CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS. AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Brisco, of Low Mill House, in the
Parish of Saint Bees, in the County of Cumberland, Esquire, and
Peter Swires Horsman, of the Parish of Saint John's Beckermet,
in the same County, Gentleman, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA
GRASS. AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 30th November 1858, and dated the 30th September 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Brisco
and Peter Swires Horsman at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 30th September 1853.
We, ROBERT BRISCO and PETER SWIRES HORSMAN, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to more effectually heckle flax and
other similar fibrous materials, and with a less expenditure of power
than in the machines at present known and in use. By means of our
improvements we also anticipate being able to do more work in a given
time than with the ordinary machines.

page_text: These objects are effected by a peculiar arrangement of mechanism
or mode of mounting and working the heckle bars, so as to admit of
the heckles being cleaned by means of rotating brushes. In addition
to this, the heckles are arranged in the machine in sets, each set con-
sisting of two, three, or more bars placed one above the other and
furnished with heckles of different fineness, so that the strick of flax,
which is allowed to descend slowly between the pairs of working heckles
may be more gradually and effectually operated upon than by the
ordinary process. Instead of one of the heckle bars of each pair being
caused to operate alternately on the strick, the two bars, one on each
side, are made to strike the strick simultaneously, or nearly so, as we
find the flax is more effectually operated upon and heckled by this
means. The strick of flax is made to travel through the machine
horizontally as usual, so as to be operated upon by several sets of heckles.
The heckles are cleaned by means of a brush, which is placed on the
next lower heckle-shaft, and is so arranged that as such shaft revolves
the brushes may act on the heckles mounted on the next heckle shaft
immediately above. The heckle bars when they arrive at their lowest
point are caused to incline towards the next immediate lower heckle
shaft, so that they may be more conveniently acted upon by the brushes,
after which the heckle bars are made to regain their rectangular position
previously to commencing the next stroke through the flax or other
material. By this arrangement of machinery, the flax or other material,
on being lowered into what is technically called the "first tool" or set of
heckles of the heckling machine, the top or coarsest heckles begin to
operate upon the hanging ends of the flax, &c., and after the stricks
of flax have been heckled by the top and coarser heckle in the series,
they continue gradually to descend until they come within the range of
the second heckle on the first tool. These second heckles may be of
finer gauge than the top heckles, so as to heckle the flax more com-
pletely and produce a finer fibre. The same operation takes place with
the third heckle, and a like difference in the fineness of the heckles may
be male in any number of the lower heckles of the second, third, or
fourth tool of the heckling machine, whereby the lower parts and ends
of the stricks of flax, &c. can be made exceedingly fine without reducing

page_text: the yield of fibre, 'whereas in ordinary machines the middles are heckled
with the same fineness of heckle as the ends. By thus making the
ends very fine compared with the middle of the strick, we greatly in-
crease the yield at the same time that we also increase its spinning
quality, by which means the value of flax or other fibre becomes much
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Brisco and Peter Swires Horsman in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
ROBERT BRISCO, of Low Mill House, in the Parish of Saint Bees, in
the County of Cumberland; Esquire, and PETER SWIRES HORSMAN, of
the Parish of Saint John's Beckermet, in the same County; Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto us, the said Robert Brisco and Peter Swires
Horsman, Her special license that we, the said Robert Brisco and
Peter Swires Horsman, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Robert Brisco and Peter Swires Horsman,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, front 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
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP,
CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Robert Brisco and Peter Swires
Horsman, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us. should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert Brisco and Peter Swires
Horsman, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to more effectually heckle flax and
other similar fibrous materials, and with a less expenditure of power
than in the machines at present known and in use. By means of our
improvements we are also enabled to do more work in a given time.
and obtain a greater yield of line or valuable fibre from a given
weight of raw material than with the ordinary machines.
These objects are effected by means of a peculiar arrangement of
mechanism, consisting principally of an improved modo or modes of
mounting and working the heckle bars so as to admit of the heckles
being cleaned by means of rotating brushes, or other equivalent or
analogous contrivances. In addition to this the heckles are arranged
in the machine in sets, each set consisting of two, three, or more bars
or pairs of bars, placed one above the other, and furnished with heckles
of different degrees of fineness, so that the strick of flax, which is
allowed to descend slowly between the pairs of working heckles, may
be more gradually and effectually operated upon than by the ordinary
process. Instead of one of the heckle bars of each pair being caused
to operate alternately on the strick, as is usual, the two bars, one on
each side, are made to strike the strick simultaneously, or nearly so, as
we find the flax is more effectually operated upon and heckled by this
means than when the heckles are allowed to strike alternately at
opposite sides. The strick of flax is first made to descend and rise
slowly between the pairs of heckles of the first or coarsest set, then to
travel through the machine horizontally to the next and finer set of
heckles as usual, so as to be operated upon by the several sets of
heckles in succession, according to their fineness. The heckles are

page_text: cleaned by means of a rotating brush, or other equivalent contrivance
which is placed on the next lower heckle shaft, and is so arranged that
as such shaft revolves the brushes, or other equivalent contrivance, may
act on the heckles mounted on the next heckle shaft immediately
above. The heckle bars when they arrive at their lowest point are
caused to incline towards the next immediate lower heckle shaft, so
that they may be more conveniently operated upon by the brushes or
other equivalent contrivances; after which the heckle bars are made to
regain their rectangular position previous to commencing the next
stroke through the flax or other material. By this arrangement of
machinery the flax or other material being lowered into what is tech-
nically called the first "tool" or set of heckles of the heckling machine,
the top or coarsest heckles begin to operate upon the hanging ends of
the flax or other material; and after the stricks of flax or other material
have been heckled by the top and coarsest sets of heckles in the series,
the flax will continue gradually to descend until it comes within the
range of the second pair of heckles of the first tool; these second
heckles may be of finer guage than the top heckles, so as to heckle
the flax more completely, and produce a finer fibre. The same
operation takes place with the third pair of heckles, and a like differ-
ence in the fineness of the heckles may be made in any number of the
lower heckles of the second, third, or fourth "tool" of the heckling
machine, whereby the lower parts and ends of the stricks of flax or
other material can be made exceedingly fine without reducing the
yield of line; whereas, in the ordinary machines, the middles are
heckled with the same fineness of heckle as the ends. By thus making
the ends very fine compared with the middle of the strick, we greatly
increase the yield, at the same time that we also increase its spinning
quality, by which means the value of the flax or other fibre becomes
much enhanced.
In order, however, that our Improvements may be more clearly
understood, we have shown in the accompanying Drawings various
views of a machine constructed according to our Invention. Fig. 1,
is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, is an end elevation;
and Fig. 3, a similar view of the opposite end of the machine.
Fig. 4, is a tranverse vertical section of the principal working parts of

page_text: the machine, but drawn to an enlarged scale in order that the operation
of the parts may be more clearly seen. a, a, a, a, is the framework of
the machine; b, b, the fast and loose pullies whereby, through the
intervention of a band or strap, the machine is driven. The stricks of
flax or other material to be operated upon are secured in holders, and
placed in
a rising and falling frame c, c, which is made to rise
and fall gradually, so as bring the strick of flax or other material gra-
dually between the pairs of heckles in the ordinary manner. The flax
holders, after the fibre has been operated upon in the first tool, are
moved onward laterally, so as to convey the stricks to the second tool.
The mechanical arrangements for effecting these motions do not
materially differ from those usually employed for effecting similar
objects in other heckling machines, and as they do not form any part
of our present improvements we do not think it necessary to give any
detailed description of these parts, although they are shewn in the
Drawings for the purpose of rendering the nature and object of our
improvements. more intelligible. d, d', and d³, (Fig. 4,) are the heckle
bars, the ends of which pass through the short shafts or bearings e, e',
and e, of the wheels t, t¹, t, whereby they are driven, as shewn in the
enlarged Fig. 5, and are secured in the ends of the guide arms f, ƒ',
and f, which govern the position or inclination of the heckle pins
while at work. We would here observe, that in the machine shewn
in the Drawings we have supposed that four "tools," or sets of heckles,
are intended to be used. The upper pair of heckle bars of the first
tool will be of coarse gauge, suitable for commencing the heckling
operation on the rough strick of flax or other material; the second
pair of heckle bars, or those immediately below the first, will be of a
finer gauge; and the third or lowest pair of the first tool will be still
finer. The first or uppermost pair of heckles of the second tool will
be finer than the lowermost of the first tool, and so on progressively
until the lowermost pair of heckle bars of the last tool will be of so
exceedingly fine a gauge as to be capable of dividing and reducing the
fibre to an exceedingly fine state, a result which may by this arrange-
ment be obtained with facility, without wasting the line to such au
extent as must necessarily happen when all the heckles of one tool, are
of the same gange, and when consequently, there cannot be so gradual
±

page_text: an increase in the fineness of the heckles. The short shafts or bearings
e, e'; and, of the wheels t¹ and t, carry brushes 'g and g', which, as
the heckles work in the strick of Hax or other material; and heckle out
the tow therefrom, brush out and remove the tow from the heckle pins
of the bar immediately above at every rotation of the latter; and before
the heckle can make a second stroke a rotary brush g³ operates upon
and cleans the pins of the lowermost heckle bar. Immediately behind
the heckle:!bars d' and d³, and brushes g and g'; are card cylinders h
and and below the rotary brush g' is another small card cylinder h³,
all for the purpose of receiving from the brushes g, g', and g³, the tow
and other refuse that has been removed from the heckle pins by these
brushes. This tow is transferred from the small cylinders h and h*,
and h', to the large card cylinders i and i*, from whence it is removed
by the doffer combs j, and *, in the usual way.
•
These are the principal parts with which our present improvements
are connected, and they are actuated by suitable gearing in the following
manner. On the axle of the driving pulleys b, b, is a tooth wheel k
Fig. 3, which gears into and drives a similar wheel 1, on the shaft which
passes through the card cylinder h, and allows the latter to turn freely
thereon. This wheel 1, by means of the small intermediate wheels m,
m, Fig. 8, drives the wheel 2*, mounted on the axle, which passes
freely through the other card cylinder h*, on the other side of the
machine. On the axle of the wheel 2, is a small pinion which drives the
wheel'n, and on the axle of this wheel n is another pinion which gears
into it and drives the pinion o, and this pinion drives the wheels p
and g, the latter being made to gear
tion therefrom, as shewn in Fig. 8.
p and q, are pinions which gear
Fig. 8, on the spindles of the large card cylinders i, . On the spin-
dles which pass through the card cylinders h, h*, and at both ends of
the machine, and also in the middle, as seen in Fig. 1, are toothed
wheels, P, which gear into and drive other toothed wheels 's, a,
Fig. 4, whereby motion is communicated to the wheels t, t, and e, and
the heckle shafts e, e', and e, which carry the heckle bars and also the
small rotary brushes g, and g¹.
into the former and receive ifs mó-
On the axles of these two wheels
into and drive the wheels r, s,
The doffing-motion for removing the tow from the large card cylin

page_text: ders i, *, by means of the doffing combs j,j, is of the ordinary kind,
the combs being placed at the ends of levers or arms j³, (as shewn in
Fig. 3,) which are worked on both sides of the machine by means of a
crank pin 3, on the axle of the driving pulleys.
On the axle of one of the large card cylinders, but at the other end
of the machine, is a pinion o, Fig. 2, which gears into an intermediate
wheel, whereby motion is communicated to the large wheels w, and x.
On the axle of the wheel w, is the scroll or snail which causes the
descent and ascent of the trough which supports the flax holders.
On the axle of the wheel x, is another scroll or snail which by suit-
able gearing causes the flax holders in the trough to move laterally
along the trough from the first tool to the second, and so on. As the
two wheels w, and r, are of the same diameter, and of an equal number
of teeth, it will be seen that the flax holders will be made to rise and
fall for every rotation of these wheels; and the snail or scroll of the
wheel, is set on its axle in such a position as so cause the holders to
move laterally at a particular moment, and when the strick of flax is
drawn up from between the heckles.
. The construction and arrangement of the various parts having been
shewn and described, we will now proceed to explain their operation.
The flax or other material having been secured in the holders is placed
in the trough c, and carried forwards in the ordinary manner and upon
the strick. Descending in the first tool the ends of the strick become
first acted upon and heckled by the upper and coarsest pair of heckles
of the first tool, and upon the strick descending further it will be acted
upon by the second and finer pair, and afterwards by the third and last
or finest pair of heckles. The strick will then gradually rise up again,
and be moved forward to the second tool, the heckles of which are of
finer gauge than those of the first tool, as already explained. In order
to cause the heckles to operate properly upon the flax or other material
the points shoould be made to enter nearly in a horizontal position, and
to maintain that position or nearly so during the whole of the stroke;
but when they are about to leave the strick of flax a slight inclination
forwards should be given to them for the purpose of enabling the
brushes to act upon them more effectually, in order to clean the pins
and remove the tow. A diagram of the action and motion of the

page_text: heckles of the tools is given full size at Fig. 6. It has been said that
the heckle bars are mounted in the short shafts e, e', and e, of the
wheels t, t¹, and t, and their ends secured in the guide arms f,f, and f².
The construction and operation of these parts will be best seen and un-
derstood by referring to Fig. 4, and the partial front view Fig. 5, which
are drawn on an enlarged scale, and some of the parts in Fig. 5, are
shewn in section. The wheels t, t¹, and t, aro mounted on the end
of the short shafts e, e', which turn in bearings in the fixed standards.
Upon referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the ends of the heckle
bars are turned and passed through the short shafts e, e¹, so that they
may freely turn therein, and are secured as before mentioned in the
ends of the guide arms f, as shewn at z, Fig. 5, so that when the
shaft e, e', and e², rotate and carry with them the heckle bars the guide
arms f, f, and f, will always keep the pins in the direction shewn in
the diagram Fig. 6. In order that the heckle bars should be made to
act properly, and be prevented from twisting, there are additional toothed
wheels t, t, and short shafts e, e, placed at or near the centre of the ma-
chine to receive the inner ends of the heckle bars. The toothed wheels
t, t, connected with these short shafts e, e, are driven by suitable gearing
from the long shafts that pass through the card cylinders h, and h*,
exactly in the same way as that already described in reference to the
ends of the machine.
The heckles enter the strick of flax or other material and pass down
it, as shewn in the diagrams, Figures 4 and 6, and in so doing will
heckle or clear out and remove a certain portion of tow, which will be
held by the heckle pins until removed therefrom by the brushes g, g', and
g. The operation of clearing the heckles takes place at every rotation
of the heckle bars, as the brush mounted in the shaft immediately be-
neath the first heckle bar will, as the latter recedes from the strick,
come up and brush out the tow from the pins of the heckle bar above.
The mode of mounting the brushes in the short shafts e, e³, will be best
understood by referring to y, Fig. 5, by which it will be seen that the
short shafts e and each carry a heckle bar d, and a brush g. When
the brush has removed the tow from the heckles of the shaft immedi-
ately above it the brush will by the revolution of its shaft be brought
round behind to the card cylinder h, or h, on which the tow will be

page_text: deposited, as the brushes are made to rotate with greater speed than the
surface of the card cylinder.
In place of. brushes made of bristles we sometimes use bars covered
.with cloth or leather or other soft and yielding material which will wipe
the tow from the heckle pins and transfer it to the card cylinder
The tow having been removed in the manner above described to the
small card cylinder h, it will be transferred in a similar manner to the
large card or doffing cylinders i, which are made to rotate slower
than the other card cylinders h, h, and will consequently strip the tow
from the latter. The tow is ultimately removed from the machine
by means of the doffing combs j, j, which are made to act in the
ordinary manner against the surface of the large card or doffing cylin-
ders i, i*.
Fig. 7, is a modification of the plan above described for removing the
tow from the brushes. Instead of card cylinders, as in the former in-
stance, we propose to employ an endless, sheet of cards, which, being
passed over two rollers, one at top and one at bottom, is made to travel
with an uniform speed; and by bringing the brushes in contact therewith
the tow will be transferred from the brushes to the card, from whence
it will be removed by a doffing comb, as usual.
.
Having now described our "Improvements in Machinery for Heckling
Flax, Hemp, China Grass, and other Fibrous Substances," we would
observe, in conclusion, that although, in order that our improvements
may be properly understood, we have shewn and described various parts
which have been heretofore used for similar purposes, we do not mean or
intend to claim any such parts separately as of our Invention; nor do we
mean or intend to confine ourselves rigidly to the precise arrangement.or
construction of parts herein shewn and described, nor the precise mode
shewn of operating the same, as they may doubtless be varied without
departing from the nature and object of our Invention. But that which
we consider to be new in the above-described improvements, and there-
fore wish to claim as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as
aforesaid is,-
First; the general arrangement of parts herein shewn and described,
or any mere modification thereof, in which heckle bars, provided with
heckles of different degrees of fineness. are placed vertically one above

page_text: the other so that the strick of flax, when lowered into the tool between
the pairs of heckle bars, may be gradually acted upon, first by the upper
and coarser heckles, and afterwards by the lower and finer ones, as
above described. We wish it to be particularly understood that,
although we consider the arrangement, construction, and mode of
operating the heckle bars as above shewn to be the best and most
effective mode of working the heckle bars, we do not propose to confine
ourselves thereto, as it is evident that this improvement may be bene-
ficially applied to other heckling machines in which the heckle bars are
arranged one above the other. We therefore claim generally the use of
heckle bars with heckles of different degrees of fineness arranged one
above the other in the same tool, to whatever description of heckling
machine they may be applied, or in whatever way they may be
actuated.
Second, we claim the use and application of brushes or other similar
contrivances, as above described, for clearing the heckles of the tow,
such brushes or other contrivances being adapted to the heckle shafts,
and so arranged that each brush is made to act upon and clear the
heckles of the shaft immediately above it.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Brisco and Peter Swires
Horsman, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-
seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
DANIEL DUNN,
of Egremont,
RODERI DRISCO
(L.B.)
PETER SWIRES HORSMAN. (L.S.)
Cumberland.