AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE PREPARATION OF FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER TEXTILE MATERIALS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Vallery, of Rouen, Empire of France, and
of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE PREPARATION OF FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER
TEXTILE MATERIALS."
Sealed the 3rd August 1855, and dated the 13th February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Vallery at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
February 1855.
1, AUGUSTE VALLERY, of Rouen, Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street,
Strand, London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE PREPARATION OF FLAX, HEMP,
AND OTHER TEXTILE MATERIALS," to be as follows, viz. :-
My Invention consists in exposing the fibrous materials to the action of an
infinite number of points, which shall have no other motion in relation to the
said fibrous materials but that of pricking into the masses of fibres by short
repeated strokes, the point being at each stroke entirely withdrawn from the
fibres, at which moment a slight movement is given to the material in the
longitudinal direction of the fibres (previously in some degree at least laid
parallel to each other by any of the known means for that purpose), so that at
the returning stroke the points shall not enter into exactly the same parts of
[Price 8d.]

page_text: the fibrous mass as the previous stroke, thus splitting the filaments without a
combing or tearing motion. The flax, hemp, &c. thus prepared, when sub-
sequently heckled or combed in the ordinary mode by hand or machines, is
more easily and finely divided; or, in other words, a finer quality and larger
proportion of line than when heckled without this preparation, and the tows
are also superior.
The same movement of grooved or point-covered surfaces when applied to
unscutched or partially scutched flax, hemp, &c., or to the rough tows filled
with woody or ligenous chaff or boom, called scutching tow, breaks or pul-
verizes the boom or woody particles, and renders them more easily separable
from the fibrous portion of the materials acted apon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Vallery in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
VALLERY, of Rouen, Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Auguste Vallery, Her special licence that I, the said Auguste Vallery, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Auguste
Vallery, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the terin 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 "AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE
PREPARATION OF FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER TEXTILE MATERIALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Auguste Vallery, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Auguste Vallery, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention cousists of, firstly, a new & improved application of certain
mechanical means for softening, dividing, or splitting the fibres of various
textile materials, as flax, hemp, China grass, &c., to facilitate or render more
perfect the usual mode of heckling, combing, or dressing those materials, by
reducing the friction to which they are ordinarily exposed in those operations,
& even sometimes to supersede them.
Secondly, another application, differently modified, for the treating or
scutching tow or other like materials, to render their fibres more supple &
divisible, & also to more thoroughly break or pulverize the woody particles
or boom with which they are usually contaminated, & from which they will
be thus more easily & cutirely separated or cleaned, & made capable of more
advantageous employment.
Thirdly, another modification of the same mechanical means for breaking or
bruising the stems of certain textile plants, as flax, hemp, China grass, &c.
previously to their being scutched, by which the woody parts or boom are
more thoroughly crushed or bruised than by the usual mode; this process is
perforined, & also with less damage to the fibrous or textile portions of such
plants, which are thus more easily cleaned. The well-known means at present
employed for combing, heckling, or dressing flax, hemp, & other similar
textile plants, in order to clear & sufficiently divide their fibres to the desired
degree of fineness, consists of two combined & simultaneous movements,
whether the operation is performed either by hand or machinery, the only
difference being, that in the one case the flax or other material operated upon
is moved, the heckle or comb remaining stationary, while in the other the
reverse is generally the case. In both, the mass of material is first pricked
into or impaled upon the array of points or needles forming the hecklc or
comb, & then drawn through them, in order to split or tear longitudinally
those fibres that may have been penetrated by the points, at the same time to
clear, or, as it were, to wipe off those that may have been broken, or for other
causes are too short to be retained by the hand or holder; (this mass of shorter
or broken fibres is called tow.) Thus, as comparatively but few fibres are
divided or split at each stroke, many repetitions of these movements are
necessary before the flax, &c. can be sufficiently dressed, & it is, therefore,
evident, that by this mode of dressing, the whole length of the fibres, & their
ends more particularly, are exposed to much friction, & are thus most

page_text: materially worn or torn down, to the great detriment & lessening of the
yeild of line, or longer & more valuable portions of the material In
order to save the ends as much as possible, the middle parts are exposed, to
the inconvenience of being but imperfectly dressed. It is, in order in a great
measure, at least, toavoid these evils that I propose a new application of points
or needles to split or divide the fibres previously, during or after heckling.or
even in some cases without that operation altogether, by a simple masticating
motion, by which they penetrate or impale the fibres in a transverse direction
only, & avoiding all combing or longitudinal movement in the direction of
the fibres. For this reason, the succeeding portions of the flax to be acted
upon are advanced by an intermitting movement when clear of all contact
with the said points or needles. Each fibre may thus be supposed to be split
from one end to the other, by a consecutive application of a series of small
wedges, similar to a system frequently employed for the cleaving of wood, &c.
The effect of this process found, on comparing the results produced after
heckling, & by equal qualities of flax, &c. thus prepared or not, is, that the
former yields a much finer "line" & "tow" than the latter, & frequently
also a much larger proportion of "line." These results, clear & striking as
they are, upon all materials hitherto tried, & still more so, perhaps, in hemp
& China grass, as the harsh, stubborn nature of both is entirely subdued in
the line they produce, & the tows rendered easy of carding, being supple &
free from knots. Though in general cases it may be desirable to apply this
new process as a preliminary of all heckling, in others it may be as well or
better applied after the flax, &c. has been straightened, or even partially
dressed, as thereby, in such cases as those of soft, entangled flax, &c. the
tendency to felting is lessened; on the contrary, in cases where the material
consists of a harsh, wiry fibre, & intended for only coarse purposes, the fibres
being thus softened & divided, farther dressing may frequently be dispensed
with altogether.
When the object is to soften. & prepare for cleaning "scutching tow,"
imperfectly scutched flax, or other similar materials, I propose also to employ
a like masticating motion for beating, pulverizing, & penetrating the fibres,
combined with an intermitting one for moving forward the material, but
instead of covering the surfaces of the masticators or jaws with points or
needles only, as would be the case for simply softening, dividing, & splitting
the fibres of flax already scutched, I employ a combination of angular bars
with pins or joints, as will be more fully described hereafter. But when the
object is only to soften hemp or other harsh textile materials, or break the
woody particles or boom of textile plants, in order to prepare them forscutching,

page_text: fluted feeding rollers may advantageously be employed, & the surface of the
masticators wholly covered with angular bars, while the same combination of
movements is to be always employed.
To render more clear my meaning of "masticating motion " & intermitting
motion," & to make more full & perfect the understanding of my Invention,
I now give a plan of one form or mode of its application, probably as being
that which may be the most generally useful, as the flax, &c. can be operated
upon in a continuous sliver without being put into holders; but I do not
confine myself to this machine or form of machine, for the saine effect can be
produced upon the flax, &c. by exposing it to the action of masticators when
in the holders of ordinary heckling machines, eitherin the case of an apparatus
of masticators or jaws being attached to a heckling machine, so as to form
part of that machine, or an entirely separate machine is used for that
purpose.
Fig. 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings is a plan of the machine; Fig. 2,
a side elevation; Fig. 3, a cross sectional elevation; Fig. 4, a longitudinal
sectional elevation. The same letters & figures apply to the like parts in all
the Figures of the Sheet of Drawings.
A, A, frame sides; B, B, carriage plates; C, C, upper machoir or jaw,
having its rails so disposed that the stocks bearing the points or needles to act
upon
the material can be rivetted or screwed thereto; D,D, lower machoir, or
jaw, similarly constructed; E, E, arms or levers for connecting the upper jaw
guide plates with the crank; F, F, similar arms or levers connecting the lower
jaw with the crank; G, G, a double two-throw crank shaft, to act upon the upper
& lower jaws at the same time in opposite directions, so as to cause them to
meet & recede from each other, which I call the "masticating motion,'
before mentioned; H, fly wheel; I, I, driving pullies; K, K, cross rails for
framing; L, L, rods across the machine, passing through slotted plates fixed
to the jaws C&D, to maintain them vertical; M, feeding table, upon which
the flax, &c. is arranged, so as to be drawn in continually by the taking-in
rollers N,N, by which the material to be acted upon is conducted in the space
allotted for it between two fixed horizontal grates or trellices, so arranged that
the rows of points or needles fixed respectively on the upper & lower jaws
can pass between their interstices; that is to say, the pins or points of the lower
jaw pass through the lower grate, but are never allowed to touch the bars of
the upper one, & vice versa; the pins or points of the upper jaw pass through
the bars or wires of the upper grate, but do not descend so low as to touch the
lower one. The material between the two grates is thus penetrated or
impaled by the intersecting rows of points or needles upon the upper &lower

page_text: jaws, either entirely or partially, as may be desired. The object of these grates,
which may have a bar or wire to every two rows of points or needles, is to
prevent the flax, &c. sticking thereto, & following them on their retraction.
The rollers O, O, are for drawing forward the sliver of material at the same
time and speed that the taking rollers N, N, push towards them. P, table or
sheet to guide the sliver in its descent; R, frame of slotted guide plates, above
referred to, guide vertically the lower jaw D; S, the slotted guide plates, fixed
for the same purpose to the upper jaw E, E; 1, 2, 3, toothed wheels for
connecting together the taking-in rollers N, N, & the delivering rollers O, O.
The middle one 2 has on its axis a detent wheel, which is to be acted upon by
a pawl or catch, either by a combination of levers from the crank, or by the
upper jaw C, at the time it has risen clear of the material, for at the same
time the lower jaw D is also clear, & the material is consequently free to be
advanced to the extent desired before the jaws C & D come again in contact
withit. When this movement is effected, the catch or pawl returns to lay hold
of another tooth, & thus the operation is continued, & this is the movement
above called the "intermitting movement."
Fig. 5 shows another position of the jaws to be employed in those cases
where the material has too much tendency to become entangled or felted, when
its two sides are simultaneously acted upon in the same place. By this
arrangement, the opposite sides are operated upon, but in different parts atthe
same time. The combination of levers to effect the movements, which are
essentially the same as those above described, is so obvious as not to require a
particular explanation, farther than to say, that in this case it may be necessary
to introduce the pair of carrying rollers N³, & two double grates, one pair of
grates opposite to each jaw.
Fig. 6, pair of jaws for crushing the woody particles of and scutching tow,
&c., & softening & dividing the fibres. For this purpose, these jaws are
partially covered with angular bars, whose angles intersect in one jaw the
interstices of the other, and partially with points or pins. For breaking the
wood & boom in the stems of certain textile plants, the jaws may be covered
entirely with such angular bars, & the taking-in rollers fluted, so as somewhat
to crush the materials before arriving at the jaws.
To employ this machine with already scutched flax, hemp, &c., the flax, &c.
must be first divided into tolerably regular portions or stricks, about twice the
thickness of those by which it is intended to be heckled; the first strick or tress
must be drawn through the machine by a hook or other suitable means, so as
to be seized by the front or delivering rollers by its smaller end; the thicker
or root end, when such is the case, resting upon the feeding table, is spread

page_text: out to receive & envelope the small end of the succeeding strick with a
certain degree of overlap, which experience alone can determine, as this
necessarily varies with the length of the material. The machine is then: put
into operation, and each succeeding strick is similarly placed in regard to that
preceding, as the second above mentioned in regard to the first, and thus a
regular sliver is constantly delivered, which easily divides into its original.
constituent stricks or tresses, & the materials are thus ready for any
subsequent operation. The mode of proceeding will be much the same with
scutching tow & unbroken flax, &c. In the case of scutching tow or other
similar confused materials, it may be necessary previously by any of the known
machines to somewhat lay their fibres parallel before being exposed to this
process.
Having thus fully set forth the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood
that what I claim as novel, and therefore being secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the mode of applying points, pins, or needles to the dividing, splitting,
& softening the fibres of textile plants, such as flax, hemp, China grass, &c.
by a masticating motion, devoid of any longitudinalstroke or movement in the
direction of the said fibres or filaments.
Second, the application of the masticating movement, as herein described, by
whatever manner effected, given to jaws or masticators, garnished with either
points or pins only, or points or pins combined with angular bars or indented
plates, or garnished only with angular or other bars or indented plates, for the
purposes aforesaid, viz., the softening & dividing the fibres of flax, &c., the
breaking and pulverizing of the woody particles or boom in scutching tow &
other similar materials, & also for bruising or crushing the stems of flax &
other like textile plants, so as to render them fit for scutching.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Vallery, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of August, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
ATE VALLERY. (L.S.)