IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING OR COMBING FLAX, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MARSDEN, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-seven, in the eleventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Marsden, my exors,
admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Thomas Marsden, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Marsden, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
DRESSING OR COMBING FLAX, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Marsden,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Marsden, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
In machines for dressing or hackling flax, &c., consisting of two bodies of
hackles, moved in contrary directions, for the purpose of dressing both sides of
the flax, the trough holding the flax to be dressed rises and falls vertically,
so that the flax is gradually operated upon by the hackles from the end up to
the holder.
One of my improvements consists in moving the trough horizontally, or
nearly so, the flax being first laid on one cylinder or body of hackles, close up to
the holder, when its motion is changed to the opposite direction, and the other
side of the flax laid on the other cylinder or body of hackles close up to the
holder, and thus both sides of the flax are dressed. In machines of this kind
also, where the hackle bars and hackles receive their motion from one shaft,
there is no means of drawing the hackle bars or hackles in a direct line nearer
to or of moving them farther from the centre of the shaft giving motion to them.
Another improvement therefore is, a mode of doing this so that immediately
after the hackles come in contact with the flax, I can gradually draw the
hackle bars and hackles nearer to the centre of the shaft giving motion to them.
In order that these Inventions may be fully understood, I shall proceed to
describe them and the Drawings annexed:-
Figure 3 shows two hackle cylinders, moving in opposite directions, so as to
dress each side of the flax. A and A' are the shafts on which they revolve.
The plate B works on a centre stud or shaft C. Fixed to it is the holder
connected with which is
trough D. Attached to the trough is the plate E,
the rod F, which is attached to the wheel G a certain distance from the centre
of such wheel. It will be seen that as this wheel G revolves, it gradually
moves the trough D nearer to the cylinder attached to the sahft A, and then
in a contrary direction nearer to the cylinder attached to the shaft A¹; thus
one side of the flax is first dressed on one cylinder, close up to the holder, and
then the opposite side is dressed, close up to the holder on the other cylinder.
This Plan shows only one end of the machine; the other or opposite end is
exactly the same. The distance that the trough moves from its vertical
position can be regulated by fixing the rod F farther from or nearer to the
centre of the wheel G. This will depend upon the greater or less intersection
given to the hackle cylinders attached to the shafts A and A¹. Other

page_text: mechanical means may be adopted to perform this motion, such as cams or
exccentrics, but 1 prefer the mode described, as being the most simple.
I shall now describe the other improvement. Figure 1 shows a side view;
and Figure 2 a plan (of one end of the machine) of the hackle cylinder, to
which are attached the means of drawing the hackles and hackle bars nearer
to or moving them farther from the centre of the shafts H and H', which
shafts give motion to such heckles and bars, the shafts receiving their motion
from steam or other motive power. The hackle bar bearings or supports I
are fastened on the shafts H and H', and revolve with such shafts. Fixed to
the framing of the machine, and stationary, are circular grooved pulleys K;
these are fixed eccentrically with the shafts H and H¹. The distance from the
centre of these grooved pulleys K from the centre of the shafts H and H¹
may be regulated according to circumstances, so that a greater or less eccentric
motion may be given to the hackle bars and hackles. Encircling and working
round the fixed grooved pulleys K are the rings L, which also have a groove
or recess in their outer diameter. To the rims of these grooves are fixed the
arms M, by the joints (a); in the upper part of these arms are fitted the round
ends of the hackle bars N. These bars may revolve on these ends in the
arms M; but as the arms are moved eccentrically to the shafts H and H',
they are moved in the same manner by the arms. The hackle bars N are
attached to the bearings I by a lever O. One end of this lever is fixed to the
hackle bar N; the other is attached by
hackle bars also pass through semicircular slots left in the upper part of the
bearings I, such slots (c) being in all parts equidistant from the joint (b),
which attaches the hackle bars to the pinned bearings I. It will be seen that
as the main shafts H and H' revolve, they carry with them the fixed bearings I.
These, by means of the circular slots (c), carry round the hackle bars N.
These bars, by means of their bearings in the arms M, carry round the bars M ;
and these, by means of their connection with the clip or circle L, carry such
clip or ring round the fixed grooved pulley K; this pulley being stationary and
placed eccentrically with the shafts Hand H', the circular ring or clip L, the
arms M, and the hackle bars N, are moved eccentrical with such shafts. The
pulley K is so fixed that the hackle bars are at about their greatest distance
from the centre of the shafts H and H¹ when the hackles are approaching
close to the flax; and, as they progress down or through the flax, they are
drawn nearer to the centre of such shafts. This, however, may be regulated
as may be most desirable.
the joint (b) to the bearings I. The
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be known that I don't confine myself to

page_text: the precise details given, provided the peculiar character of my improvements be
retained. And I wish it to be understood that what I claim is, the application
of a mechanical means for moving horizontally, or nearly so, the holder troughs
for dressing or hackling flax, &c.; and further, the application, for the same
purpose, of circular rings or pulleys placed eccentrically with the shafts that
give motion to the hackle bars and hackles, so as by this means to draw the
hackle bars and hackles nearer to, or move them farther from, the centre of
such shaft. And I claim this, whether as applied to the cylinder or body of
hackles working separately or to two, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Marsden, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
Enrolled the Second day of March, in the year of our Lord One 2
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.