IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATE- RIALS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Fairbairn, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATE-
RIALS."
Sealed the 1st September 1858, and dated the 11th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Fairbairn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th July 1853.
I, PETER FAIRBAIRN, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The various improvements which form the subject of the present
Invention are applicable to heckling machines, such as are now ex-
tensively used, and have for their object to increase the quantity and
improve the quality of the work to be performed by the machines.
In some kinds of heckling machines the heckles are attached to
arms, which being mounted on an axle are carried round or made to

page_text: rotate therewith, and are by means of an excentric guide or cam caused
to traverse a curve of peculiar form for the purpose of acting on the
strick or stricks of flax.
In consequence of the peculiar form of the heckle arms, and the
method hitherto adopted of working them, only a certain number of
heckle bars can at present be adapted within a certain circumference.
The object of one of the present improvements is to employ two
excentrics or cams, one at each end of the heckle bars. By means of this
arrangement an additional number of heckle bars may be employed,
as every alternate heckle bar can be worked by opposite excentrics.
By thus introducing two cams or excentrics the number of heckle
bars can be increased, and consequently the amount of work performed
by the machine can be increased in a corresponding proportion.
This same improvement may be adapted to a heckling machine in a
somewhat different manner, so as to cause heckles of different fineness
to act upon the strick of flax in succession. In order to effect this
object. the heckle bars are divided into two parts, one part being
worked from one end, and the other part from the other end. The
one set of heckles are worked by a cam or excentric of different form
from that of the other set. It will be therefore understood that after
the flax has been operated upon by the first set it is carried forward to
the second set and finished. By these means the necessity of removing
the flax from oue heckling machine to another is avoided, and an
economy thereby produced.
I also propose to make the journals which carry the shafts of the
heckle bars moveable and adjustable, so that the heckles may be moved
nearer to or further from each other, and the amount of intersection
given to the heckles can be varied to suit the particular kind of mate-
rial under operation.
The next improvement relates to the means of pushing forward the
holders which carry the flax, and consists in the employment of a con-
trivance for pushing forward the holders separately, instead of altogether,
by applying force to one end of the series, as has hitherto been the
case.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Fairbairn in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 11th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
PETER FAIRBAIRN, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS For most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Peter Fairbairn, Her special
license that I, the said Peter Fairbairn, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Fairbairn, 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
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR HECKLING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA GRASS, AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
the said Peter Fairbairn, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 Peter Fairbairn, 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 Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
The first head of this Invention relates exclusively to that construc-
tion of flax machinery wherein two sets of heckles, which act simul-

page_text: taneously upon opposite sides of the strick of flax, are carried by crank
or rocking arms, for the purpose of enabling the heckle bars of one set
intersect the curve described by the rotation of the opposite set, and
thereby bring their pins to a position to act with the greatest advantage
upon the fibre under operation. The object of the first improvement
under this head. of: the Invention is to multiply the number of heckle
bars in such machinery, and thereby to increase the working capacity
of this kind of heckling machinery, both as regards the length of strick
that may be operated upon and the amount of fibre that may be
heckled in a given time, and that without enlarging the diameter of the
heckle drums.
.This I effect by the use of a peculiar arrangement of mechanism,
which enables me to fit heckle drums or cylinders of a given size. with
a greater number of intersecting heckle bars than it has heretofore
been found practicable to employ, and I am thereby enabled, for every
revolution of the heckle drum, to put a greater amount of work into
the fibre under operation than has heretofore been given by the class
of heckling machines which my Invention is designed to improve...
"In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings, forming part of this
my Specification, Fig. 1, is a sectional end view of the arms and bars
of my improved intersecting heckling machine, shewing also the
stationary excentric grooves for vibrating the crank arms which carry
the lieckle. bars, and likewise the moveable journals in which the shafts
of the heckle drums turn. Fig. 2, is a side elevation of one drum and
its appurtenances. A, is part of the framework of the machine. B, B,
are the journals for carrying the shafts of the heckle drums. These
journals rest upon the frame A, and are caused to slide thereon for the
purpose of regulating the amount of intersection of the two sets of
heckles by means of adjusting screws b, with which they are moved.
C, C, are excentric grooves, in which friction bowles c, c, carried by
studs at the inner end of the crank arms work for guiding the heckle
bars (sec tlie dotted lines in Fig. 1). These crank arms, which are
severally attached to one end of their respective heckle bars, are shewn
at D, D; and d, d, are the heckle bars. E, E, are plates keyed in
pairs to the shafts F, for the purpose of carrying the heckle bars, and

page_text: constituting therewith what I term the heckle drums. The connection
between the end plates E, E, and the heckle bars is formed by means
of the hinge rods e, e. By reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the
heckle bars d', and d², have the cranks at the left hand end of the bar,
and are consequently guided by the excentric groove at that end of the
machine, and that the bars d³, and d, have the cranks at the opposite
end working in the corresponding excentric groove C*. This arrange-
ment enables me to bring the heckle bars nearer together than they
could be placed if all the cranks were at the same end, and consequently
a shorter strick of flax or other fibre can be heckled, and also, the
heckling operation will be greatly expedited.
By turning the screws b, of the journals B, B, I am enabled to
regulate the depth which the heckle pins shall penetrate the strick of
flax, and thereby to adapt the amount of work to the different qualities
of fibre (whether strong or weak) which may be subjected to the
operation of the machine.
Another improvement which I propose to effect in this class of
heckling machines is to enable them to perform the operation techni
cally called "switching" simultaneously with the heckling operation.
For this purpose I divide the heckle bars into two lengths. One
section of the bars (or that whose crank arms are situate at that end of
the machine into which the flax is fed for the purpose of being heckled)
may be guided by an excentric groove of the ordinary shape, so as to
heckle the flax to within the ordinary distance. of the flax .holder.
The other section of bars, which is carried by the same shaft, and
consequently has its crank arms at the opposite end of the machine
into which the flax is fed, can be guided by an excentric groove of a
different shape, so as to confine the operation of the heckles nearly to
the ends of the strick, and thus the operation of "switching" the ends
of the stricks will be performed in one and the same machine, and simul-
taneously with the ordinary heckling. This arrangement not only
effects a saving of labour, but the "switching", is thereby performed
at a time when the fibres are in the most advantageous state for the
operation.
In the application of this improvement it will be necessary to reduce

page_text: the number of heckle bars to an amount sufficient to allow room for
all the crank arms of one section of heckle bars being at one end, and
consequently guided by one excentric groove.
The second head of this Invention relates to a mode of driving the
flax holders through the heckling machine, the holders in this case
having an independent horizontal motion, instead of depending for
their progressive movement (as in the ordinary plans in heckling
machinery) on a driving force applied to one end of the series of
holders, the defect of which plan is, that whenever the attendant fails
to put a fresh holder on the holder-seat at the proper time the forward
progress of all the holders is arrested, and the fibre under operation
receives an undue amount of heckling.
In Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 3, shows in end
view so much of a heckling machine as will serve to explain my
iniproved pushing-in motion. Fig. 4, is a plan view, and Fig. 5, is a
side elevation of the same. A, A, is the framework; B, is the beam
or stretcher, extending the length of the machine; C, is the holder-seat,
upon which the holders are placed, and by which they are moved up
and down in the usual manner. D, D, are the flax holders; E, E,
are the standards, which carry the arms or levers F, G, H, consti-
tuting the ordinary pushing motion of the heckling machine. Near
the middle of the arm H, a fixed stud is set, which takes into a
segment slot of a bracket I, affixed to a horizontal rod J, which
slides in guides connected to the framework, and is attached by a
joint and pin to the sliding piece L. This sliding piece carries pro-
jections or fingers on its inner edge at distances apart correspond-
ing to the length of the holders D. M, M, are bracket pieces
attached to the holder-seat, and provided with slots in which the
sliding piece L, can move freely. N, is a bell crank lever, having a
pin n, at the lower end which takes into a long slot in the sliding piece
L, and at its other end it is provided with a balance weight O. P, is
a catch mounted upon the stud of a bracket P*, which is carried by the
holder-seat. This catch P, is intended to support at certain periods
the weighted end of the bell crank lever N, for the purpose of causing
the pin n, at the other end of the lever to hold the sliding piece L

page_text: sufficiently near the holders for the projecting parts to come in contact
therewith. Q, is a finger fastened to the beam B, in such a position
with respect to the catch P, that on the rising of the holder-seat it
will strike against the upper end of the catch, and disengage it from
the crank lever N. R, is a piece fixed to the beam B, and furnished
with a projection at its lower end to receive the long end of the bell
crank lever just before the holder-seat descends to the lowest position.
When the holder-seat descends the projection upon the lower end
of the piece R, comes in contact with the weighted end of the lever N,
and raises it up, whereby the sliding piece is pushed towards the
holders, and the projections or fingers of the sliding piece are brought
between tlic several holders. The sliding piece L, is held in this
position by the catch P, which on the descent of the holder-seat C, is
released from contact with the finger Q, and is allowed to take hold of
the lever N, as before. When the holders are brought to their lowest
position the heckling takes place, as is well understood, and when the
holder-seat rises the arms or levers F, G, H, push forward the sliding
picce L, a distance equal to the length of a flax holder, and by this
means the line of flax holders, whether continuous or broken (by reason
of a missing holder), is pushed forward.
When the holder-seat has nearly reached its highest elevation the
catch P, is again brought in contact with the finger Q, which disen-
gages the catch, and allows the weight on the end of the bell crank
lever N, to descend. The pin n, at the lower end of the bell crank
lever then moves out the sliding piece so far as to allow the projections
on the inner side of the sliding piece to be clear of the holders.
By the continued ascent of the holder-seat the arms or levers F,
G, H, will be caused to draw the sliding piece L, lengthwise to its
farthest backward position, in order that it may take hold of a fresh
holder when next acted upon by the bell crank lever N, and carry it
forward on the next forward thrust of the arm H.
I would remark, that this arrangement for driving the holders is
equally applicable to heckling machines having turning holder-seats as
to those of the construction shewn in the Drawing.
Having now described my Invention of improved machinery for

page_text: heckling flax, hemp, china grass, and other fibrous materials, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim;-
First, the means above set forth whereby I am enabled to increase
the working capacity of heckling machines having intersecting heckle
bars.
And, secondly, I claim the arrangement of mechanism above
described for giving motion to the flax holders.
In witness whercof, I, the said Peter Fairbairn, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
Witness,
CHALMERS FORREST.
PETER FAIRBAIRN. (L.S.)