THE APPLI- CATION OF A MODE OF PROCESS FOR PREPARING AND MANUFACTURING CERTAIN FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1832

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HOLT the younger, of Whitby, in the County of York, Rope Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King William the Fourth, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-eighth day of April last, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, did give and grant unto me, the said John Holt the younger, His
special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John
Holt the younger, my exors, adññors, and assigns, and every of them, by
myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said John Holt the younger, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein unexpired,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "THE APPLI-
CATION OF A MODE OF PROCESS FOR PREPARING AND MANUFACTURING CERTAIN
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said John Holt the younger, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited

page_text: Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereto had, will more
fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Holt the younger, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and how the same is to be performed, is herein set forth and explained,
reference being made to the Drawing hereunto annexed (that is to say):
It has hitherto been found impracticable to manufacture the hemp or flax
now imported from New Zealand and other parts in the East Indies (and
which article is well known by the name of New Zealand hemp or flax), on
account of the great difficulty that has always been experienced in separating
the fibres from the adhesive material that cements and binds them together.
This difficulty arises from the want of any liquid that would by its chemical
properties and action dissolve the adhesive matter, and by that means release
the fibres, so that they may be completely separated from each other; for,
while they are enveloped by such material, and closely united, it is found
impossible to make them imbibe tar when they are to be manufactured into
ropes, the adhesive matter that unites the fibres together being of such a
nature as to prevent any absorption of tar when applied in the manner usually
adopted in the manufacture of ropes; but, by means of my improvement, the
natural adhesive matter or cement that binds the fibres together, and thereby
renders them impervious to the absorption of tar or any other menstruum, will
be so softened or removed that tar may be applied to the fibres of such New
Zealand hemp or flax with the same advantages that are found when such
substance is applied to hemp or flax of European growth, thereby rendering
the hemp or flax imported from New Zealand, Mannilla, and other parts of
the East, nearly or quite as valuable as similar fibrous substances produced in
Europe. In order to convert the New Zealand hemp or flax into yarns or
threads fit for making ropes that are to be tarred, such hemp or flax must be
heckled in the usual way or manner; and being spun into threads or yarns, it
is then in that state to be immersed in an alkaline solution, the proportion of
either pearlash, potash, or soda, being half an ounce to one gallon of water,
this proportion having been found very effectual for general purposes. The
solution may be used either hot or cold; the effect produced, namely, that of
softening or removing the adhesive matter, being nearly the same.
The hemp
or flax should remain immersed for forty-eight hours, when it is to be taken
out, and the superfluous liquid squeezed or pressed from it; and it must then
be hung up in the air to dry, or the drying may be effected by any other more
suitable or convenient means, and then it may be tarred in the usual manner
adopted by ropemakers. A strong solution of soap in water will produce the

page_text: same effect, but it will be found more expensive than the simple and effectual
solution of either of the alkalies above named. It will be now readily con-
ceived that the alkali is the principle agent that renders the solution a solvent
for the adhesive matter that covers the ultimate fibres, and holds them
together; but when that is either dissolved, or materially softened, the fibres
will then be found to absorb tar with as much facility and with advantages
similar to what is experienced when such preserving substance is applied to
similar fibrous substances grown in Europe. The Mannilla hemp or flax may
be manufactured into white cordage; but without it be prepared by immersing
it in an alkaline solution, it cannot by any other means at present known, be
made to absorb tar in a similar manner to the European hemp or flax, there-
fore without my Invention of an alkaline solution be applied, Mannilla hemp
or flax cannot be used for making ropes where tarring is found necessary.
I shall now describe the mode I employ, and also the implements used by
me in the preparation of New Zealand flax or hemp, the fibres of which
require to be dressed only, and in which case immersion in an alkaline solution
will be wholly unnecessary.
In the Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a plan or bird's-eye view of a wood or
cast-iron trough or rubbing frame, with two perpendicular sides A, A. The
bottom is formed of a series of paralel bars, which are beveled on each side
upwards so much as to give them nearly a triangular form, as may be seen by
the vertical section shewn in Fig. 2, the section being made by a vertical plane
passing through the line B, B, in Fig. 1. There is a space between each bar,
through which the bark or sheave of the hemp or flax may fall during the
process of rubbing, which will be described hereafter.
Fig. 3 represents a plan or bird's-eye view of the upper rubbing frame,
which is to be placed within the trough before described. In this frame there
are similar paralel bars, but the beveled parts are placed below, as may be seen
by the vertical section through the line C, C, shewn in Fig. 4. The two parts
of the trough or rubbing frame, shewn at a, a, a, a, and b, b, b, b, have each a
row of teeth which intersect each other, as shewn between A, A. Each part
is jointed to the frame by the pins or pivots c, c, c, c, by which means they
may be lifted or opened from the centre, to admit half the length of the flax
or hemp to pass through, while the other half, being placed upon the bars, wi!!
be operated upon in the way to be hereafter described.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of Fig. 1, by a plane passing through
the dotted line B, B, in Fig. 2. a, a, and b, b, represent the position of the
two parts or portions of the bottom frame or trough, opened for the purpose of
passing the flax or hemp through.

page_text: Fig. 3 represents a plan of the upper rubbing frame, which is to be placed
within the lower trough or rubbing frame before described. In this frame
there are similar paralel bars, but the beveled parts are placed downwards, as
may be seen by the vertical section through the line C, C, shewn in Fig. 4.
The lower trough or rubbing frame may be placed upon any convenient kind
of frame, or it may be fixed at any height that may be found most convenient
to a workman, provided there be a space left under it to permit the bark or
sheaves of the hemp or flax to fall through. The method of using these
rubbing frames is very simple, and is as follows:-One of the moveable parts
shewn at a, a, a, a, or b, b, b, b, in Fig. 1, must be lifted up, and then a suffi-
cient quantity of hemp or flax must be spread evenly upon that part that lays
flat, half the length of the hemp or flax being permitted to hang down through
the opening, the middle of the hemp or flax being spread equally over and
between the one row of teeth scen between A, A. And when the fibrous
material is so arranged, the other half of the length will lay along the rubbing
frame, crossing the bars at right angles. The part of the rubbing frame that
was opened or raised must now be let down, so as to place all the bars in the
same plane, for which purpose it will be necessary to raise both of the move-
able parts, so as to adjust the material to be operated upon evenly between the
teeth. And when this is done, the two moving parts must be secured by the
pins or bolts seen at d, d, d, d, which pass through holes made in the sides of
the lower trough or rubbing frame, and enter holes made to receive the ends
of them in the sides of the moveable parts a, a, and b, b. The apparatus and
materials being thus arranged, the upper frame must be laid upon the fibrous
material, and being moved backwards and forwards, the sheaves or bark which
covers or envelopes the fibres will be so bruised and abraded between the bars
that it will be separated and fall down through the spaces between the bars;
the process being much facilitated by laying a weight or weights upon the
upper frame equal to about fifty pounds, more or less, according to circum-
stances, some materials requiring more force to separate the sheave or bark
than others. When one half of the flax or hemp has been sufficiently cleansed,
the ends must be reversed, and the other half of the flax or hemp must be
similarly placed in the trough, and treated in the manner before described, and
then it will be fit to be heckled or manufactured in the usual manner. The
upper frame must of course be removed whenever the position of the fibrous
materials are to be changed, or a fresh quantity supplied. Troughs or rubbing
frames of this description may be made of either wood or iron, or any other
suitable metal or material; and the size may also be varied according to cir-
cumstances, or the peculiar nature of the substances to be operated upon.

page_text: And I hereby further declare that my Invention consists, -
Firstly, in the application of a solution of alkali or soap, in any suitable pro-
portion, the solvent properties of which will be found to so soften or seperate
the natural adhesive matter that binds or unites the fibres of New Zealand
hemp or flax, and also the same articles imported from Manilla, that when
they have been immersed a proper time therein, the fibres so treated will be
found to absorb tar quite as well as hemp or flax grown in Europe, and pro-
ducing similar advantages.
Secondly, in the application of rubbing frames of the description or kind
herein shewn, by the use of which, when applied in the manner and way I
have described, the sheaves or bark of New Zealand hemp or flax may be
more completely and advantageously separated from the fibres than can be
effected by any other apparatus now made use of.
In witness whereof, I have here set my hand and seal, the Twelfth
day of June, one the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and thintyr tren