AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND CLEANING FLAX STRAW
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ellins, of the Borough of Droitwich,
in the County of Worcester, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND CLEANING FLAX STRAW."
Scaled the 13th April 1853, and dated the 22nd October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ellins at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd October 1859.
I, GEORGE ELLINS, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND CLEANING
FLAX STRAW" to be as follows:-
In the construction of apparatus, which will consist―
Of flexible flax holders, formed of light frames of wood, which may
be about three feet in length, two feet in breadth, and three quarters of
an inch in thickness, and of india-rubber bands formed into small rings
to run on the sides of the frame, and a large central ring to hold the
flax straw.
Of a skeleton table frame, which may be three feet long, two feet
wide, and from one foot to two feet high, made of wood, the top of
which may be formed of about nine ribs, cach rib about one inch wide
and two inches deep, the ribs having equal spaces between them and

page_text: running lengthways of the frame, and will be joined at the ends to
similar ribs forming the ends of of the frame. Upon the top of the ribs,
running lengthways, will be fastened bands or layers of india-rubber,
about half an inch wide, a quarter of an inch deep, and of the same
length as the ribs, and upon these bands or layers are placed across thic
skeleton table frame and on their edges teeth of different shapes and
sizes, made of wood or metal, and which will have about nine holes
through cach of them, each hole being about half an inch square, and
through these holes india-rubber bands of the same size will be passed
and the teeth suspended thereon. The india-rubber bands are also
passed through the end ribs, and being expanded will be held at the
degree of tension as will give the flax straw a suflicient shaking and
rebounding during the working. There will be either metal or india-
rubber washers fixed on the india-rubber suspended bands between
every one of the teeth, and some of the teeth are fastened to the ribs,
placed lengthways.
Of a skeleton roll, made of either metal or wood, the length thereof
to correspond with the width of the skeleton table frame, and the
diameter thereof may be from three to nine inches; the roll is fitted
up with teeth, india-rubber bands, and washers, in the same way as the
skeleton table frame, or the roll may be all of one piece with the edges
or points so shaped as to fit to and accord with the edges or points of
the teeth of the table frame; the frame or handle to which the roll is
attached may vary in shape, and be made suitable to be worked by
manual labour.
Of a table or frame, made of wood, which will be about three feet
long and two feet wide, and the surface of which table or frame will be
covered over with a sheet of india-rubber about half an inch thick,
and the sheet of india-rubber will also be covered over with wood or
metal rods of various forms, shapes, and sizes, fixed crossways thereon.
Of a beater, made of wood, which may be about two feet long, two
inches thick, and four inches wide, having a corrugated face to it, and
a flexible handle formed of wood and india-rubber.
Of a frame bed, made of wood, which may be about three feet long,
two feet wide, and two feet high, and the surface of which will have ribs

page_text: of wood fitted crossways thereon, about two inches deep and one inch
wide at the bottom, gradually tapering to a blunt edge at the top; there
will be spaces of two inches, or rather less, between each of the ribs,
and the ribs will have holes of about half an inch in diameter through
them, with a space of about four inches between cach hole. India-
rubber bands of about half an inch in diameter will be passed through
the holes from end to end, and then expanded and held at a moderate
degree of tension, and upon these bands and in the spaces between the
ribs concave metal rods will be fastened.
Of stampers, made of wood, and which will be about two feet long
and about four inches broad, and the face or faces of the stampers will
be fitted with ribs, india-rubber bands, and concave metal rods, similarly
to those herein-before mentioned.
Of an upright pillar or shaft, made of wood, and which may be about
five feet high, on which will be affixed, so as to turn round,, a wood
frame, which may be about three feet in length or depth, two and a half
feet square at the top, and two feet at the bottom, and having a
smooth boarded front.
Of flexible sheets, formed of leather or of woollen or other suitable
cloth, which may be about three feet long by two feet in breadth, on
which india-rubber bands about one inch wide and half an inch thick
will be fastened lengthways, having three or four inches of space
between each band; upon these bands small irregularly shaped bits of
india-rubber will be fastened, and upon the bits of india-rubber will be
placed crossways small wood laths with rounded edges, sufficient in
number to cover the whole of the surface of the sheet.
Of a wood knife, which may be about two feet long, and having one
or more blades, and with either a wood or flexible handle; and,.
Of a flexible comb.
Also, in the apparatus being portable, and admitting of the whole
process being carried on where the flax straw is grown; and in an
arrangement and union of india-rubber with wood and with metal,
which will create such peculiar flexibility and elasticity of movement as
will cause the flax straw to be more readily and effectually cleaned and

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Ellins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE ELLINS, of the Borough of Droitwich, in the County of
Worcester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said George Ellins, Her special
licence that I, the said George Ellins, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as 1, the said George Ellins, 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 term
therein expressel, 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, and the Colonies of New Zealand,
Van Dieman's Land, New South Wales, Australasia, and Victoria, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DRESSING AND
CLEANING FLAX STRAW," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Ellins, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and scal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what mauner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Ellins, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thercon (that
is to say):
My Invention consists, firstly, of a method herein-after particularly
described of dressing flax straw, whereby the fibres of the said flax

page_text: straw are seperated or partially seperated from one another, and from
the cellular tissue and other matters constituting the said flax straw..
Secondly, of a method herein-after particularly described of cleaning
flax straw after it has been dressed.
The first part of my Invention, that is to say, my method of dressing
flax straw, is carried into effect in the following manner :-The said flax
straw is subjected to the action of the machines or apparatus herein-
after described, by which it is repeatedly subjected to a bending process
whereby the fibres of the flax straw become seperated from one another,
and from the cellular tissue and other matters, the said bending of the
said flax straw being confined within such limits as to avoid the risk of
fracturing the fibres of the said flax straw. The machinery and imple
ments whereof I carry this part of my Invention into effect are illustrated'
on Figure 1, of the accompanying Drawing. Figure 1, represents &
transverse section of the frame or holder in which the flax straw to be
dressed is held during the said dressing; and Figure 2, represents the
same in plan. The said holder consists of a light wooden frame a, a,
about three feet long and two fect wide (although I prefer these
dimensions I do not limit myself thereto); a series of rings of vulcanized
caoutchouc c, c, are placed on the longer sides of the frame a, a, looped
to the said rings; c, c, are other rings d, d, of such a size that they
may be stretched from side to side of the frame a, a, as shewn in the
Drawing, each of the said rings d, d, forming, when so stretched, two
parallel bands, extending from side to side of the frame a, a. Although
the rings d, d, are larger than the rings c, c, yet the latter are thicker
in substance, and hence are but little stretched by the tension of the
rings d, d. The rings c, c, may be made of wood or metal or other
inflexible material, or the rings d, d, may be attached to the frame in
any other convenient manner. The flax straw to be dressed is placed
in the frame between the two bands formed by each of the rings
d, d, as shown at e, e. I prefer operating upon from two to three
pounds of flax straw in each of the frames, Figures 1, and 2. The
frame, Figures 1, and 2, containing the flax to be dressed is placed upon
the table upon which it is to be dressed, the construction of which said
table is illustrated in Figures 3, 4, and 5. In order that the construc-

page_text: tion of the said table may be more readily understood I remark that
the said table consists of a series of teeth, made of strips of wood or
metal, and that the said teeth are strung together side by side on
stretched threads of vulcanized caoutchouc, and that between the said
teeth small washers of any suitable materials are strung on the threads
carrying the said teeth, so as to prevent the said teeth coming into con-
tact; the edges of the said teeth constitute the face of the said table, and
as the holes in the said teeth through which the stretched thread of vul-
canized caoutchouc passes are not all at the same distance from the top
of the said teeth, but vary in distance from the said tops by a gradual
and alternate increasing and decreasing quantity, the combined surface
of the said teeth has an undulating or wave-like form, as seen in the
transverse section in Figure 5. The surface of the said table is elastic,
or partly so, as the teeth forming it are mostly suspended on clastic
threads, as described. The said table has about the same size that
the holder, Figures 1, and 2, has. Figure 8, represents a transverse
.section of the said table, and Figure 4, a plan of the same; fif,
are a series of ribs running from end to end of the said table and
equidistant from one another; these ribs are attached to the ends
of the frame and taper downwards, as represented, in order that the
refuse falling from the flax straw during its treatment on the said
table may not clog up the spaces between the said ribs. The top
of each of the said ribs is covered with a strip of caoutchouc or other
clastic material. 9, 9, are a series of transverse ribs which rest upon
the tops of the longitudinal ribs f. f. These ribs are supported in their
places by their ends entering into holes in the sides of the table; they
are supported, as shown in the Drawing, on the elastic covering of
the ribs ff. Between the said ribs g, g, are situated a series of teeth
h, h, (indicated in Figure 4, by the fine transverse lines); the said teeth
do not rest upon the longitudinal ribs f. f. but are suspended on threads
or nes of caoutchone extending from end to end of the table. These
threads or lines pass through and are supported by the ribs g,g, but the
said teeth h, h, have no other support than the said threads or lines.
The said teeth h, h, are of different depths, but all of them of less depth
than the ribs g. 9, as seen in the longitudinal section, Figure 5. The

page_text: teeth h, h, are so hung upon the threads or lines that their combined
upper faces form an undulating surface, as seen in the said Figure 5.
Washers of any suitable material alternate upon the threads in order
to prevent the teeth h, h, coming into contact. The flax straw to be
dressed and cleaned, and contained in the holder, Figures 1, and 2, is
laid upon the table, Figures 3, 4, and 5, in the manner indicated in
Figure 5, that is to say, the said straw is placed longitudinally upon the
said table, and across the teeth h, h, and is subjected to the action of the
roller represented in Figures 5, and 6. The said roller consists of radial
fixed ribs i, i,between which moveable radial teeth are suspended by
caoutchouc lines or threads, and rest upon a bed of caoutchouc or other
elastic substance, or the said roller may be made by fixing ribs radially
at equidistant points on a cylinder and suspending the yielding teeth
between the said fixed ribs. .The edges, of the said fixed ribs and
-yielding teeth are parallel to the axis of the said roller, and the.length
of the said roller is equal to the width of the table, Figures 3, 4, and 5.
The ribs i, i, of the roller are situated at a distance from each other
equal to the distance of the ribs g, g, Figures 3, 4, and 5, from one
another. The axis of the roller, Figures 5, and 6, works in a frame or
double handle k, Figure 5.. After the flax straw held in the frame,
Figures 1, and 2, has been laid upon the table,' Figures 3, 4, and 5,
as herein-before described, the roller, Figure 6, is laid thereupon and
passed backwards and forwards several times, the said roller being
moved either by one workman..at one end or by a workman at each
end of the double handle. The effect of the working of the said roller
is to bend the flax straw into an undulating form, and, thereby loosening
the fibres, and partially detaching them from one another and the cel-
lular tissue. By an examination of Figures 5, and 6, it will be seen
that a yielding surface on the table is always opposed to a fixed surface
in the roller, and the reverse, as the ribs i, i, in the roller always fall
between the ribs g, g, of the table; as the flax straw is thus in no case
pressed between two fixed surfaces during the action of the roller
there is little risk of the fibres being fractured. Although I prefer con-
structing the table, Figures 3, 4, and 5, and the roller, Figures 5, and 6,
in the manner described and represented, yet I do not limit myself thereto,

page_text: as my Invention may be carried into effect by various modifications of the
said table and roller; for instance, I sometimes omit the ribs 9,9, on the
table, Figures 3, 4, and 5, and make the whole surface of the said table
of yielding teeth, and make the roller used therewith without any yielding
teeth. In such case the said teeth may, besides being strung on threads
of caoutchouc, be made to rest on a layer, or two or more layers, of
caoutchouc, supported on a plane surface, whereby a yielding power is
communicated to the whole of the said teeth, and the roller may be made
of a cylinder on which fixel teeth only are placed, or it may be made
by fluting the same. Instead of making the teeth of strips of wood, as
described, I sometimes make them of strips of metal; hoop iron answers
very well for the purpose. Instead of the said teeth I sometimes use
concave semi-cylindrical metal rods, supported on a bed of caoutchouc,
as represented in section in Figure 7. Instead of operating upon the flax
straw by any of the rollers described, I sometimes use a beater, either
held in the hand or turning upon a centre connected with the frame of
the table, or with a centre capable of travelling along the said table.
Figure 8, represents a transverse section of a hand beater; and Figure
9, a plan of a beater working on a centre connected with the table,
Figures 3, 4, and 5; the said hand beater may either be worked by
being held at the end, or it may be held at its back, and all parts of
the flax straw on the table are benten in succession by striking with
the said beater on all parts of the said table. When the said table is
made according to the method illustrated in Figure 7, I prefer to use
therewith the corrugated back of the beater, Figure 8, and when the
beater, Figure 9, is used, the centres on which the said beater turns
may either be made to travel along the edges or sides of the table,
Figures 3, 4, and 5, or the said centres may be fixed, in which case it
is necessary to move the holder of flax straw under the said beater, in
order to expose every part of the said straw to the action of the said
beater. The flax straw is subjected to the action of the rollers, Figures
5, and 6, or beaters, Figures 8, and 9, upon the table, Figures 3, 4,
and 5, during about half a minute, or so long as may be necessary to
seperate the fibres and detach the refuse matter from the said flax straw,
as far as the same may be affected by the said treatment. I sometimes

page_text: reat the said flax straw, after it has been subjected to the treatment
erein-before described, by a machine which I call a rubber roller,
nd which is represented in transverse section in Figure 10. It consists
f one or more solid fluted rollers 1, 2, much smaller than the rollers
ercin-before described, and with which the workman can apply the
equisite force to the flax straw. The small roller being limited to a
maller portion of the flax straw than where the larger roller is used,
he same pressure applied by the workman is more effective. The
able I use with the said rollers, Figure 10, is made up of teeth,
all of which are supported on an elastic bed, and the said teeth are of
two different depths only, and alternate, as shown in the said Figure 10.
After the flax straw has been subjected to the action of the machines
herein-before described, the holder containing the same is reversed and
the several operations repeated, so that both sides of the said flax straw
may be similarly acted on. After the flax straw has been subjected to the
treatment or treatments described, the said flax straw still held by its
holder is removed from the table, and placed on the machine represented
in vertical section in Figure 11, in order to be subjected to the treat-
ment which constitutes the second part of my Invention. The said
machine consists of a frame m, mounted upon an axis n; each of the
four sides of the said frame is of a size equal to the holder, Figures 1,
and 2, and is furnished with any suitable contrivance for readily
attaching the said holder thereto in such a position that the fibres of
the flax straw shall lie transversely to the axis on which the said framc
rotates. o, is one of the fixed uprights on which the axis n, works.
The sides of the said frame m, that is to say, the plane surfaces of the
same, against which the flax straw rests when the holders are fixed on
the said frame, has a corrugated figure and is elastic. Its construc-
tion is illustrated in Figure 12, which represents on a large scale a
vertical section of a portion of the same; p, p, are a series of laths or
strips of wood of an oval section; these laths are supported in the
position represented, that is to say, they are inclined to each after the
manner of the boards of a louvre; they are held in the said position by
the beds q, q, of caoutchouc, on which they rest, and which permit
a certain amount of yielding on the said laths. Instead of making

page_text: the frame m, rotate on a horizontal axis, I sometimes make it
rotate on a vertical axis; the modification of this part of my Inven-
tion is illustrated by Figure 13. A holder of flax straw (which has
previously been subjected to the action of the machines, Figures herein-
before described,) is placed on each of the sides of the machines,
Figures 11, and 13, the caoutchouc bands d, Figures 1, and 2, having
all been drawn to that end of each of the frames, which, when the said
frame is being operated upon in the manner next described, will be
uppermost. The workman takes an instrument, which I will call a
knife, and which consists of a lath of wood, and striking it against the
upper part of the flax next below the caoutchoue rings, draws it down
the whole length of the flax straw; this operation is repeated until the
workman judges that he cannot remove more of the refuse from the
said flax straw; the machine is then turned round through a quarter
revolution, whereby a second frame of flax straw is presented to the
workman, who treats it with the knife in the manner described, and so
on, till all four of the holders of flax straw have been thus treated. As
the frame rotates, an assistant, on the side opposite to the workman,
takes off each frame in succession, and reverses it, that is to say, he
turns it so as to present to the workman the face which was before
turned inwards, but he does not invert it, that is to say, the end which
was uppermost is still maintained uppermost. After the machine,
Figures 11, or 13, has made two revolutions, both sides of each of
the four frames have been presented to the workman, and have been
operated upon by him. The rotation of the frame being continued, the
assisstant removes each frame as it is presented to him, and inverts
them, removing the caoutchouc rings from that which was the upper
end, and bringing them to the end which is now uppermost. Being
again operated upon by the workman, the portions which the knife did
not pass over, owing to the caoutchouc rings, is brought under the opera-
tion of the said knife, and on the fourth rotation of the machine the
frames are again turned by the assistant, so as to present the reverse
faces, and again subjected to the action of the knife. Each of the
portions of flax straw contained in the frames has thus been subjected
four times to the action of the knife. Instead of making the said knife

page_text: of a single lath, I sometimes make it of two or more laths, joined
together by an elastic medium. and inclined to each other, as repre-
sented in section in Figure 12. By the action of the said knife the
seperation of the refuse matters from the fibres of the flax straw is
completed, and the lower ends of the said flax straw only requires to be
combed with a comb having clastic teeth. During the action of the
knife the holders require to be reversed, and inverted in the manner
described with respect to the last described treatment. I sometimes use
the machine, Figure 11, in connection with the rubber rollers, Figure
10; that is to say, the frames or holders of flax straw are fixed in the
frame, and the roller, Figure 10, worked on them as they are in succes-
sion brought into a horizontal positition. The machine, Figure 11, may
also be used in place of the table, Figures 3, 4, and 5, but I prefer the
fixed table.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise method of carrying my Inven-
tion into effect herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of my said Invention. But I claim,—
Firstly, the method and apparatus herein described, and illustrated
in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, of the accompanying
Drawing, of dressing flax straw.
Secondly, the method and apparatus herein described, and illustrated
in Figures 11, 12, and 13, of the accompanying Drawing, of cleaning
flax straw.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ellins, have heretofore
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
GEO. ELLINS. (L.S.)