IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND PREPARING FLAX FOR SPINNING
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Bury Street Foundry, Salford,
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND PREPARING FLAX FOR SPINNING."
Sealed the 14th January 1870, and dated the 15th July 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lowry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th July 1869.
I, GEORGE LOWRY, of Bury Street Foundry, Salford, County of Lan-
caster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND PREPARING FLAX FOR SPINNING,"
to be as follows:-
Firstly. The object of this Invention is to dispense with the ordinary
top roller in hackling machines, and to substitute and apply a series of
bobbins or single runners supported at each end. By these means the
frame or machine can be made any length, a smaller diameter of runner
for the support of the hackles can be used, greater rigidity, and a better
form of hackle, thus obtaining an increased delivery of fibre.
D

page_text: Secondly, the object of this Invention is to regulate the feeding of
the flax to the spreader. The stricks or portions of flax are spread upon
the feeding sheet in the ordinary manner. On any inequality of thick-
ness of the layers of stricks arriving at the feed roller the said feed
roller rises or falls accordingly; this motion imparted by the varying
thickness of the layers is transmitted to the driving part of these said
rollers, and varies the speed of revolution of the same correspondingly
to the thickness of the flax passing between the feed rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lowry in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LOWRY, Engineer and Machinist, of Salford, in the County Palatine of
Lancashire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George Lowry, Her special license that I, the
said George Lowry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Lowry, 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 thereiu 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 FOR DRESSING AND
PREPARING FLAX FOR SPINNING," upon the condition, amongst others, that
I, the said George Lowry, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and scal, 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 mouths next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Lowry, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement; that is to say:-
First. The object of this Invention is to dispense with the ordinary
top roller in hackling machines, and to substitute and apply a series of
bobbins or single runners supported at each end. By the adoption of
this mode of construction the machine may be made of any length, a
smaller diameter of roller for the support of the sheet of hackles applied,
greater rigidity, and a better form of hackle, thus obtaining an increased
delivery of fibre. A similar result may be obtained by supporting the
top roller in ordinary frames by one or more bearings between the frame
ends of the machine, or placing loose collars upon the top roller. The
main object of the Invention is to obtain rigidity of the top roller
carrying the hackles, and either of these plans can be adopted, but I
prefer the use of the bobbins or runners.
Secondly. The object of this Invention is to regulate the feeding of
the flax to the spreader. The stricks or portious of flax are spread upon
the feeding sheet in the ordinary manner. On any inequality of thickness
of the layers of stricks arriving at the feed roller, the said feed roller
rises or falls accordingly, which motion by suitable mechanism is trans-
mitted to the driving part of the said rollers, and varies the revolution of
the same correspondingly to the thickness of the flax passing between the
said feed rollers; or the feeding may be regulated by means of hollow
bottom rollers, inside of which are india-rubber rings or bushes secured
by taper washers and held in place by nuts screwed upon the roller bar.
When an increased thickness of fibre is passing between the rollers the
india-rubber gives way, and the speed of the surface of the roller varies
accordingly.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings I have illustrated my Inven-
tion, and in each of the Figures therein shewn the same letters of
reference indicate like parts.
1
Figure represents an elevation of the top rail in a hackling machine
with my Invention applied thereto; Figure 2 represents a plan of the
same; Figure 3 represents a sectional elevation of part of a hackling
machine showing the general disposition of the various parts.
The bobbins or single runners are indicated by the letter A, and are
supported at cach end on the pivots B, B; these pivots revolve in suitable
bearings made in the top rail C. The single runners have suitable
collars thereon to guide and keep the sheet of hackles in proper position.

page_text: In Figure 3 the sheets of hackles are indicated by the letter of
reference D, and beneath them are the brush rollers. The Drawing is
sufficiently explanatory without further description.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the feed rollers as applied to the second part
of my Invention; Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the same with one of
the bottom rollers in section; Figures 6, 7, 8, are enlarged views of the
washers which secure the india-rubber bushes; Figure 9 represents a
sectional elevation and end elevation of the india-rubber bush.
The top roller is indicated by the letter F and the bottom roller by H.
In the section of the roller Figure 5, Lis the india-rubber bush, and M, M,
are the washers, which are pressed against the india-rubbers by means of
the nuts N; the roller H is supported by the india-rubber, and is entirely
free from the spindle K. It will be readily understood that when the
stricks of flax increase in thickness between the feed rollers F and H
that the additional pressure thereby caused will make the india-rubber
give way, and thus vary the speed of the surface of the roller
accordingly.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lowry, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the year of our
Lond One thousand sight hundred and seventy
Signed and sealed by the within-
named George Lowry, in
the presence of
JOSEPH WILLCOCK.
GEORGE LOWRY. (L.S.)