AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF AND MACHINERY FOR HECKLING OR COMBING FLAX, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles de Jongh, of Lautenbach, in the Empire of
France, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF
AND MACHINERY FOR HECKLING OR COMBING FLAX, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 30th November 1858, and dated the 26th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles de Jongh at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th July 1858.
I, CHARLES DE JONGH, of Lautenbach, in the Empire of France, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
SYSTEM OF AND MACHINERY FOR HECKLING OR COMBING FLAX, SILK, OR OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of "An Improved System of, and Machinery for Heckling or
combing Flax, Silk, or other Fibrous Substances," relates to a novel arrange-
ment of the needles or combs employed for heckling, combing, or straightening
the fibres, and these operations are effected in a more complete manner and with
less waste than by the ordinary system, and the action of the hand in heckling
is more closely imitated than in the mechanical systems heretofore employed.

page_text: My improved system consists in the use or application in a peculiar manner
of sets of needles of different degrees of fineness, and which are made to act in
succession upon the strick of fibres, that is, the coarser needles or combs are
first brought into action and are made to commence their operations upon the
end of the strick, and then gradually to advance along the strick up to the holder,
so that the strick is acted upon more gradually than in the machines usually
employed, and consequently less waste of material is produced. The finer needles
are placed behind the coarser ones, and as many sets of needles of varying or
increasing fineness are employed as may be found necessary, and which will in
some measure depend upon the nature and quality of the fibre to be acted upon.
The sets of needles being ranged one behind the other according to their
degree of fineness, it will be understood that when the coarser needles have
acted on the end of the strick the finer ones will immediately after and in
regular succession act on the same part, so that the coarser needles or combs
will act as openers and straighteners, and will coarsely comb out the fibres
preparatory to their being heckled or combed by the finer combs or heckles.
In
The mechanical arrangements for effecting the intended object may be very
considerably varied in their details; I do not therefore mean to confine myself
rigidly to any precise arrangement of parts, but the manner in which I propose
to carry out the Invention may be briefly described as follows:-The stricks
of fibres to be operated upon are secured in holders or other analogous con-
trivances in the usual manner, and the needles or combs arranged, one behind
the other according to their fineness, are set at an angle to the line of the
holders, so that the end fibres, as the holders travel through the machine, are
first brought under operation, and as the holders advance the combs or needles
enter further into the strick, and consequently gradually comb it, commencing
with the extreme end and finishing up near the grip of the holders.
carrying out my improvements I propose to make use of two lots of needles or
combs in combination, so that both sides of the strick may be operated upon
simultaneously, and both lots of needles are to have the same motions com-
municated to them; and they are so arranged that the needles of the two. lots
-or-combinations will intersect each other to a certain extent. In order to
effect the combing operation it is necessary to impart several distinct motions
to these combs; for instance, the combs are first opened by drawing asunder
the two lots or combinations, then they are advanced towards the strick which
enters between the combs as they advance, and the teeth then close on the
strick and penetrate between the fibres, the combs are then drawn back and
will thereby comb out and straighten the fibres. These operations are
repeated continuously as the holders travel forward with the strick, which will

page_text: thereby be combed out perfectly. When the combs have been drawn back to
their first position they are again opened ready for a second advance; and in
order to clear the combs of knots, noils, and other matters which may have been
combed out of the strick, the combs are provided with moveable wires, rods, or
other analogous instruments which are laid down at the roots of and between
the rows of teeth or combs while they are in operation; but when the combs
are opened or drawn asunder ready for a second advance, the wires or rods are
raised from the roots of the teeth, and will thrust or push out from the combs
any knots, noils, or extraneous matters, as well as loose or waste fibres that
have been drawn out from the strick by the combs. These waste or loose
fibres, in the form of a loose sliver, fleece, or sheet, are delivered from between
the wires or rods which support the fleece to a pair of rollers placed imme-
diately behind the combs, and will be conveyed by these rollers either to a
cylinder or drum, or to some suitable receptacle, from whence the mass may be
afterwards taken, and any valuable fibres removed therefrom by means of
subsequent operations. These rollers are only actuated when the combs
are drawing back or receding from the holders, and thereby combing the
strick.
In place of the combination of combs above described, an arrangement or
combination of screw gills may be employed; or an arrangement of bars
provided with suitable teeth and made to alternate by a crank motion, may be
used; but whatever arrangement may be employed for working the comb
teeth, the latter must be set at an angle to the line of the holders, so that
the ends of the strick may be first operated upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles de Jongh in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DE JONGH, of Lautenbach, in the Empire of France, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles de Jongh, Her special license that I, the said Charles de
Jongh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,

page_text: the said Charles de Jongh, 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF AND MACHINERY FOR HECKLING OR COMBING
FLAX, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles de Jongh, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles de Jongh, 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 and accompanying Drawing (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates chiefly to an improvement in heckling and combing
machinery, whereby stricks of flax, silk, and other fibres may be submitted to
the action of different gradations of pins in succession, each gradation com-
mencing to operate at the end of the strick and working up to the holder with-
out the aid of a moveable head trough or guide for carrying the holders. This
I effect by the use of reciprocating combs fitted with any required number of
gradations of steel pins or necdle points, which are so arranged in parallel lines
or otherwise, that the different gradations or gauges of pins will be grouped
one behind the other and at an angle to the line of progress of the holders, but
so that each group will extend from the back to the front of the comb. The
coarsest pins I place foremost, and in rear of these the next gauge, and finer
pins behind these, and so on, if more than three gradations are considered
requisite. Thus the stricks, when traversed within reach of my improved con-
struction of comb, will first be opened from the point upwards by the coarsest
gauge of pins, then in like manner by the second gradation, and so on until
all the gradations have acted in succession upon the strick.
The_manner_of_carrying_out_this_novel_system_of_combing_will_be_best
explained by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a
plan view of a combing or heckling machine constructed according to my In-
vention; and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a detached.
view of a pair of combs shewing the mode of mounting them; and Fig. 4 is a
plan view of the underneath comb, shewing the manner of arranging the pins.

page_text: a, a, (Figs. 1 and 2) is the main framing, on the lower part of which the
main driving shaft c is mounted in suitable bearings. This shaft carries belt
pullies d for receiving and transmitting motion from any first mover to the
machine. Keyed to the shaft c is a pinion e, which takes into and drives a
spur wheel on a stud axle f; connected to this wheel and revolving therewith
is a cam g, upon which the bowle of a weighted lever h bears. This lever has
for its fulcrum a pin projecting from a bracket on the framing, and to the other
end of the lever a link i is jointed, which connects it at its other end with the
under one of a pair of combs k, by which the heckling or combing of the fibres
submitted to the machine is effected. These combs are severally carried by
pairs of arms k*, which hang upon a common fulcrum rod 7, having its bearings
in a frame m, m, that slides on V's or guides on the framing a. On this
sliding frame m are also mounted rock shafts n and n*, to the former of which
are keyed short rock levers n'. These levers are connected by a pair of
arms o, o, with one or other of the pairs of arms k*, that
carry the upper
and lower combs, for the purpose of transmitting from the lower comb to the
upper comb a like motion to that which the lower comb receives directly from
the link i through the cam g and vibrating lever h. The traverse motion
of the sliding frame is derived in the following manner :-On a stud axle p,
secured to the lower part of the framing, a face cam q is mounted loosely,
and to its inner face is affixed a spur wheel q*, which gears into and is
driven by a spur pinion c* on the driving shaft c.. In the outer face of the
cam ga cam groove is formed to receive the bowle of a rock lever r, sup-
ported by a fulcrum pin that projects from a bracket on the framing a. The
upper end of this rock lever is forked to receive a stud m, which projects from
the sliding frame m; as, therefore, the lever is rocked by the revolution of
the cam g, a reciprocating motion is given to the frame m, which carries with
it the combs, and thus causes them to approach and recede from the fibres
presented to their action by the holders, while the time for opening and closing
the combs is determined by the cam g before mentioned. Connected with the
combs is an arrangement of bars t, t, for clearing the combs of the noils and
dirt which may accumulate on or between the pins of the combs. These bars
lie between the rows of pins when the combs are in action, and they are
carried by being soldered to plates t*, tx, which are bolted to arms u, u, that
rock upon the fulcrum rod l. These arms, like the rocking arms * of the
combs, are connected by means of the arms o', with short levers n² on the rock
shaft n, and set at a different angle to those on the rock shaft n. To the
upper plates t stop pieces v, v, are bolted, which, standing up above and pro-
jecting over the back of the upper comb, will, when the comb is raised a

page_text: distance somewhat greater than the length of the pins, be lifted by the comb,
and thus ensure the lifting of the arms u, u, together with the plates t*, *,
and the clearing bars t, t, of both the upper and lower combs; the simultaneous
movement of the upper and lower bars being ensured by the arrangement of
rock levers n³, and connecting arms o¹ above described. For taking up and
conveying away the noils and refuse fibres combed out of the stricks submitted
to the action of the machine, a pair of drawing off rollers w, w, is employed.
These rollers are set a little in the rear of the combs, and they are mounted
between vertical guides attached to the opposite sides of the main framing.
The lower roller is driven by spur gearing (as shewn at Fig. 2), which receives
motion from a ratchet wheel x on the axle of the spur wheel a¹, being driven
by a click a, mounted on the stud m* of the sliding frame m. As, therefore,
the rocking of the lever r moves back the frame m and draws the comb pins
through the flax or silk under operation, the click will pull round the ratchet
wheel, and thereby cause the rollers w to rotate and draw off the loose fibres
and noils that the bars & may have cleared off from the combs.
t
It will now be understood that if the flax, silk, or other fibrous material
which is required to be combed, is secured in suitable clamps or holders y, and
passed through the machine by any suitable progressive motion, and the
machine just described in detail be set in action, the combs will first advance
in an open position, as shewn at Fig. 3; they will then close upon the strick,
and while closed they will be drawn back through the staple, and bring with
them any noils and loose fibres which the comb pins may have disengaged.
At the moment this receding motion of the combs commences, the rollers w
will begin to rotate and take up the noil and waste fibres that had by the
preceding strokes of the combs been drawn out of the strick and advanced
towards them. The rollers will then pass down the noils and waste fibres into
any proper receptacle, as indicated by the red lines in Fig. 2, or on to an
endless travelling cloth employed in lieu thereof to receive them. The combs
will now-open, and the bars t, t, remaining for a time stationary as regards the
combs, will strip off the refuse matter from the comb pins. The bars will
next open, leaving the noil and waste fibre on the tail of the strick, ready
to be removed from the succeeding strokes of the combs. In the other
-position the combs and bars will remain until they are again carried up to the
holder, when they will close upon the strick, and the combing and clearing
action will be repeated. The relation of the traversing and opening and
closing motions of the combs will be readily traced on inspecting the diagram
of the cams g and q, as shewn at Fig. 5, wherein it will be seen that while
that quarter of the cam q, indicated by the numeral 1, is in action, and causing

page_text: the combs to recede, the corresponding quarter of the cam g, from being
concentric, is inactive. While, however, the second quarter (2) of the cam q,
which is concentric, is passing the bowle of the lever r, the corresponding
quarter of the cam g will, by acting on the bowle of the lever h, open the
combs, and the next quarter (3) being concentric, the combs will remain open
during the time that the corresponding quarter of the cam 9 causes the combs
to advance towards the stricks. The completion of the rotation of these cams
will preserve the combs in position by the quarter of the cam 9 marked 4,
being concentric, while they will be caused to close on the stricks by reason of
the increasing radius of the quarter of the cam g that is now brought into
action. A rapid repetition of these movements will quickly deprive the staple
of noils, dirt, and loose fibres. The speed of traverse of the holders through
the machine, as compared with the number of strokes of the comb, will depend
upon the quality of material under operation; but I may remark, as a guide,
that when silk waste is under operation, the comb pins should strike about
125 times through the strick while it is travelling past the inclined edge of the
comb. The length of stroke which I prefer to give the combs when acting
upon silk waste material is about two inches, as I find that a short stroke
many times repeated is more efficacious than larger strokes more slowly
delivered. Thus the action of the machine will be to draw the noils and
waste fibres gradually towards the tail of the strick instead of combing them
out by a stroke of equal length to the staple. The short stroke of the combs
will be found most efficient when the pins or needle points are grouped
together in close rows, as shewn at Fig. 6, which represents the combs closed
and ready for action. When thus arranged, the lines of pins in the upper and
lower combs will intersect each other like the bristles of two brushes pressed
upon each other, and thus ensure an intimate action upon the silk fibres,
These combs are fitted, like the arrangement first described, with clearing
bars, which are shewn in action at Fig. 7, and in their quiescent position at
Fig. 6.
Instead of giving my improved construction of comb a reciprocating motion,
I may find it desirable to arrange the pins of gill bars in the manner above
described with reference to Fig. 4, and by setting these bars at an angle to
the line of traverse of the holders, the advantages derivable from the peculiar
combing action above fully set forth will be obtained.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of an improved system of
and machinery for heckling or combing flax, silk, or other fibrous substances,
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim acting

page_text: upon stricks of fibres, which receive simply a traverse motion through the
machine, in the manner and for the purpose above set forth, whether a
reciprocating or continuous motion be imparted to the combs.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles de Jongh, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
C. DE JONGH. (L.S.)