IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLAX,
HEMP, AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS."-A communication from
abroad by the Firm of Bailleux-Lemaire and Company, of Lille, in
the Republic of France. Flax Spinners.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd December 1873.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING
FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER SIMILAR FIBROUS MATERIALS," a communication to
me from abroad by the Firm of Bailleux-Lemaire and Company, of
Lille, in the Republic of France, Flax Spinners, to be as follows:—
This Invention relates more particularly to machines employed in
preparing or drawing by the aid of screw gills flax and hemp tows for

page_text: spinning, and consists essentially of a peculiar arrangement of auto-
matic apparatus for cleaning or removing from the teeth or needles of
the fallers or gill bars the knots, lumps, or down which have been
deposited on them by the passage of the sliver.
According to this Invention it is proposed to attach a brush or row of
bristles to the back part of the rubber of the drawing roller, such brush
extending the entire length of the teeth or pins on the faller or gill bars.
The said brush is so inclined as to ensure that the descending faller or
gill bar shall come in contact therewith, the bristles by passing between
the teeth or sharp pins completely removing the knots, lumps, or down.
which adheres thereto, thus automatically cleaning each faller whilst in
the act of descending to the bottom slide. The accumulation of the
said knots, lumps, or down upon the brush is removed therefrom by the
lower edge of the next succeeding fallers or gill bars.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the 37th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or 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 OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER SIMILAR
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of
Bailleux-Lemaire and Company, of Lille, in the Republic of France, Flax

page_text: •
Spinners, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors or administrators, 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 John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:―
The said Invention relates more particularly to machines employed in
preparing or drawing by the aid of screw gills, flax, and hemp tows for
spinning, and consists essentially of a peculiar arrangement of automatic
apparatus for cleaning or removing from the teeth or needles of the
fallers or gill bars the knobs, lumps, or down which have been deposited
on them by the passage of the sliver.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the accompanying Drawing, which represents a
sectional elevation of a portion of a machine for drawing or preparing
fibrous materials with the improvements applied.
A is tho rubber; B, the drawing roller; C, the pressure roller; D, the
fallers or gill bars; and E, the bottom slide. To the back of the rubber
A there is attached a brush or row of bristles F extending the entire
length of the fallers or gill bars D. As each faller or gill bar D arrives
at the end of the top slide and falls on to the bottom slide E, it is cleaned
in the act of descending by coming in contact with the brush F, the
bristles of which, by passing between the teeth or needles of the faller
or gill bar completely remove the knots, lumps, or down adhering.
The accumulation of knots, lumps, or down thus deposited upon the
brush is detached or removed therefrom by the bottom or lower edge of
the next succeeding faller or gill bar coming in contact with the brush
in the act of descending, so that the fallers or gill bars and the brush
mutually clean each other.

page_text: By means of this arrangement the loss of time which occurs in
cleaning the fallers or gill bars by hand is avoided, and the knots, lumps,
or down are prevented from entering the sliver, and consequently from
passing into the yarn whereby the quality of the yarn is improved.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the 5
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would, observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the In-
vention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, automatically cleaning the fallers or gill bars of machines for 1
drawing or preparing fibrous materials by means of a brush or its
equivalent as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day
of June, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
1