IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY AND PROCESSES EMPLOYED IN AND FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JonN
CHARLES WILSON, of the Redford Flax Factory, Thornton, near Kirkaldy,
in the County of Fife, North Britain, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of
October, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Charles Wilson, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Charles
Wilson, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Charles Wilson, my exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the terms of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY AND PROCESSES EMPLOYED IN AND FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John Charles

page_text: Wilson, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Charles Wilson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say
.:
The Invention consists in the employment of rollers for the purpose of
holding the flax, reed, or sten during the operation of scutching, and also
the employment of an endless sheet or apron to feed such rollers; in the
employment of bars, knives, or strippers, mounted upon suitable arms and
driven by power; these arms are made to act upon the flax, reed, or stem,
and remove the "boom" or woody part, technically called scutching the fibre.
And in order that the Invention may be more fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued.by me.
In the usual mode of scutching flax, the straw, after being retted and dried,
is passed through fluted rollers for the purpose of breaking the "boom" or
woody part of the stem. It is then taken to the ordinary scutch mill, and
the strick of flax is firmly held by one end in the hand, the other end being
exposed to the action of the blades or beaters.. In some other description
of scutching machines the flax, instead of being, held by the band, is placed
within clamps
or holders made of wood or other material, and then firmly
screwed together, the loose or pendant end of the flax being subjected to
the action of the beaters. In my Invention a considerable saving is effected,
first, by dispensing with the operation of breaking the straw, and in the next,
by nearly dispensing with manual labour in the process of scutching, so that
children may be employed to do what previously required considerablo
17

page_text: rings carrying the beaters b, b, are mounted.
c is a pulley upon the opposite
end of the main shaft, which actuates a pair of pullies and e, by means
of a strap or driving band. On the opposite end of the shaft which carries
the pullies d and e is a small pinion which takes into the mangle
wheelf. Upon the nave of this mangle wheel is placed the spur wheel f*,
and takes into another spur wheel g, mounted upon a stud fixed in the east-
iron framework. This wheel takes into a spur pinion upon the end of the
roller h. This roller is cushioned with a covering of thick felt, and afterwards
covered, with, leather., is another roller of similar construction, which is
made to press heavily upon the lower roller h, by means of the weighted
levers j, j, and the connecting rods k, k. i* is a carrying roller, round which
an endless leather sheet passes for the purpose of conducting the ends of the
flax towards the bite of the weighted holding rollers. and m are two
rollers, round which is passed an endless leather sheet, and supported by a
sheet-iron table place between the rollers. n is a sliding bar, with a guide
There is a notch
at one end for moving the strap upon the pullies d and e.
cut in this bar which takes hold of the edge of the slot in the framing through
which the bar passes. When the guide has moved the strap upon the fast
pulley e, the bar is held in this position by means of a string attached to it
and passing over the hook o. To the other end of this string is suspended
the weight p, thus pulling the notch in the bar against the side of the cast-
iron frame; is a projecting piece fixed upon the mangle wheel f
for the purpose of moving the bar n, and disengaging the notch from
the side of the frame, and consequently allowing the weight to slide
the bar and move the strap upon the loose pulley. is a lever for the
purpose of moving back the bar, so as to place the driving strap upon the
fast pulley e, when it has been disengaged by the projecting piece upon
the mangle wheel. s is the rest under which the flax passes, and is firmly
fastened at each end to the framework of the machine. Above this rest is
a strong sheet-iron cover, curved nearly the line described bythe be aters,
from the top side of the rest's to the point t, when it takes an horizontal
direction to the end of the 'framing at w.. From the under side of
the roller to the lower part of the framework at (see Figure 3) is
atiother sheet-iron cover, held firmly between the framing of the machine.
Upon this sheet iron is placed a row of heckle pins for the purpose of catching
the fibres of tow thrown off in the operation of scutching. x is a wooden
heckle or comb placed between the beaters for the purpose of straightening
out the flax as it passes into the machine. The mode of operating with
this machine is as follows:-Motive power being applicil to the main driving
7.

page_text: pullies, the beaters are made to rotate at about 200 revolutions per minute.
A proper quantity of flax straw is placed evenly upon the endless travelling
sheet. The lever r is moved by the hand, causing the strap to be placed
upon the fast pulley e, which puts the holding rollers h and i, and the
horizontal travelling sheet, in motion by means of the mangle wheel and spur
gearing already described. These rollers carry the flax under the rest s,
and consequently subject so much of it as projects beyond it to the action
of the beaters. When rather more than one half the length of the flax has
been thus operated upon the pinion which actuates the mangle wheel will
have arrived at the point where the motion of the wheel is reversed, and thus
cause the holding rollers to rotate in the contrary direction until the flax is
entirely withdrawn from them, and is again spread upon the horizontal
travelling leather sheet. On reaching this point the projecting piece upon
the mangle wheel f is brought in contact with the sliding barn, and
disengages the notch, when the string and weight cause the bar to slide, and
the guide moves the strap upon the loose pulley d, when the motion of the
holding rollers cease. The flax is then taken up and reversed, and the other
end presented to the bite of the holding rollers, when the operation is repeated
upon the other half of the flax, which completes the process.
Having now described the construction of my scutching machine, and the
manner of using it, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise mechanical details herein described, as for some purposes to
which the machine may be applicable a variable or intermittent motion of
the holding rollers and sheet may be found desirable. This motion may be
produced by a series of wheels actuating a cam or tappet of any desirable
shape; this cam giving motion to the sheet and holding rollers by means
of a lever with a radial or straight toothed rack, taking into a spur wheel
on the end of the holding rollers, or by other convenient means.
What I claim as my Invention is, the construction or combination of
scutching machinery, with an endless travelling sheet or apron, working in
conjunction with a pair of holding rollers, as described; also blades, knives,
or beaters on a revolving axis, whereby tho flax or other fibrous substances
when laid upon the travelling sheet is carried forwards to the bite of the
holding rollers, and gradually moved beyond a rest, where it is scutched by
the blades, knives, or beaters, in the manner explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Charles Wilson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
JOHN CHARLES (L.S.) WILSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid John Charles Wilson came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three
Enrolled the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three