IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Reynolds, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, and James Reynolds, of the same Place, Engineers and
Machinists, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
Sealed the 13th October 1859, and dated the 19th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Reynolds and
James Reynolds at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 19th April 1859.
We, PETER REYNOLDS, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, and
JAMES REYNOLDS, of the same Place, Engineers and Machinists, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR HACKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar mechanical arrangement for
splitting, dividing, or cutting longitudinally the fibres of flax, hemp, and other
fibrous materials by means of hackles secured to moveable detached sliding
bars, projected by springs, buffers, cams, tappets, or levers into the fibrous
substance, causing the hackle pins to penetrate the fibres instantaniously, and
close below the holders. Instead of entering the fibres in an oblique direction,
as is the case more or less in all other machines now in use, the hackle pins
are driven forward at right angles or in a horizontal line into the fibrous
material, when it is suspended vertically with such velocity as to pierce the
fibres, and split or separate them into a greater quantity of finer quality,

page_text: then passing down through the fibrous substance removing all extraneous
matter. This part of the Invention is also applicable to all hackling machines
fitted with revolving sheets, straps, or chains, from the surface of which
moveable detached sliding bars having hackle pins secured thereon can be
projected. These bars are driven forward by means of springs, buffers, cams,
tappets, or levers, causing the hackle pins to penetrate the fibrous substance
herein-before described, and they can be made to act with or without sheets,
straps, or chains, and to operate on both sides of the fibrous material simul-
taneously or on one side only if required. This part of the Invention can also
be applied to drawing and roving frames for preparing flax as a simpler and
cheaper mode of actuating gills, thereby dispensing altogether with screws such
as are now in use.
The second part of this Invention is applicable to all hackling machines in
which the strick holders are made to descend and ascend, and it consists in
the application of clips, buffers, or rollers for the purpose of holding the ends
of the stricks of flax or other fibrous material steady when being operated
on by the hackles.
The last part of the Invention is applicable to all hackling machines in
which the strick holders are raised up and down, and traversed from one end
of the machine to the other, and it comprises an improved combination of
wheels and levers to produce the desired motion. By means of this arrange-
ment the flax or other fibrous material is lowered gradually between the
hackle surfaces, permitting the fibres to be well hackled at the ends, and then
to descend slowly to the holders, where it rests until sufficiently operated upon,
and then is raised up quickly and passed on to another gradation of hackle
pins; this operation being repeated until the fibrous substance has passed
through the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Reynolds and James Reynolds in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 19th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
REYNOLDS, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, and JAMES REYNOLDS,
of the same Place, Engineers and Machinists, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of

page_text: Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Peter Reynolds and James Reynolds, Her special license
that we, the said Peter Reynolds and James Reynolds, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Peter Reynolds
and James Reynolds, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR HACKLING FLAX AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Peter Reynolds and James Reynolds, by an instrument in writing under
our 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Peter Reynolds and James Reynolds,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar mechanical arrangement for
splitting, dividing, or cutting longitudinally the fibres of flax, hemp, and other
fibrous materials by means of hackles secured to moveable detached sliding
bars, projected by springs, buffers, cams, tappets or levers, into the fibrous
substance, causing the hackle pins to penetrate the fibres instantaneously and
close below the holders. Instead of entering the fibres in an oblique direction,
as is the case more or less in all machines now in use, the hackle pins are
driven forward at right angles or in a horizontal line into the fibrous material,
when it is suspended vertically, with such velocity as to pierce the fibres, and
split or separate them into a greater quantity of finer quality, then passing down
through the fibrous substance removing all extraneous matter.
This part of
the Invention is also applicable to all backling machines fitted with revolving
sheets, straps, or chains, from the surface of which moveable detacheil sliding
bars, having hackle pins secured thereon can be projected. These bars are
driven forward by means of springs, buffers, cams, tappets or levers, causing
the hackle pins to penetrate the fibrous substance as herein-before described,
and they can be made to act with or without sheets, straps, or chains, and to

page_text: operate on both sides of the fibrous material simultaneously, or on one side
only, if required. This part of the Invention can also be applied to drawing
and roving frames for preparing flax, as a simpler and cheaper mode of actuating
gills, thereby dispensing altogether with screws such as are now in use.
The second part of this Invention is applicable to all hackling machines in
which the strick holders are made to descend and ascend, and it consists in the
application of clips, buffers, or rollers, for the purpose of holding the ends of
the stricks of flax or other fibrous material steady, when being operated on by
the backles.
The last part of the Invention is applicable to all hackling machines in
which the strick holders are raised up and down and traversed from one end of
the machine to the other, and it comprises an improved combination of wheels
and levers to produce the desired motion. By means of this arrangement the
flax or other fibrous material is lowered gradually between the hackle surfaces,
permitting the fibres to be well hackled at the ends, and then to descend slowly
to the holders where it rests until sufficiently operated upon, and then is raised
up quickly and passed on to another gradation of hackle pins, this operation
being repeated until the fibrous substance has passed through the machine.
And in order that our said Invention of "Improvements in Machinery or
Apparatus for Hackling Flax and other Fibrous Materials" may be properly
understood, we shall now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on
the explanatory Sheet of Drawings, which we have hereunto appended for the
purpose of showing certain modifications under which our improvements may
be judiciously carried out in practice, that is to say:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation or front view of a series of three
hackle bars, looking upon the front part of the bars in which the pins or teeth
are arranged; Figure 2 is a corresponding elevation of a single bar, but looking
upon the back of the bar, and Figure 3, an edge view of the same. Figure 4
is a transverse vertical section of the main portion of a hackling machine
arranged in accordance with our improvements, showing the hackle bars placed
in working position, and applied to a double sheet intersecting hackling
machine. Figure 5 is an elevation of a detached portion of the machine to
show the arrangement of the lifting motion. Figure 6 is a partially sectional
elevation showing another mode of actuating detached moveable hackle bars.
According to the modification shown in Figures 1 to 5 on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, the hackle bars A are made either of iron or of wood with
iron ends. The extremities of each bar A is prolonged outwards so as to
form a laterally projecting pin B at each end of the bar; these pins are of a
cylindrical gure except at the part C, which is immediately contiguous to the

page_text: end of the bar A; at this part the pins are square in transverse section. Just
beyond the squared parts C, a projecting piece or swell D is formed on the
back of each bar, which projecting part is tapered off in an angular direction
towards the lower part of the bar. The squared parts C of the hackle bars
are so made in order to fit the grooves of the hackle bar guides, as will presently
be described, and there is a corresponding squared part E at the centre of the
bar, which fits a central guide. At each side of the part E there is a projecting
swell which tapers away towards the lower part of the bar, similar to the
corresponding parts D, near the ends. To the faces of the bars A are secured
the hackle stocks F, in which the hackle pins or teeth are arranged; the
teeth are disposed in the usual manner, being placed gradually closer to each
other towards the left hand, or vice versa. The hackle bars, constructed in
this manner, are arranged in the machine one above the other, and they are
caused to traverse in a downward direction by means of the wheels G, which
are shown in Figure 1 on our illustrative Drawings. These wheels are fitted
upon transverse shafts H, to which motion is communicated by means of
gearing in any convenient manner; the teeth of these wheels are prolonged
outwards in a tangential direction, forming as it were so in any projecting fingers.
Upon motion being communicated to the wheels G, the teeth successively
come into contact with the projecting pins B of the hackle bars, the pressure
of the teeth causing the bars to descend in regular order. The hackle bars
are guided so as to traverse the predetermined course or path by means of the
vertical guides I, two of which are shown in Figure 4 on the accompanying
Drawings. These guides are formed of cast iron, and they may or may not
form the standards of the hackling machine framing; they are made with
grooves or openings to receive the squared parts of the hackle bars. The
hackle bars traverse down the vertical slots or openings of the contiguous
guides, round a curved groove formed in the blocks J or lower part of the
guides, and then upwards in the curved slots or openings at the outer parts of
the guides. The hackle bars are caused to descend the vertical slots by the
action of the wheels G, and as they reach the lower part of the guides, an
arrangement is provided by means of which the hackle teeth or pins are
always turned in the direction of the fibrous material to be operated upon.
At the lower part of the extremities of each hackle bar is a
laterally pro-
jecting pin K; as the bars descend in succession and reach the blocks J, the
pins K take into the curved groove L, which is formed in the face of each
block. The hackle bars are carried round or caused to traverse the grooved
path in the blocks by means of the wheels M, which are fast to the parallel
longitudinal shafts N, which are actuated by means of gearing, that derives its

page_text: motion from the main shaft. The peripheries of the wheels M are made
with indentations O, which, as the wheels rotate, catch on the projecting
pins B of the hackle bars, and carry them round the grooves L. Whilst the
pins K of the hackle bars are traversing the grooves, the rotatory movement
of the wheels M cause the bars to make a partial revolution round their
respective pins. By this means as the pins traverse the grooves L, the bars
are brought back nearly to the vertical position, and then they fall back one
below the other as they are carried upwards out of the grooves, the hackle
pins or teeth being all the time presented towards the inner part of the
machine where the fibrous materials are operated upon. The ascending series
of backle bars are raised by the rotatory movement of the wheels M as they
cause the bars to come in succession one beneath the other. As each hackle
bar rises to the upper part of the guide, it is struck and moved forwards with
great rapidity by means of the tappets P, which are fast to the horizontal
shafts Q, these shafts being actuated in any convenient manner from the
moving parts of the machine. The upward traverse of the hackle bars is
checked by the stops R, and the rotatory action of the tappets P, which come
into contact with the projecting parts D, instantly drives the hackle bar
forward in a horizontal direction, which causes the teeth to be driven in at
right angles to the pendent strick of flax S, which is held in the holder T.
The tappets P are arranged to act alternately upon the hackle bars, which are
in this manner driven into the flax strictly at right angles thereto, and
immediately below the jaws of the holders. As the hackle bars are caused to
descend by the rotatory movement of the wheels G, they operate in succession,
and the strick is hackled upon both sides in the most effective manner.
tow is removed from the hackle teeth by the rotatory brushes U, which are
arranged at the lower part of the series of hackle bars, so as to strip off the
tow as the bars are carried round in the grooves L. The tow is removed
from the rotatory brushes U by the doffers V, which are arranged parallel
thereto; as these doffers rotate their surfaces are kept clear by the longitudinal
knives or combs W, which are fitted in immediate contiguity to the doffers V.
As the tow accumulates below the doffers, it is removed from time to time by
the machine attendant.
The
In Figure 5 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, we have shown an
elevation of our improved mechanical arrangement for actuating the strick
holders, by means of which a gradual lowering motion of the holders is
obtained, combined with a rapid lifting action when the fibrous materials
have been sufficiently operated upon. The apparatus consists of the open
frame X, the upper part of which is prolonged in a vertical direction above

page_text: the open part of the frame. The inner faces of the opening in the frame X
have secured to them, or cast with the frame, the vertical racks Y and Z,
and to the outer part of the vertical stem of the frame is affixed a third
rack a. The rack Y has in gear with it the segmental wheel b, the arm of
which is fast to the horizontal shaft c, which also carries the segmental
pinion d; this pinion gears with the right hand vertical rack Z. The upper,
vertical rack a is in gear with the pinion e, which can be changed to give any
required traverse on the horizontal shaft f, which shaft carries the pulleys g;
to the peripheries of these pulleys are attached the chairs h, which support the
flax holders T. The rotatory motion of the shaft c causes the pinion d to gear
with the rack Z, and in consequence of its small diameter the frame X is
slowly raised, which causes the holder T to descend at the same rate of
motion. The segmental wheel 6 and pinion d are so arranged that as the
last tooth of the pinion leaves the rack Z, the first tooth of the segmental
wheel comes into gear with the rack Y, the greater diameter of which causes
the frame X to descend quickly, and thus raise the holder T at the quick rate
of speed after the fibrous materials have been duly operated upon by the hackle
teeth; another mode of arranging and actuating the hackle bars is shown in
Figure 6 of our illustrative Drawings. According to this modification the
parallel shafts i have keyed to them the spur wheels j, which are in gear with
cach other; one arm of each of these wheels has a slot in it, in which is fitted
a crank pin k. To these crank pins are attached the lower extremities of the
connecting rods 7, the upper ends of which are fast to the tubular slides m;
these slides work up and down the stationary vertical guides n. The inwardly
projecting parts of the slides m are connected by horizontal arms o to tho
hackle bars p, the extremities of which are guided in their vertical traverse by
the guides q.
As the hackle bars are caused to descend by the rotatory motion
of the wheels j, and the vertical action of the slides m, they press back the
blade springs r, which are attached to the inner faces of the guides q; as the
hackle bars reach the bottom of the guides, the springs project or force them
back to the outer vertical grooves of the guides, the hackle pins being in this
way kept directed towards the inner part of the machine. The slides m now
ascend, carrying with them the hackle bars, and when they reach the springs s
these springs are moved back upon the hackle bars, clearing the central part
of the guides; the elasticity of the springs start the hackle bars forward in a
horizontal direction. The sudden forward movement of the hackle bars
causes the hackle pins to enter the strick t of fibrous material strictly at right
angles to the pendant strick, and immediately below the jaws of the buffers or
clips u, which are arranged below the ordinary bolder T. The buffers or

page_text: clips are attached to the laterally projecting sliding pieces v, which move to
and fro in guides projecting out from the face of the guides q. The slides v are
made with a pendent projection on each, in which part is a pin w, so that
when the springs s are moved back by the hackle bars, the springs come in
contact with the pins, and thus open the jaws of the buffers or clips u, so as
to admit of the fibrous material being raised or lowered. The jaws of the
buffers or clips are, however, tightly closed upon the fibrous material by the
reaction of the springs, and before the hackle pins have reached the strick. By
either of the foregoing modes of operation, flax or other fibrous materials may be
hackled in a very superior and effective manner, and the mechanical arrange-
ments, more or less modified, may be advantageously applied to machinery- for
effecting operations other than that of hackling in the preparation of fibrous
materials.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for hackling flax and other fibrous materials, as herein-before described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of hackling flax or other fibrous materials by
means of machinery or apparatus in which the backle bars are moved or
projected forward in a horizontal line so as to enter the fibrous materials at
right angles thereto, and immediately below or close up to the jaws of the
holders, as herein-before described and shown in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Third, the system or mode of arranging and constructing moveable and
detached sliding hackle bars, which bars are arranged in the hackling
machine one above another in the manner herein-before described and shown
in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification of the said
arrangement.
Fourth, the application to and use of in hackling machinery generally of the
moveable and detached hackle bars, arranged as herein-before described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth, the system or mode of actuating or imparting motion to moveable
and detached hackle bars by means of the mechanical arrangements herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere
equivalent therefor.

page_text: Sixth, the system or mode of imparting a differential movement to the
holders of the fibrous materials by means of the mechanical arrangement
herein-before described and shown in Figure 5 on the accompanying Drawings,
so as to obtain a gradual descent of the fibrous materials during the hackling
operation, combined with a rapid lifting or withdrawing action.
Seventh, the system or mode of hackling fibrous materials by means of
the mechanical arrangement herein-before described and shown in Figure 6 on
the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Eighth, the application to and use in hackling machinery of buffers or clips
for the purpose of holding the fibrous materials steady during the hackling
operation, and more particularly whilst the ends are being operated upon.
In witness whereof, we, the said Peter Reynolds and James Reynolds,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
PETER REYNOLDS. (L.S.)
JAMES
REYNOLDS. (L.S.)