IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FLAX, HEMP. AND OTHER FIBROUS MATTERS REQUIRING LIKE TREATMENT
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Watson Burton, of Eye, in the County of
Suffolk, and George Pye, of Ipswich, in the same County, Flax Manu-
facturers, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FLAX, HEMP.
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATTERS REQUIRING LIKE TREATMENT."
Sealed the-30th May 1856, and dated the 20th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Watson Burton and
George Pye at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 20th March 1856.
We, JOHN WATSON BURTON, of Eye, in the County of Suffolk, and, GEORGE
PYE, of Ipswich, in the same County, Flax Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING FLAX, HEMP. AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATTERS REQUIRING LIKE TREATMENT," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating flax, hemp, and
other fibrous matters requiring like treatment. For these purposes, the flax,
hemp, or other fibrous materials are treated in such manner as to separate the
boon or woody parts, which heretofore have been considered refuse or waste,
but we find that such boon or woody parts may be advantageously employed
in preparing food for animals by reducing it to a powder or meal, and by com-
bining it with linseed, which we do by boiling linseed in water; and we mix
therewith the boon or woody parts above mentioned, and we form the compound
into cakes or moulded shapes for food.

page_text: Another part of our Invention consists of treating the fibrous parts of flax,
hemp, or other fibrous matter requiring like treatment, (after being separated
from the boon or woody matter, or without having first separated the woody
matter or boon,) by subjecting the same to the action of water impregnated or
combined with fuller's earth and with steam, and then to boil the fibrous
matters. During the process of boiling the fibres, they are to be alternately
closely pressed together, and then allowed to expand from time to time. The
fluid being then drawn off, the fibre is allowed to stand for a time under pres-
sure, and then subjected to the action of a machine having pressing rollers
and crimping rollers, the process finishing with pressing rollers, in order to
remove the effect of crimping. The surfaces of the rollers are during such
process of pressing and crimping wiped by felts or cloths. The fibre is then
hackled and spun. This latter process of machinery may be beneficially applied
to flax, hemp, and other fibre, prepared by other processes, in which cases
damped by the first pressing rollers; in other respects
the treatment between crimping and pressing rollers is the same as above
explained.
the fibres would be
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said John Watson Burton and George Pye in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
WATSON BURTON, of Eye, in the County of Suffolk, and GEORGE PYE, of
Ipswich, in the same County Flax Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Watson Burton and George Pye, Her special licence, that we,
the said John Watson Burton and George Pye, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we; the said John Watson Burton and George
Pye, our 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 TREATING FLAX,
HEMP. AND OTHER FIBROUS MATTERS REQUIRING LIKE TREATMENT," upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Watson Burton and
George Pye, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of
us or them, 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
the said John Watson Burton and George Pye,
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, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating flax, hemp, and
other fibrous matters requiring like treatment. For these purposes, the flax,
hemp, or other fibrous materials are treated in such manner as to separate the
boon or woody parts, which heretofore have been considered refuse or waste,
but we find that such boon or woody parts may be advantageously employed
in preparing food for animals by reducing it to a powder or meal, and by com-
bining it with linseed, which we do by boiling linseed in water; and we mix
therewith the boon or woody parts above mentioned, and we form the compound
into cakes or moulded shapes for food.
Another part of our Invention consists of treating the fibrous parts of flax,
hemp, or other fibrous matter requiring like treatment, (after being separated
from the boon or woody matter, or without having first separated the woody
matter or boon,) by subjecting the same to the action of water impregnated or
combined with fuller's earth and with steam, and then to boil the fibrous
matters. During the process of boiling the fibres, they are to be alternately
closely pressed together, and then allowed to expand from time to time. The
fluid being then drawn off, the fibre is allowed to stand for a time under pres-
sure, and then subjected to the action of a machine having pressing rollers
and crimping rollers, the process finishing with pressing rollers, in order to
remove the effect of crimping. The surfaces of the rollers are during such
The fibre is then
process of pressing and crimping wiped by felts or cloths.
hackled and spun. This latter process of machinery may be beneficially applied
to flax, hemp, and other fibre, prepared by other processes, in which cases
In other respects
the fibres would be damped by the first pressing rollers.
the treatment between crimping and pressing rollers is the same as above
explained.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.

page_text: animals by preparing and applying the powder or meal of the boon or woody
materials obtained from flax, and other similar vegetable matters which have
not gone through the retting process.
i
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of machinery used for subjecting flax,
hemp, and other fibrous matters to the action of fuller's earth in water, and
for boiling such fibrous matters in water combined with fuller's earth. Figure 2
is a plan of the apparatus or machinery.
In each of these Figures the same letters are used to indicate the same.
parts. a, a, is a rectangular vessel, having a false perforated bottom at b, on
which the flax, hemp, or other similar vegetable substance is to be placed, and
between it and the follower c. The vessel is then filled up to the under side
of the follower with water. Steam is to be turned on, which will heat the
water, and the temperature is to be kept down below 100° of Fahrenheit, until
the fibres are sufficiently softened that they will part with the epedermis. The
temperature is kept down by means of water mixed with fuller's earth, such
mixing being in a separate vessel, the impurities being allowed to subside
before the water impregnated with the fuller's earth is introduced into the
vessel a. The quantity of fuller's earth used may be varied, but we generally
employ at the rate of about one pound to every five gallons of water, with
which it is mixed in the separate vessel. d is a steam pipe by which free
steam can be introduced into the lower part of the vessel a, a. The flax, hemp,
or other similar vegetable matter is to be subjected to this process until the
eperdemis is sufficiently softened, and as much of the coloring matter and
albumen are extracted as such temperature will affect. During this process
there is caused to be a flow of fuller's earth water admitted into the vessel a, a,
and a quantity run off therefrom at the overflow pipes, and when it is found
that the fibres are sufficiently softened that the epedermis or outer skin comes
off easily by drawing a portion of fibre. through the fingers, then the fibres

page_text: in the vessel a are (if coarse) to be boiled up in the liquid. The boiling is
accomplished by admitting steam to flow more freely into the lower part of
the vessel after stopping the flow of water into the vessel.. During the pressing
of the fibres we cause a flow of clean water to run into the vat at the bottom,
which causes an overflow, and carries into the waste pipe all. the gummy and
other matters which are pressed out from the fibres, so that the impurities are
not allowed to be absorbed again by the fibres. This run of pure water is not
to be allowed to reduce the temperature of the vat, which can be maintained
by the steam. During such boiling process the follower is caused to be raised
and lowered by the gearing shewn by the Drawings, the nature of which will
be readily understood by reference to the Drawings, and therefore will not
require further description: Fine flax fibres do not require boiling, and the
heat need not be raised beyond 180° Fahrenheit, applying the pressure as
some of the heat comes up to 150° Fahrenheit. When the matters in the
vessel have been thoroughly boiled or otherwise sufficiently treated, as-above
explained, the fluid is to be drawn off, the follower is to be pressed downwards
so as to compress the fibres, until all the water has been expressed therefrom;
and we retain the fibres subjected to pressure for some time, say, four hours
or more, after the water has been drawn off, in order to mollify or soften and
partially to dry the fibres. The steam used by us is from 40 to 60 lbs. on the
square inch in the boiler, but this may be varied. The fibres are now in a
state to be treated by the machinery, which we will now proceed to describe;
or the fibres before being subjected to the action of such machinery may be
dried, and acted on in the dry state. We would state that we find that by
reason of our having used fuller's earth water, the fibres though dry will spin
more freely than when they are dry after having been prepared by other
processes, and such fibres also spin better when spinning by the wet process.
Figure 3 shows a longitudinal elevation of a machine for pressing, crimping,
and pressing fibres: f, f, are pressing rollers, between which the moist or dry
flax, hemp, or other similar fibres, after they have undergone the processes
above described or other suitable preparing process, the fibres being moistened
in case they have not been prepared by our previous process. g, g, are three
pairs of crimping rollers; more or less of these may be used, but we prefer
three pairs. h, h, are two more pressing rollers, to take out the impression of
the crimping rollers. The red lines indicate the means of driving the several
pairs of rollers. It is desirable that the two pairs of pressing rollers should
be subjected to considerable pressure, and therefore each pair is subjected to
pressure by means such as are shewn in Figure 3, but other arrangements of

page_text: parts may be used. is a felt or fabric, which constantly cleanses the surface
of the upper pressing roller of the first pair.
cla
We would state that this process of crimping and pressing by pairs
rollers (whether in the dry or wet state) is very important, for by such means
the fibres are better prepared for hackling than by any process we are.
acquainted with.
CH
In witness whereof, we, the said George Pye and John, Watson Burton,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-six.
'
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL
GEORGE PYE.
(L.S.)
JOHN WATSON BURTON: (L.S.)