Year: 1886

page_text: 1, WILLIAM SIBBALD JOHNSTON of Kiltonga Bleach Works, Newtownards in the
County of Down, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the preparation for manufacturing purposes of the fibres of
the flax plant or similar plants, wherein the fibre is grown on a woody stalk, and from
which it has to be separated before it can be utilised known as scutching.
The object of this invention is to provide a method and means whereby the
scutching or separating of the fibre from the woody part of the stalk or straw may be
effected with less labour and more economically than at present is done, and also at
the same time giving a much larger yield of fibre from a given quantity of flax.
It consists in subjecting the flax straw to the action of a series of rollers, preferably
grooved, and in apparatus constructed with one or more pairs of grooved rollers
placed to receive the flax stalks, and between which the flax passes.
In carrying out the invention, I construct the apparatus with suitable frame work,
carrying one or more pairs of rollers. These rollers are preferably grooved or fluted
so that as the flax stalks are passed between them, the action of the rollers will be to
break the straw or woody part of the stalk. Each successive pair of rollers should be
more finely grooved or fluted than the preceding pair, though two or more pairs may
at any point in the process be grooved or fluted exactly alike. These rollers are
preferably all made of the same diameter though they may be made of different sizes,
provided the peripheral velocity remains the same. Two or more small rollers inay
be placed to act upon or press against one large roller or cylinder, instead of dividing
them into pairs. When the rollers are not sufficiently heavy to exert the necessary
pressure springs, weights, or levers are employed. To remove or clean the fine
branching ends of the fibre, which carry the seed boles, I draw them through or over

page_text: an instrument or apparatus formed like an ordinary curry comb. At one end of the
machine, or in any suitable position, I place a plate or roller fitted with a few plates
of similar construction over which the ends of the fibre may be drawn, either as it
passes through the machine or subsequently by the attendant before putting the flax
out of his hand. A fan or blower may be attached to the machine to remove any dust
as it arises.
The flax after being steeped and dried is placed in the machine, and passed through
between the rollers, the action of the grooved rollers being to break up and crash the
woody part which falls from the fibres, leaving the latter clean and uninjured, almost
ready for the spinner.
I estimate that a much larger yield of fibre will be obtained by this system than by
any previously adopted, while it can be carried out without skilled labour, and the
machines may be made to suit the requirements of large or small concerns, so that
the fibre may be separated from the flax at the farm where it is grown, and thus
enable the producer to deal direct with the manufacturer.
Dated this with da.. of 1004
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Manufacture and Apparatus therefor.
1, WILLIAM SIBBALD JOHNSTON of Kiltonga Bleach Works, Newtownards in the
County of Down, Bleacher, 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 relates to the preparation for manufacturing purposes of the fibres of
the flax plant or similar plants, wherein the fibre is grown on a woody stalk, and from
which it has to be separated before it can be utilized, known as scutching.
The object of this invention is to provide a method and means whereby the scutching
or separating of the fibre from the woody part of the stalk or straw may be effected
with less labour and more economically than at present is done, and also at the same
time to give a much larger yield of fibre from a given quantity of flax.
Hitherto the flax has been usually broken by being passed between a pair or two
similar pairs of fluted rollers and then beaten to separate the woody matters.
Now my method consists in breaking it between several pairs of fluted rollers or
other breaking apparatus, each pair or apparatus having finer flutings or a shorter break
than the previous one, so that if by the first apparatus the brittle matter is broken at
points, say 1 inch apart, in the next apparatus it is broken at points of an inch apart,
in the next at of an inch apart and so on.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 a plan of my machinery.
In these 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 1¹, 2¹, 31, 41 51, 61, 7, 8, 91, are two series of fluted
rollers, upper and lower, cach in succession having finer Autings than the last. A is
a frame of any convenient construction, B feed table, C delivery table, D driving
shaft having Hy wheel pulley E and comb drum F hereafter described, it also carries
gear wheel G driving the carrier P hereafter described, and by means of mitre
gear Hit drives shaft I which in turn by mitre wheels J drives all the lower
rollers 1, 2¹ etcetera, synchronously. K is a comb hereafter described geared by spur
gearing to travel with the same surface speed as drum F, M tailing box of comb
boxed in to keep the dust, but having a door at end or bottom by which it can be
cleaned out from time to time. N is a gear wheel gearing into wheel G and driving
the roller O of endless carrier belt P. These rollers are preferably all made of the
same diameter, though they may be made of different sizes, provided the peripheral
velocity remains the same. Two or more small rollers may be placed to act upon or press
against one large roller or cylinder, instead of dividing them into pairs. When the
roliers are not sufficiently heavy to exert the necessary pressure, springs, weights, or
levers are employed. To remove or clean the fine branching ends of the fibre which
carry the seed bolls, I draw them through or over an instrument or apparatus
formed like an ordinary curry comb. At one end of the machine or in any
suitable position I place a plate or roller fitted with a few plates of similar
construction over which the ends of the fibre may be drawn, either as it passes
through the machine or subsequently by the attendant before putting the flax out of
his hand. The form I prefer is shown in the drawing, where a rotary comb K

page_text: of strong wires or curry comb teeth rotates at the same speed as drum F, which can
be finely fluted or smooth as desired. A fan or blower may be attached to the machine
to remove any dust as it arises in the tailing box M.
The mode of operation is as follows:-
The flax is fed endwise from feed table B between rollers 1, 1', from this the flax
passes to 2 and 2', and so on till it emerges at 9 9¹. Each pair of rollers as a rule
having its flutings smaller than the previous one, or if the same size then with the
peripheries nearer in contact (though I may sometimes have two contiguous pairs alike)
the pieces of woody matter broken by the coarse flutes of 1 and 1' are again broken
by the finer or closer set ones of 2 and 21, until as the fibre is delivered at 9 9¹, the
woody matter is well broken up and in great part separated. The operator now combs
out the ends if they require it by laying the flax endwise on drum F and allowing
cone K to play upon it, he now lays it on carrier P where it is carried to along side
the table B at which point the operator there takes it, and if not sufficiently scutched
again passes it through the rollers as before.
The apparatus above described and illustrated is similar to my experimental
machine, but in practice I find that the comb K and drum F can be advantageously
dispensed with, if tho number of rollers are increased to twelve pairs in place of nine.
The grooves in the under series of rollers, I make about double the depth of their
corresponding upper rollers, for instance, if the grooves in the upper roller, is about
inch in depth, the grooves in the lower roller 1 are about + inch in depth and so on.
In the last and finest fluted rollers, the grooves are about inch deep in the upper
.and inch deep in the lower. Each pair of rollers has finer Autings than the previous
one as before described, for instance, if rollers 1 and 1' have fifteen flutings and are
4inches in diameter, then 12 and 12¹ have about 60 flutings.
"I estimate that a much larger yield of fibre will be obtained by this system than by
any other previously adopted, while it can be carried out without skilled labour, and
the machines may be made to suit the requirements of large or small concerns, so
that the fibre may be separated from the flax at the farm, where it is grown, and thus
enable the producer to deal direct with the manufacturer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. The method of scutching flax and other like fibre plants, which consists in
submitting the retted stalks to a series of short breaking actions, each successive
action being between points closer together than those of the last, and if necessary
repeating the process till sufficiently scutched, substantially as described.
2nd. The combination in a breaking or scutching machine of a series of pairs of
fluted rollers, each pair delivering to the next, and each in succession having finer
flutes than the last.
3rd. The combination in a breaking or scutching machine of a series of fluted
rollers operating on the flax successively, and so arranged as regards size or distance
apart of flutings, that cach successively shall have a severer breaking action on the
woody fibro than the previous ones had.
4th. The combination of a feed table, a series of pairs of fluted rollers, delivering one
to the other, delivery table C, substantially as and for the purposes described.
5th. The breaking apparatus as a whole machine, substantially as described and
illustrated by the drawings.