IMPROVE- MENTS IN HACKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR. THE SAME
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Horner at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd June
1860.
I, GEORGE HORNER, of Falls Road, Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HACKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR.
THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, first, to an improved tow catcher in hackling.
machines when stripper rods are employed for doffing the tow from the
hackles, the object being to render it self-acting. This I propose to effect by
means of a plate or board put in a proper position stationary, with holes or
slots for the tow catcher or pins to penetrate a sufficient length for catching
the tow, to prevent the same being carried round with the stripper rods or the
sheets of hackles. When the tow catchers or pins are supposed to be clogged
or choked up, a motion will be imparted that will cause the tow catcher or pins.
to disappear from the face of plates or boards, allowing the tow to fall from
the position in which it was held by the tow catcher on the floor or tow box
provided for that purpose, instead of being pulled off by a person usually
appointed for that purpose. When the tow is supposed to have fallen or been..
wafted from its position by the motion of stripper rods, the tow catcher or pins.
will again penetrate the plates or boards ready to be refilled with tow; and
subsequently the motion will again come into operation to make the pins or
tow catcher disappear from the face of plates or boards, and so on. throughout.
the working of the machine.

page_text: The second part of my Invention consists of a dust box, placed between two
or more sheets of hackles, or one box to each sheet, with grates or holes to
allow of the dust being separated from the tow by the stripper rods throwing
the tow upon the grated portion of dust box. The dust being fine will fall into
the box, keeping the tow much cleaner than as heretofore conducted. I
apply this
part of my Invention to any vertical sheet hackling machines when
stripper rods are employed for doffing the tow from the hackles.
The third part of my Invention consists of stationary tow catchers or pins,
having the boards or plates to oscillate, or a motion can be imparted to both
boards and tow catchers at or about the same time, having for its object to
lodge the tow on the floor or tow box after the catchers have taken the tow
from the stripper rods.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to tow catchers, for which Letters
Patent were granted to me on the 28th day of February 1859, and numbered
528, with pins on the upper & under side, made to turn half round or round
occasionally, for the purpose of taking the tow from the stripper rods. To this
I propose to add a plate or board, so that when the catches revolve, the board
will drop and knock the tow from the catchers into the tow box or on the floor.
As the catchers are ascending, a mechanical contrivance is applied to put, the
plates or boards into position ready for the catchers to be refilled with tow,
when the motion for cleaning the catchers is again applied, & so on.
The fifth part of my Invention consists of a method of doffing the "tow from
the hackles, stripper rods, or tow catchers, by means of air blowing upon them,
so as to dislodge the tow from either stripper rods, hackles, or tow catchers,
collectively or separately, and depositing the same on the floor, or in the
tow box.