IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES.”
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Pringle, of Bessbrook, Co. Armagh,
Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND
APPARATUS FOR TREATING OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES.”
APPARATUS FOR TREATING OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES.
Sealed the 21st January 1873, and dated the 31st July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Pringle at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 31st July 1872.
I, ALEXANDER PRINGLE, of Bessbrook, Co. Armagh, Ireland, do.
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING OF FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
.
In the production of the better and finer classes of flax and other
· similar yarns it is found necessary to pass the material through a process
called "sorting" after it has passed through the hackling machine.
This treatment is necessary, first, for the purpose of clearing away all
loose and branchy fibres left by the hackling; secondly, to remove all

page_text: เ
"
'naps or balls of tow which are liable to remain attached to the fibre;
thirdly, to remove the hard matted mark left by the holder by which
the flax is held when being hackled on the machine, and lay all the
fibres parallel; fourthly, to separate the stricks of flax for the different
qualities or fineness of yarn they are fitted to producé.
To ascertain the fineness or quality of the flax it is necessary to handle
it, and with this part of the operation it is not intended to interfere but.
to employ machinery for the laborious parts of the process, and thereby
enable one man to do as much work as two or more are able to do at
present. To this end a small intersecting or double sheet hackling
machine is constructed and placed in a convenient position for the sorter
to hold the flax whilst it is being acted upon, and with a simple arrange-
ment of hackles or tools and to which motion is given. In conjunction
with the hackles (between which and the machine bars to which they
are attached a strip of india-rubber or other elastic material may be
placed) are brushes of bristles or other suitable material and bars with
plain or serrated edges for the purpose of straightening the fibre, brushing
away the loose and branchy fibres and keeping the flax in a proper
position to enable the hackle pins to comb out the "naps" or balls of tow
left by the hackling machine; the brushes and bars, or brushes alone,
precede the hackles and lay the fibres parallel, so that the pins remove
the "naps" and loose tow without breaking the fibres.
The "piece of line," "stricks," or bunch of material is presented to the
action of the machine by hand, but to aid the attendant a rest for the
workers hand is so constructed that it assists him to retain the material
and to withdraw it from the action of the machine.
The speed of the hackles and their attendant bars or brushes may
be variable during their action on the flax, and this variation can be
regulated by the worker so that the amount of dressing is perfectly
under control; the attendant can also regulate the action of the hackles
by an arrangement by which he can increase or diminish the amount of
the intersection of the hackles.
The length of time the material is submitted to the action of the pins
is also under control of the worker, so that the greater part of the labor
requiring physical exertion is done by machinery.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Pringle in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PRINGLE, of Bessbrook, County Armagh, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Pringle, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Pringle, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Pringle, my exccu-
tors, 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 THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS. FOR TREATING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alexander Pringle, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly 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 Alexander, Pringle, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
In the production of the better and finer classes of flax and other
similar yarns it is found necessary to pass the material through a process
called sorting after it has passed through the hackling machine. This,

page_text: treatment is necessary, first, for the purpose of clearing away all loose
and branchy fibres left by the hackling; secondly, to remove all naps or
balls of tow which are liable to remain attached to the fibre; thirdly, to
remove the hard matted mark left by the holder by which the flax is
held when being hackled on the machine, and lay all the fibres parallel;
fourthly, to separate the stricks of flax for the different qualities or
finenesses of yarn they are fitted to produce.
To ascertain the fineness or quality of the flax it is necessary to handle
it, and with this part of the operation it is not intended to interfere but
to employ machinery for the laborious parts of the process, and thereby
enable one man to do as much work as two or more are able to do at
present. To this end a small intersecting or double sheet hackling
machine is constructed, the peculiarities of which will be understood
from the following description and the accompanying Drawing, which is
an end elevation of the machine:-This machine consists of a pair of
ordinary intersecting sheets set at a convenient angle, and on which are
Of these sheets there
placed the ordinary hackle stocks a on bars a¹.
may be one or more rounds or series, the tools or hackles of each moving
at the same or different speeds and the hackles being graduated or not
as thought desirable. At intervals between these hackle stocks a are
placed brushes or bars of wood with either plain or serrated edges or
strips of rubber, leather, or other suitable material may be employed in
lieu thereof. When using these substitutes I construct and apply them
to the stocks, as shewn in the Diagrams, Figures 2 and 3, where b¹ is a
bar of wood having a plain or serrated edge, and 62 is a strip of leather
or india-rubber stiffened by a backing . The intervening brushes b
(or the bars) which may project slightly past the line of the points of
the hackle pins a are intended to flatten the strick and straighten the
fibre that is being operated on, preparatory and in addition to the
splitting or combing action of the pins a. The hackle pins and the
brushes or bars have the tow taken off them by the ordinary brushes c, d,
doffers d, d', and combs e, e¹.
The material is presented to the action of the hackles a and brushes b
of the machine by hand, and to facilitate this there is a rest for holder
provided, this rest for holder is carried on two levers f¹ one at each end
of the machine; these levers f1 are fastened to a shaft f² on which is a
leverf with a weight f, the action of the weight falways tending to
Connected with these side
lift the rest f away from the hackles a.

page_text: levers f¹ is a cover g, which combined with the hand rest f forms a
holder, this cover g is fixed to a shaft g¹ running through the two side
levers f¹, and on one end there is a contrivance for bringing down this
cover g so as to take hold of the flax when it is being subjected to the
strongest action of the pins a, and so aid the worker in holding the
material. This is effected by a lever g² on the end of the cover shaft g',
the other end of this lever g² is connected by a stiff spring o³ to a stud 9!
that is carried in a bush 95 that slides in a groove or slot in and radial
to the centre of the side levers f¹, the other end of this stud 9 being
fastened to a lever g swinging on a centre g' on the frame end of the
machine. The difference between the curves described by this short
lever 9 attached to the frame end and the part of the side lever ƒ¹ in
which the sliding bush g' works causes the cover g to be raised when
the rest fis away from the hackles a, and to be close against the rest ƒ,
as shewn, when pressed down by hand. To make this bite or hold
continuous to a certain extent, the connection of the short lever 9ª and
the lever g on end of cover shaft y' is made elastic, being formed, of a
strong spring g. The top roller a² of the upper sheet or sheets a³ is
carried on two levers a', one at each end thereof. These levers turn on
the bush of the bottom sheet roller a³ and have weights as attached that
tend to lift this top roller a² away from the other a", so that the sheets
are open at the top and remain so whilst the flax is being put in. When
however the rest f is pressed down it will, by reason of its connection by
means of the slotted rod h, h', with the side levers a' that carry the
sheets, close the sheets for a short time and thus the greatest intersection
will take place while the rest f is pressed down close to the top
rollers a², a². As the material is withdrawn the sheets open and the
cover g is lifted, and the attendant pulls the material out, reverses the
strick in his hand, and presents the other end to the action of the hackle
sheets. When this is done the attendant will present the strick of cleared
fibre to his mate, who after examining it will put it to the sort or quality.
it is suited for.
Practically it does not appear of much advantage to vary the speed
of the hackles during their action on the flax, but if this is wanted
5 the motion from the driving pullies may be communicated through an
expanding pulley or a pair of cones, the position of the belt being
regulated through suitable mechanism by the foot of the worker who
presents the material to the machine.

page_text: For some qualities of material it is desirable to present the end of the
strick a second time to the action of the hackles, brushes, &c. When
this is done the rest f is prevented from being pressed down to its
extremity the first time by a catch or lever i, which comes against the
stop screw and prevents the rest f going down the entire length. The
second time, when only the end of the material is to be acted upon, the
handle, which regulates the catch i is pressed down, lifting the catch i
and allowing the rest f to go down the entire length, and the sheets to
attain their greatest intersection.
The Drawing shows the machine with the rest pushed down and the 1
hackles at their greatest intersection.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improvements
in the Mode of and Apparatus for Treating Flax and other Fibrous
Substances," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters 1
Patent I claim,―
First. Submitting flax and other like fibrous substances after they
have been hackled to the action of intersecting sheet hackles and
brushes, or their equivalent arranged and operating substantially as
above described.
Secondly. The arrangement of apparatus above described with reference
to the Drawing for finishing hackled flax and other fibrous substances.
2
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Pringle, havé hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in
the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy- 2
three.
ALEXANDER PRINGLE (T.α)