THE

London

JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.

No. XLV.

Recent Patents.

TO WILLIAM BUNDY, of Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, Mathematical Instrument Maker, for a Machine for breaking, cleaning, and preparing Flax, Hemp, and other vege· table Substances containing Fibre.

[Seated 16th December, 1822.]

THIS machinery for breaking and removing the boon from flax, hemp, and other fibrous substances, consists of a series of vibrating beaters connected together, and actuated by eccentric rollers, which may be put in operation by manual labour, a water-wheel, steam-engine, or any other suitable means.

Plate V. fig. I, is a perspective representation of one of these machines; and fig. 2, is a section of the same cut across, shewing more evidently the internal construction of

the operating parts, the respective letters referring to the same in both figures.

There is an external frame-work or standard to which the working parts of the machine are attached, and within this are the rocking-frames a a, carrying the indented ribs into which the vibrating beaters strike. These rocking frames are capable of falling back upon hinge joints at bottom, (as seen on the right-hand side in fig. 2,) for the purpose of introducing the rough flax; b are the lower beaters, and c the upper beaters, of which there are six in each machine. To each of the lower beaters two rows of teeth or grooves d, are attached, and to the upper beaters two rows of smaller teeth ee; these when the beaters vibrate are intended to strike into the corresponding rows of teeth or grooves in the rocking-frames.

There are two shafts ƒ and g, extending through the machine to one of these a rotatory motion is given by means of a winch upon its end, or a rigger or band wheel, may be attached and actuated by any first mover; which rotatory motion is communicated to the other shaft by the gearing of a pair of toothed-wheels, respectively attached to the ends of the shafts, but not seen in the view.

Upon these shafts ƒ and g, there are fixed eccentric rollers h and i, corresponding in number to the beaters, in the crutched part of which they act, and by their excentric revolutions cause the beaters to vibrate.

A quantity of the rough flax or hemp in the stem being provided, it is to be spread out evenly upon a flat surface, in portions of about one pound, more or less according to its length; it is then to be confined by the root ends between a pair of clams kk, which are afterwards placed in front of the machine and hooked to the ends of cords, as shewn in the perspective view, with the flax hanging down between the beaters and the rocking-frame, as at ll, fig. 2.

The rocking-frames a, laying as on the right-hand side of fig. 2, are now to be raised up from their inclined positions by a lever m, to the erect situation of a, on the lefthand side, and then made fast by the bearing arms n n, falling into notches in the rail of the frame. Rotatory motion being now communicated to the shafts fand g, as above described, the excentric rollers h and i, will cause the beaters b and c, to vibrate and strike the flax between the teeth or grooves of the rocking-frames, and thereby break the boon or woody parts; but in order to prevent the fibre from being crushed by the violent concussion of the beating, a small degree of elasticity is given to the rocking-frame by means of a slit or opening cut down behind it.

At the end of the shaft f, there is an endless screw, which is intended to actuate the toothed wheels and axles p p, (see fig. 1,) for the purpose of coiling upon the axles the cords that draw up the clams kk, by which means the suspended flax is slowly raised, and the beaters enabled to operate upon every part of it from end to end.

When the clam has ascended sufficiently far up the machine to have drawn the whole length of the flax through the teeth of the beaters, the rocking frame a, is thrown back, and the wheel and axle p drawn out of gear, by the clam striking against an arm q, which hangs down in the middle of the machine. These arms q, are connected to levers and rods seen at the end of the machine in the perspective view fig. 1, and thereby throw that part of the machinery out of action when the flax has passed the teeth.

The clams with the flax will now descend by their own gravity, and the operation may be repeated several times until the boon is sufficiently removed from the part of the flax acted upon. The clams may then be taken out, and the ends of the flax turned and operated upon in like manner until it has become perfectly cleansed.

In order to loosen or separate the fibre and clear off the boon after being broken, a row of needles, or hackle points, are employed as seen attached to a rail extending along the front of the machine at r r, fig. 1, and also a lath s s. The rail which carries the points is connected by arms to a shaft having a strong helical or worm spring; the lath is also connected to a similar shaft, and the springs impel them inwards, so as to enter or press against the flax. These points and lath are withdrawn from the flax at every stroke of the beaters, by means of a small arm, against which the beater strikes, and on the return of the beater the points again penetrate the flax and separate its fibre.

The specification concludes by saying, "As the machine. above described is composed of many mechanical agents and parts, which are common to a variety of other pieces of mechanism, I do not claim any of those agents or parts as new in themselves, distinct and away from their present combination and object; but the construction of a machine applicable to the breaking and clearing of flax or other material from boon, by means of vibrating beaters with indentations: the pressure to the line of beaters being given in regular divided times by excentric wheels on the shaft, so that each beater head having two reversed faces gives two pressures in every return of the shaft; the contrivance for progressively passing the length of the flax between these beaters; the springs which are part of the frames that receive the pressure from the beaters; the regular mode of passing fine hackles or needle points through the flax incessantly, while the operation of breaking is going on; and likewise adapting the same to be worked by power upon the principle above described, being to the best of my knowledge and belief entirely new and my own invention, I claim the sole privilege and right to the said combination.

[Inrolled, June, 1823.]

To HOWARD FLETCHER, of Walsall, in the County of Staf ford, Saddler's Ironmonger, for his Invention of certain Improvements in Tanning Hides and other Skins.

[Sealed 19th January, 1824.]

THIS patent is not for any improvement in the materials employed in the process of tanning, but for a new mode of operating; viz. forcing the tanning matter into the skins by hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure, by which means the operation of tanning is effected in a much shorter space of time than by the ordinary mode, and by which means the leather is rendered equally tough and firmer than when tanned by the means heretofore practised.

The skins or hides are to be cleansed and prepared in the common way, and then introduced into vessels containing the tanning matter, which vessels are to be closed and rendered air and water tight. If the tanning process is to be carried on upon a large scale, pits may be constructed and lined with lead, or vessels of cast iron or of wood, firmly bound together with iron and lined with lead, may be inserted into the ground: such a vessel is shewn in Plate VI. at fig. 12, measuring about five feet by four feet, and six feet deep, and made sufficiently strong to sustain a considerable internal pressure. Projecting pegs are set round the vessel about four inches in length for the purpose of attaching eyed bolts as a, which are to slip on to the pegs and pass through holes in the edge or flange of the lid, the nuts being then screwed up will make the lids fast; b is a stopcock leading to a waste-pipe, c is a wooden post with a hook at top, for a ring in the back of the lid to hang upon when open; d d, are two notched pieces, through each of which a pin is to pass for the purpose of making a hinge joint for the lid to turn upon; e is a long pipe or column to