IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Salford, in the County of Lan-
caster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 27th March 1861, and dated the 4th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lowry at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th January
1861.
I, GEORGE LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention is chiefly applicable to double sheet heckling machines, and it:
consists in simplifying the gearing of such machines by driving the revolving
brushes and the lower drums of the sheets by four spur wheels gearing into
each other, instead of employing carrier wheels as now customary.
The second part of my Invention consists in applying regulating screws to
the lags or stocks in which the bristles of the revolving brushes are fixed. By
means of these regulating screws the brush can be kept to its original diameter
after the ends of the bristles have been clipped or shortened, as is found
necessary when the brush has been for some time in use. A locking ring or

page_text: other apparatus may be applied to the regulating screws to prevent them
working loose. The same object of setting the bristles up to the heckles as
they wear may be accomplished by inclined planes or excentrics.
.
The third part of my Invention consists in so constructing sheet heckling
machines that the heckles may be stripped either by the usual stripping rods or
by brushes, the object of this is to enable the same machine to be used for the
extremes of coarse and fine work.
In performing this part of my Invention the machine is provided with
stripping bars and with brushes, but I support the brushes with their doffers
and combs in moveable bearings, so that when the heckles are to be stripped
by the stripping bars, the said brushes, doffers, and combs can be moved out of
the way or entirely removed from the machine. If on the other hand the
heckles are to be stripped by the brushes, the stripping bars and the apparatus
connected therewith are removed or rendered inoperative.
The last part of my Invention consists in the application of adjusting screws
to the slides of double sheet heckling machines, by which the heckle bars are
guided, the object of which is to obtain any required intersection or set of the
heckles by guiding the heckle bars in descending through the fibrous material
under operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
-by-the-said-George-Lowry-in-the-Great Seal-Patent Office-on-the-2nd-
July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Lowry, Her special licence that I, the said George Lowry, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Lowry, 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
HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said George Lowry, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Lowry, 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
(that is to say):
My Invention is chiefly applicable to double sheet heckling machines, and
it consists, first, in simplifying the gearing of such machines by driving
the revolving brushes and the lower drums of the sheets by four spur wheels
gearing into each other, instead of employing carrier wheels as now
customary.
The second part of my Invention consists in applying regulating screws to
the lags or stocks in which the bristles of the revolving brushes are fixed. By
means of these regulating screws the brush can be kept to its original
diameter after the ends of the bristles have been clipped or shortened as is
found necessary when the brush has been for some time in use.
A locking
ring or other apparatus may be applied to the regulating screws to prevent
them working loose; the same object of setting the bristles up to the heckles
as they wear may be accomplished by inclined planes or eccentrics.
The third part of my Invention consists in so constructing sheet heckling
machines that the heckles may be stripped either by the usual stripping rods
or by brushes. The object of this is to enable the same machine to be used
for the extremes of coarse and fine work.
In performing this part of my Invention the machine is provided with
stripping rods or bars and with brushes, but I support the brushes with their
doffers and combs in moveable bearings, so that when the heckles are to be
stripped by the stripping rods or bars the said brushes, doffers, and combs can
be moved out of the way or entirely removed from the machine; if, on the
other hand, the heckles are to be stripped by the brushes, the stripping
rods and the apparatus connected therewith are removed or rendered
inoperative.
The last part of my Invention is applicable to those double sheet heckling
machines in which the lower drums for the sheets or belts are driven by wheels
gearing into each other as described under the first head of my improvements,
and it consists in the application of adjusting screws to the slides by which the

page_text: heckle bars are guided; the object of these set screws is to obtain any required
intersection or set of the heckles by guiding the heckle bars in descending
through the fibrous material under operation.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a sheet heckling machine to which my
improvements are applied; Figure 2 is another end view of the same;
Figure 3 is an elevation of part of a sheet heckling machine furnished with
stripping rods; Figures 4, 5, and 6 are detached views to illustrate my
improvements in the revolving brushes.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, a, a, are the sheets or belts to which the heckle
bars are attached; c, c, are the small drums, and d, d, the larger drums
around which the sheets or belts and the heckle bars pass; e, e, are the holders
traversing along the trough f; g, g, are the revolving brushes for cleaning the
heckles; these brushes are stripped by the doffers or card rollers h, h. These
parts of the machine, and the others not particularly referred to hereafter, are or
may econstructed in the usual manner.
My first improvement is shewn best in Figure 2. In this view the driving
pulley i is connected to the pinion ', gearing in the wheel g', fixed to the shaft
of one of the revolving brushes g. This wheel g¹ gears into the wheel d',
fixed to the shaft of one of the lower drums d; the other lower drum and
revolving brush are in like manner driven by the wheels d and g². By thus
driving the brushes and drums by four wheels gearing into each other
the gearing is considerably simplified and the carrier wheels usually employed
are dispensed with.
The second part of my Invention is illustrated by the Figures 4, 5, and 6;
Figure 4 being a section through one of the revolving brushes g, and Figures 5
and 6 detached views of one of the stocks. The brush is represented with
eight lags or stocks g on the circumference, but more or less may be used.
Each lag or stock is provided at each end with a regulating set screw 9*, which
is tapped into the centre piece go, by which, and the ends, the stationary lags g
are supported. The set screws are turned round by a box key fitting on the
square ends, and they are connected to the stocks by a plate k with a slot, as
shewn in Figure 5. The swivel pieces connected to the stock are set so
as to come against the flat side of the square head of each set screw, thereby
locking the screws fast when they have been set. By means of these regulating
screws the stocks can be set further out as the bristles wear away, so as to keep
the brush to its proper diameter. The projection at the under side of the

page_text: stock is to give steadiness when the bristles have been considerably reduced in
length, and the stock elevated above the circumference of the roller. I wish to
remark that the same object may be attained by inclined planes or eccentrics,
the peculiar feature of novelty consisting in setting up or regulating the bristles
of the brush to the heckles by adjustable apparatus.
The third part of my Invention consists in so constructing sheet heckling
machines that the heckles may be stripped either by the usual revolving
brushes, or by stripping rods.
In Figures 1 and 2 the machine is shewn with the usual revolving
brushes g. 9, which strip the noils off the heckles; these brushes are stripped
by the doffers h, h, and these doffers are stripped in the usual manner by the
combs 1, 1. The brushes, doffers, and combs are supported in moveable
bearings, and when it is desirable to strip the heckles by means of stripping
rods they are either moved out of the way or entirely removed from the
machine. The stripping rods v, shewn in Figure 3, are then applied to the
heckle bars. These stripping rods are constructed in the manner described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the Sixth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, No. 2030, or in any
other convenient manner. The tow stripped from the heckles by the rods v
drops on to the grating underneath the machine or is caught by the comb w,
which is attached to the swivel arms w¹. When the comb w requires cleaning
the attendant liberates the weighted arms w¹, which then swivel over and
bring the comb in a convenient position for being stripped. The bearings of the
combs w are also moveable to enable them to be removed with facility when
the revolving brushes are to be again brought into action. The object of this
part of my Invention is to enable the same machine to be used for the extremes
of coarse and fine work.
The last part of my Invention is shewn best in Figure 1, and it consists in
the application to double sheet heckling machines of the adjusting set screws
to the slides a¹, which guide the heckle bars b in their down stroke. The slides
are forged with projections fitting into the adjustable plates a connected to
the uprights y, which are adjustable laterally on the plate, fitting on the
main framing of the machine. The set screws are screwed into the uprights y,
and their heads enter into slots provided for them in the projections =¹ of the
plate; consequently by turning the set screws a round, the slides r¹ are brought
nearer together or further apart, thereby giving any required intersection or set
to the heckles b in descending through the fibrous material under operation.
This provision is essential when the lower drums d for the sheets or belts a are
driven by the gearing shewn in Figure 2, as the distance between the

page_text: centres of the drums is governed or determined by the diameters of the
wheels d' and d³.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of my Invention, I
declare that I claim,-
First, the improved system of gearing for communicating motion to the 5
revolving brushes and drums of sheet heckling machines, as shewn and
described in reference to Figure 2, or when applied to any heckling machine
in which continuous bars or heckles are employed.
Secondly, the application of regulating set screws or other equivalents to
the lags of revolving brushes, whereby the diameter of the brush may be kept 1
uniform after the bristles have been shortened by wear or otherwise, as shewn
in Figures 4, 5, and 6, and as described.
Thirdly, the so constructing double sheet hecking machines that the heckles
may be stripped either by the usual revolving brushes or by stripping rods, as
shewn and described in reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
And lastly, the application of adjusting screws to the slides or brackets of
heckling machines when the drums or barrels are driven in the manner above
described, as shewn and described in reference to Figures 1 and 2.
I
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lowry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord 2
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEO. LOWKY. (L.S.)