AN IMPROVED FLAX STRIPPING OR PEELING MACHINE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FLAX
STRIPPING OR PEELING MACHINE."-A communication from abroad by
Pareydt de Bergues, of No. 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 3rd September 1867, and dated the 4th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, ou the
4th March 1867..
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11,
Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED, FLAX
STRIPPING OR PEELING MACHINE," (a communication to me from abroad by
Pareydt de Bergues, of No. 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France,) to be as
follows:-
The flax stripping machines generally preferred are those on the "palette "
or revolving blade system, because their working approaches the nearest to
hand work; nevertheless, the blades of all these machines being fixed the action
is more or less rough, and both the working and product in flax ready for
spinning leave room for improvement. It was desirable to find a means of

page_text: giving to these blades the elasticity and the firmness of a man's arm. The
great difficulty consisted in giving the desired play to the blades while pre-
serving sufficient strength to resist the concussion consequent upon stripping
by machinery, which difficulty is overcome in the improved machine the
subject of this Invention, which I will now proceed to describe, reference
being bad to the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, forming part of this
Provisional Specification.
There is firstly a rotation axle A carrying a wooden wheel B, which carries
wooden forked pieces C, in which the "palettes" or blades F are set between
the blocks or wedges D and the springs E, the elasticity of which permits the
blades to depart from their line of rotation; then the blades F are fixed to a
sheet-iron crown or ring G by a slanting piece of wood, a bolt, and four
screws; there is also a main press screw I which serves to give more or
less mobility or play to the blades, and a small leather strap J which traverses
and fixes the blades.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of Marcb, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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
"AN IMPROVED FLAX STRIPPING OR PEELING MACHINE," a communication to me
from abroad by Pareydt de Bergues, of 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge,

page_text: 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 William Edward Gedge, 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 :-
The flax stripping machines generally preferred are those on the " palette"
or revolving blade system, because their working approaches the nearest to
hand work; nevertheless the blades of all these machines being fixed the
action is more or less rough, and both the working and the product in flax
ready for spinning leaving room for improvement it became necessary to find
a means of giving to these blades the elasticity and the firmness of a man's arm,
which result is attained by the use of the moveable blades herein-after
described, the play given to which forms the main characteristic of the
machine, the subject of this Invention. The great difficulty consisted in giving
the desired play to the blades, while preserving sufficient strength to resist the
concussion consequent upon stripping by machinery, and in this respect the
new method which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this Specification, leaves
nothing to be desired.
This machine consists of a rotation axle A carrying a wooden wheel B,
which carries wooden forked pieces C, in which the blades "palettes" F are
set between the blocks or wedges D and the springs E, the elasticity of which
The blades F are
permits the blades to depart from their plane of rotation.
fixed to a sheet-iron crown or ring G by a wooden tie piece, a bolt, and four
screws; there is also a main press screw I which serves to give more or less
mobility or play to the blades, and a small leather strap J which traverses and
fixes these blades.
This new method which, while preserving the strength of the blades,
permits more or less play to be given to them, according to the nature of the
flax to be operated upon, gives a very great yield of filament for spinning
"filasse," because the raw material is spared as much as possible.
Skilled hand labour becoming daily more difficult to procure, another ad-
vantage may be signalized, namely, the improved machine above described

page_text: requires very little intelligence on the part of the workman, who may be
made expert in a very short time.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have. hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.S.)