MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HACKLING AT AND ARTLED Tone S
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Combe, of Belfast, in the County of
Antrim, and Kingdom of Ireland, for the Invention of "
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HACKLING AT AND ARTLED Tone S
"IMPROVE
Sealed the 24th May 1870, and dated the 26th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Combe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th November 1869.
I, JAMES COMBE, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, and Kingdom
of Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HACKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
These improvements apply to what are known as intersecting vertical
sheet hackling machines the hackles of which are stripped by brushes
and doffers, and consist of a new and improved method of attaching the
hackles to the leather sheets, and in an improved manner of driving the
leather sheets.
The hackle stocks are fastened to light plates, one side of which is
attached by ordinary belt rivets to the leather sheets, whilst to drive the

page_text: hackles light bars of steel or other suitable material are employed, the
ends of which project past the end or outside sheets and into contact
with the teeth of a toothed pulley placed on each end of the bottom
sheet roller shaft; these bars are not required at each hackle but only at
sufficiently close intervals to steady the acting hackles, and always have
at least one held between the teeth of the bottom sheet roller. These
bars are placed above the hackle plates, and are fastened to the sheets
by the same rivets passing through both. By these means the weight
required to be carried by the leather sheets is much reduced, so that the
power required to drive the machines is greatly diminished, as is also the
wear and tear of the machine. By the same arrangement the hackles
are made to strike into the flax at right angles without using guides or
heavy bars as in previous machines. This method of attaching and
driving the hackles allows the top sheet roller to be of the smallest
possible diameter consistent with the requisite strength, and makes it a
plain roller in its entire length, and all the bottom pullies over which
the leather sheets pass except the two end ones are quite plain; it also
renders unnecessary the use of the "tumbling tooth," and avoids the
necessity for large holes in the leather sheets, by which they are
weakened.
The arrangement of the gearing, brushes, doffers, and bottom sheet
rollers of these machines is so contrived that the number of wheels and
the space occupied by the machine is considerably reduced and yet
greater facilities are afforded for making the necessary changes required
to work different kinds of flax than in any previous machine.
The doffing knives are driven by an excentric or crank on the top
sheet rollers, whereby special toothed gearing or belts for this purpose
are rendered unnecessary.
the 26th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COMBE, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, and Kingdom of Ireland,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, 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 James Combe, Her special licenco
that I, the said James Combe, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Combe, my executors, adminis-
trators, and 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, excrcise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel'
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
POR HACKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Combe, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 James Combe, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
-
These improvements are applicable to intersecting vertical sheet
backling machines, and have for their object to simplify the construction
of the machine and to render it more efficient in its action than
heretofore.
The manner of attaining these ends will be readily understood on
reference to the annexed Drawing in connection with the following
description, wherein the same figures or letters of reference apply. to the.
same parts.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the machine shewing the motions;
Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 are details of construction enlarged.
The main feature of this Invention consists in the method of attaching
the hackles to the sheets a and the means employed for giving motion

page_text: to the sheets a, which is accomplished in the following manner :-The
hackle stocks are fastened to light plates a' by means of screws and
fixed nuts applied to the back of the plates to provide a good holding
for the screws. The plates a' are so attached by ordinary rivets a² to the
leather sheets a as to be free to rise therefrom when passing over the top
rollers, and thus present the hackles to the stricks of flax that they may
strike into the fibres at right angles thereto, as heretofore proposed.
For driving the hackles h light bars 6 of steel or other suitable material
are employed, the ends b¹ of which project, as shewn at Fig. 3, past the
end or outside sheets a³, and work in contact with the teeth c of a
toothed pulley c¹ placed on each end of the bottom sheet roller shaft c.
These bars are not required at each hackle but only at sufficiently.
close intervals to steady the acting hackles b and ensure at least one
barb of cach set of sheets a being held between the teeth of the
bottom sheet roller c¹; these bars 6 are placed above the hackle plate a',
and are fastened to the sheets a by the same rivets a passing through
both. By these means the weight carried by the leather sheets a is.
much reduced, and the power required to drive the machine is con-
sequently greatly diminished, as is also the wear and tear of the machine.
It will also be seen that by this same arrangement the advantage of the
hackles striking into the flax at right angles to its length is attained
without using guides or heavy bars as in previous machines. This.
method of attaching and driving the hackles allows the top sheet.
roller d to be of a very small diameter and still have tho requisite
strength for carrying the sheets, and it allows of the rollers. being
plain through their entire length, as are also all the bottom pullics c
over which the leather sheets a pass except the end ones. This arrange-.
ment also renders unnecessary the use of the "tumbling tooth," and,
avoids the necessity for large holes in the leather slicets a, by which
they are weakened.
The peculiar arrangement of the geering and the other mechanism
for imparting motion to the various parts of the machine, and by the
use of which the machine is much simplified, is shewn in Fig. 1. The
lift of the trough and the sliding motion of the flax holders are both
obtained through a pair of bowles or runners e² on one stud e' on the arm
of the main motion wheel e acting on the pair of levers f,f', which are
severally connected to the holder trough or channel by connecting
rods and g, and chains 7. The lever has its fulcrum on the main

page_text: I will
framing at, and the smaller lever f¹ has its fulcrum on the lever f.
The wheels move in the direction indicated by the arrows, and at every
revolution of the bowles c the levers f and f' are caused to take the
position shewn in dotted lines, when the holder trough or channel
be raised to its highest clevation to clear the stricks of the hackle pins
and allow the holders 9* to slide. The driving pullies i are carried on a
socket on which are two toothed pinions , one driving the lift and
sliding motions by a train of gearing &, the other driving the brushes m
and doffers n and sheet rollers c.
When a change in the speed of the sheets a or number of hackles h
passing through the flax in a given time is required one of the pinions m
of the double carrier is changed, which can readily be done without
removing the pullies or any other parts.
If the lifts or number of holders. delivered in a given time is required
to be altered the pinion on the wheel is changed; thus every
facility is given for the required changes of speed, and each one being
effected through distinct or separate trains of gearing they do not affect
cach other, and the alteration is made direct.
The top sheet rollers d are carried in the ordinary moveable bearings,
which are adjustable to regulate the amount of intersection of the
hackle pins (and tension of the sheets); the bottom sheet rollers caro
carried in fixed bushes, and are not therefore adjustable. This renders
unnecessary the use of intermediate pinions which compensated for the
adjustment of the sheet rollers, whereby the intersection of the hackles.
was in part controlled. In order, however, that this provision may be
still retained to suit different kinds of flax while the number of gearing
wheels is reduced, as above explained, I control the intersection of the
hackles and the manner or direction in which they pass through the
fibres by introducing a pair of rollers p inside the sheets a carried by
moveable brackets p'; these rollers I move in and out by adjusting
screws, as shewn in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and the amount of dressing at
the bottom or end of the strick or flax under treatment can be regulated
as well as at the top or middle of the strick.
This arrangement of lift and sliding levers f, f', and regulating
rollers p for sheets is also applicable with equal advantage to hackling
machines where the tow is removed from the hackles by stripper bars
instead of brushes and doffers, as shown in the Drawing.

page_text: In machines in which the hackles h are stripped by brushes m and
doffers n the doffing knives n' are driven by an excentric or crank pin on
the end of the top sheet rollers & and connecting rods n². By this
means special toothed gearing or belts for this purpose are rendered
unnecessary.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Machinery for Hackling Flax and other Fibrous Substances," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
First. Attaching the hackles to their sheets, and driving the same
in the manner and for the purpose above described.
Secondly. The arrangement described for making the necessary.
changes to work different kinds of flax and other fibrous substances.
Lastly. The arrangement above described for driving the doffer
knives.
In witness whercof, I, the said James Combe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.