IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BREAKING OR SCUTCHING FLAX, HEMP, OR THE LIKE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th June 1883. Communicated to
him from abroad by Taylor Burrows of Paris, France
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR BREAKING OR SCUTCHING FLAX, HEMP, OR THE LIKE [a communication to
him from abroad by Taylor Burrows of Paris, France
"
This invention relates to apparatus for breaking or scutching hemp, flax, yarn or
other textile material and has for its object to execute mechanically the work
which heretofore has been accomplished by hand, that is to strip the filaments from
fragments of wood, straw, or other material which adhere to them subsequent to
the crushing operation. Whether this crushing is effected by hand or by
machinery, there are always fragments of wood or straw to be found entangled
in the mass. It is necessary to remove these fragments from the filaments by a
beating process in order to supply proper fibres to thread manufacturers. Thore
are various ways of cleaning these fibres, such cleaning may for instance be effected
by hand with the assistance of a "beater," or it may be done by machinery by
means of sticks arranged in the shape of spokes in a wheel, which sticks thrash the
material which is put in front of them by a workman who turns it in all directions
until the cleaning is completed. This cleaning may also be effected by means of a
wheel or drum provided with small wings, which being revolved by a pulley scrape
off and take away the fragments of straw or wood.
By means of this invention, I effect a rapid and perfect cleaning as hereinafter
described.
According to the said invention I provide a shaft which carries two naves
having one or more spokes or arms of suitable length. Upon the extremities of
these spokes or arms I fix plates of metal, wood, or other suitable material which
act as knives or scrapers during the revolution of the said shaft. These plates
may be inclined if required.
The material which is to be acted upon is placed in a suitable position. The
speed of the shaft may have a tendency to turn the material away, and in order
to avoid this I prolong the beating plate beyond the part or arm to which it is
attached and curve the said plate more or less.

page_text: As the rapid revolution of the shaft causes this curved part to strike the air,
(in consequence of which a partial vacuum is produced at the top), the material is
forcibly carried downwards and placed in position to receive the beating of the
following plate or knife; the same operation is repeated on the passage of each
plate. This curved part of the plate may be detached and thus rendered inde-
pendent of the same providing the exhausting action is rendered certain. These
beaters are made broad in order to prevent the material which is worked upon
from enveloping the same.
The workman holds the said material in his hand and upon an iron guide parallel
to the beaters, which arrangement allows him to come close to the said beaters to
hold the material easily, turn it about properly, and prevent the same from being
torn away.
Thus, the material, being subjected to more or less violent blows from these
beaters according to the manner in which they are inclined, is completely cleaned
from the straw or wood which adhered to it. To facilitate this cleaning I place
behind the plate or knife a row of points which are bent back, these points being
made of metal, or other suitable substance, providing that in all cases they are bent
back as before stated in order to prevent the material from enveloping the
beaters; these points further assist in separating and dividing the fibre which is
being cleaned.
When several beaters are used these points are placed in curved rows, so that
each hand-full of material will be touched by every point during its revolution
which assists and facilitates the cleaning by means of the curved plates. Although
these points or fingers are bent back I prevent all possibility of the material being
torn away and enveloping the beater, by using a vertical or inclined plate, which
is placed opposite these bent points or fingers and prevents the material from
arriving at the ends of the points during the revolution, and helps it, instead, to
slide above or between the said points.
I can arrange these points so as to be independent of the plate or knife, or I can
fix them upon the plates near the striking part of the same. These plates or
knives may be fixed upon the periphery of one or several circular pulleys or upon
arms and I can also arrange one or several plates to each machine.
This machine may be used in combination with a decorticating machine, as for
instance that described in the Specification of former Letters Patent dated
April 18th AD. 1883 No 1974 and arranged upon the same frame or I can
arrange it to effect the cleaning required, in combination with any crushing
machinery