CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED MA- CHINERY FOR PREPARING FLAX AND HEMP; ALSO CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FLAX, HEMP, COTTON, SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB- STANCES BY POWER
Year: 1835

page_text: DEWHURST & T., J., & I. HOPE'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DANIEL
DEWHURST, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Flax Spinner, and
THOMAS HOPE, JOSEPH HOPE, and ISAAC HOPE, all of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanics, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of December, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself,' His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us; the said
Daniel Dewhurst, Thomas Hope, Joseph Hope, and Isaac Hope, His special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Daniel
Dewhurst, Thomas Hope, Joseph Hope, and Isaac Hope, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as we, the said Daniel Dewhurst,
Thomas Hope, Joseph Hope, and Isaac Hope, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other, 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, our Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED MA-
CHINERY FOR PREPARING FLAX AND HEMP; ALSO CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FLAX, HEMP, COTTON, SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
STANCES BY POWER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that

page_text: we, the said Daniel Dewhurst, Thomas Hope, Joseph Hope, and Isaac Hope,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part 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, we, the said
Daniel Dewhurst, Thomas Hope, Joseph Hope, and Isaac Hope, do hereby
declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, is particularly described and ascertained in the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following explanation thereof, that is
to say :-
Our improvements in preparing flax and hemp and spinning or twisting
flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibrous substances, consist, in the first place, in
subjecting the flax and hemp to a process of steeping, washing, boiling, and
pressing or squeezing by means of rollers or machinery, previous to its being
heckled, by which the appearance of the staple is much improved and its
strength less injured than in the common method of preparing, and at the
same time a great saving effected, there being less tow or waste in the after
processes of heckling, dressing, &c.; and,
Secondly, in new or improved constructions, combinations, or arrange-
ments of the parts constituting the mechanism, by which flax, hemp, cotton,
silk, and other fibrous substances are spun into yarn or twist with con-
siderable advantage, and a material increase of the speed may be effected,
and a greater quantity of yarn or twist produced in a given time, than is
commonly obtained. These advantages, combined with extreme lightness of
the improved spindle and flyer, they being only about one fourth the weight
of ordinary spindles, enable us to spin yarns of nearly any degree of fineness
that the fibre will admit. The particular parts of which improved mechanism,
spindle, and flyer is composed, will be clearly understood by reference to the
accompanying Drawing, in which the same letters of reference indicate the
corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Our process of improvements in preparing and refining flax or hemp is
effected by first taking it in its raw state and steeping it in diluted acids of
almost any description; but that which we prefer is vitriolic acid diluted or
reduced with water, so as to be just bearable by the palate; but the strength
of the solution must depend materially upon the strength or coarseness or
fineness of the fibre to be acted upon. The common Irish flax will require a
much stronger solution than Flemish flax, therefore the judgment of the

page_text: When the flax has been
have become completely
operator must be used, and proved by experience.
steeped in the diluted acid a sufficient time to
saturated, it will be found that the resinous or gummy matter, and also the
outer bark or shell, will be loosened from the fibres. The flax or hemp in this
state is then to be passed between a pair of pressing or squeezing rollers,
which may be adjustable by screws, weighted levers, or otherwise, for the purpose
of giving any degree of pressure, by which means the solution of acid with the
loosened resinous or gummy matters will be expressed, and the bark or boom
or woody material crushed, which will allow the extraneous matter to run off.
The flax or hemp must now be well washed in clear water, so that the remaining:
part of the acid may be completely removed, and then subjected to the action of
heat, by being boiled a few hours in a strong solution of soap, ashes, and soda,
or any other alkali, for the purpose of effectively separating the fibres of the
material, and giving it a bleached and more glossy appearance. The hemp or
flax is now again to be passed through the pressing or squeezing rollers, as
above described, for the purpose of expressing the extraneous remains; and the
boiling and squeezing processes must be repeated three or four times, according
to the nature of the flax or hemp, when the fibres will have become com-
pletely separated, though, perhaps, somewhat entangled and matted together;
and in order to strengthen them and lay them side by side, that they may not
be broken by the heckle, the flax is well rinsed in a strong soap lees and hung in
stricks to drain; after this washing and squeezing or pressing has been repeated
a sufficient number of times, the flax or hemp may be slightly beaten, and then
passed once or twice over an ordinary heckle or stiff brush, when the now
cleansed fibres will be sufficiently heckled, combed, brushed, or laid strait, so
as to be fit for the drawing and roving frames.
The second part of our improvements, viz., in the machinery for spinning
flax, hemp, cotton, silk, and other fibrous substances, are exhibited in the
Drawings hereunto annexed, Figure 1 being a partial sectional elevation of
the arrangement, construction, or combination of the spindles, bobbin, and flyer
we prefer to be used for spinning all kinds of flax or hemp, and the finer num-
bers of cottons, silks, &c. Figure 2 is another similar representation, shewing
the combinations or arrangements particularly adapted for spinning coarser and
heavier yarns; and Figure 3 shews the particular plan, arrangement, or con-
struction we propose to use to spin all kinds of yarn which constitute the quality
of weft, and require to be spun or wound upon what is called a "pin cop
bobbin;" that is, a bobbin peculiarly constructed for the shuttle of the weaver
without requiring the loss of time occasioned by winding the thread from the
ordinary bobbin. a, a, a, is the stationary or fixed spindle of the ordinary throstle.

page_text: frame, which is surrounded by the tube b, b, and connected to the warve or pulley
c, by which the flyer d is driven, as in our improved arrangement we prefer so
doing to the ordinary custom of driving the spindle and bobbin. The flyer d is
furnished with guides or conductors e, e, which conduct or lead the thread or
yarn immediately to the bobbin without endangering its breaking, as frequently
occurs when it comes in contact with the head of the bobbin, as the yarn pro-
ceeds from the drawing rollers in the ordinary manner. This flyer is also
provided with a small central shaft or upright bearing f, which supports the
flyer and runs in the small cup or recess g, at the top of the stationary spindle a,
and is fixed with the flyer to the tube b, b, which is altogether carried round or
driven by the warve c. It will be seen clearly by reference to the detached
Figure 4 that the warve c and tube 6 are connected at bottom by a half lap,
coupling joint, or clutch; this is for the purpose of allowing the tube 6 to be
slidden up the spindle, and more readily removing the bobbin when it is full
of yarn, and without the necessity of stopping the frame or removing the band
from the warve c, the tube of which runs in the step or cup h, fixed upon
the boulster rail, near the bottom of the throstle frame. The traversing of
the bobbin or the copping motion is effected exactly in the same manner as
in ordinary throstles, that is to say, by the lifting and lowering of the copping
rail i, which, in this instance, supports the bobbin. In Figure 2 the flyer is
constructed of twice the length of the bobbin to allow the same to rise and
fall freely within it, and is connected at top by a slight cross piece, for the
purpose of preventing the arms of the flyer from expanding by the centrifugal
force, when running at a high velocity; and it will be seen in the Drawing
that the flyer, and all others for spinning coarse numbers, require to have an
inner tube K, K, for the purpose of affording greater support to the spindle.
The bobbins in this Figure and in Figure 3 are supported upon a collar or
washer 1, 1, attached to the spindle near the top. And the spindle in these
two cases is not fixed or perfectly stationary, but allowed to revolve in a
slight degree at times by the friction of the drag weight m, m, connected to
the bottom of the spindle, and placed upon a leather or cloth washer, and
rubbing against the copping rail c, when dragged by the thread at those parti-
cular times when the drag is required, which drag is thereby regulated and
adjusted, and made to accommodate itself to the tension or resistance required;
and in case of any unusual pull or drag upon the thread, it will not break
as heretofore, but be allowed to pass freely by the slipping round of the spindle
and weight, as above described. The weight m has a hole formed in it with a
flat side, as seen in the detached Figure 5, and the end of the spindle is of
a corresponding shape which allows it to be withdrawn and replaced at

page_text: pleasure, and prevent the necessity of fixing them together by pins, screws, or
otherwise.
It will be obvious that many minute parts have unavoidably been alluded to
and described, for the sake of rendering our Invention more evident, and
which, except in connection with the parts and particular arrangements and
combinations, are not intended to be claimed. But all such particular arrange-
ments, connections, and combinations as we have above described and shewn
for effecting the object proposed, we consider ourselves justly entitled to by
virtue of our Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, we, the said Daniel Dewhurst and Joseph Hope,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.
DANIEL (L.S.) DEWHURST.
JOSEPH (L.S.) HOPE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of February, in
the sixth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said
Daniel Dewhurst and Joseph Hope came before our said Lord the King in
His Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every
thing therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
Instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the
Third.