Improvements in Hackling or Combing Machines for Flax and other Fibres.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 8th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct.. 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hackling or Combing Machines for Flax and
other Fibres.
1 ARTHUR WILSON METCALFE of Glass House Mill, Pateley Bridge, in the
County of York, Flax Spinner do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the hackling of flax and other fibres in such
a manner that its operation is continuous, the material after being hackled is
drawn off in the form of a sliver whereby much labor and handling is economised.
The machine consists first of two circles revolving horizontally side by side
each containing several rows of pins set in circles around its upper level face.
The flax or other fibre is spread upon a table with wind or current of air under
part of it, and a part of which is covered by a travelling sheet which travels
towards the first circle at a tangent the material is laid upon the table with the
fibres side by side crosswise of the direction in which it travels; as the material
arrives over the circle with a little more than half its length hanging outside
the pins, the table terminates and the fibre is dabbed into the first circle by a
dabbing brush or plates.
As the circle continues to rotate .away from the feeding table, the fibre pro-
truding from the circle is brought into contact with one or more hackling heads
which are preferably graduated in fineness of pins to clear the fibre from dirt
and shorts etcetera.
The hackling head consists of a sheet or two sheets one above the other
revolving horizontally and made in the manner usual in vertical hackling
machines for flax, that is, upon continuous leather straps are mounted cross bars
upon which hackle tools are fixed which in succession, come into contact with
the fibre and comb it. The pins of these tools are cleaned successively prefer-
The sheet or sheets
ably by brushes and doffing cylinders in the usual manner.
are so arranged that the lower sheet comes underneath the fibre whilst the other
sheet works immediately over it, the tools of the two sheets intersecting in the way
usual with hackling machines.
The whole of this arrangement of sheets is placed upon a table or support in
such a manner that it moves inwards and outwards from the circle, first commencing
by hackling the outer ends of fibre and then coming up to the circle and receding
again when the operation is repeated, the circle and consequently the fringe of fibre
having rotated slowly all the time, some fresh fibre is hackled at each stroke.
Whilst the hackling head is drawn back from the fibre, there is brought into opera-
tion by means of levers a plate with wind under it to support and direct the fibre
on to the hackle sheets again as they return.
The speed of revolution of the sheets is made to vary differentially as they
advance and recede making them revolve more rapidly as they advance towards
the fibre and more slowly as they recede so as to relieve undue strain upon the
fibre.
In connection with the above hackling head, and working simultaneously with it
are one or more pressers held over the fibre in the circle and so arranged as to hold
the fibre tightly down whilst the hackling head is cleaning the other half of the
fibre, these pressers come down between the rows of pins in the circle and may be
shod with rubber or other suitable material for holding the fibre better, these
pressers come down upon the fibre just as the hackling head comes to the fibre, and
travels on with the rotation of the circle until the backle head has receded again
when they are quickly released by a suitable cam or equivalent device and are

page_text: rapidly drawn back to their first position ready for the next stroke, by an alteration
of the arrangement two or more pressers may work, independently, one pressing
whilst another is returning to its first position.
The above description of the hackling head and pressers applies to any number
of them which may be placed around the circle.
As the circle continues its rotation the fringe of cleaned fibre is carried onto a
table with wind and conducted over the next circle into which it is dabbed in or
pressed in as at the former circle. Whilst at the same time plates or knives are
applied to the first circle to lift the fibre out of the pins.
also make the second circle much finer in the pins than the first in order to give
it power to draw the fibre from the first or coarser circle.
There is a space of say two or three inches between the two circles so that the
hackling heads on the second circle may come up to the point in the fibre where it
had been cleaned on the first circle.
The second circle is fitted with hackling heads, and pressers similar to the first,
whereby the other end of the fibre is hackled.
The fibre then passes on to a drawing off head consisting of horizontal rollers and
a leather sheet with wind applied in the usual manner adopted for combing
machines. The fibre as it comes through the rollers is collected into a sliver
and thence delivered into a can through callender rollers and a coiler in the
usual manner; and in this form it can be pressed and stored for future use in
preparing or used at once.
Dated the 9th der af Doaamhon 1000
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hackling or Combing Machines for Flax and
other Fibres.
1, ARTHUR WILSON METCALFE of Glass House Mill, Pateley Bridge in the
County of York, Flax Spinner do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described. and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object the hackling of flax and other fibres in such a
manner that its operation is continuous, the material after being hackled is drawn
off in the form of a sliver whereby much labour and handling is economised.
The machine consists first of two circles revolving horizontally side by side each
containing several rows of pins set in circles around its upper level face. The flax
or other fibres is spread upon a table with wind or current of air under part of it,
and a part of which is covered by a travelling sheet which travels towards the first
circle at a tangent the material is laid upon the table with the fibres side by side
crosswise of the direction in which it travels; as the material arrives over the circle
with a little more than half its length hanging outside the pins, the table terminates
and the fibre is dabbed into the first circle by a dabbing brush or plates.
As the circle continues to rotate away from the feeding table, the fibre pro-
truding from the circle is brought into contact with one or more hackling heads
which are preferably graduated in fineness of pins to clear the fibre from dirt and
shorts etcetera.
The hackling head consists of a sheet or two sheets one above the other revolving
horizontally and made in the manner usual in vertical hackling machines for flax,
that is, upon continuous leather straps are mounted cross bars upon which hackle
tools are fixed which in succession, come into contact with the fibre and comb it.
The pins of these tools are cleaned successively preferably by brushes and
doffing cylinders in the usual manner. The sheet or sheets are so arranged that

page_text: the lower sheet comes underneath the fibre, whilst the other sheet works imme-
diately over it, the tools of the two sheets intersecting in the way usual with
hackling machines.
The whole of this arrangement of sheets is placed upon a table or support in such
a manner that it moves inwards and outwards from the circle, first commencing by
hackling the outer ends of fibre and then coming up to the circle and receding
again when the operation is repeated, the circle and consequently the fringe of
fibre having rotated slowly all the time, some fresh fibre is hackled at each stroke
whilst the hackling head is drawn back from the fibre, there is brought into
operation by means of levers a plate with wind under it to support and direct the
fibre on to the hackle sheets again as they return.
The speed of revolution of the sheets is made to vary differentially as they
advance and recede making them revolve more rapidly as they advance towards the
fibre and more slowly as they recede so as to relieve undue strain upon the fibre.
In connection with the above hackling head and working simultaneously with it
are one or more pressers held over the fibre in the circle and so arranged as to hold
the fibre tightly down whilst the hackling head is cleaning the other half of the
fibre, these pressers come down between the rows of pins in the circle and may be
shod with rubber or other suitable material for holding the fibre better, these
pressers come down upon the fibre just as the hackling head comes to the fibre, and
travel on with the rotation of the circle until the hackle head has receded again
when they are quickly released by a suitable cam or equivalent device and are
rapidly drawn back to their first position ready for the next stroke; by an alteration
of the arrangement two or more pressers may work independently one pressing
whilst another is returning to its first position.
The above description of the hackling head and pressers applies to any number
of them which may be placed around the circle.
As the circle continues its rotation the fringe of cleaned fibre is carried on to a
table with wind and conducted over the next circle into which it is dabbed in or
pressed in as at the former circle whilst at the same time plates or knives are
applied to the first circle to lift the fibre out of the pins.
I also make the second circle much finer in the pins than the first in order to
give it power to draw the fibre from the first or coarser circle.
There is a space of say two or three inches between the two circles so that the
hackling heads on the second circle may come up to the point in the fibre where it
had been cleaned on the first circle.
The second circle is fitted with hackling heads and pressers similar to the first
whereby the other end of the fibre is hackled. The fibre then passes on to a
drawing off head consisting of horizontal rollers and a leather sheet with wind
applied in the usual manner adopted for combing machines.
The fibre as it comes through the rollers is collected into a sliver and thence
delivered into a can through callender rollers and a coiler, in the usual manner, and
in this form it can be pressed and stored for future use in preparing or used
at once.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shews a plan view of the entire machine.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of one of the hackling heads with parts of the two
circles shewn therein.
Fig. 1-C¹ and C² are two circles revolving in the directions shewn by the
arrows and mounted on tables close to each other and at the same level.
A is the travelling sheet across which the fibre to be hackled is laid. The pirt
to be held in the circle C¹protruding across the table B which may be made hollow
with slits in its upper face through which wind is blown to assist the fibre in
travelling toward the circle.
D
A immediately over the circle,

page_text: pins in the circle C¹ by which it is carried to the hackling head D' to be described
more fully in Fig. 2.
After the fringe of fibre has been hackled by one or more hackling heads D¹ D'
passes on to a wind table E which assists the fibre along over the second circle C*
up to the point where the two circles are nearest one another.
it
At this point the wind table ceases and the fibre comes over the pins of
circle C into which it is pricked by means of a dabbing plate or brush G
similar in action to the first one F.
Whilst the hackled end of the fibre is being dabbed into the circle C³ a
plate H wedge shaped at the front receives the other end of the fibre in circle C'
in a slanting direction raising it out of the pins and thus entirely releasing it
so that it is at liberty to follow round with circle C² being now held. by the
other and finished end, the pins in circle C2 are set finer than in circle C¹ to
hold the finished end of the fibre.
The fringe of raw fibre now continuing its movement with the circle C² is
hackled precisely as that on the first circle by one or more heads D³ and D
after which it is conducted to the drawing off head J and after passing over
the leather sheet K it is made into a sliver by the calender rollers L.
In order to clean the circle from any fibres left in it the cleaning plate M is
applied delivering the fibre, dirt etcetera over the side N.
If preferred the drawing off head may be dispensed with and the hackled fibre
be lifted off the circle 2 by hand for sorting.
The heads D and D2 are made to approach and recede from the circle C¹
alternately.
Fig. 2. The hackling head D¹ shewn at about its extreme distance from circle C¹
is mounted upon parallel rails of frame work so as to be capable of being moved to
and from the circle.
The hackle sheets a and together with the brushes c and d and doffing
cylinders are connected by gearing and driven in the direction of the arrows by
the belt or chain P from the pulley Q on shaft Q
This belt P passes over a pulley / under the pulley i upon the brush cylinder
then over j and being both loose pulleys upon studs fixed to and travelling
with the hackling head.
The belt then after passing over the fixed pulley k returns to the pulley Q.
By this arrangement the speed of rotation of the parts a, b, c, d, e, f is accelerated
as the head is advanced towards the circle and retarded in receding.
From a firm support rising through the centre of the circle åre hinged the strong
levers Rand R2 at their outer extremities being connected by rods to the levers S S
on fulcrum S. These said levers are capable of making a certain amount of
movement round with the circle when pressure is applied to them being pulled back
to original position by the spring T, Fig. 1 or any other convenient arrangement.
W, W are pressing blocks fitting over the circle clear of the pins and with long
studs W passing up through the steadying plate or stay X and lever R' with
springs introduced to equalize the pressure upon the circle. These plates may be
shod with any soft or clastic substance to increase the hold upon the fibre under
them.
A roller Y at each side of the frame D' on receding from the circle comes in
contact with a raised part of the lever S causing it to lift the weighted end up and
release the pressure of R¹ upon the blocks W W. When this takes place the
lever R' and blocks W W which owing to the pressure in contact with circle C¹
had advanced with it and again pulled back by spring T to first position.
The frame D' and roller Y then approaching the circle release the lever S and
pressure is again applied to the fibre in the circle whilst the frame D' is retiring
from the circle, a plate m made hollow if desirable with wind slits in it is brought
up into the position shewn to give the fringe of fibre support until the hackles again
get hold of it, it then swings back and downwards on the stud or fulcrum n to a
position out of the way of the hackles.

page_text: The hackling head receives its movement to and from the circle from a crank
wheel Z on a vertical stud which through a crank pin moves the lever p swinging
from a fixed stud.
At the moving end of said lever p is attached a connecting rod fastened to the
frame work of D¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The construction or arrangement and use of a hackling head as herein described
and shewn with the means or apparatus for moving the same into and out of the
fibre substantially as set forth.
2. The method of and means for driving the hackling heads so that the speed of
the tools varies differentially with the speed at which the same is brought in contact
with or separated from the fibre substantially as set forth.
3. The construction arrangement and use of the plate m for supporting the fringe
of fibre whilst the hackling head has receded as set forth.
4. The method of and means for changing the fibre from one circle to the other
circle employing coarse pins in the first circle and fine pins in the second circle as
set forth.
5. The general construction and arrangement or combination of parts of the
nipping plates and levers arranged to swing from the centre of the circle and means
of steadying the plates W W by the steadying plate or lower stay X through which
the shanks of the pressers pass, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated the 8th day of September 1893.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.