274 



ON HEMP, 



The heckler, who should be a man of good muscular strength, 

 takes hold of a handful of Hemp near the middle with his right- 

 hand, twists the small end of it twice or thrice round his hand, so 

 that the roots and one-third of the length of the Hemp hang down. 

 He then grasps it firmly, and swings it round, so that the root-ends 

 fall upon the point of the coarsest heckle, and pulls towards him ; 

 repeating the operation, and at every stroke engaging more and more 



of 



The heckle is a square frame of oak, or any hard wood, in which is inserted 

 a number of sharp-pointed iron pins or teeth, in rows. The coarsest of these is 

 called a ropemaker's hatchel, the teeth of which are about an inch in circumfe- 

 rence at the bottom, diminishing gradually to a sharp point. The teeth are set 

 two inches distant from each other from point to point. The rows are six or 

 seven in number, and are set in a quincunx form. 



The second size is called a eagg, and differs in no respect from the other than 

 in the teeth not being more than eight inches in length, three fourths of an inch in 

 circumference, and only about an inch and a half from each other. 



In the third size the teeth are from four to five inches in length, about half an 

 inch in circumference, and set at about an inch distance^ 



There are also various other sizes, the teeth of which are progressively smaller, 

 and set closer to each other. The teeth are set in rows, chequer-wise, or in a 

 quincunx order. In this way they more effectually resist the force opposed to them^ 

 and divide the Hemp better : if they were set square, they would produce no 

 better effect than a single row. The points of these teeth are apt to get blunt with 

 use, and require frequent sharpening. In the manufacture of cables and 

 other large works, only the two coarsest heckles are used. The middle kind are 

 required for the light work, such as log-lines j and the other kinds for still finer 

 purposes. 



The teeth of all heckles are made of steel, and turned in a lathe. 



