IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."A communication.
Sealed the 19th January 1855, and dated the 1st August 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Broo-
man at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st August 1854.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER LIKE
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," (communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad,) to
be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for dressing
flax, hemp, and other like fibrous substances, and the object sought to be
accomplished by these improvements is the production of the greatest amount
of clean unbroken fibre on one machine and at one operation. Hence the
processes known as breaking, scutching, and heckling, which processes are
generally separate and distinct performances, are by these improvements all
accomplished at once. The improved machine consists of a substantial frame,

page_text: upon which is arranged a series of revolving tools, which act upon the straw
submitted to them in such way, as, in the first place, to break out the wood or
"boon" to a greater or less degree, and next, to clean and fully subdivide the
fibre and further separate the tow, leaving the pure flax completely dressed.
The handling is performed so gently, and yet so thoroughly, that the quantity
of tow obtained is very small, while the yield of pure flax fibre is proportion-
ately increased. The annexed Drawing is a section of the working parts of
the machine. The frame of the machine is rectangular, and between the
parallel sides and near the top are arranged the tools for dressing the flax.
These consist of two sets or rows of drum heads, to which the beaters, hecklers,
and scutching knives are secured. These drum heads revolve upon shafts, one
set of shafts being so placed over the other as to form a diagonal arrangement
of the two. The first tool which acts upon the flax is the beater or breaking
cylinder. In this, a, a, are the drum heads upon its shaft, which are connected
together by a set of cross bars a', arranged equidistantly around the edges of
the drums, as shewn. The centre line of the shaft is on a level, or nearly so,
with the edge of the feed board or place of sending in the flax, so that the
circumferences of the drums will be near the said edge shewn at c, by which
means the breaking bar will first strike the flax horizontally. Following this are
the heckling and scutching tools, and as these are all alike, a description of the
construction of one will serve also for the others. Upon the shaft there are two
drum heads, as in the case of the breaker; these are connected together by two
kinds of bars, the bars being set at different angles to the circumferences, and
the two kinds arranged alternately around the drum; one kind performs the
heckling and the other the scutching. The heckling bars 6 are narrow plates,
the outer edge of which is serrated. These heckling plates, instead of being
set in the drums upon a radial line, are set at an angle to such line, and this
angle, as will be perceived, is the reverse of that usually given to the teeth of
carding machines. This is done in order that the teeth may clear themselves
from the flax fibre, by being, as it were, withdrawn from it after acting upon
it, which would not be the case were the teeth on a radius of the drum head.
The angle on leaving the flax would cause some to follow, and thus the
cylinder would soon become filled or choked up, and the operation come to an
end. The other bars are for scutching or dressing. These beat out and
strip off the remaining particles of straw, spread and separate the fibre, and
prepare it to receive the more complete action of the heckling bars. These
bars are seen at d, arranged alternately with those having teeth, but set in
the drum heads on the line of a radius. Two rows of such cylinders aro

page_text: arranged horizontally upon the frame; the shafts of the upper are on a line
with the first cylinder or beater a, and at such distance apart as to bring the
circumferences of the drums quite near to each other. The shafts of the
lower row are placed in a like horizontal direction, but diagonally from.
the upper ones, as shewn in the Figure. The shafts on which the drums
revolve pass through one side of the frame sufficiently to receive the driving
pulley. These pullies, however, are not all of one size, but diminish by regular
gradation, from the first, at the front of the frame, which is the largest, to the
last, at the back end; by this means each drum has an increased speed over
the preceding one, and this serves an important purpose in the action of the
machine on the flax. From each pulley there is a driving belt connected with
the main power. It is intended to cover the whole machine tightly, except
at the feeding mouth, whereby all dust and flying particles of flax, &c., so
injurious to those employed in working by the old modes, are prevented
from escaping into the apartment, and the health of the operators is thus
unimpaired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER LIKE
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," (communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad,)

page_text: upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald
Brooman, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, do
hereby declare the nature of the 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, that is to say:
This Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for dressing
flax, hemp, and other like fibrous substances, and the object sought to be
accomplished by these improvements is the production of the greatest amount
of clean unbroken fibre on one machine and at one operation. Hence the
processes known as breaking, scutching, and heckling, which processes are
generally separate and distinct performances, are by these improvements
all accomplished at once. The improved machine consists of a substantial
frame, upon which is arranged a series of revolving tools, which act upon the
straw submitted to them in such way, as, in the first place, to break out the
wood or "boon". to a greater or less degree, and next, to clean and fully sub-
divide the fibre and further separate the tow, leaving the pure flax completely
dressed. The handling is performed so gently, and yet so thoroughly, that the
quantity of tow obtained is very small, while the yield of pure flax fibre is
proportionately increased.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawing is a perspective view of the machine, and
Figure 2 is a section of the working parts of the same. A is the frame of the
machine, which is rectangular, and between the parallel sides of which and
near the top are arranged the tools for dressing the flax. These consist of two
sets or rows of drum heads, to which the beaters, hecklers, and scutching knives
are secured. These drum heads revolve upon shafts, one set of shafts being so
placed over the other as to form a diagonal arrangement of the two. The first
tool which acts upon the flax is the beater or breaking cylinder; in this, a, a,
are the drum heads upon its shaft, which are connected together by a set of
cross bars a', arranged equidistantly around the edges of the drums, as shewn.
The centre line of the shaft is on a level, or nearly so, with the edge of the
feed board or place of sending in the flax, so that the circumferences of the
drums will be near the said edge, shewn at c, by which means the breaking bar

page_text: will first strike the flax horizontally. Following this are the heckling and
scutching tools, and as these are all alike, a description of the construction of
one will serve also for the others. Upon the shaft there are two drum heads,
as in the case of the breaker; these are connected together by two kinds of
bars, the bars being set at different angles to the circumferences, and the two
kinds arranged alternately around the drum; one kind performs the heckling
and the other the scutching. The heckling bars 6 are narrow plates, the outer
edge of which is serrated, as shewn in Figure 1. These heckling plates, instead
of being set in the drums upon a radial line, are set at an angle to such line as
seen in Figures 1 and 2, and this angle, as will be perceived, is the reverse of
that usually given to the teeth of carding machines. This is done in order that
the teeth may clear themselves from the flax fibre, by being, as it were, with-
drawn from it after acting upon it, which would not be the case were the teeth
on a radius of the drum head. The angle on leaving the flax would cause
some to follow, and thus the cylinder would soon become filled or choked up,
and the operation come to an end. The other bars are for scutching or
dressing. These beat out and strip off the remaining particles of straw, spread
and separate the fibre, and prepare it to receive the more complete action of
the heckling bars. These bars are seen at d, arranged alternately with those
having teeth, but set in the drum heads on the line of a radius. Two rows of
such cylinders are arranged horizontally upon the frame; the shafts of the
upper are on a line with the first cylinder or beater a, and at such distance
apart as to bring the circumferences of the drums quite near to each other.
The shafts of the lower row are placed in a like horizontal direction, but
diagonally from the upper ones, as shewn in Figure 2. The shafts on which
the drums revolve pass through one side of the frame, sufficiently to receive
the driving pulley. These pullies, however, are not all of one size, but diminish
by regular gradation, from the first, at the front of the frame, which is the
largest, to the last, at the back end; by this means each drum has an increased
speed over the preceding one, and this serves an important purpose in the
action of the machine on the flax. From each pulley there is a driving belt,
connected with the main power, as represented in Figure 1. The cover B is
shewn as cut off at about the middle, for the purpose of exposing the interior
arrangement of the machine. It is intended to cover the whole machine
tightly except at the feeding mouth, whereby all dust and flying particles of
flax, &c., so injurious to those employed in working by the old modes, are
prevented from escaping into the apartment, and the health of the operator is
thus unimpaired.

page_text: The operation of the machine is as follows:-The drums are put in motion,
and the proper velocity, which should be quite rapid, maintained. The
attendant, now grasping a handful of flax straw, feeds it in rapidly endwise
upon the board c, keeping a firm hold of the opposite end of the bundle. The
woody part is instantly broken out, by the bars a of the beater striking upon it
against the edge of the feed board, as seen in Figure 2. The fibre, and such
particles of the boon as still adhere to it, are carried under and pass between
the scutching and heckling drums. As the speed of each of these drums
increases, the flax is drawn between them, and is brought to bear against the
bars with a certain force, caused by the tendency to be straightened, due to
the drawing of the more rapidly revolving drums, while the flax follows the
sinuous course formed by the circumferences of the one set of tools lying
between those of the other, as seen in Figure 2. By this means a very effec-
tive, although gentle, mechanical action is obtained, and the clean fibre thereby
very rapidly set free. The attendant now draws out the bundle, and seizing
the dressed end, reverses and sends in that which was before held in the hand,
and consequently is as yet unfinished, and thus completes the operation. The
blunt edges of the scutching bars, alternating in their action with the teeth on
the heckling bars, result in producing very superior work, the effect of the
plain-edged bars being to spread out into thin strata the mass of fibres, thus
enabling the teeth of the heckling bars to pass through and through, and hence
every particle of the fibre is sure to receive its mechanical action, whereby all
tow and remaining particles of the boon are effectually cleaned out, as
described. The method of setting the heckling bars, so that the teeth shall
pass through the flax inclining forward, is an important feature to prevent
them from taking off the fibre and carrying it around, for were these teeth
vertical, the whole would soon become foul, and the operation cease.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the said
Invention is,
First, the construction and arrangement of the heckling and scutching
drums, that is to say, drums having a series of heckling bars, or bars armed
with teeth, and set at an angle with the radius, in combination with the blunt
edged or scutching bars, the drums so made being arranged in two rows, one
above the other, with the centres of their shafts diagonally placed, so as to
cause the flax in passing between to be acted upon by both sets of drums, as
herein described.
And, second, combining the shafts of all the drums with the main driving

page_text: power by pullies or wheels of different sizes, so graduated as to cause each
successivo drum to revolve with greater velocity than the preceding one,
commencing from the feed place, whereby the flax is stretched or drawn
inward with a certain tension, and thus made to receive a greater mechanical
action from the drums, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.S.)