IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING THE WOODY PART FROM THE FIBRE OF FLAX
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ferdinand Wilhelm Kaselowsky, of Bielefeld, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Flax Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING THE WOODY PART FROM THE FIBRE OF FLAX,
Sealed the 29th March 1867, and dated the 4th October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ferdinand Wilhelm
Kaselowsky at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 4th October 1866.
I, FERDINAND WILHELM KASELOWSKY, of Bielefeld, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, Flax Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR SEPARATING THE WOODY PART FROM THE
FIBRE OF FLAX, HEMP, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF THE SAME NATURE," to
be as follows:
This machine consists, 1st, of a number of blades made of steel, iron, or
other suitable substance placed at certain distances from each other with
their edges turned upward, and moving slowly in a direction at right angles
to their edges; these I call carrying blades; 2nd, above these blades several
series of blades or knives are arranged, which receive a rapid reciprocating
motion by which they enter and withdraw from the spaces between the

page_text: carrying blades; these I call the working blades; 3d, a pair of feeding
rollers is applied at one side of the machine, and a pair of taking off or
delivering rollers at the other side. The feeding rollers will deliver the raw
material upon the carrying blades, whilst the working blades by entering and
forcing the material into the spaces between the carrying blades will break
and scrape off from the fibre the woody substance attached to it. After the
material has been subjected to the action of all the working blades the
cleaned fibre is taken off by the delivery rollers, whilst the refuse made during
the process will fall to the ground.
The manner in which the carrying blades are moved forward may be
varied to suit the nature and length of the fibre to be operated upon. I
sometimes arrange and move them forward in the same manner as the fallers
in a screw gill drawing frame well known in flax spinning are arranged and
moved; or I link the blades together by an endless travelling chain, or what
suits most purposes best I arrange and place the blades in the form of a
cylinder with their edges pointing from the centre outwards.
In all these arrangements I consider it essential that the working blades
should enter deeper and deeper into the spaces of the carrying blades as the
material is proceeding forward so as to have a greater intersection at the
giving out or delivering end than in the taking in or feeding end of the
machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ferdinand Wilhelm Kaselowsky in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FERDINAND
WILHELM KASELOWSKY, of Bielefeld, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Flax
Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Ferdinand Wilhelm Kaselowsky, Her special licence that I, the said Ferdinand
Wilhelm Kaselowsky, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Ferdinand Wilhelm Kaselowsky, 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

page_text: 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 SEPARATING THE WOODY PART FROM THE
FIBRE OF FLAX, HEMP, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF THE SAME NATURE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ferdinand Wilhelm
Kaselowsky, 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 immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ferdinand Wilhelm Kaselowsky, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the treatment of flax, hemp,
and other like fibrous materials, and consists in improvements in machinery
whereby the "boon" may be broken up and more effectually separated than
heretofore from the "lint" without breaking or wasting the fibre. This
object I attain by the use of a novel arrangement of blades made of steel, iron,
or other suitable substance between which the fibres are passed in order that
they may undergo a breaking operation. The lower blades have their edges
turned upward and they move slowly in a direction at right angles to their
edges; these I call carrying blades. Above these blades several sets of blades
or knives are arranged which receive a rapid reciprocating motion by which
they are caused to enter and withdraw from the spaces between the carrying
blades; these I call the working blades. The fibres are delivered into the
machine by a pair of feeding rollers, and discharged from the machine by a
pair of taking off or delivering rollers. As the feeding rollers deliver the raw
material upon the carrying blades the working blades descend and force the
material into the spaces between the carrying blades, thereby breaking and
scraping off from the fibre the woody substance attached to it. After the
material has been subjected to the action of all the working blades the cleaned
fibre is taken off by the delivery rollers and the refuse made during the
process falls to the ground.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shews in side or end
elevation a scutching machine arranged according to the principle of this
Invention, that being the arrangement which I consider suitable in most

page_text: cases, and Figures 2 and 3, Sheet 11., are enlarged views shewing the details
of construction and mode of operating the working blades.
A, A, is the main framing tied together in the usual manner by stretchers
B, B, C, C', are two rotating discs or wheels keyed to the shaft S inside of
the framing A, A; these wheels contain a number of grooves radiating from
the centre, and in these grooves, which are equidistant from each other, are
fitted the ends of the carrying blades b, b, and supported thereby. D, E, F, G,
H, I, J, are a series of rapidly rotating shafts mounted in bearings in the
upper part of the framework, such bearings being concentric with the rotating
discs; keyed to these shafts near the opposite ends thereof are excentrics or
cranks which serve to give through connecting rods K a reciprocating motion
to a set or a group of three working blades d, d, d; these sets of working
blades d, d, d, are made fast by bolts and nuts to lugs formed on the
connecting rods, and they are caused to strike into the spaces of the carrying
blades 6, 6, 6, and press down or double the fibres over the blades b and break
up and scrape off the "boon" or woody portion of the plant adhering thereto.
It is important to observe that each set of blades d in the advance from D to
J bas an increasing dip into the space between the blades 6; the amount
therefore of intersection of the blades worked by the shaft J is considerably
greater than that of the blades worked by D, E, &c. This is effected by
fixing the blades d, d, in suitable relative positions on the connecting rod K,
and also by giving to the excentrics on the shafts a greater amount of stroke
as we advance from D to J. s is an endless sheet or apron carried by the
rollers r,, upon which the unscutched flax is laid. L, M, N, are three
fluted rollers, between which the material is passed first between L and M,
and then between M and N, from which it is delivered to the second endless
sheet or apron t and by it delivered through the feeding rollers O, O¹, on to
the carrying blades b, b, b, b. After being subjected to the action of the
various sets of working blades the cleaned flax is passed out by the delivering
rollers P, P, and removed by the attendant. Motion is communicated to the
crank shafts D, E, F, &c., by means of the spur wheel R, which is made to
gear with the pinions T, T', T, &c. on the ends of the different crank shafts,
the wheel R being attached to the driving pullies which are mounted on
the shaft S. The shaft S receives its proportionate speed by any arrangement
of gearing that may be convenient.
Figures 2 and 3, Sheet II., shew the application of strippers or clearers for
the purpose of clearing the spaces between the working blades when the
material is of a nature to create a liability to choke. The strippers are shewn
at W and are made of wood or any other suitable material; they are free to

page_text: slide in guides formed for them by the blades d, which they are intended to
clear, and they are pressed towards the outer edges of the working blades d, d,
by means of coiled springs e, which yield to allow the stripper to be pushed up
when the working blades enter between the carrying blades b, b, b, this being
done by the strippers coming into contact with the carrying blades b, b. The
manner in which the carrying blades are moved forward may be varied to suit
the nature and length of the fibre to be operated upon. Thus instead of
mounting them rigidly between rotating discs as described I may arrange and
move them forward in the same manner as the fallers in a screw gill drawing
frame (well known in flax spinning) are arranged and moved. Or I may
link the blades together by an endless travelling chain, or the arrangement I
prefer as it suits most purposes best is to arrange the blades radially in the
form of a cylinder with their edges pointing from the centre outwards; but
whatever the arrangement, I consider it essential that the working blades
should enter the spaces between the carrying blades in groups, so that two or
more of these blades shall act together on the same length of fibre and that
they should enter deeper and deeper into these spaces as the material is pro-
ceeding forward, so as to have a greater intersection at the giving out or
delivering end than in the taking in or feeding end of the machine.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improvements in
machinery for separating the woody part from the fibre of flax, hemp, or other
fibrous substances of the same nature, 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, applying to scutching machines provided with
carrying blades (whether arranged radially or otherwise) sets of reciprocating
blades for operating upon the flax, straw, or other fibre supplied to the
machine in the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ferdinand Wilhelm Kaselowsky, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
seven.