LINEN. 



479 



placed at the back of the machine, and the sliver A 

 is led from it through the retaining- rollers B B B, 

 passing under the first, over the second, and under 

 the third, from which last it is led over the gills at 

 C. The sliver then passes through between the 

 drawing rollers D D, which move quicker than the 

 retaining- rollers B B B, and the sliver receives a 

 second drawing-, the first having been given in the 

 spreading- machine. From these drawing rollers the 

 sliver is passed through the delivering rollers, com- 

 monly called the delivering ball, and is seen at F, 

 falling into the can G. The increase of the length 

 of the sliver, or the quantity of draught, will, of 

 course, depend on the comparative speed of the 

 drawing and retaining rollers. On inspecting the 

 plan, fig. 4, it will be seen that the drawing frame is 

 put in motion by means of a belt and pulleys. 



The drawn sliver is next taken to the roving frame. 

 The use of this roving machine is to give the rove an- 

 oth er drawing, also a slight twist, and likewise to wind 

 it upon a bobbin. The machine is somewhat analogous 

 to the fly-frame used in the cotton manufacture, with 

 llie exception of the gills, or endless heckle, intro- 

 duced in this machine as in the two former. The 

 flax-roving frame is represented, in end view, by 

 fig. 3, and in front elevation by fig. 4, plate 48. 

 The can G is taken from the drawing frame and 

 placed at the back of the roving frame, as seen in 

 the end view. The sliver A is led out of it and 

 passed through the guide a, under the first retaining 

 roller B, over the second B, and under the third B; 

 from whence it is led through the gills in the endless 

 heckle C, then through the drawing rollers D D, 

 which, as they move quicker than the retaining rol- 

 lers, give another draught to the sliver. From the 

 drawing rollers, which act also as delivering rollers, 

 the flax passes into the flyer /through the top of the 

 spindle E.* The spindle and flyer are kept revolv- 

 ing by means of bands passed round the pullies g, 

 which bands are led over the revolving cylinder h. 

 The revolution of the spindle and flyer causes the 

 sliver, which is now called rove, to be wound upon 

 the bobbin F, which rests upon the cross rail K. The 

 bobbin rail is moved up and down alternately by means 

 of the lever H, which is raised and depressed by its 

 connexion with the heart wheel G, as may be seen 

 in fig. 3. The train of wheel work is so obvious in 

 the engraving that description is unnecessary. It is 

 clear that in this, as in the cotton-roving frame, the 

 rove, by passing through the top of the spindle, re- 

 ceives a slight twist ere it is wound upon the bobbin. 



All the processes we have described are merely 

 preparatory for the spinning of yarn, which last 

 remains now to be considered. Fig. 1, plate 49, 

 is a front elevation, and fig. 2 an end view of the flax 

 spinning frame, which acts on similar principles with 

 the cotton Throstle. A is the bobbin rail on the top 

 of the machine : the rail is furnished with pins pro- 

 jecting from the side, on which the bobbins from the 

 roving frame are placed, lying in a horizontal position, 

 the ends being seen in the front elevation at F. The 

 rove B is led from these bobbins through between the 

 top, or retaining rollers C C, from whence it is passed 

 over grooves formed in the rod D, and subsequently 

 through between the delivering rollers E E, which 

 move at a much quicker rate than the retaining rol- 

 lers, by which means the rove receives the requisite 

 degree of draught for the yarn intended to be spun. 

 The drawn rove now passes through guides, and 

 through the top of the spindles G, and thence through 

 the flyer, then on to the bobbin ; the revolution of the 

 spindle giving the thread the proper degree of twist. 

 Weights are seen hanging from the bobbin rail, which 



* See the description of the flyer in page 483, vol. II., of 

 this Encyclopedia. 



are designed to increase the friction of the bottom of 

 the bobbin on the rail, so that it may not be turned too 

 rapidly round by the spindle. The bobbin rail and 

 spindle are put in motion in the same way as they ai e 

 in the roving frame. The connexion of the wheel 

 work may be seen by inspecting fig. 2. 



Such is the construction of the flax-spinning frame 

 in use for yarns of the coarser kind ; when fine yarns 

 are to be spun, a modification of the spinning frame 

 becomes necessary. The distance between the draw- 

 ing and retaining rollers ought to be made much less 

 than the proportion given in the engraving, and the 

 rove, before it passes through the retaining rollers, is 

 led through a trough of water, kept hot by steam. 

 The trough is placed about the height B B in the 

 front view, the rove being led through the water by 

 passing under two smooth brass wires, one on the 

 front, and another on the back of the trough. In 

 wet spinning likewise, the bobbins on the rail A are 

 set on upright spindles instead of horizontal pins. 



We have now considered the machinery employed 

 in the manufacture of linen yarn with as much mi- 

 nuteness as the nature of this work will admit ; but 

 before dismissing the subject, it is necessary that we 

 should show in what manner the tow is treated, which, 

 we stated, was separated from the flax during thefirst 

 process, heckling. 



The tow being taken from the heckles is carried to 

 the carding engine. In plate 50, fig. 1, is an end 

 view of the wheel geering ; fig. 2, a view of the 

 belting ; and fig. 3, a front elevation of the tow card- 

 ing engine. The tow is laid on the spreading table 

 and made to pass between the feeding rollers A A, 

 carried round the large cylinder O, below the back 

 clearer B,over the top of the worker C, then between 

 the top clearer D and the cylinder, then, being car- 

 ried round the worker E, it passes between thp 

 frizzier F and the cylinder. The tow is then carried 

 off by the doffer G, received by the drawing rollers 

 H H, from which it is passed through the delivering 

 rollers I I into a can. The can is now carried to the 

 finisher card, and passed through it, the two cards 

 being exactly similar in construction. By the second 

 carding, the tow is drawn into a much finer sliver 

 than it is in the breaker, or first carding, and is thus 

 prepared for the roving frame. 



The tow-roving frame is similar in construction to 

 the flax-roving machine, with this exception, that the 

 gills, or heckles, are not connected in a chain, but in 

 a cylinder, the gills rising and falling" as it revolves, 

 by means of guides at the ends of the cylinder. The 

 tow-roving frame is shown in end elevation, fig. 4 ; 

 and front elevation, fig. 5, plate 50. 



The spinning of tow is performed in a machine 

 constructed in the same way as the flax-spinning 

 frame, but larger and stronger. 



A steam engine of twenty horses' power will drive 

 for the flax department, 



2 Spreading machines, 

 14 Drawing frames. 

 22 Roving spindleb. 

 540 Spindles for Spinning. 



In the tow department 



1 Teazer, > Machines for preparing the tow 



1 Shaker, \ fur the carding. 



2 Breaker cards. 

 4 Finisher cards. 



10 Slivers of drawing. 



30 Spindles of roving. 



600 Spindles of spinning. 



Each spindle will produce about half a spindle of 

 yarn per day. 



The drawings, from which the plates that accom- 

 pany this article have been engraved, were kindly 

 furnished to us by P. Borrie, Esq., Tayfoundry, Dun 



