CLEANING FLAX, SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE STRAW, CALLED A FLAX SCUTCHING MACHINE
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Boyde Mackay, of Knockmore House, Bally-
money, in the County of Antrim, Solicitor, for the Invention of
"CLEANING FLAX, SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE STRAW, CALLED A FLAX
SCUTCHING MACHINE."
Sealed the 23rd November 1861, and dated the 31st May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Boyde Mackay at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st May 1861.
I, HUGH BOYDE MACKAY, of Knockmore House, Ballymoney, in the County
of Antrim, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
CLEANING FLAX, SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE STRAW, CALLED A FLAX
SCUTCHING MACHINE," to be as follows:--
This Invention relates to machinery for cleaning flax from the straw, or
separating the fibre from the woody or reedy part called the straw, technically
called "scutching." It consists of four horizontal cylinders mounted in an
upright frame; round each pair of cylinders runs an endless web, & upon this
web there are angular rods or bars placed horizontally (and which in the end
view look like teeth); those of the different sets of rollers work into each other
like the teeth of wheels. It will be seen in the Drawing that these teeth
hardly overlap each other, as they are intended merely to keep the flax steady;
but at every distance of two feet on the endless web there are bars or teeth (I

page_text: may call them) which do overlap, as seen, where the small circles or knobs
appear on the edges of the angular teeth. These are the working teeth, and
intended to break the straw as rollers do in the common scutching mill. The
endless web revolving on the cylinders brings these overlapping teeth quickly
down along the flax, which is fixed in a holder above, and thus breaks the
woody stem, which the sharper teeth clear away, and leave the pliant fibro frec
from wood. The flax holder is carried by two arms upon two endless screws,
which are made to revolve continually, and thus the flax is moved along the
teeth of the machine from one end to the other; the fibre placed in the
holder being cleaned & freed from the woody part.
In the annexed Drawing, Fig. 1 shows an end view of the flax-cleaning
apparatus, showing the ends of the four cylinders E, and the toothed wheels
for imparting motion to the machine. A, A, aro brackets of iron, supporting
two revolving screws shown by the circles a, a; B, B, show the wooden framo
of the machine; D is the holder, from which the flax fibro depends, as seen
amongst the teeth; near the lower part are the three breaking teeth, which
overlap at C. The arrows show the direction of motion of the endless webs.
Fig. 2 is a side view, showing the endless screw a, along which the holder
moves. B, B, is the wooden frame; C, C, are the breaking teeth, with round
edges, which overlap and break the straw; K, K, K, K, are detached views
of different forms of teeth (or rather edges of the longitudinal bars) of the
endless webs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugh Boyde Mackay in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, HUGH'
BOYDE MACKAY, of Knockmore House, Ballymoney, in the County of Antrim,
Solicitor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Hugh Boyde Mackay, Her special licence that I, the said Hugh Boyde
Mackay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Hugh Boyde Mackay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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
"CLEANING FLAX, SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE STRAW, CALLED A FLAX
SCUTCHING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Hugh Boyde Mackay, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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
tho Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after tho date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hugh Boyde Mackay, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what mauner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings. hereunto. annexed,.
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to machinery for cleaning flax from the straw, or
separating the fibre from the woody or reedy part called the straw, and tech-
nically called scutching. It consists of four horizontal cylinders mounted in.a
suitable framing; round each pair of cylinders an endless web runs, & upon
these webs there are angular rods or bars placed. horizontally, which in the
end view have somewhat the appearanco of teeth. Those teeth-like projec-
tions on the different sets of rollers work into each other in the manner of
teeth of wheels. It will be seen in the Drawing that these teeth but slightly
overlap cach other, as they are intended merely to keep. the flax steady, and
strip the straw from the fibre; but at every distance of two feet on the wel
there aro bars, (or teeth they may be called,) which do overlap considerably, as
will be seen, where the small angular or rounded pieces appear on the ends..
These are the working teeth, and are intended to break the straw, as rollers do in,
the common scutching mill. The endless webs revolving on the cylinders bring
these overlapping teeth quickly down along the flax, which is fixed in a holder
above, and thus breaks the woody stem, which the sharper teeth clear away,.
and leave the pliant fibre free from wood. The flax holder is carried by two
arms upon a bar and a long screw, or it may be two screws,, which revolve
continually, whereby the flax is moved along the teeth of the machine froun
one end to the other; the fibre placed in the holder being cleaned and freed
from the woody part. The fibre after having been cleaned by passing through
the machine is reversed in the holder and again operated on, so as to clean
the other end thereof..

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents an end view of the apparatus; and Fig. 2, a view of the
opposite end, while Fig. 3 is a side view of the same.
The machine consists of four uprights A, A, stayed to each other to form a
suitable framework, in which is mounted the four cylinders B, B, in suitable
bearings; these cylinders carry two belts, which pass round each pair of
cylinders. On these belts are fixed a number of raised bars, of which the end
view of the machine shows the ends. The bars lie flat on the belt, but to
prevent the belt from slipping, each bar has on the reverse or back, at the ends
projections or teeth c, c, c, c, which projections, as the belts are carried round
by the cylinders, are received in the hollows made to receive them around the
end of the cylinders. On the ends of the shafts carrying the cylinders outside
the framing, toothed wheels are fixed to maintain the relative positions of tho
cylinders, and consequently of the toothed belts at all times in accordance with
each other. Motion is communicated to the cylinders by means of a strap and
rigger D on the shaft in the usual way. E is the holder, in which the flax is
held while being operated on; it rests on two parallel horizontal bars, one or
both of which is a screw F; I prefer to use two screws; the holder resting on
these bars moves along as the screws turn round carrying with it the flax from
one end of the machine to the other. One of these screws F is distinctly
seen in the side view; the one is turned by a strap and rigger from one of the
cylinder shafts, and may be caused to revolve quicker or slower according to
the size of the drum, while the other and corresponding screw is geared with
the first-named by suitable toothed gearing to insure a corresponding speed of
rotation. It will be observed that some of the bars have round edges & inter-
lock or lap so as to break the straw, while the others are merely for separating
or cleaning the shove from the fibre. Although one flax holder only is répre-
sented in the Drawings, it is intended to fill the screw bars F their whole
length when at work, which may be taken off at one end and refilled, or the
flax reversed therein & placed on at the opposite end; thus when the flax bas
passed along the machine it will be turned in the holder, and the other end of the
flax go through the same process, whereby it becomes thoroughly & effectually
cleaned. The arrows show the direction of motion of the toothed webs, which
are driven at a speed best suited to the operation, and the quality of flax being

page_text: scutched. The screws F must be of considerable stiffness, in order to sustain
the pull of the fibre while being cleaned, & to further strengthen them they
may have a support or supports underneath midway between their bearings.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the construction and applica-
tion of apparatus, berein-before described, to the scutching or cleaning and
separating the straw from the fibre of flax, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Boyde Mackay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
HUGH BOYDE MACKAY. (L.S.)