IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HACKLING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carr, of Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland,
Flax Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
HACKLING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 10th November 1857, and dated the 14th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carr at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th May
1857.
I, JOHN CARR, of Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland, Flax Spinner,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR HACKLING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for hackling
flax, hemp, and other fibrous substances. For these purposes the holders are
arranged parallel to each other, and such is the case in respect to the axes of
the sheets or cylinders used in the machine for carrying the hackles. The
holders, when they have been moved into position, as hereafter described, to
be acted on by two sets of hackle surfaces, whether carried by sheets or by
cylinders, are caused to descend and ascend; they are then moved a distance
equal to that between each pair of hackle surfaces, when they are again
caused to descend and ascend, so that the fibres held by the holders are in

page_text: succession acted on by each pair of hackle surfaces in the machine, and the
pairs of hackle surfaces (whether on.sheets or cylinders) may be driven faster
and faster as the hackles become finer and finer; and as the fibrous substances
in the holders are moved from one pair or set of hackle surfaces to the next,
in consequence of the continued rotation of the hackle surfaces, and by reason
of the holders being moved across the axes of motion of the cylinders or
sheets of hackles, the lower ends of the fibres will be hackled out before they
get into position to be lowered down between the next set of hackle surfaces.
The holders are placed in at one end of the machine, and are by the working
of the machine moved into positions to be acted on in succession by each set
or pair of hackle surfaces in the machine, and such movement of the several
holders in the machine is accomplished in the following manner:-There are
two fixed bars from end to end of the machine, on which the holders are
supported when they are at their highest position; there are also two moving
bars, one at each side of the machine, which are moved to and fro by cams
and levers a distance somewhat greater than the distance between each pair
of hackle surfaces; on the under sides of these two moving bars there are
fixed fingers or projections; except at the ends of the bars, where the fresh
holders are fed into the machine, where the finger or projection on each is
hinged, so that in the bars moving back when the fingers pass over the fresh
holder which has been fed into position, such folding of the fingers or projec-
tions not being necessary in respect to the other holders, as the other holders
will be below their action when the bars. are moved back. When the hackles
are to be carried by pairs of cylinders or sheets the hackle bars may be each
mounted on cranked levers, such levers having each a short extent of motion
on its axis in such manner as to cause the hackle points to enter close under
the holder, so that as the points enter the fibres horizontally they do not at
the same time descend, but only descend when the cams have acted on the
fibres, and then to descend in a straight or nearly straight line through the
fibres, by reason of the levers being acted on by stationary rollers as they come
into action, the levers being also governed by fixed guides, which retain them
in straight lines parallel to each other; and the axes of the several cranked
levers may be arranged' in such manner as to be moved to and from the axes
of motion of the cylinders or sheets which carry them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Carr in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
November 1857.
:
:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARR, of Killyleab, County Down, Ireland, Flax Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Carr, Her special licence that I, the said John Carr, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Carr, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR HACKLING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCSS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Carr, 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 John Carr, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements. in machinery for .hackling
flax, hemp, and other fibrous substances. For these purposes the holders are
arranged parallel to each other, and such is the case in respect to the axes of
the sheets or cylinders used in the machine for carrying the hackles. The
holders, when they have been moved into position, as hereafter described, to.
be acted on by two sets of hackle surfaces, whether carried by sheets or by
cylinders, are caused to descend and ascend; they are then moved a distance
equal to that between each pair of .hackle surfaces, when they are again
caused to descend and ascend, so that the fibres held by the holders are in
succession acted on by each pair of hackle surfaces in the machine, and the

page_text: pairs of hackle surfaces (whether on sheets or cylinders) may be driven faster
and faster as the hackles become finer and finer; and as the fibrous substances
in the holders are moved from one pair or set of hackle surfaces to the next,
in consequence of the continued rotation of the hackle surfaces, and by reason
of the holders being moved across the axes of motion of the cylinders or
sheets of hackles; the lower ends of the fibres will be hackled out before they
get into position to be lowered. down between the next hackle surfaces.
The holders are placed in at one end of the machine, and are by the working
of the machine moved into position to be acted on in succession by each set
or pair of hackle surfaces in the machine, and such movement of the several
holders in the machine is accomplished in the following manner:-There are
two fixed bars from end to end of the machine on which the holders are
supported when they are at their highest position; there are also two moving
bars, one at each side of the machine, which are moved to and fro by cams
and levers a distance somewhat greater than the distance between each pair.
of backle surfaces; on the under sides of these two moving bars there are
fixed fingers or projections, except at the ends of the bars, where the fresh
holders are fed into the machine, where the finger or projection on each is
hinged, so that in the bars moving back when the fingers pass over the fresh
holder which has been fed into position, such folding of the fingers or pro-
jections not being necessary in respect to the other holders, as the other
holders will be below their action when the bars are moved back. When
the hackles are to be carried by pairs of cylinders or sheets the hackle bars
may be each mounted on cranked levers, such levers having each a short
extent of motion on its axis in such manner as to cause the hackle points to
enter close under the holder, so that as the points enter the fibres horizontally
they do not at the same time descend, but only descend when the points have
entered through the fibres, and then to descend in a straight or nearly straight
line through the fibres, by reason of the levers being acted on by stationary
rollers as they come into action, the levers being also governed by fixed
guides, which retain them in straight lines parallel to each other, and the
axes of the several crank levers may be arranged in such manner as to be
moved to and from the axes of motion of the cylinders or sheets which carry
them.
In Plate I the hackles are set round cylinders, and are governed in the
action; in Plate 2 the hackles are set on endless bands. In all the Figures
the same letters are used to indicate the same parts. a is the framing of the

page_text: machines; a¹ are the bearings of roller shafts for chains and hackles; b are
the slides on which the holders are shifted from one head to another; 6¹ are
the cylinders or blocks that carry the chains or hackles; t is the lifting block
or slides for holders to rest on while the flax is being hackled; c¹ are the
pullies on which lifting strap runs; d'are the driving pullies; e is the driving
shaft; are the bevil wheels for driving chains and backles at varying
speeds; gare the block shafts for carrying the hackles and chains; h are the
cam shafts; h¹ is the lever shaft; i are the cams; j are the lifting levers;
k are the holders; 1 are the straps, connecting lifting blocks or slides c to
lifting levers; m are the traverse levers; m³, connecting rod between levers q
and m; m² is a lever on rocking shaft n; n is the rocking shaft, on which is
fixed traverse levers; o is the traverse rod; p is the traverse cam; q is the
traverse lever, acted on by cam p; r are the balance weights, which causes
lever m to move the holders forward; s' are the hackle stalks; t is the worm
wheel; u is the worm; is the truck or roller of lifting lever; x are the
hackle levers, which may be cranked or otherwise; a¹ are the rollers which
move the hackles out; y is the driving lever and cam shaft bracket; z are
the chains or sheets for carrying hackles. When the flax is fastened in the
holders in the usual way, and placed on the slides b, and the machine is set in
motion, the camp in its revolution draws the traverse rod back so far as to
bring the last finger of the rod o behind the holder k, when it changes the
action of the motion of the rod, causing it to carry the holder forward to the
first head of the machine and places it on the sliding block c, when the cam i
acts on the lever j, and allows the holder to descend, carrying the flax with it
into the pins gradually, so that the pins in their course being carried round
on the chains or cylinders combs and straightens the fibre out; as soon as
the flax has been down sufficiently long, the cam i acts on the lever j, causing
it to move in the opposite direction, and causes the blocks or slides c to rise
and bring the holders and flax with them to the level of the slides b, when
the camp acts on the lever q, and allows the balance weights r to press the
levers m forward and carry the holders to the next head, when the same
change takes place, and the flax again descends into the second gradation of
pins, and is again subjected to the action of the hackle pins. This process
repeated till the flax passes over the series of heads. It will be seen that the
hackles are mounted on chains, cylinders, or sheets and levers; the joints of
the levers fit into the recesses in the cylinders b¹, which acts similar to a rack
and pinion; on the chains z are joints, passed into which levers are fitted,
capable of being moved in and out. The hackles are fastened to one end of
the lever x, and moves in advance the joint. There is a projection cast on the
is

page_text: lever, which comes in contact with the roller x¹, causing the hackle to move
.out, and as it forms a circle round its own centre the points of the pins can
be made to remain stationary while they are moving forward through the
flax.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of 5
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise
:details; but what I claim is, the mode herein described of combining the
several mechanical parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carr, have hereunto set my hand 1
and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
JOHN CARR. (L.S.)