IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
Sealed the 17th February 1860, and dated the 6th Sepember 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lowry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition on the
6th September 1859.
I, GEORGE LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, do'
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in making the heckles of heckling.
"machines with moveable pins or rows of pins, each of which, or any number of
single pins, may be brought into position for acting on the strick of fibrous
material when required.
The second part of my Invention is applicable to the machines for which
Letters Patent were granted to me on the Seventh September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five, and numbered 2021, and consists in applying to
such machines a combination of levers acted upon by a cum for raising and
lowering the trough or rail for the strick holders, whereby the trough can be
made to rise and fall any required height, and to dwell or remain stationary at
Price 8d1

page_text: the bottom of the stroke for any required length of time without changing the
shape or size of the cam by which it is actuated; this is accomplished by
allowing the trough to bear on adjustable fixings,and by altering the leverage
to suit the amount of rise and fall and dwell required.
The third part of my Invention consists in improved combinations of
machinery by which the traverse of the strick holders along the trough can be
varied without changing the cam or gearing by which the said strick holders
are moved. This object is attained by transmitting the motion imparted by
the cam to a second lever connected to the taking-in motion of the strick
holders, the studs of the said levers being adjustable, or by other suitable com-
bination of adjustable levers, in connection with a positive cam.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in doffing the tow when more
than one line of holders are operated upon in the same machine, by means of
an intermediate doffer or other equivalent agent, which carries the tow forward
or across the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Lowry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Lowry, Her special licence 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 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MA-
TERIALS, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Lowry,
my executors or administrators, by au 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

page_text: 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 George Lowry 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 (that is to say):-
The first part of my Invention consists in making the heckles of heckling
machines, with moveable pins or rows of pins, each of which, or any number.
of single pins, may be brought into position for acting on the strick of fibrous
material when required.
The second part of my Iuvention is applicable to the machines for which
Letters Patent were granted to me on the Seventh of September; One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five, Number 2021, and cousists in applying: to such
machines a combination of levers acted upon by a cam, for raising and lower-
ing the trough or rail for the strick holders, and of adjustable fixings whereon
the trough bears when down, whereby the trough can be made to rise and fall
any; required. height, and to dwell or remain stationary at the bottom of the
stroke for any required length of time, without changing the shape or size of
the cam by which it is actuated.
The third part of my Invention consists in improved combinations of
machinery by which the traverse of the strick holders along the trough can be
varied without changing the cam or gearing by which the said strick holders
are moved. This object is attained by transmitting the motion imparted.by.
the cain to a second lever. connected to the taking-in motion of: the strick
holders, the studs of the said levers being adjustable; or by other suitable
combination of adjustable leve:s in combination with a positive cam.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in doffing the tow when more
than one line of holders are operated upon in the same machine, by means of
an intermediate. doffer, or other. equivalent agent, which carries the tow
forward or across the machine:
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood. and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed. to describe the means pursued by me,
reference.being had to the two accompanying Sheets of Drawings, and to the
figures and letters marked thereou.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is an elevation of part of a sheet lieckling machine.to
which, the first.and fourth parts of my Invention are applied; Figure 2is aside
elevation of Figure 1;; Figures 3; 4; 5; and Gare detached. views. of parts of
Figures 1 and 2, drawn full size. This machine is made very narrow;.and is

page_text: chiefly intended to be used by dealers in flax, to ascertain the proportion of
tow in a given weight of flax, or by other parties that have not sufficient
power to work a large heckling machine; in this case the strick of flax would
be held in a holder to which a rising and falling motion is communicated in
the usual manner. I wish, however, to remark that machines of any required
width can be made on the same principle. a, a, are the ordinary sheets or
belts to which the heckle bars and stocks b, are attached in the manner
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the Seventh
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, Number 2021,
or in any other convenient manner; c, c, are the small drums, and d, d, the
large drums, around which the sheets or belts pass.
The heckle stocks in Figures 3 and 4 are represented with six moveable.
rows of pins, but it is evident that a greater or less number may be applied
When the machine is started, all the rows of pins are set in line with cach
other, as shewn at A in Figure 4, consequently the action of the pins on the
flax is the same as if a coarse comb or heckle were acting on the fibres, as
only a single row of pins are in operation, After the heckling has proceeded
for a sufficient time with the pins in this position, one of the rows of pins of
each heckle stock is moved end wise, so as to bring the pins so moved in the
centre of the space between the others, as shewn at B in Figure 4, thereby
making a comb twice as fine as before, the flax is then heckled again until it
is required to make the comb still finer, when two of the rows are moved as
shewn at C, after which the position of the pins is changed to that shewn
at D, and so on until all the rows of pins are moved into the positions required
for producing the same effect as a comb of five times or six times the fineness
of the first. It is evident that after a strick of flax has been operated upon
by the heckle stocks with the moveable rows of pins in all their different
positions, the strick will be as effectually heckled as if it had been traversed
through a six-comb machine of the usual construction.
A similar result, but not to the same extent, may be obtained by the
arrangement shewn in Figures 5 and 6. In these views the pins are set
partly in the stocks 61, and partly in moveable or swivel stocks b²; and these
pins are so set that they intersect each other. On commencing to operate with
this arrangement of heckles, the moveable stocks 62 are in the position shewn
in full lines, in Figure 5, that is to say, the pins in them are so low, that they
do not act on the flax or other fibrous material, but when the combs require
to be made finer, the stocks 6* are moved up by suitable guides into the
position shewn by dots in Figure 5, thereby bringing the extra rows of pins
into action. I wish to remark that several rows of pins may in like manner

page_text: be brought successively into operation, so as to increase the fineness of the
combs, thereby dispensing with the end motion required in the arrangement
shewn in Figures 3 and 4.
The tow is doffed from the heckles either in the usual manner by revolving
brushes, as shewn in Figure S, or by meaus of my improved stripping
apparatus, which consists of the stripping rods v, fixed to the swivel arms v,
hinged to the heckle bars 6 or sheets a. The arms have projections ³,
which are guided by the ordinary guides of the studs fixed to the heckle
bars b, and by the extra guides f. When the heckle bars in descending
arrive at the drums d, the stripping rods v pass beyond the heckle bars b, and
in so doing. carry the tow or noils from between the pins, and deposit them on
the card roller w, and revolving brush w', by which they are deposited on the
card roller w, from which they are doffed by a comb in the usual manner.
When the stripping rods v rise on the outer circumference of the drums d,
their own gravity, assisted by the guides f, bring them back to their original
positions close up to the sheets a. The card rollers w and w², and the brush w',
may be dispensed with, and the tow allowed to drop on the floor or into a
tow box.
The requisite motion is communicated to the drums and rollers by steam or
other power, or by a handle fixed to the axle of one of the drums or rollers,
the dotted circles in Figure 1 iudicating the wheels, pinions,pulleys, and strap
required. In some cases sheet heckling machines may be made with the
heckles or heckle bars attached to swivel arms, similar to v', the said arms
being jointed to plates fixed to the sheets or to the sheets themselves; when
such is the case the heckles are struck into the pendent strik of fibrous
material in passing over the small drums c, in the same manuer as the heckle
bars when attached to the sheets according to the improved mode secured to
me by Letters Patent granted on the Seventh of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five, Number 2021.
Figure 7 represents a modification of my improved stripping rods. In this
view two stripping rods marked v and 2 are applied, one placed on each side
of the heckle stock, the object being toget close up on both sides of the heckle
in order to remove the tow, and to clear the heckles more effectually than a
single rod will do.
Figure 8 is an end elevation, and Figure 9 a front view, of part of a sheet
heckling machine to which the second and third of my improvements are
applied. The parts marked a, c, and dare similar to those above referred to
in Figure 1, the trough or rail i, for the strick holders g, is raised and lowered
by the cam m acting on the improved combination of levers marked n'and n³,

page_text: the former of which has a bowl bearing on the cam m, and connected.to the
latter by the link n³. The lever n2 is bolted to the lower end of the side
plate n, to which the trough i is secured. The levers n' and n² are made with
several holes for the studs of the connecting link n³, and by varying the position
of; these studs in the said holes, and increasing or reducing the length of the
connecting link n³, which is furnished with lock nuts for this purpose, the lift
of the trough can be regulated to suit the length of fibre to be heckled,
without altering the shape or size of the cam m. The dwell of the trough i
at the bottom of the stroke can be regulated by means of the adjustable rod or
link n³ which connects the levers n' and n². The trough i is shewn nearly
down in Figure 8, and when it is requisite to increase the dwell beyond the
time due to the concentric, part of the cam m, acting on the bowl in the
lever n', the link n³ is shortened, so that when the trough bears. on
the brackets no, its descent is arrested, and the bowl on the lever n' is held
out of contact with the concentric part of the cam m, which then performs a
greater portion of a revolution before it again begins to act on the bowl of the
lever n'.
The third part of my Invention will be best understood in reference to
Figure 9, in which view m' is the shaft of the cam m above mentioned; to
this shaft is fixed the mitre wheel m² gearing into a similar wheel, which is
cast with or attached to the grooved cam o; in this groove fits a bowl
projecting from the lever p,.working on the fulcrum stud p'; this lever is
connected by the link to the long lever q, whose fulcrum is at q; to the
upper end of this lever is fixed a stud for the swivel piece q², in which fits the
rod.q³; the other end of which is secured in the friction socket q', fitting on a
stud in the rod r; to this rod are hinged the catches s, s, by which the strick
holders g are pushed forward. The object of the friction socket.q' is to allow
the rod g³ to slip in case the holders.or other parts of the traversing apparatus
should become fast. As the position of the studs of the connecting link p³can
be varied in the levers p and q, it is evident that the motion imparted by the
cam o to the lever.q, and consequently to the rod r and strick. holders g; can
beincreased or diminished according to the amount of traverse required to be
given to the strick holders.. I wish to remark here that the arrangement of
levers for effecting this varying traverse of the strick holders without changing
the cam may be considerably modified. In Figure 10 I-have shewn a plan of
. an arrangement of mechanism. suitable for apply this part of my Invention
to a duplex sheet heckling machine. In this view the mitre wheel m³ gears
into two similar wheels furnished with grooved cams o, each of which actsona
leverp.andg, as above described; these cams-are set in such wise-that while

page_text: the one is advancing towards the frame end the other is receding from it.
The strick holders are thus made to traverse in opposite directions for the
purpose of bringing one set towards the levers, by which they are worked, and
pushing the other set from them; or the same object can be attained by using
a double-grooved cam fixed to the end of the shaft m¹, which cam acts on
two levers similar to 9 in Figure 9, and causes them to move alternately in
opposite directions.
On Sheet 2, Figure 11 is an elevation, and Figure 12 a side view, of my
improved duplex sheet heckling machine, shewing how the second, third, and
fourth parts of my Invention may be applied to a machine in which two lines
of holders are employed; Figure 13 is a plan of part of the same. As many
of the parts in these views are similar to those described in reference to
Sheet 1, they are marked with corresponding letters of reference. The levern¹
is acted upon by the cam m, and is connected to the lever n² by the link n³,
and the lever 2 is fixed to a shaft n4, which is supported in bearings fixed to
the two end frames of the machine; to this shaft are fixed the levers n5, to'
which the trough i is suspended and the links n, which are jointed below to
the levers n; to these levers the trough is suspended. By this means the
cam m imparts a simultaneous up-and-down motion to both the troughs i
and 2, and the amount of motion can be varied to suit the length of fibre to
be operated upon by changing the position of the studs of the link n³ in the
levers n' and n. The rising and falling of the troughs and is made to
impart the requisite traverse to the strick holders gin the following manner:
To the bars and r¹ of the catches s, s, are fixed studs 12 and 1; these studs
are connected by a strap 4 passing round, and secured to the circumference of
the pulley ; a second strap r is also attached to the pulley 5 and to pro-
jections and fixed to the bars and r¹; the pulley 5 is slightly conical
inside, and fits on a friction pulley, which is fixed to a spindler, the upper
part of which is formed into a screw, with about half a turn; this screw fits"
between the two rollers 10, which are mounted on studs fixed to the framing,
see Figure 13. The object of the friction pulley on which the pulley rests
is to allow the pulley to yield, in case of any obstruction in the passing of
the strick holders along the troughs. The lower end of the spindle ³ is sup-
ported in a socket made in the cross bar, connecting the two troughs; by
this arrangement the up-and-down motion of the troughs causes the screwed
part of the spindle to pass between the rollers 10, thereby imparting a
partial rotary motion to the pulley 5, and as the straps r* and are attached
to this pulley, it is evident that the burs r and r¹ will be moved alternately to
and fro to the requisite extent for traversing the strick holders in contrarý

page_text: directions along the troughs. In working the machine the strick holders are
supposed to be fed in the trough it at X, and when they arrive at the end Y
the attendant takes them from the trough 2, and afterchanging the holders in
the usual manner, deposits them at Z in the trough i, from whence they are
traversed to the other end marked Z. The troughs and 2¹are counter-
balanced by weights n¹³, and the various parts of the machine are driven from
the driving pulley E by the gearing shewn by dotted circles in Figure 11.
The tow is duffed from the heckles by the swivel stripper rods, and by card
rollers and revolving brushes, as shewn and described in reference to Figure 1,
or in the manner shewn in Figure 14; in this view the revolving brushes r
strip the tow from the heckles on the two inner sheets, and deposit it on the
card rollers; the brushes a strip the tow from the heckles on the two outer
sheets and from the card rollers a³, and deposit it on the card rollers a³, which
are doffed by combs in the usual manner.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the application to heckling machines of heckle stocks with moveable
rows of pins, or of rows of pins or heckles mounted on swivel arms or levers,
for the purpose of bringing the pins into operation when required, as shewu
and described in reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, or in any other
convenient manner.
Secondly, the improved combination of parts shewn and described in
reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7, for doffing or stripping the tow from the
heckles of heckling machines, and particularly the swivel stripping rods v
and 2, and the application of double stripping rods to vertical sheet heckling
machines.
Thirdly, the improved arrangement of rollers and revolving brushes shewn
and described in reference to Figures 1, 11, and 14, for stripping the tow from
the heckles of ordinary heckling machines, or from the swivel stripping rods
shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7.
Fourthly, the improved combination of levers marked n¹ and n², and the
adjustable fixings no, shewn and described in reference to Figures 8 and 9.
when combined with the improved mode of connecting the heckle bars to the
sheets, as secured to me by Letters Patent granted on the Seventh of Sep-
tember, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, Number 2021 by means
whereof the trough and the strick holders can be made to rise and fall any,
required height, and to dwell or remain stationary at the bottom of the stroke
for any required leugth of time, without changing the shape or size of the cam
by which the levers are actuated.

page_text: Fifthly, the improved machinery for traversing the strick holders along the
trough, by means whereof the traverse can be varied without changing the
cam or other agent by which the strick holders are noved, as shewn and
described in reference to Figure 9.
Sixthly, the application of the improvements forming the subject of my fifth
claim to duplex sheet heckling machines, as shewu and described in reference
to Figure 10.
my
Seventhly, the application of the improvements forming the subject of
fourth claim to duplex sheet heckling machines, as shewn and described in
reference to Figures 11 and 12.
And, lastly, the improved combination of machinery shewn and describedin
reference to Figures 11, 12, and 13, for traversing the strick holders in
contrary directions in duplex sheet heckling machines.
In witness whereof, i, the said George Lowry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
GEO. LOWRY. (L.s.)