the bottom of its course, I apply a stop motion to the holders
composed of two rods which maintain the holders from the two sides of the
heel (talon) on the 3 parts of the carriage. Instead of 3 parts the machine can
be constructed with only two parts according to the nature of the materials
the first or the last part being dispensed with if thought unnecessary.
と

page_text: The improved machine can always if required work as an ordinary machine.
For this purpose, if the carriages are independent, it is sufficient to connect them
together so as to form one carriage. If the hackle sheets are independent they
can be worked at uniform speed and regulated as in an ordinary machine.
The improved machine requires holders higher than the old machines that is to
say, to hold the fibre for a greater length so as to prevent the finished portion which
is clasped in the holder and extends beyond it becoming mixed again, and so that
it may remain as it left the machine. Now by increasing the height of the
holder its weight would be increased and this would render the manipulations
impracticable. In order to obviate this the holders are constructed of malleable
iron or cast steel with ribs and enlargements of sufficient resistance at the places
where strength is necessary and thin elsewhere. A light weight is thus retained
while the height of the holder is about doubled.
I can also arrange on the holder-carriage inclined planes which cause the holders
at the beginning and at the end to occupy a position at a greater distance from the
hackles than the intermediate holders. Again, without dividing the carriage I can
arrange slides with independent movements which retain the holders at the
beginning and at the end at a suitable height. I can also annex to an ordinary
machine one or two small machines driven independently or by the machine
itself; the annexed machines can be arranged at the inlet or outlet of the main
machine; by this arrangement the ordinary hackling machine requires no altera-
tion. The hackling devices of the annexed machines would be hackles or brushes
as previously explained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1883.
"
"
JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING MACHINES
(A Communication to me from abroad by Jules Cardon, of Lille, France)
Various attempts have been made to modify machines for hackling flax so as
to improve the work; for example as many as 18 holders have been employed in
the machine instead of 8 as formerly. The hackling undoubtedly is finer in
proportion to the increase in the number of holders but hitherto it has not been
found possible to dispense with the manual work of preliminary hackling
(émouchetage) and of finishing or combing (repassage) after hackling.
The hackling machine which forms the subject of the present invention is
intended to do away with these expensive manipulations and to effect by the
machine itself the whole work comprising the three operations of preliminary
backling, hackling properly so called and finishing or combing.
The machine is composed for this purpose of 3 distinct and independent parts
corresponding with the three stages referred to. Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the annexed
drawings represent one modification of the machine. Figure 1 being a front
elevation, and Figures 2 and 3 elevations of the two ends respectively.
In the first stage which is to take the place of the preliminary hackling by
hand, the hackling devices are constructed as follows:-First of flat triangular
teeth rounded at the angle or point (see Figure 4) or simply of wire of V form
rounded at the point (see Figure 5); as these teeth have no points they will not
tear the curled or twisted parts of the fibre but will straighten and dress them as
is done with the fingers. Secondly of very long pins (Figure 6) at considerable
intervals apart for continuing the straightening process; and lastly of brushes
(Figure 7) which without tearing the fibre will remove the knots or lumps which
have been produced by the pins. These parts may be constructed in any other
analogous manner.
In this first stage the fibre to be hackled is submitted to the hackling devices for
only a part of its length which may be varied according to the requirements of the
material.
The devices for the second stage comprise a number of holders about equal to
those in ordinary hackling machines and effect the hackling properly so called like
the ordinary machines effect it, but the hackling is performed with greater ease
and less waste on account of the good preparation in the previous stage. In this
second stage the first hackle is composed of rounded pins in lieu of pointed steel
pins and they may be made of ivory or other suitable material. The most desirable
form is that of a rod rounded and flattened at the end (see Figure 8).
°
The third stage is that which for certain materials should take the place of
finishing or combing by hand. In the ordinary hand work the workman does not
hackle or comb the whole length of the tress of fibre but only the end,-about a
half or a third. It is therefore necessary that in this third stage as in the first,
only a portion of the length of the fibre or strick according to the nature of the
material should be acted upon.
The devices for this third stage which constitutes the finishing stage are not
composed only of pins. The final devices for this stage, like those in the first stage
are brushes the effect of which is to extract the tow which the preceding hackles
have left therein. The utility of these brushes is this:-The hackles indefinitely

page_text: divide the fibres of the textile materials. At the ends of the tresses the hackle
having no longer sufficient material to hackle leaves a part of the fibres previously
detached. It would be indefinitely thus if only hackles were employed and this
is why brushes are employed for finishing. The brushes detach the short fibres
and the lumps without further affecting the material. This improvement is
important because it alone allows of the hackling being completely finished by
purely mechanical means.
Instead of placing brushes on the bars in continuation of the hackles for
finishing the hackling, circular brushes (see B Figure 9) can be employed which
are adjustable according to the requirements of the material. These circular
brushes would be independent of the hackle sheets and would fulfil the same object
as brushes fixed on the bars P.
The results above explained can be obtained in either of two ways. First, by
dividing the carriage for the holders into three distinct and independent parts and
by preventing the holders from the first and third stages descending as low as
those for the hackling proper or intermediate stage. Second, by dividing the
hackle sheets into 3 distinct and independent parts such that the hackles of the
first and third stages would only act on the stricks or bundles of fibre at a
determined distance from the holders. The holders of the three stages thus perforin
their whole course as formerly. This last arrangement also allows of the three
series of hackles having different speeds suitable for each operation if the materials
require it. Thus the improved machine constructed in the one or the other manner
can effect at one time and automatically what is at present only effected in three
distinct operations, two of which are manual. As is well known every manipula-.
tion of the tresses of flax causes entanglements and the benefit to be derived from
the improved machine is therefore evident.
Further, the tow. obtained in the first stage with the improved machine being
collected by the circular brush and a doffer will be of greater commercial value than
that obtained by the old manual process.
The improved machine may be made with stripper bars instead of the brushes
and doffer.
In order to prevent any risk of the workman pushing the holders while the
carriage is at the bottom of its course, I apply a stop motion to the holders
composed of two rods which maintain the holders from the two sides of the heel
(talon) on the three parts of the carriage. Instead of three parts the machine can
be constructed with only two parts according to the nature of the materials the
first or the last part being dispensed with if thought unnecessary.
The improved machine can always if required work as an ordinary machine.
For this purpose, if the carriages are independent, it is sufficient to connect them
together so as to form one carriage. If the hackle sheets are independent they can
be worked at uniform speed and regulated as in an ordinary machine.
The improved machine requires holders higher than the old machines that is to
Bay to hold the fibre for a greater length so as to prevent the finished portion,
which is clasped in the holder and extends beyond it, becoming mixed again, and so
that it may remain as it left the machine. Now by increasing the height of the
holder its weight would be increased and this would render the manipulations
impracticable. In order to obviate this the holders are constructed of malleable
iron or cast steel with ribs and enlargements of sufficient resistance at the places
where strength is necessary and thin elsewhere (see Figure 10) A light weight is
thus retained while the beight of the holder is about doubled.
1 can also arrange on the holder-carriage inclined planes which cause the holders
at the beginning and at the end to occupy a position at a greater distance from the
hackles than the intermediate holders. Again without dividing the carriage I can
arrange slides with independent movements which retain the holders at the
beginning and at the end at a suitable height. I can also annex to an ordinary
machine one or two small machines driven independently or by the machine

page_text: itself the annexed machines can be arranged at the inlet or outlet of the main
machine; by this arrangement the ordinary hackling machine requires no alteration.
The hackling devices of the annexed machines would be hackles or brushes as
previously explained.
This invention can be applied to machines of the old type for hackling flax. The
change can be effected by dividing the carriage into two or three parts and adding
whatever is necessary to produce the work desired. If it is a doffer machine there
is nothing to alter in the doffer. If it is a stripper bar machine it will be well to
put a small doffer at the portion which corresponds to the finishing or combing;
the stripper bars may remain at the two other portions. New machines may be
constructed with a doffer for their whole length or for only that portion which
effects the finishing or combing.
In order to remove the waste which the hackles and the brushes have not been
able to remove from the tress during the finishing or combing process I can apply
after the brushes a nipper or other analogous device so arranged as to close at the
desired moment to pull off the waste.
Having now described the nature of the said invention as communicated to me
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim:-
First Constructing hackling machines arranged and acting substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Second-The employment in hackling machines of brushes for effecting the
finishing portion of the work substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said John Clayton Mewburn have hereunto set my
hand and seal this fifth day of September One thousand eight hundred and eighty
three,