IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Combe, of Belfast, in the County of
Antrim, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING
MACHINES."-A communication from abroad by Pierre Charles
Florentin Joseph Droulers-Vernier, of Lille, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Combe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th November 1874.
I, JAMES COMBE, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HACKLING MACHINES," to be as follows:—
This Invention relates to a novel means of carrying the hackle sheets
in what are known as vertical sheet intersecting hackling machines, and
is an amplification of the Patent dated February 17th 1872, No. 511, a
› communication from the present Inventor.

page_text: The peculiarity of this Invention is the supporting of the hackle sheets
at the top of the machine by slides or guides, instead of the ordinary top
rollers. These guides are so formed that they cause the hackle bars at
the commencement of their descent to move round a very small radius,
thus bringing the hackles near to the holders, and causing the pins to.
penetrate the material, being hackled in a more direct manner than has
hitherto been obtained. The slides or guides where the bars and hackles
approach the top are curved outwards, so as gradually and easily to
bring the hackle bars into proper position for the acute turn at the top.
The guides or slides are carried inside the sheets by a strong rail reaching
from one frame end of the machine to the other, so that perfect rigidity
is secured, and yet full facility for every required adjustment. The
sheets do not touch the guides, but are carried by the hackle bars,
which are straight, and are fastened on to the outside of the sheets, and
the hackle bars slide on the guides, which are placed one on each side of
each sheet. Between the guides a small roller may be placed to support
the sheet as an adjunct to the guides, but the principal feature of the
Invention is the carrying of the sheets of hackles by fixed guides instead
of the ordinary top roller. The small top rollers above mentioned for
some kinds of work may be altogether dispensed with, or allowed to act
as an accessory when required. It will thus be seen that as a strong
rigid rail is used instead of the ordinary top rollers no oil or grease need
be brought into contact with the flax; moreover, there is no tendency
to lap. It is found that the small rollers require no oiling of any
kind.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Combe in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COMBE, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
3

page_text: cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Combe, Her
special licence that I, the said James Combe, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Combe,.
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HACKLING MACHINES," being a communication to me
from abroad by Pierre Charles Florentin Joseph Droulers-Vernier, of
Lille, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Combe, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particurlaly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Combe, do hereby declare-
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
These improvements relate to a novel manner of carrying the hackle
sheets in what are known as vertical sheet intersecting hackling machines,
and are in amplification of Patent No. 511, February 17th 1872, a com-
munication from the present Inventor.
The nature of this Invention will be understood from the following
description and Drawing annexed, wherein the same letters of reference
always apply to the same parts.
Fig. 1 is a partial transverse vertical section of the machine shewing
the arrangement of the slides a and the hackles 6 and bars c; and Fig. 2
is a view illustrating the relative positions of the hackle sheets d and
their adjacent guides or slides a.
The peculiarity of this Invention consists in supporting the hackle
sheets & at the top or near the flax holders by slides or guides a, instead
of by the ordinary top rollers. These guides a are so formed at the top
that they cause the bars c, which carry the hackles 6 and support the
'

page_text: sheets d, to move round a very small radius, thus bringing the hackles 6
nearer than heretofore to the holders e, and causing the pins 6 to pene-
trate the strick, and hackle the same in a more direct manner than has
hitherto been effected. The slides or guides a, where the bars c and
hackles 6 approach the top; are. curved outwards so as gradually and
easily to bring them into proper position for the acute turn at the top.
The fixed guides or slides a are supported within the lines of sheets by
strong rails f reaching from one frame end g of the machine to the
other, so that perfect rigidity is secured with full facility for every
required adjustment. The sheets & do not touch the guides a, but are 1
carried by the hackle bars c, which are straight, and are fastened on to
the outside of the sheets d, and the hackle bars c slide on the guides a,
which are placed one on each side of each sheet d. Between the guides a,
and extending across from one to the other, a small roller a¹ may be
placed to support the sheet d, as an adjunct to the guides a, but the 1
principal feature of the Invention is the carrying of the sheets d by fixed
guides a, instead of by the ordinary top roller. The small top rollers a¹
above mentioned may for some kinds of work be altogether dispensed
with. From the foregoing it will be seen that as a strong rigid rail fis
used, instead of the ordinary top rollers to take the weight and strain of 2
the hackle sheets, no oil or grease used in lubrication is brought into
contact with the flax, and there is no tendency to lap. It is found that
the small rollers require no oiling of any kind.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in Hackling Machines," as communicated to me by my foreign corre- 2
spondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim, the application to intersecting sheet hackling machines
of fixed guides in lieu of the ordinary top rollers for carrying the sheets
of heckles, as and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Combe, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the 13th day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
8