Spinning and in Machinery Employed therein.
Year: 1884

page_text: Spinning and in Machinery Employed therein.
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING FLAX OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS FOR
to be as follows:-
SPINNING AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
"
Hitherto in order to prepare flax or hemp for spinning it has been found
necessary to submit the fibre to the following operations: 1st breaking, 2nd scutching,
3rd preliminary hackling (6mouchetage), 4th hackling; 5th finishing or combing
(repassage). Each of these operations has been distinct from the others and has
required a special machine or special manipulation, each operation has also produced
loss or waste of fibre and the cost of all these manipulations has been high and the
work imperfect.
Now according to this invention all the different operations are effected by one
machine which comprises a successive series of operating devices as hereinafter
described.
The
The machine is constructed generally on the principle of a machine for hackling
flax. A portion or strick of the flax or fibre to be operated upon is locked in a
holder which slides in the carriage of the machine and receives an up and down.
movement. The fibre is submitted successively to, 1st breaking jaws, 2nd piercing
pins, 3rd a scutcher or beater, 4th hackles, 5th finishing backles or combs.
material thus operated upon is then reversed in the holder as is done in ordinary
hackling and again submitted to the same successive operations. All the parts of
the machine are worked from the same shaft by suitable gearing and connections.
The breaking portion of the machine is composed of a pair of jaws between which
the fibre is inserted and they are toothed or fluted to act upon the fibre; they may
be in the form of wheels or sectors toothed or fluted on their periphery or of discs
or plates with teeth or flutes upon their face; when in the form of wheels or sectors
they have a reciprocating rotary motion and when in the form of discs or plates
they have a reciprocating rectilinear motion. The piercing pins consist of 2 sets
of long horizontal pins fixed respectively on 2 vertical plates facing each other; the

page_text: pins pass through holes in a narrow box into which the portion of fibre to be
operated on is inserted and the plates with the pins have a reciprocating
movement so that in their forward movement the pins pass through the holes in
the box and through the fibre, the points of the pins of the one set passing the
points of those of the other set, while in the reverse or return movement the pins
are withdrawn from the box. The employment of these piercing pins constitutes
an important feature of the improved process and machinery for preparing fibres.
The scutcher or beater to which the fibre is next submitted consists of a number of
scutching or beating devices carried either on an endless travelling apron or on
radial arms fixed to a rotating shaft. The hackles are the same as those ordinarily
employed in hackling flax. The finishing hackles or combs are carried on an endless
travelling apron (there are preferably 2 of such hackling aprons arranged to act
respectively on the 2 sides of the tress of fibre at one time) and they act only upon
a portion of the length of the tress, they remove lumps and tow left by the previous
hackling. Rotating brushes serve to clear the hackles or combs.
Instead of employing a single machine it is evident that the series of 5 operations
above described can be effected by 2 or more adjoining machines, but the continuity
of the work must be preserved.
By means of this invention the following advantages are obtained:-economy of
hand-work, less waste, longer and better fibres. The piercing of the material as
described overcomes the difficulty of decorticating particularly such fibres as ramie
and china grass.

page_text: Spinning and in Machinery Employed therein.
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
Hitherto in order to prepare flax or hemp for spinning it has been found
necessary to submit the fibre to the following operations: 1st breaking, 2nd scutching,
3rd preliminary hackling (émouchetage), 4th hackling; 5th finishing or combing
(repassage). Each of these operations has been distinct from the others and has
required a special machine or special manipulation; each operation has also
produced loss or waste of fibre and the cost of all these manipulations has been
high and the work imperfect.
Now according to this invention all the different operations are effected by one
machine which comprises a continuous series of operating devices as hereinafter
described.
The machine is constructed generally on the principle of a machine for hackling
flax. A portion or strick of the flax or fibre to be operated upon is locked in a
holder which slides in the carriage of the machine and receives an up and down
movement. The fibre is submitted successively to, 1st breaking jaws, 2nd piercing
pins, 3rd a scutcher or beater, 4th hackles, 5th finishing hackles or combs: The
material thus operated upon is then reversed in the holder as is done in ordinary
hackling and again submitted to the same successive operations. All the parts of
the machine are worked from the same shaft by suitable gearing and connections.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is a front elevation of the complete machine.
At a are the breaking jaws; at b, b the piercing pins; at c the scutcher or beater ;
at d the hackles; ate the finishing hackles or combs. Figure 2 is a side elevation
showing the breaking portion of the machine. It is composed of a pair of
jaws C, C between which the fibre is inserted and they are toothed or fluted to
act upon the fibre which is held in the holder A and is alternately raised and
lowered; the jaws may be in the form of wheels (see Figure 3) or sectors (Figure 4)
toothed or fluted on their periphery or of discs or plates (Figures 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
with teeth or flutes upon their face; when in the form of wheels or sectors they
have a reciprocating rotary motion and when in the form of disca or plates they
have a reciprocating rectilinear motion. The piercing pins are represented in
Figures 9 and 10; they consist of two sets of long horizontal pins fixed respectively
on two vertical plates facing each other; the pius pass through holes in a narrow
box into which the portion of fibre to be operated on is inserted and the two plates
with the pins have a reciprocating movement so that in their forward movement
the pins pass through, the holes in the box and through the fibre, the points of the
pins of one set passing the points of those of the other set, while in the reverse
or return movement the pins are withdrawn from the box. The employment of
these piercing pins constitutes an important feature of the improved process and

page_text: machinery for preparing fibres. The scutcher or beater to which the fibre is next
submitted may be such as represented in Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14, consisting of a
number of scutching or beating devices carried either on an endless travelling apron
(Figures 11 and 12) or on radial arms fixed to a rotating shaft (Figures 13 and 14).
The hackles for effecting the fourth operation are the same as those ordinarily
employed in hackling flax and are not shown in the figures. The finishing hackles
or combs are carried on an endless travelling apron (there are preferably two of such
hackling aprons arranged to act respectively on the two sides of the tress of fibre
at one time) and they act only upon a portion of the length of the tress; they
remove lumps and tow left by the previous hackling. Rotating brushes serve to
clear the hackles or combs. Figure 15 represents the arrangement of the finishing
hackles or combs as just described.
Instead of employing a single machine it is evident that the series of 5 operations
above described can be effected by two or more adjoining machines but the
continuity of the work must be preserved.
By means of this invention the following advantages are obtained :-Economy of
handwork, less waste, longer and better fibres. The piercing of the material as
described overcomes the difficulty of decorticating particularly such fibres as ramie
and china grass.
:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
'me I declare that what I claim is
1. In preparing flax or other fibres for spinning, submitting the fibres to a
continuous series of operations such as those described either in a single machine
or in two or more adjoining machines, substantially as set forth.
2. Specially, submitting the fibres to the action of piercing pins substantially as
set forth.
3. The arrangement of a set of devices, such as those described, in one machine
or in two or more adjoining machines so as to prepare flax or other fibres by a
continuous series of operations substantially as set forth.
Dated this 04th day of Santember 1885