IMPROVEMENTS IN HECKLING, CLEANING, PREPARING, AND CARDING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1843

page_text: COMBE, of Leeds, in the County of York, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by
Ier Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifth day of October, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Combe, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said James Combe, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Combe, my exors, adñiors, 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 Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HECKLING, CLEANING, PREPARING, AND CARDING FLAX
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said James Combe, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's Iligh 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Combe, 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 ascer-

page_text: and by the folowing description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
that is to say-
My Invention consists of the following parts:-
1st. Improved machinery for heckling, by means of which the heckles or
tools penetrate the material acted upon on both sides very near the retaining
holders, thereby causing less short fibre or tow to be made, and for machinery
by means of which the labor of fixing the material in the holders and chang-
ing it by hand is dispensed with.
2nd. Attaching machinery for cleaning the material acted upon by means of
a current of air (as in the common scutching or blowing machine), to the
heckling machine, by means of which the dust, which is so detrimental to the
operatives in carding and preparing rooms, may be removed.
3rd. Machinery for forming the heckled material into a continuous sliver
or band, after it has passed through the heckling machine, and delivering it
thus or connecting the first drawing frame to the heckling machine, and pass-
ing the sliver through it as it is given out, in either of which cases the labor
of spreading by hand behind the first drawing frame is avoided.
4th. A mode of doffing the fibres from the doffing cylinder or other rollers in
carding engines by a current of air blown through a narrow aperture or series
of apertures by a fan, or other means. This plan admits of the doffer being
driven faster, and the large cylinder of the card is consequently kept cleaner
than by the common method of doffing by a reciprocating bar or plate. The
mechanism for producing these effects is shown in the Drawings, of which
No. 1 is an end, No. 2 a side, and No. 3 a top view of a machine for heckling,
cleansing, and preparing, constructed on my principle; and Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, 7,
8, & 9, of Drawing No. 4, detached parts of the same machine, some of them
on a larger scale. In all these the same letters and figures refer to the same
parts of the machine. F, F, is the framing. A is a shaft with two cranks C
in it, and which receives its motion by a strap from a steam engine or other
power, and communicates it to the rest of the machine; on it is a wheel a,
which, through the intermediates a¹ and a³, drives a similar wheel a³ on on the
shaft A', which also has 2 cranks in it. The wheels a and have the same
number of teeth, so that both shafts revolve at the same speed, and they are
set to work so that the cranks on both shafts go up and down together,
but revolve in opposite directions, as shown by the arrows over the wheels a
and a. To each of the cranks C on the shaft A¹ is attached a lever a', which
has a radius lever a attached to it by the pin a. The shaft x reaches across
the machine and supports both of the radius lever a, which belong to the

page_text: levers a, attached to the cranks in the shaft A'. The shaft is sup-
ported at each end by a block attached to the framing, and the levers a³ on
each side of the machine have balance weights to counterbalance the levers
and other moving parts. The combined action of the cranks in the shaft A',
levers a, and radius levers . causes the pin a' at the top end of the lever a*
to describe a figure similar to the dotted line c', c, in Figure 1, Drawing
No. 4. There is a similar arrangement of parts attached to the cranks C in
the shaft A. which communicate a similar motion to the pins a at the top end
of the levers on the other side of the machine, the only difference being that
the one is nearly straight on the right hand and the other on the left hand side.
The top end of the lever at is made to receive the end of the bar a', and the
lever at the other side of the frame is attached to a similar bar a"; the two
bars a and a are made to slide freely on each other by the slot holes and
slides a, as the motion of the cranks and levers cause them. They are thus
moved up and down together by the motion of the cranks, whilst each has a
side motion of its own communicated to it by its respective lever. The bar
a has attached to it uprights a, which carry the bars b, which extend to the
uprights at the other end of the machine and carry the heckles e, which pene-
trate on one side of the material being heckled, whilst the other set of bars b,
which carry the heckles which penetrate on the other side, are carried by the
uprights as attached to the sliding bar a". The heckles are thus caused to
describe figures similar to the dotted lines c', c¹, Figure 1, Drawing 4; that is,
to penetrate into the material on both sides at the top of the stroke at the
same moment, pass down together in nearly a straight line through it, pass
out, then up and in again, and so on. Each set of heckles c, has a set of
small bars which push the short fibres or tow out of them; and there is also
attached to each set of bars b, the bars 3, one of which is padded, and which,
partaking of the motion of the heckles. close on the loose fibres which the
previous stroke of the heckles has pulled down out of the material, and pul
them away from the end of it. The bars 62, which doff the heckles c, are
attached to the uprights on the small bars 65, which are connected by the
beut levers, which work in studs fixed in the bars a'. To the other end of
the levers are attached the rods , which have slot holes at the ends of
them which slide on the pins . These slots are made so much shorter than
the stroke of the cranks A', that when these get to the top, the horizontal
arns of the levers are pulled down, and the doffing bars b, by means of the
bars are pushed back so as to let the heckles act again when the
cranks come to the bottom; these ends are pushed up, and the bars 1,2
are thus pushed out, and the tow or short fibres which the heckles have

page_text: Each of theso
bars II and H¹
taken out is thrust off the points of the pins. There is an arrangement of parts
as above described at the other end of the machine, which works the other
ends of the bars 6, which doff the heckles c, and the heckles on the
other side are doffed by a similar arrangement of parts attached to the bars, &c.
which work them. The shaft A also carries on it a pinion d, which takes
into and drives the wheel d', which moves on a stud; and to the wheel d' is
affixed the pinion d, which through the intermediate wheels d³ drives d' on the
end of the shaft d³, which has on it the two bevel wheels do, which take into
and drive the 2 wheels d'on the cross shafts B and B¹.
shafts has two cams or tappets e, on which the set of holder
are suspended by the hangers h³. The set of holder bars H and H³ are also
borne on these shafts by similar hangers, resting on the shafts themselves,
without any cams. These carrying cams and hangers are made so as to allow
the holder bars to move sideways to a certain extent. These holler bars have
the
prongs h and h', which are so formed that the prongs h of the set of bars
H and H may pass in or out between the prongs h¹ of the set of bars H³ and
H³, whilst these retain their hold of the material to be heckled (which is shown
by M in different parts of the machine), or the prongs of the set of bars H²
and H³ may pass in or out whilst these others retain their hold. The object
of this arrangement being, that the soft elastic bands s and s³ (which may bo
woven of wool or any other suitable substance), and the material which is to
be heckled, may be held fast between one set, and taken forward by them
through the machine, whilst the other set is going back for a fresh hold. The
four holder bars H are connected together by the cross bars 30, and the other
four for the same holders H' are connected together by similar cross bars ³¹,
which lye close alongside of 30. By this arrangement, when the bars 30 and
h³ are caused to move in opposite directions (which is done by the action of
the wedges h³ and ho, to be described) the 4 sets of prongs are caused to open
or close simultaneously. The holder bars H2 and H³ are connected together
in a similar way by the cross bars h¹s and h. The shaft B has on it two
cams h (shown detached, Figure 6, Drawing No. 4) which act against the
runners h attached to the holder bars H2 and H³, and push them forward in
part of the revolution, but which are also shaped so as to allow the weight h
acting by the chain h' to pull them back during the other portion of the revo-
lution. The other set of holder bars II and II' has a similar arrangement of
cams, &c., which causes them alternately to advance and retire as the shaft B¹
revolves. The lifting cans e (shown detached, Figure 6, Drawing No. 4)
are placed on the shafts B and B', and formed so as to lift the set of holder
bars Hand H', so that the points of their prongs h, whilst they are going

page_text: back, may
clear the other set of holder prongs h. which are also moved out
sideways by the action of the wedges h³ (to be described). for the purpose of
clearing the others when they are going back themselves. The shaft B has a
block k on it. with a groove round it, which acts like a wedge at two parts of
cach revolution on the pin k, fixed on the lever, the other end of which is
attached by the rod to the lever k', which works on a stud fixed in the
holder bar below it, and which is connected to the sliding or wedging bar k³ by
the rod k. The block then as it revolves alternately pushes the wedging
bar one way and pulls it back again. On the bar are fixed the wedges
is moved in the
The bar slides
ho (see also detached Figures 8 and 9, Drawing No. 4) and h³, which are
inclined in opposite directions. The wedges he act between the projections
on the cross bars h¹³, and the projections hi on the cross bars h, and close the
prongs of H2 against those of Hs when the bar is moved in the direction of
the arrows and the wedges h³, by acting between the projections
on the bars, and h" on the bars h3, when the bar
opposite direction, open the prongs of II and H³.
in guides attached to the framing, which allows it to rise and fall as the
carrying cams cause it and the holder bars, but restrain it in its position side-
ways, and the holders are by this means kept in their proper position over the
heckles. The other set of holder bars, &c. II and II', has a similar arrange-
ment for opening and closing them, driven by the shaft B. The effect of the
mechanism just described is to make the two sets of holder
prongs h and h¹,
each alternately clasp and pull forward the bands, between which is the
material to be heckled, and come out and return for a fresh hold, thus keeping
up between them a constant and firm hold of it. In the machine, as drawn.
there are four sets of heckles. which act at the same time; of these, 1 and 2
both heckle the first end of the material, and 3 and 4 heckle the second ends
of it; there being thus two distinct heckling operations going on at the same
time in this machine, and therefore two places where it is fed in and two where
it is delivered. The action of the bands, &c. which carry it along being the
sanic for both sets. it will only be necessary to describe one, say that of which
the first end of the material is done by 1, and the second by 3 set of
heckles. S is the spreading table. s and two soft soft elastic endless bands
which pass along the top of the table. The material to be heckled is spread
across these, and by their motion is carried forward in between then and the
other set of bands s² and s. which pass round the roller st.
It is then con-
fined between these two pairs of bands, and by them carried up round the
diagonal conductor s. and round the rollers so, at which place the upper set of
bands s and 3 pass in between the holder prongs, by which they are held fast

page_text: and drawn along, whilst the other set of bands s¹ and s pass round the
rollers s' and s³, and at the other end of the machine get the material again
between them, which they convey round the diagonally placed conductors so, up
over the rollers $10, over the machine, down over the rollers s¹¹, round another
diagonal conductor s¹², and so in between the holder prongs for the set of
heckles 8, with the other end of the material downwards. One set of the
bands s' and s³ go forward with the material through the machine, whilst the
other sets and are led back over rollers to the spreading table, and so on.
The heckled material being thus brought out by the bands s¹ and s, it is con-
veyed by them till it is taken hold of between the band so, which has several
rows of pointed pins fixed in it, and the plate s", which has grooves along
which these pins pass; the bands s¹ and s² are then led back over the rollers
to the spreading table to pass in again. 22 is a runner on a weighted lever to
keep the bands tight. The red lines on Drawing No. 1 represent a train of
cog wheels, of which the pinion o on the shaft A' drives the wheel o¹, to which
is attached the pinion o³, which through the intermediates o³ drives the
wheel o' on the shaft m, which has a wheel on it o, which through the inter-
mediate of drives the wheel o' on the end of the roller 2, over which, and the
roller an endless sheet passes. The heckled material being passed out, as
before described, in front of the sheet roller at certain intervals (which can be
varied by changing the pinion 0%, the rollers 1, which are supported by the
lever ', are pulled forward by the cam m³ acting on the part m¹ of the bar m,
to which the lever is attached at , so as to compress the part of the material
opposite the rollers between them and the sheet roller. The tappet n then, by
means of the bar n and the lever n, causes the bar n to advance towards the
roller, and by means of the cross bars n' and a projecting point no,
divides the material, and strokes it down on the sheet 23. The cross n³ then
passes back over the catch n° (which falls down after it has passed under)
and slide n', when the tappet n³, acting on n³, puts the lever n³ back.
tappet n' then, by acting on m², puts the roller 7 back to its original position 100,
out of the way of the advancing material, and this goes on, being repeated
every time a sufficient breadth of material is given out. The material is then
led by the sheet to the roller, which may either be the back rollers of a
drawing frame, or simply delivering rollers, as shown in the Drawings. The
heckle bars and heckles are sloped down at H, the end at which the material
enters the machine. By this means the heckles begin to act at the extremity,
and work up the material as it passes along. Below the four sets of heckle
bars is a boxing, which has apertures p in it under each set of heckles. There
is also a smooth plate p² under these, which forms a passage through which
The

page_text: the short fibres or tow pulled away by the padded bars 63 is drawn away by a
current of air caused by a fanner 1, or other means attached to or detached
from the machine; this fanner. drawing the air by the pipes 7 through a wire
cylinder which prevents any of the fibrous material being carried away, but
allows the dust to pass. The wheel carries with it a pinion d. which by
means of the intermediates do drives the wheels du on the ends of the rollers
d; round these the endless open sheets do pass. These sheets (which may
be made of wooden laths fixed ou straps or bands) pass also round the roller
d, at the other side of the machine, and have motion given to them by the
rollers d; the wire cylinder p being in contact with the sheets is carried round
by them. The sheets thus form a kind of false bottom to the lower passage,
and the tow or short fibre being projected on them by the current of air in the
upper passage, the heavier dust escapes through the spaces in the sheets,
whilst the lighter is carried away through the apertures in the wire cylinder.
The speed of the sheets is regulated so as to make a substance of sufficient
thickness to be delivered by the delivering rollers d¹³, which are driven from
the roller by the wheels d. By these means the tow or short fibre is
delivered in a broad sliver, fit to be put behind the carding engine into a box
or other receptacle. In the machine above described there are 4 sets of
heckles, but this number may be varied to suit circumstances. Where only
one set is required in a machine the arrangement shewn Figure 4, Drawing
No. 4, may be used for working the heckle bars. A is the crank or driving
shaft, and B and C are fixed centres on which the radius levers c and c¹ work.
c is attached to by the joint e. and to by the joint e'. The lever b' is
attached to the lever by the pin and joint e³. When the crank A revolves
in the direction of the arrows, the combined action of its motion and that of
the radius levers causes the bars d, d, and the heckles h to describe figures
similar to the dotted line v, v. There is an arrangement of parts as above
described at each end of the machine, and the heckle bars d, d, reach between
them.
Figure 5, Drawing No. 4, shows an improved method of doffing the tow
and other fibrous material from the doffers or other rollers in carding engines.
A is the doffer, revolving as shown by the arrows. F is the fibrous material
brought by it from the cylinder of the carding engine. B is a tube or air pipe,
with a narrow opening running the whole length of the offer, through
which a current of air is caused to pass by a fanner or other means. This
blows the fibres in a sheet off the doffer as it passes round. This sheet is col-
lected by delivering rollers and conductors, or in any of the other well-known
ways.
b

page_text: Having now described my improvements, I have to state that I do not con-
fine myself to the precise arrangements of parts shown in these Drawings, and
described above, some of which will require to be modified to suit different
circumstances and kinds of material. And I do not claim the mode of clean-
ing fibrous substances by means of a current of air, as practised in the common
scutching or blowing machine, the mode of doffing heckles by wires or bars,
nor any of the parts which are common and well known. But I claim these
two modes of working the heckles and similar machinery in which the same
principle is involved, namely, by the combined action of cranks, levers, and
radius levers (or curved slides which cause the pins which work in them to
move backwards and forwards, or up and down in the same line) producing
a similar motion in heckling machines. The use of the holders, which are
made to take hold of and loose the material heckled by machinery, instead of
the present plans, which require to be fastened and loosened by hand labour.
The substitution of continuous feeding, delivering and changing for the com-
mon holders, and the delivery of the material after being heckled in a con-
tinuous sliver, suitable for putting behind the drawing frames or passing it
through a drawing frame attached to the heckling machine. I also claim
machines in which the principle of combining cleaning by a current of air (as
in the common scutching and blowing machine) with the heckling process is
introduced, and the mode of doffing fibrous substances from carding engine
rollers, by means of a current or currents of air, I claim these new parts
separately and conjointly,
In witness whereof, I, the said James Combe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 3rd day of April, in the year of our Lord One