IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HACKLING OR DRESSING AND CLEARING, HEMP, FLAX, AND Tow
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SOLOMON
ROBINSON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Flax Dresser, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most. Excellent Majesty King George the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the..Sixteenth day of June, in the eighth
year of His reign,. did, for Himself; His heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Solomon Robinson, His especial licence that
I, the said Solomon Robinson, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Solomon Robinson, my exors, adññiors, 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
HACKLING OR DRESSING AND CLEARING, HEMP, FLAX, AND Tow;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Solomon Robinson,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of ny said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said 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
Solomon Robinson, do hereby declare. that the nature of my said Invention
doth consist,-

page_text: First, in the application of a machine to the purpose of hackling or
dressing hemp or flax, whereby I am enabled to use hackles without back
boards, and thus to bring a more complete and continuous series of hackles to
operate upon the strick of flax during the process of hackling than has here-
tofore been accomplished, as also to strip the tow which collects in the hackles
more conveniently and effectually during the process of hackling, than by the
methods now in use, and whereby I am further enabled to present the strick
of flax to the teeth of the hackles in a new manner.
And secondly, in the application of a series of parallel divisions placed
spirally or otherwise on the cylinder of a tow-clearing machine, for the purpose
of obtaining a sliver.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Solomon
Robinson, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to
be performed by the following description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In the Sheet marked No. 1, Figure 1 represents a side view of a hackling
machine, constructed in such manner as to admit of the hackles being put
so close together that no back boards are required, and furnished with my
improvement for presenting the strick of flax in a new manner to the teeth of
the hackles. The side plate A in this Figure prevents the strippers and interior
arrangements of the machine being seen, but as this Figure represents the mode
of presenting the strick of flax to the hackles better than any other, I will
here describe that part of the machine. In Fig. 1 the part B represents a clamp
or holder similar to those used in ordinary machines, in which the strick or
portion of flax is securely placed, as shewn by the red tint marked b, b, b, b.
The carriage or receptacle in which the holder B is placed is represented at
C, C, C, being a lever or arm vibrating freely on its fulcrum D. The eleva-
tion or position of the fulcrum D is regulated by the set screw E, which
traverses in the slot e, e, as therein represented. The moving power imparted
to this machine is taken at the shaft F by means of a strap or any other well-
known contrivance, and by the train of wheels f, G, g, H, and the connecting
rod h, which is attached to the eccentric point I, placed on a radius of the
wheel H, transmitted to the vibrating lever C, C, C, in a reciprocating motion.
It will also be observed the rod has a slit or slot at its upper extremity, in
which the pin is allowed to move, so that the reciprocating motion imparted
to the rod h is only imparted to the lever C, C, C, at a very small portion of
the revolution of the wheel H, viz., that part of the revolution when the centre

page_text: I is approaching to its greatest elevation. By this arrangement it will be seen
that the lever C, C, C, will remain at rest, supported on the stop c, during part
of the revolution of the wheel H, and thereby holding or placing the portion
or strick of flax to be hackled firmly in contact with the hackles, the teeth of
which only are here seen as at M.
Figure 2 is a side view of the same machine, with one of the side plates A
removed for the purpose of exhibiting the interior arrangement of the machine.
The parts marked M are the hackles, and are firmly fixed or placed upon bars
or portions of the machine, as represented at 0; these bars marked O are
separate and distinct from each other, and the extremity of each bar is held
secure and guided by grooves in the side plates A, A. On the shaft F, in the
interior of this machine, is placed the pinion P, which gears or takes into in
regular succession the parts marked O, to which the hackles are attached, and
these bars or separate parts or portions of the machine marked O, moving
freely in the respective grooves in the side plates A, A, are propelled or forced
forward in regular succession along with the hackles that are attached to
them, each pushing the other before it. Thus it will be clearly seen, that the
strick or portion of flax placed at C, and colored pink, will be brought in
contact with the hackles M, M, and remain there for a certain period, by the
arrangement or gearing of G, g, H, along with the connecting rod h, and slot
K, while the forward motion imparted to the hackles M will hackle or dress
the flax. The hackles during their action on the strick of flax of course
collect a portion of tow, which it is necessary to strip from them, and the parts
of the machine which effect this I will now describe, still referring to
Figure 2: The parts marked Q represent the strippers or portions of the
machine for freeing or delivering the tow from the hackles. The parts Q consist
of what I have called a knife, one of which passing behind and following each
successive hackle, is kept parallel to each bar O, on which the hackle is placed,
by means of the pins or guides 7, on which they freely slide or traverse at the
two extremities or ends of each knife. The circular portions marked R are
secured or firmly held in grooves in the side plates A, A, similar to the part
O, herein-before described. A portion of this groove is seen at S, where the
knife Q is carried by the course of the groove S to the extreme point of the
hackle pins, and thereby forcing out and delivering the tow which has col-
lected therein. Pursuing the course of the groove S, in the side plate A, by
which the knives Q are guided with respect to their elevation to the different
hackles, it will be seen as soon as they arrive at 'S they are placed in close
contact with the bottom of the hackle, and in a situation to pass the strick or
portion of flax then subjected to the action of the machine.

page_text: In Sheet 2, Figure 3 represents a plan of the said machine, a portion only
of the hackles being shown at M. These are firmly attached to their respective
parts O, as herein-before described; but in this Figure the hackle pins are
omitted, to render the action of the knife or stripper more clear. The knives
by which the hackles are cleared of the tow are seen at the letters Q, and the
flax is represented in pink at b,:b, b, b, firmly secured in the first holder or
clamp B. In this Figure it will be seen that there are three series of hackles
marked M, which are shown immediately below the holders marked B, B, B;
and it should be observed, that these are of different degrees of fineness, the
coarsest being at, the pink tint b, b,,b,.b; and during the process of hackling in
these machines,, the holders, along with' the strick or portion of flax contained
in them, are removed in regular succession from the position seen at b, b; b, b,
into the carriages or receptacles at C2, C3, and thereby submitted to the
action of the finer hackles. T, T, represents a fast and loose pulley for throwing
the machine in and out of gear. In this Sheet, Figure 4 represents a back view
of the same machine; c, c, c, being the stops for holding the levers C, C, C,
stationary during the period of hackling the strick or portion of flax, and
U, U, are two divisions for separating or dividing the portions of tow delivered
from the respective hackles at the further extremity of this machine.
In the Sheet marked No. 3; Figure 5 represents a side elevation of my
said machine for clearing tow and delivering it afterwards in the form
of a long sliver. The object of this machine is to clear tow and form
it into a long sliver, which is effected as follows:-The drum or cylinder A has
motion imparted to it through its axis, in the direction of the arrow marked
on its periphery; this drum A is covered by a succession of short pins, which
are divided and separated by a spiral partition or division formed of copper or
other suitable material, as shewn at C, C, Figure 6, which is a plan of the
machine. D is a circular brush, which revolves in a contrary direction to the
cylinder A, having motion imparted to it by a strap, as shewn in the dotted
line a, Figure 5. E is a continuous web or feeding cloth moving on the
rollers e, e, and having motion. imparted to it from any suitable part of the
machine. On this cloth E, the tow to be formed into a sliver is regularly
spread, and by its action delivered to the feeding rollers at F, Figure 5; these
feeding rollers again deliver the tow to the pins placed on the drum A, where
it is divided, cleared, and impressed into the space between the respective
divisions, as shewn at C, C, by the joint action of the divisions C, C, and the
pressure of the circular brush D. The motion of the feeding rollers F is
imparted from the shaft B, through the train of wheels G, g, H, h, V, but the
wheels H, h, V, are attached along with the circular brush to a sliding carriage

page_text: marked I, I, I, I, which being moved in the direction I', throws the feeding part
of this machine out of gear by disconnecting the wheels g and H; this operation
of throwing this portion of the machine out of gear I perform as soon as
the requisite quantity of tow has been delivered and placed in the separate
divisions between the partitions C, C, Figure 6. K is a bent lever moving
on its fulcrum t, and attached to a carriage or sliding portion of the machine
marked L; on this slide or carriage are placed the train of wheels N, m, and
M, which can be detached from the wheel O and. thrown out. of gear by
means of the lever K, during the period of filling the spaces between C, C,
with tow, as already described. The carriage L is receded by means of the
lever K, and the train of wheels N, m, and M, thrown out of gear; but as
soon as the drum A has received the requisite quantity of tow to form the
sliver, the carriage I, I, I, I, with the parts connected, is withdrawn, and the
drum being stopped by means of the break R and lever S, the slide L is
moved by the lever K, so as to throw the wheel N and O into gear, by which
means the revolution of the cylinder or drum A is reversed, the wheel O
being connected to the loose pulley Q, and the wheel M gearing into a small
pinion on the shaft B, as seen at X; thus the sliver or portion of tow in the
pins contained between the divisions C, C, is delivered by the end of the
sliver being by hand raised off the cylinder A, and placed between the
receiving rollers P, P, which have motion imparted to them by means of a
band seen at the dotted lines y, y, so as to take up the sliver at the speed it
is delivered from the cylinder A, depositing it in the direction shown at the
pink tint marked p, p. As soon as the cylinder A is thus delivered of the
tow which it had received from the feeding rollers F, the slide L, with
the wheels connected to it, is again thrown out of gear. The motion of the
drum A is stopped and reversed by passing the driving strap on to a pulley
fast on the shaft B, as seen at Figure 7, where Q represents the loose pulley,
connected with the wheel O, and Q the fast pulley, for driving the shaft B
in the direction shown by the arrow in the periphery of the drum A. At
this period the carriage I, I, I, I, with the parts connected thereto, is again
brought into gear, and the operation of filling the divisions on the drum A
with tow is recommenced.
The scale to which the several machines, elevations, and views are drawn on
the annexed Sheets is written on each Sheet, and I have used the same letters
to denote similar parts in all the different Figures shewn in Sheets 1 and 2.
But Sheet 3 being a separate and distinct machine, a fresh series of letters have
been used having no reference whatever to those placed on the Sheets 1 and 2, and
I have described the machine generally with reference to all the three Figures.

page_text: Now, whereas I claim as my Invention,-
First, the machine with hackles without back-boards, and with strippers
and rising and falling arms for the strick-holders herein-before described by
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, as applied to the purpose of hackling or dressing
hemp and flax; and
Secondly, the application of the parallel divisions herein-before described,
placed spirally or otherwise on the cylinder of a tow-clearing machine, for the
purpose of producing a good sliver, which said particulars constitute my said
Improvements in Machinery for Hackling or Dressing and Clearing Hemp,
Flax, and Tow; and such my improvements being, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England,
His said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby
declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe
this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully, and without reserve
or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right
and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Solomon Robinson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.