CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY, INSTRUMENTS, AND PROCESSES EMPLOYED IN THE PREPARATION AND MANUFACTURE OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
PLUMMER, of the Town and County of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
March (One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine), in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Robert Plummer, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial.
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert
Plummer, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Robert Plummer, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the
Jslands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY, INSTRUMENTS, AND PROCESSES EMPLOYED IN THE PREPARATION
AND MANUFACTURE OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Robert Plummer,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of

page_text: the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Plummer, hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained
in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the several
Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, marked A, B, C, D, E, and F; that is
to say:
Firstly, my Invention consists in the employment, in the preparation of flax
and other like fibrous materials, of brushes composed of some elastic or
flexible and springy material or combination of materials, such as whalebone,
cane, bristles, or (well-tempered) wire, either in place of or in combination
with the rigid metallic heckles or combs ordinarily used; also in attaching
such brushes to the peripheries of (otherwise) plain cylinders, and so applying
them that the streaks of flax or other fibrous material shall, in the course of
being brushed or heckled, have at one and the same time a front as well as
a back stroke given to them (though not in the same plane); also in effecting
the doffing of the tow from the brushes or heckles by a peculiar adaptation to
that purpose of the stripping bars, and thereby superseding the use of the ordi-
nary doffers; and farther, in applying brushes composed of like elastic materials
as aforesaid to clean the brushes used to brush or heckle the flax or other
like material, by which several improvements, one or other, or two or more, or
all of them combined, the flax or other like fibrous material is cleaned,
heckled (more or less) straightened, and layed with less injury to the staple,
and less waste, than by any machinery hitherto in use.
A machine embodying these several improvements, to which I give the
name of "The Double Cylinder Brushing Machine," is represented in Sheet A
of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is an end view of it;
Figure 8 is a cross section on the line a, b, or through the centre of the
machine; and Figure 4. a section of it, from front to back, on the line c, d.
a, a, is the framework of the machine; b', 6', are two cylinders, each of which
revolves inwardly in the direction of the arrows; c, c, are sets (one, two, or more)
of brushes, which are affixed to the peripheries of the cylinders b, b, and are
placed in such relative positions that the sets or brushes of the one cylinder shall
take into or revolve within the vertical intervals of the sets or brushes of the
other cylinder, and thus give at one and the same time both a front and a back
stroke (though not in the same plane) to the streak of flax or other material
which is in the course of being brushed or heckled; d, d, are the stripping

page_text: bars (before mentioned as being adapted to doffing the tow from the brushes
or heckles), which extend along the whole length of each cylinder, and rest
freely in slotted bearings e, e; f, f, are semicircular guards, which, during a
little more than one half (or thereabouts) of each revolution of the brush
cylinders (b, b,) confine the stripping bars to the inner ends of their slotted
bearings, and thereby regulate, as usual, the depth to which the brushes or
heckles shall penetrate the streaks of flax or other material, but, after passing
a line drawn horizontally through the centres of the cylinders, allow the bars
to strike out to the full extent of their slotted bearings, and thereby to doft'
and throw down the tow left adhering to the brushes which have just been in
action; 3, 6, are two smaller revolving cylinders, which are fitted with rows
of brushes g, g, of the same description as c, c, and so placed in respect of their
larger cylinders 6, 61, that the brushes g, g, shall, as they revolve, come in
contact with and free the working brushes c, c, from any shive or dirt which
may gather upon them, or from any fibres which the stripping bars may not
have sufficed to throw down; h, h, are troughs bolted to the framework a, a,
for carrying the holders which contain the streaks of flax or other material;
and i is an inclined grating for receiving the tow as it is doffed by the stripping
bars from the brushes, and precipitated downwards. Motion is given to the
different parts of the machine from any first mover by means of pullies or
sheaves j,j, attached to the axle of one of the cylinders 6', and by the wheel
gearing in connexion therewith, marked k, k, l, l, m, m', and n, n', the
relative numbers of which are so adjusted that the cleaning brushes 9, 9, shall
revolve at twice the speed of the working brushes c, c.
A double cylinder machine of the kind just described seems to me to be
better adapted than any other to the carrying out of this part of my Invention,
but it is by no means absolutely essential that the motion of such machinery
should be circular. For example, two oscillating half-cylinders might be
substituted for the two entire rotating cylinders before described, or two per-
fectly flat tables, fitted in front with brushes in alternating rows, might have a
vertical reciprocating motion given to them, which would produce the same
general effect.
When the flax or other fibrous materials has been subjected to the operation
of an elastic brushing machine of this description (however the same may be
modified in its details) it is partially heckled, and well prepared for being
afterwards further heckled or finished by hand or machine in the ordinary
nanner, and with much less damage to the staple and waste of material than
attend the ordinary mode of heckling by means of rigid metallic heckles alone
in other cases.

page_text: Any of the ordinary heckling machines may also be readily converted into a
brushing machine, substituting brushes for the heckles, and adapting cleansing
brushes thereto; or some of the sets of heckles only in such ordinary
machines may be removed, and brushes substituted for them, the heckles and
brushes being intermixed in any way which may be deemed most advisable.
And so also the brushing machine herein-before described may have rigid
heckles or combs of the ordinary kind added to it, and be thereby made to
combine the advantages of both sorts of instruments.
The improvements which I claim under this head of my Invention, and as
embodied in the double cylinder brushing machine herein-before described,
are as follows:-
First, I claim the employment in the preparation of flax and the like
materials of brushes composed of some elastic material, or combination of
materials, in place of or in combination with rigid heckles.
Second, I claim the affixing of sets of these brushes to a pair of (other-
wise) plain cylinders, revolving in opposite directions and on opposite sides of
the streek, and in such an alternating order that the sets or brushes of the one
cylinder shall intersect those of the other cylinder, by which combination of
arrangements the streek receives both a front and back stroke at one and the
same time, but not in the same plane.
Third, I claim the combination of moveable stripping bars with a guard or
guards, in manner before described, whereby these bars are made both to
regulate as usual the depth to which the brushes or heckles shall penetrate the
flax or other fibrous material, and also to doff the tow from the brushes or
heckles.
Fourth, I claim the employment of brushes composed of elastic materials,
and affixed to revolving cylinders, to clear the working brushes or heckles, as
before described.
Secondly, my Invention consists of an improved double cylinder heckling
machine, adapted to the dressing cut or short flax, in which elastic brushes
are combined with rigid heckles, and the same system of double action is
adopted as in the brushing machine firstly herein-before described, with some
modifications and additions. The details of this machine are represented in
Sheet B of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of it; Figure 2, an end view; and Figure 3, a
cross section through the centre. There are two revolving cylinders b', b',
mounted in a framework a, a, as in the machine first herein-before described,
ouly that they are made in this case of greater length, in order to make room

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for the addition to their peripheries of sets of rigid heckles c', intermixed with
the sets of elastic brushes c, c, (in any way which may be deemed most
advisable), as exemplified in the longitudinal section of one of these cylinders
given separately in Figure 4. The cylinders are also made to revolve inwardly
or in opposite directions; and the rows of brushes and heckles on the one
cylinder are placed in an alternating order in regard to those of the other
cylinder, both as before described, so that the streaks shall have at one and the
same time both a front and back stroke given to them (though not in the
same plane). There are also loose stripping bars with guards, which, besides
regulating the depth to which the heckles or brushes shall penetrate, doff' the
tow from the brushes and heckles; and two smaller cylinders 62, 63, fitted with
brushes for cleaning the working brushes and heckles cand c³. Rotation is given
to the rotating parts of this machine in the same way as to the rotating parts of
the one first herein-before described; but the holder is made to traverse or move
forward in the trough by somewhat different means, a combination of a bell or
crank movement with the rising and falling motion of the trough, as afterwards
described in the other machine. A view of the sort of holder which I prefer
for this machine is given separately on an enlarged scale in Figure 5* (a side
elevation), Figure 5" (a cross section), and Figure 5° (a longitudinal section).
It consists of two plates, No. 1 and No. 2, connected transversely by a screw
bolt S, and having flanges A, A, at their upper edges, by means of which they
are supported in the trough (h). The plate No. 2 has two flanges B, B, one
on each side, which come within the flanges A, A, of the plate No. 1, and
thereby confine the streak of flax or other fibrous material at the edges. The
inner face of the plate No. 2 is planed perfectly true, and covered with felt,
cloth, or some other soft or yielding material; but the plate No. 1 is made on
its inner face with flat beads (C) and flat grooves (D) in alternate order, so
that the streak of flax or other material may be thereby the more firmly com-
pressed and held between the plates without being unduly crimped. At their
under edges (E) the plates are chamfered off as shewn, so as to admit of the
bolder coming close down upon or within the nip of the brushes or heckles
aflixed to the revolving cylinders. It will be observed, that by this mode. of
construction the pins or studs ordinarily made use of to confine and regulate.
the outer edges of the streak are wholly dispensed with, and a greater breadth
of area thereby obtained whereon to spread the streaks, while, at the saine
time, the holder is narrowed, and rendered lighter and more easy to work.
The mechanism for lifting the trough is shewn in Figure 2, and consists of a
combination of pinions (k,), wheels (m, m), cam (p), straps (0), pulleys (q),
and-levers (7), such as is ordinarily used in heckling machines, and well

page_text: known. When the trough is raised it pushes up a rod z, which is connected
to the long arm of a bell crank y, mounted on a standard affixed to the top of
the framework a, when a weight W, which is attached to the opposite end of
that long arm, falls over, and causes the short arm of the bell crank to pull in
a rod 21, which draws forward a finger bar a (of the ordinary construction) to
an extent sufficient to advance the holder the breadth of one set of heckles or
brushes. The tow and shive or dirt doffed from the heckles and brushes are
in this case received upon an endless chain of bars t, t, (instead of the inclined
grating used in the machine first herein-before described), which bars extend
the whole length of the machine under the beckles and brushes, and are con-
nected together by two side bands t², t. The chain of bars revolves round the
friction pulleys v, v, and takes into two pinions u, u, (one on each side), by
means of which pinions rotation is given to the chain from the same first
mover by which the other parts of the machine are put in motion. The shive
or dirt falls through between the bars on to the floor, while the tow is carried
forward on to the top of the bars, and delivered into the trough T¹. To sepa-
rate the tow doffed from each set of heckles or brushes from that doffed from
the others, the space between the top of the endless chain of bars and the
heckle and brush cylinders is divided by partitions a, a, (Figure 1) into as
many compartiments as there are sets of heckles or brushes, and the receiving
trough T is also divided into a corresponding number of compartments.
The improvements which I claim in respect of the double cylinder heckling
machine which forms this second branch of my Invention, consist in the applica-
tion thereto of so many of the contrivances firstly herein-before claimed by
me as are embodied and repeated therein, also the peculiar form given to the
holder, the combination, as aforesaid, of the lifting movement of the trough
with a bell crank movement in order to cause the holder to traverse the
trough, and the revolving endless chain of bars on which the tow and shive
or dirt doffed from the heckles and brushes are received and separated. I
claim also the application of the said trough and bell crank combination, and
of the revolving endless chain to other heckling machines.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of an improved heckling machine adapted
to the dressing or preparing of long flax and other like fibrous materials
(though it may be also applied to materials of various lengths), to which I
give the name of the "Oscillatory Double Sheet Upright Heckling Machine."
This machine is represented in Sheet C of the Drawings annexed. Figure 1
is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2, a longitudinal section of it;
Figure 3, an end view of it; and Figure 4, a cross section on the line x, y, of

page_text: Figure 1. In this machine, as in both of those before described, the streak of
flax or other material is acted upon by two sets of heckles or brushes rotating
in opposite directions and on opposite sides of the streak and intersecting one
another, whereby the streak receives both a front and back stroke at one and
the same time; but here the heckles or brushes, instead of being attached to
cylinders, are attached to endless bands, each of which revolves round a pair
of sheaves j, j, placed at a little distance one above the other so as to cause the
band to travel in an oblong path. A peculiar oscillatory motion is also given
to these bands to and from one another, whereby on the descent of the
trough h which contains the holder, the bands, which are then open at top,
begin to close gradually upon the streak, and when the trough rises, the bands,
which are then closed, begin to recede gradually from it. The ends of the flax
or other material are thus prevented from being over dressed, and the full
power of the heckles or brushes is only applied where most wanted, namely,
to the body of the streak. The oscillatory motion just referred to is obtained
by placing the axes i, i, of the top sheaves j, j, in shifting or sliding bearings
k, k, and inserting the ends of these axes in slots or links h', h¹, formed in
wings or flanges attached to the trough-lifting frame g, which slots or links
are inclined towards cach other at top, and from each other at the bottom
(see Figure 3), so that when the trough containing the holders is lowered, the
distance between the axes of the top sheaves is lessened (through the action
of the slots or links on the ends of those axes), and when the trough is raised,
a reverse effect is produced. The endless bands of heckles or brushes have
moveable stripping bars o, o, and guards p. p, p, attached to them of the same
description as those employed in the other machines before described; but in
this case the guards are carried down between the bands to a little way below
the centres of the lower sheaves j. j. The holder is of the same improved
construction as that described under the second head of this Specification (see
the separate representations of it given in Figures 5, 6, and 7, Sheet C); but
in this case the traversing of the holder in the trough is effected by means of
racks and pinions, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3. Two racks 1, 1, placed
parallel to one another, are affixed to the framework a of the machine, and
two pinions m, m, work into these racks, which pinions are carried by a cross
axle supported by bearings attached to the trough h. On the centre of this
cross axle there is a third pinion m¹ which gears into a third rack l' on the
top of the finger bar n, so that, when the trough his raised, the pinions m, m,
are also raised, and the third pinion m³, taking into the rack on the top of the
finger bar (which is provided with fingers or catches as usual), causes the
holders to move along the trough. The tow and shive, doffed from the heckles

page_text: and brushes, are received on a revolving endless chain of bars (9) precisely
similar to that employed in the double cylinder heckling machine before
described, and there are also brushing cylinders s, s, to clean the working
heckles or brushes, of the same description as those made use of in both the
preceding machines. Motion is given to the various parts of the machine,
those excepted which belong to the peculiar oscillatory motion) by a com-
bination of pullies, wheels, &c., similar to that represented in the Drawings
of the doubling cylinder heckling machine, and before described.
The improvements which I claim in respect of this machine are the appli-
cation thereto of so many of the contrivances firstly and secondly herein-before
claimed by me as are embodied and repeated in the same; and farther, the
combination with the rising and falling of the trough, of the peculiar oscilla-
tory motion given to the rotating bands of heckles or brushes, as also the rack
and pinion movement by which the holders are made to traverse the holding
trough, each as before described. I claim also the application of the said
rack and pinion movement to the holders of the heckling machines.
Fourthly, my Invention consists of an improved scutching mill, which I call
the rotary disc scutching mill, and which is intended to imitate more
closely than has yet been done by machinery the process of hand scutching
in its pliant adaptation to the varying quality and condition of the materials
to be scutched.
Figure 1, of Sheet D of the Drawings annexed, is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 (same Sheet) a section on the line A, B, of a machine in which the
present plans of scutching are contrasted side by side with my improvements.
A is an axis which has its bearing in a casing k; and b, b, are pulleys by
which a rotary motion is imparted to this axis from any convenient first
mover. In the ordinary scutching machine this axis carries a number of
radial arms c, c, with naked knives or blades e, e, attached to them, as is more
clearly shewn in the end view given separately in the Drawing marked No. 1,
Sheet D. For these arms I substitute a disc d with sets of brushes f, f
(composed of materials the same as or similar to those used in the double
brushing cylinder machine first herein-before described) affixed to it, as also
separately shewn in the Drawing No. 2, and such brushes 1 affix either to one
side or to both sides of the disc, as shewn in the Drawings Nos. 2 and 3, in which
last case each disc has two berths as it is technically termed (that is to say),
both a right-hand berth and a left-hand berth. The disc may be either in
one solid piece or of several pieces or arms, having the intermediate spaces
filled in with webbing or some other suitable material. By the adoption of such

page_text: last method old mills may be readily converted into mills of this improved
form, the object in superseding the use of detached arms being to exclude
those cross currents of air which are produced by the revolution of the arms
of the common scutching mill, and cause the flax to rise from the scutching
board and curl round the edges of the knives or blades, to the great damage
of the staple. The brushes may be attached to the discs at any desired angle
or angles of inclination (some at one angle and some at other angles), and
there may be a greater number of brushes attached to cach disc than can be
attached to a series of radial arms, both of which are great advantages which
the disc form of construction possesses over the open radial arms.
The top
(i) of the scutching board (h), on which the flax or other material to bo
scutched is laid, is placed a little above the centre of the axis A, so that a
straight line drawn from the centre of the axle would intersect the middle
of the top line of the scutching board, or nearly so, instead of passing below
it, as would be the case where the scutching board placed as usual, and as is
indicated by the dotted line j. The flax or other material is held while being
scutched, in a holder, as in the different machines before described, in order
that it may be more fully and evenly spread out, and thereby more thoroughly
subjected to the action of the scutchers. A form of holder suitable for this
machine is represented in Figures 3, 4, and 5 of Sheet D.
Figure 3 is a plan of this flax holder of half the real size; Figure 4 is a
sectional elevation of it; and Figure 5, a cross section on the line C, D.
a, a', are the top and bottom pieces, which are made of wood; b is a hinge
on which the two picces turn; c is a single handle attached to the hinge end
of the holder; and d, d, a pair of handles attached to the opposite end, one to
the top piece and the other to the bottom piece; e is a catch affixed to the
bottom piece, the upper half of which turns backwards and forwards on a pin
at el; f is a hole in the top piece through which the catch e passes when the
top piece is down; g is a barrel spring which presses against the catch e
after it has passed through the hole f, and fastens the top piece down upon
the straw within the holder. By means of this improved scutching machine,
and the use in combination therewith of a holder such as before described,
a much greater yield of fibre is obtained from the straw, and the quality of
the fibre is also greatly improved; so much so as in some cases considerably to
diminish the quantity of heckling subsequently required. Discs may be also
employed with knives or blades or other rigid scutchers attached to them, or
with rigid scutchers in combination with brushes.
The improvements which I claim in regard to this fourth branch of any
Invention are as follows:-

page_text: First, I claim the substitution in scutching machines of brushes composed
of some elastic material or combination of elastic materials, either alone or
in combination with the naked knives or blades ordinarily employed.
Second, I claim the substitution of solid or filled up discs for open radial
arms.
Third, I claim the affixing of the brushes or other scutchers to one or both
sides of the discs, and at any angles of inclination required.
Fourth, I claim the placing of the top of the scutching board above the centre
line of the axis of the machine, and in an oblique position in respect of it.
And fifth, I claim the combined use of scutching mills generally with
mechanical holders such as last herein-before described, or any other of an
equivalent construction.
Fifthly, and lastly, my Invention consists of certain improved holders for
scutching and heckling flax and other like fibrous materials, which are
represented in Sheets E and F of the Drawings annexed. These holders
are respectively distinguished in the Drawings a as No. 1, No. 2, No. 3.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, Sheet E, exhibit the details of the holder, No. 1,
Figure 1 being a top plan of it; Figure 2, a sile clevation, with one of the
doors thrown open; Figure 3, a cross section on the line m, n; Figure 4, an
end view of the table with the holder open; and Figure 5, a plan of the table
with the holder in its place. a, a, is the bottom piece of the holder, which
is formed of wood strengthened by metallic plates p, p, screwed on to it, as
shewn; b, b, are the two doors, which are also of wood backed with metallic
plates f, f, and connected to the bottom piece by hinges c, c; & is a vertical
plate or bar (for which studs or pins may be substitute:l) by which the holder
is divided at the centre into two parts, and against which the two doors abut
when closed; e is a turning bar which fits on to a stud raised on the top of the
division plate or bar d, and is so shaped at the ends as to fit an ordinary screw
key which may be applied to it for the purpose of turning it round, and so
pressing down the doors b, b, on the streaks when laid upon the bottom
piece; ff, are the metallic plates which are screwed to the backs of the
doors, and receive the pressure of the turning bar, the upper surfaces of
these plates and the under surfaces of the bars being inclined in opposite
directions where they come in contact; besides which, these surfaces are cut
or roughened in the manner of a file in order to increase their hold on one
another; 9, 9, are projections on the edges of the doors b, b, which take into
corresponding notches in the centre division plate or bar d; and h, h, are
grooves and beds formed on the upper surface of the bottom piece a and under

page_text: surfaces of the doors b, b, for the purpose of enabling them to take a firmer
hold of the flax or other material when laid upon the bottom piece.
In Figures 4 and 5, A represents the table of the heckling machine; B, the
beds into which the holders are laid; and C, a stout. pin or stud which may
be placed between the beds, and used in lieu of the dividing plate d to separate
the streaks while in the process of being fastened in the holders. The advan-
tages of this holder over those of the ordinary forms are, that the inner
edges of the streaks are prevented (by the dividing plate or studs) from
getting entangled together, that as large a holding surface as may be is
obtained without interruption from pins or pegs, that a more uniform pressure
is produced on the streaks, and that the durability of the holder is greatly
encreased by the application of the metallic plates and hinges.
The holder No. 2, of which Figures 6, 7, and 8, Sheet E, are representa-
tions, Figure 6 being a top plan, Figure 7 a side elevation, and Figure 8
a cross section, is distinguished from No. 1, in the top piece or door b being
in one piece and turning on one binge only, c, and in the means used to effect
the locking of two parts of the holder; a square, bolt d, which is fixed in tho
bottom piece a, passes upwards through a hole e in the top piece b (when it
is down) and has a bevelled slot f at its upper end, into which there is inserted
by hand a key or bolt g, of a wedge-shaped form, to correspond with the
bevel of the slot, which is attached by a chain to the outside of the upper
piece b. In the holder No. 3 the two parts of which it is composed aro
hinged at the centre, and diverge from or approximate towards one another
after the manner. of a pair of nut-crackers. The details of this instrument are
represented in Sheet F of the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 is an end elevation; Figure 2 is a cross section of the same;
Figure 3 is a side elevation; and Figure 4 is an under view of the holler,
looking upwards. A frame for carrying the holder through a heckling
machine is shewn in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 being an inside view of
one end thereof; and Figure 6, a longitudinal section of the same. .A, B,
are two jaws or clamps made of wood, to both sides or ends of which ribs of
felt or some other like yielding material e, e, e, e, e, are attached. The thick-
ness of each jaw at its lower extremity, including the felt or other yielding
material at each side, is made equal to the length of shift required, to allow the
heckles when worked up to the bite of the jaws to heckle the streak in the
middle of its length. C, D, are two plates that are screwed, or otherwise suit-
ably affixed to each end of the jaws A, B. From the plate C four pins a, b, c, d,
project, two of which (a, b,) take into corrresponding recesses in the. plate
D, and thereby form a species of hinge on which the jaws turn. By referring

page_text: to Figure 2, it will be seen that the jaw B can be turned round from its
position on the right-hand side of the jaw A into the successive positions
indicated by the dotted lines, till it closes back against the opposite or left-
hand side of the jaw A. E, is an arched metal rack, which is affixed to the
jaw B, and has on its upper edge two sets of teeth cut the reverse way to each
other. The curves of this rack are obtained by combining the segments of
two circles, struck respectively from the centres of the recesses in the plate
D, which receive the pins a and b, respectively, the arc 1 being described
from the recess of the pin a, and the arc 2 from that of b. F and N are
catches which take into the rack E, and are supported on one pivot or centre
at the top of the jaw A, but are free to work independently of one another.
The catch F takes into the rack when the holder is in the position repre-
sented in Figure 1, and the catch N takes into it when the jaw is in the
position shewn in the dotted lines B, B, Figure 2. Thus, on whichever side
of A the jaw B is situated, it is there securely held until it is designedly
released. G¹, G³, are square bars of iron, which are inserted into recesses
in the lower end of the jaws A and B, and pass through the plates C and D,
where they terminate in round projections as shewn. These bars serve to give
strength to the holder, and furnish also convenient supports for it when
placed in a frame. H is a cylindrical pin which projects from the upper end
of the jaw B, beyond the support of the holder, for a purpose herein-after
described. I, I, are cylindrical pins which project from the jaw A to the
same distance as the ends of the bars G', G; K, K, are guard plates which
are attached to the jaw A, for guiding the flax or other material while it is
being turned over by the movement of the jaw B on its hinges; L are the
jambs or sides of the holder frame; and M, a connecting cross bar; m, m,
are recesses to receive the round projections G', G, of the holder; and n, n,
are guides for receiving the pins I, I, which as they play in the guides allow
the jaw A, which bears the ratches F and N, to oscillate while its support G:
passes across the recess to the position G, Figure 5; the respective supports
of the jaws A, B, changing places when the holder is folded over. The mode
of filling and working this roller is as follows:-Supposing the jaw A to be
laid flat upon a table and retained in suitable recesses or beds, made for its
reception, the streaks of flax are then laid upon it in the ordinary manner;
the jaw B is then held vertically or nearly so, and the recesses in its hinge
plates are engaged in the corresponding projections of the hinge plates of A:
It is then folded upon the flax and pressed flat upon. A, when the catch F takes
into the rack E, and then holds the jaws tightly together with the flax, or
other material between them. The holder is then put into the heckling

page_text: machine, and the streak subjected to the operation of the heckles. When
the end of the streak requires to be changed, this is effected by releasing the
catch and folding back the jaw B to the opposite side of taking care to
keep the hinge joint in constant contact. This operation can be done by
hand without taking the holder out, when such a support as above described
is employed, or the movement may be effected by having a crank with a
suitable intermitting motion to receive and conduct the projection H of the
jaw B in the path traced in the dotted lines Figure 2, when the descent of
the holder in the machine will release the catch, and allow the jaw B to be
carried round to the opposite side of A, and thus the end of the streak which
was originally held between the jaws A and B will be left hanging down,
while that portion which was originally pendant will be carried up and
inclosed between the opposite sides of A and B. With this holder both ends
of the flax or other fibrous material can be successively operated upon for
any length of time requisite, without once transferring or shifting the streak
from the holder. These several holders (as well as the holder used with the
switching machine, may be made in the principal parts of gutta perchà,
whereby greater clasticity and durability will be secured. Gutta perchia may
also be substituted with advantage for felt and cloth where used in flax
holders, as for example in the holder No. 3, before described.
The improvements in holders which I claim as of my Invention, are as
follows:-
I claim the employment of a division plate or bar, or stud or pin in the
centre of the holder, as exemplified in the holder No 1 and before described,
and the substitution, in all cases where the division plate or bar, or pin or
stud aforesaid is not used, of a pin or stud fixed in the table of the machine,
as also before described.
I claim also the making of the upper piece of the holder in two parts,
each turning on a hinge or hinges independently of the other, and the locking
or fastening of these doors by a turning bar acting on both as exemplified in
the holder No. 1, and before described.
I claim also the holder No 2, in so far as respects the making of the
top piece to turn on one end hinge, and the locking of the two pieces by means
of a vertical bolt, fixed in the bottom piece and pressing up through the top
5 piece, and having a bevilled or inclined slot at top, into which a key or bolt
of a wedge form is inserted.
I claim also the holder No. 8, in so far as respects these arrangements, by
which either of the saws or clamps can be folded or doubled back on the
other, and the ends of the streak reversed without removing or shifting the
0 streak itself from the holder.

page_text: And finally, I claim the employment in the construction of instruments for
holding flax and other like materials while being brushed, heckled, scutched,
or otherwise treated of gutta percha in combination with wood or with iron
or with wood and iron, or with any other suitable material or materials.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Plummer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and four