IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR HECKLING
FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."-A communication from abroad
by the Firm of Samuel Walker and Company, of Lille, in the
Republic of France.
Scaled the 2nd April 1874, and dated the 5th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th February 1874.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING
OR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," a communication to me
from abroad by the Firm of Samuel Walker and Company, of Lille, in
the Republic of France, to be as follows:-
p
This Invention relates to improvements in the machinery for heckling
flax and other fibrous materials, and consists in driving the roughing

page_text: sheet of the heckles at a speed varying according to the position of the
trough carrying the flax holders. The heckling sheet being divided into
two parts (one for finishing and one for roughing) instead of in one
continuous sheet as usually done, each of which is mounted on two
separate shafts so that the two half sheets may be driven independently.
Also in the application of a self adjusting catch bar for pushing forward
the flax holders in the trough so as to prevent breakage.
I drive the finishing sheet at a fixed speed, but as concerns the
roughing sheet I drive it at a varying speed, that is to say, by means of
a pair of cones or other suitable mechanical contrivance the roughing
sheet is made to change its speed according to the position of the trough
carrying the holders. Thus when the trough is down and the whole
length of the fibres engaged in the heckles the roughing sheet is running
at its slowest speed, but as the trough rises the speed of the roughing
sheet is gradually accelerated till it reaches its maximum speed when
the trough is in its highest position. As soon as the trough begins to
descend the speed of the roughing sheet is gradually diminished until it
reaches its minimum speed, when the trough is again in its lowest
position.
A good ratio between the least and the greatest speed is as 2:3, but I
do not confine ourselves to that ratio. By this means the flax is treated
more gently, the work is better done, and more yield is obtained.
In shifting the flax forward along the trough extending between the
finishing and roughing hackles it frequently occurs that the catch fitted
on the reciprocating bar for pushing the holders of the flax forward is
broken owing to some obstruction to the free motion of the holders along
the bottom of the trough. To obviate this I attach one end of a rod to
the reciprocating bar, and the other end to the extremity of a lever fixed
on a horizontal shaft carrying a pulley of suitable size. This pulley is
driven in alternate directions by the friction of a bolt or strap connected
at one end to a vibrating lever actuated by the driving gear of the
machine, and at the other end to a balance weight of sufficient gravity
to give the necessary friction between the belt and the pulley for over-
coming the resistance required to drive the reciprocating bar before
mentioned.
When an obstruction occurs in the flax trough the catch on the
reciprocating bar (instead of being pushed hard and fast against the flax

page_text: holders by the ordinary driving gear of the machine, and thereby causing
it or some other portion of the apparatus to break) simply overcomes
the friction of the belt on the pulley before mentioned and causes the
same to slip round until either the obstruction is removed or the
machine stopped.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in thê Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the 37th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that
I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors,
administrators, or 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
OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR HECKLING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
a communication to me from abroad by the Firm of Samuel Walker
and Company, of Lille, in the Republic of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same.

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the machinery for hackling
flax and other fibrous materials, and consists in driving the roughing
sheet of the hackles at a speed varying according to the position of the
trough carrying the flax holders. The hackling sheet being divided into
two parts, (one for finishing and one for roughing) instead of in one con-
tinuous sheet as usually done, each of which is mounted on two separate
shafts so that the two half sheets may be driven independently. Also
in the application of a self adjusting catch bar for pushing forward the
flax holders in the trough so as to prevent breakage.
The finishing sheet is driven at a fixed speed, but the roughing sheet
is driven at a varying speed, that is to say, by means of a pair of cones
or other suitable mechanical contrivance; the roughing sheet is made to
change its speed according to the position of the trough carrying the
holders. Thus when the trough is down and the whole length of the
fibres engaged in the hackles the roughing sheet is running at its
slowest speed, but as the trough rises the speed of the roughing sheet is
gradually accelerated till it reaches its maximum speed when the trough
is in its highest position. As soon as the trough begins to descend the
speed of the roughing sheet is gradually diminished until it reaches its
minimum speed, when the trough is again in its lowest position.
A good ratio between the least and the greatest speed is as 2:3, but
we do not conbine ourselves to that ratio. By this means the flax is
treated more gently, the work is better done, and more yield is
obtained.
In shifting the flax forward along the trough extending between the
finishing and roughing hackles it frequently occurs that the catch fitted
on the reciprocating bar for pushing the holders of the flax forward is
broken owing to some obstruction to the free motion of the holders along
the bottom of the trough. To obviate this one end of a rod is attached
to the reciprocating bar and the other end to the extremity of a lever
fixed on a horizontal shaft carrying a pulley of suitable size. This
pulley is driven in alternate directions by the friction of a belt or strap
connected at one end to a vibrating lever, actuated by the driving gear of

page_text: the machine, and at the other end to a balance weight of sufficient
gravity to give the necessary friction between the belt and the pulley
for overcoming the resistance required to drive the reciprocating bar.
before mentioned.
When an obstruction occurs in the flax trough, the catch on the
reciprocating bar (instead of being pushed hard and fast against the flax
holders by the ordinary driving gear of the machine, and thereby causing
it or some other portion of the apparatus to break) simply overcomes the
friction of the belt on the pulley before mentioned and causes the same
to slip round until either the obstruction is removed or the machine
stopped.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved hackling machine ;.
Figure 2 an end elevation at the driving end; and Figure 3 an end
elevation at the opposite end of the same.
Motion is given to the machine by the pulley 1 fixed on the end of
the shaft 2 which runs from end to end of the machine.
The finishing sheets are driven at a fixed speed as follows:- On the
shaft 2 (Figure 2) is keyed the pinion 3 which gives motion to the carrier
wheel 4, which gives motion to the wheels 5 and 5¹. These are fixed on
the shaft 6 and 6'. The shaft 6¹ carries the drums (Figure 1) 7, 71,
and 7. The shaft 6 carries also three drums which cannot be seen in
the Drawing as they are directly behind the drums 7, 7', and 7%. All
these six drums are provided with teeth or spokes as in the usual way,
and these teeth or spokes enter into notches formed in the finishing
sheets so that when the said drums rotate they drive the finishing
sheets 8 and 8¹. These finishing sheets run loosely over the shaft 9
and 9'. Since the shaft 2 runs at a fixed speed the finishing sheets will
also run at a fixed speed.
On the other end of the driving shaft 2 is fixed the cone 10 which
gives motion to the cone 11 by means of a strap 12. On the cone 11 is
a pinion 13 which gives motion to the wheels respectively 14 and 14'
which are keyed on the shafts 15 and 15¹. The shaft 15 carries three

page_text: drums 16, 16', and 162. The shaft 15 carries three similar drums.
These six drums are provided with teeth or spokes which enter into
notches formed in the roughing sheets 18 and 18', so that when the
drums of the shafts 15 and 15¹ rotate they drive the said roughing
sheets which run loosely over the shafts 19 and 19¹.
The variable speeds of the roughing sheets 18 and 18' which forms
one part of this Invention is obtained from the shaft 2 by means of the
cones 10 and 11, and in the manner hereafter described.
A rotary motion is given to the wheel 24 from the pinion 3 by means
of the wheels and pinions 4, 5, 20, 21, 22, and 23 (Figure 2). The
wheel 24 turns on a stud fixed in the framing and carries with it a
cam 25 which actuates a roller 26 fixed in a lever 27. This lever
oscillates on a stud 28 fixed in the framing, and conveys a rocking
motion to the shaft 32 overhead by means of the rod 29 and link
chain 30 and quadrant 31. By means of the quadrants 33, and 33¹, and
of the link chains 34 and 34', the rocking shaft 32 causes the "trough” or
"holder carrier" to rise and fall. On the end of the shaft 32 is fixed the
lever 35 which communicates its motion to the strap 12 by means of the
rod and levers 36, 37, 38, and 39. When the trough 40 is up the said
levers are so arranged that the strap 12 runs on the large end of the
cone 10 and small end of the cone 11, and therefore makes the roughing
sheets 18, 18', run quick; but as soon as the trough 40 begins to descend
the rods and levers 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, will gradually push the strap 12
towards the other ends of the cones 10 and 11, and thereby gradually
decrease the speed of the said roughing sheets. The strap 12 will then
have been pushed on the small end of the cone 10 and large end of the
cone 11 so as to obtain the least speed of the roughing sheets. As soon
as the trough 40 begins to ascend the shaft 32 will again actuate the
strap 12 in an inverse manner so as to gradually increase the speed of
the roughing sheets 18, 18¹. This process will occur each time the
trough 40 falls and ascends, whereby the accelerating and retarding
motion is obtained.
According to another part of the Invention the wheel 24 carries a
stud on which is a roller 41 actuating a lever 42. This lever oscillates
on a stud 28 fixed in the framing, and is attached at its other end to the
rod 43. A strap 44 hanging over a pulley 45 has one of its ends secured
to the rod 43; a weight 46 is fixed to the other end of the strap 44 so as

page_text: to make it adhere to the pulley 45. At the extremity of the axle of the
pulley 45 is a lever 47 which actuates the catch bar 48 by means of the
connecting rod 49. The catch bar is moveable in the brackets 50, 50',
and 50%. The flax holders are indicated in blue ink and are composed
as usual of two plates of steel 51 and 51', between which the flax is held
by bolting them tightly together. They are also provided with studs 52
upon which they (the holders) slide along the trough 40. The inner
side of the catch bar 48 is provided with studs upon which are placed
fingers 53, one end of which trail on the bottom of the trough. When
O the wheel 24 is put in motion the lever 42 will give a reciprocating
motion to the catch bar 48. When the catch bar goes towards the
roughing end of the machine the said fingers will ride over the studs 52
of the holders, but when the catch bar goes back, i.e., towards the
finishing end of the machine the fingers 53 will come in contact with
5 the studs 52 and push the holders forward. The cam 25 for raising and
lowering the trough 40 and the roller 41 for advancing the holders being
both on the same wheel 24, these two movements will take place
simultaneously.
Lastly. As the motion from the lever 42 to the catch bar 48 is trans-
Omitted by the friction of the strap 44 on the pulley 45, if (as it
frequently happens) the holders should get fast the strap 44 will slip
over the pulley 45 and so avoid a break down. This method of
transmitting motion by friction to the catch bar forms the second part
of the Invention.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,―
First. Dividing the hackling sheet into two parts mounted respectively
on two separate shafts whereby cach part is driven independently of the
other, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. Driving the roughing sheet at a speed varying with the
position of the trough carrying the holders, substantially as and for the
.

page_text: Third. The application and use of a self adjusting device to the
reciprocating catch bar for carrying forward the flax holders with trough,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illus-
trated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of August
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.