CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR HECKLING, COMBING, PREPARING, OR DRESSING HEMP, FLAX, AND SUCH OTHER TEXTILE OR FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
FAIRBAIRN, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of July, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Peter Fairbairn, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Peter Fairbairn, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Peter Fairbairn, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR HECKLING, COMBING, PREPARING, OR DRESSING HEMP, FLAX, AND
SUCH OTHER TEXTILE OR FIBROUS MATERIALS," being a communication from a
Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, obliging me, the said Peter Fairbairn, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and
to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said

page_text: in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Peter Fairbairn, 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 and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
(that is to say):
-
These Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Heckling, Combing, Pre-
paring, and Dressing Hemp, Flax, and such other Textile or Fibrous Materials,
consist in the novel construction and arrangement of certain apparatus called
heckles or heckle bars, in conjunction with other mechanical agents, by which
construction and arrangement (constituting a machine) the said heckles are
made to operate upon the fibres of hemp, flax, and other kinds of textile
materials with better effect than has been obtained by any of the machinery
heretofore employed for the same purpose.
In the accompanying Drawing this improved machine is represented in
different Figures, which show the forms and positions of the several parts, and
their modes of operating. Figure 1 is an clevation of the complete machine
as it would appear when viewed on one side. Figure 2 is a similar elevation
taken in front. Fig. 1* is a section longitudinally through about the middle
of the machine; and Figure 3 represents a section of the machine taken
horizontally through the frame, the casing, and the drum, about the level of the
axle; which two last-mentioned Figures exhibit the internal arrangement of the
springs connected to the heckle bars and to the sliding guards or strippers.
Figure 4 represents one of heckle bars detached from the machine; it is
formed of a hollow cylinder or tube of brass, having a row of small holes
perforated along it, into which holes the pins or heckle points are to be inserted,
and these pins are made fast in the bar by filling up the interior of the tube
with melted cement. Cap pieces are then affixed to the ends of the tube,
having studs or pivots by which the heckle bar is to be held when mounted
upon the drum. Figure 5 represents one of the guards or sliding strippers,
formed of a narrow piece of wood, one of which strippers is to be placed
between every two heckle bars round the periphery of the drum, as shewn in
Figure 1. The large cylinder or drum, which carries the heckle bars and
guides or strippers, shewn detached from the machine in an end view at
Figure 6, is constructed by two wooden circular ends a, a, connected and held
fast by an iron axle b, the periphery of the drum being formed by a thin plate
of zinc c, c, c, (seen best in Figure 1), which is bent round and attached at

page_text: its edges to the circular wooden ends, as shewn by the double circle of dots in
Figure 6. Upon the outer edge of each wooden end of the drum a series of
segmental pieces forming a rim or flange of iron d, d, d, are affixed, having a
circle of small round holes perforated through the flange in which the pivots of
the heckle bars c are to be inserted, as scen in Figure 3, and there are also
radial slots cut through these rims or flanges for the ends of the sliding guards
or strippers to work in, as shewn in the sections Figures 1 and 3. A small
cord is attached to the heckle bar e, near each of its ends, and passed over it on
one side, which cords are carried through holes in the periphery of the drum
c, c, and connected to helical springs f, f, affixed to the blocks g within. Similar
cords are also attached to the guards or strippers h, h, near each of their ends,
which cords are in like manner passed through small holes in the periphery of
the drum c, c, c, and connected to springs i, i, affixed to the blocks I. I.
The
object to be obtained from this mode of constructing and mounting the heckle
bars e, and attaching cords and springs f to them, is, that the heckle bars may
not be rigidly fixed to the drum, but possess a slight degree of clasticity, in
order that when the points of the heckles meet with obstruction in passing
through the strick of flax, the bar may be enabled to give way, by turning upon
its pivots, and the points to be drawn out of the flax, instead of being forced
through the strick, to the manifest danger of breaking the fibres, the springs
and cords being the agents by which the heckles are brought back again to
their proper positions, which are determined by a small stud on the side of the
heckle bar coming against a stop fixed in the drum. The guards or strippers
h, h, are for the twofold purpose of regulating the depth to which the points of
the heckles shall be allowed to penetrate into the strick of flax whilst under
the operation of heckling, and for stripping off or removing the two from the
points of the heckles at the lower part of the revolution of the drum. These
guards or strippers h, h, are made to slide in the radial slots of the flanges
d, d, d, by excentric wheels k, k, seen in the section Figure 3, and shown by a
dotted circle in Figures 1, 6, and 7, the peripheries of which excentric wheels
act against the ends of all the strippers or guards, forcing them out to the
extremities of the slots at some part of the rotation of the drum, and the
springs drawing them inward again at the opposite part of the rotation of the
drum, keeping their ends continually bearing against the outer edges or
peripheries of the excentric wheels.
The construction of the drum having been now fully described, and the
mode of attaching thereto the heckle bars and guards or strippers, it is
necessary next to state that this drum when working must be enclosed within
a casing of a cylindrical form, one end of which is shewn by the detached view

page_text: of the casing at Figure 7. This casing consists of two circular wooden ends
or discs mounted upon the main axle or shaft b, on which they turn loosely, as
shewn at 1, 1, in the horizontal section Figure 3, and these circular ends or
discs are held together by transverse bars screwed thereto, the periphery or
cylindrical part of the casing being partly formed by plates of zinc m, m, bent
round and attached to the edges of the discs, but some considerable portions of
the periphery of the casing are left open to admit the strick of flax when
submitted to the operation of the revolving heckles, and also to discharge the tow
from the points of the heckles as the heckling operation goes on. The open parts
of the casing will be seen in the section Figure 1. Between the drum and
the casing on each side, one of the excentric wheels k, k, is placed, as shewn in
the vertical and horizontal sections, Figures 1 and 3, and by dots in Figure 7.
These excentric wheels have each a circular aperture in their centre, lined
with a collar or bush of steel, which enables the wheel to turn freely upon a
hollow stud or boss n, n, fixed to the inside of the disc or end of the casing 1, 1,
as shewn by dots in Figures 1 and 7, and in section at Figure 3. The
hollow studs or bosses n, n, are so affixed to the discs or ends of the casing as
to allow of the main axle 6 passing through them in an excentric position, as
shewn in Figures 1, 3, and 7, the consequence of which must be that the
peripheries of these excentric wheels will not run parallel with the periphery
of the drum, but from their excentric positions will, at the lower part of the
drum, force the guards or strippers (against which they are acting) along the
slots toward the outer edges of the flanges d, d. By these means the whole
depth of the heckle points, when in the act of combing, will be allowed to
operate upon the strick of flax at the upper part of the machine, whilst, as the
drum goes round, in the lower part of its rotation the strippers will be
projected outwards and cause the tow upon the heckles to be pushed toward
their points, whence it is effectually stripped off by a strong current of wind
produced by a rotary blower p, seen in Figure 1*, which carries the tow away
from the heckle points and deposits it in the box below, or projects it
into a receptacle placed for that purpose at the back of the machine.
I will now proceed to shew the manner in which the strick of flax is
introduced into the machine and progressively brought under the operation of
the heckles. The strick of flax is first spread out as usual, and placed between
the jaws of a pair of clams as a holder, the construction of which holder is
shewn in two positions at Figure 8. The upper jaws a, a, of the holder being
thrown open by turning back on their hinge joints, the strick of flax is to be
spread equally upon the rail b, ; and the jaws being then shut down and
held fast by a spring catch c, the flax will be confined securely between the

page_text: clams ready to be operated upon by the rotary heckles. At each end of the
holder there is a small rib or flange d, d, which are intended to be inserted into
the nicks of two brackets r affixed to the front part of the machine, as shewn
at v in Figure 2, and in the section Figure 1°. The holder with the strick of
flax being attached to the front part of the machine, as described and shewn
in the two last-mentioned Figures, the flax must be spread upwards over the
outer surface of the cylindrical casing and its ends passed through the opening
in the casing at s, in order to bring the ends of the flax into the teeth of the
heckles upon the drum within. The drum is then made to revolve rapidly
by means of a band and pulley, or by any other moving power applied to the
main axle (mounted upon the side standards or framing, as shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, by which the points of the revolving heckles will be made
to take hold of the ends of the flax and draw the fibres up tightly; it will be
perceived that in commencing the operation upon the strick of flax, its ends
only being passed through the opening in the cylindrical casing, a very short
portion of the fibres are at first submitted to the points of the heckles); the
reason for this is, that the heckling process will be more beneficially conducted
when the length of the strick of flax is gradually introduced to the heckle
points, as by that means the tow is cleared away before the following heckles,
and the staple or fibre of the flax less liable to be broken. In order, there-
fore, to bring the whole length of the fibres gradually upon the points of the
revolving heckles, the cylindrical casing is made to turn loosely upon the
main axle and to advance slowly as the process goes on, which causes the
opening s to be brought round from the top of the machine, as in Figure 1*,
down to the situation of the stationary holder at .
The means by which this movement of the casing is effected I will now
describe. One end of a cord or chain t, t, is attached by a hook to the
cylindrical casing 7, and this cord or chain being conducted over carrier
pullies and weighted at its reverse end, draws the casing back, that it causes it
to turn upon the main axle, so that the opening r is brought to its highest
position (as shown in Figure 1) when the heckles are beginning to operate
upon the strick. As, however, the casing must be slowly moved round to
admit gradually the whole length of the strick, a small pinion is fixed upon
the end of the main axle, which, as the drum revolves, takes into and drives a
toothed wheel u (sec Figures 1 and 2. This wheel 2 is connected to a train
of wheels and pinions, for the purpose of giving motion to a wheel v, turning
loosely upon the end of a short axle w, placed] transversely at the top of the
machine, which axle w is mounted in bearings affixed to the back part of the
standards or framework, as shewn by dots in Figure 2. This axle w, with its

page_text: clutch and other appendages, are represented detached from the machine in a
horizontal view at Figure 9, and in a back elevation at Figure 10, carrying a
snail or spiral pulley x, to which one end of a chain is affixed, the reverse
end of this chain being connected to the cylindrical casing, as shewn in the
section, Figure 1. By the diameters and numbers of the teeth of this train
of wheels and pinions u to v, it will be perceived that the rotary motion
communicated from the main axle to the wheel v will be very considerably
reduced, and, consequently, that when this wheel is connected by its clutch to
the axle w, the rotation of that axle and its snail or spiral pulley a will be
comparatively slow also; and hence the rotary movement of the cylindrical
casing, carried round by the draft chain which connects it with the pulley, will
be likewise slow; and indeed, its rotary movement depending upon the coiling
of the draft chain round the spiral periphery of the pulley x, will necessarily
diminish as the opening s in the casing approaches its lowest position. Let
it now be considered, that, by means of a horizontal lever and clutch, shewn at
the top of the machine in Figure 1, and also in the detached view Figure 9,
that the axle w has been thrown into gear with the train of wheels u, v, the
rotary motion of the heckling drum will now, as described, give motion
through the train to the axle 20 and pulley a, by which the draft chain will be
made to bring round the cylindrical casing until the opening s has arrived at
the lowest part of its rotary movement, as shewn by dots in Figure 1*.
small stud, set in the periphery of the cylindrical casing, will by this movement
have been brought under the tail of a lever y, Figure 9, the position of which
lever in the machine is also shewn by dots in Figures 1 and 2. This stud, by
raising the tail of the lever y, causes a catch pin to be withdrawn from the
side of the sliding clutch z, and thereby allows the clutch bolts to be thrown
back by the force of a spring, which disengages the axle and spiral pulley
from the wheel v. The heckling drum continues revolving, but the weighted
cord or chain t carries back the cylindrical casing again, so that the opening s
stands at its highest point, and the fibres of the flax, being by that means
withdrawn from the heckle points, the combed or heckled strick must be
removed, and another strick to be operated upon placed in holders and fixed in
the brackets as before. The axle w and spiral pulley a must now again be
thrown into gear with the train of wheels u, v, and the operations of the
machine will go on as before described.
A
It remains now for me to explain the means by which I discharge the tow
from the heckle points at every revolution of the drum, in order to bring
the heckles in a clean state to act afresh upon the strick of flax under
operation. By means of the excentric wheels k, k, the peripheries of which