TRIAL OF FLAX MACHINES.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2121, 22 February 1870, Page 2

TRIAL OF FLAX MACHINES.

On Thursday the 3rd instant, Thomas Maefarlane, Msg., M.G.A.. placed the nundee Flax Mills at the disposal of Messrs Fraser and Tinue, Price, Gibbons and Co., in order to alibi’d, them an opportunity of testing the respective merits of their flax machines. A quantity of i!ax was weighed, and handed over for a trial by each machine. Mes rs t raser and dinne had a new machine of an entirely different description to any hitherto turned out by them, the larger in diameter, and the feed rollers driven by a separate belt. Messrs Gibbons’ machine was one that had been wnrkin"- for some time at their mills. The time allowed for the machines to run was one hour and fifteen minutes, and the result was as follows Messrs Fraser and Tinne’spnachinc dressed 5 cwt. Messrs Price's dressed G cwt. 3 qrs. Messrs Gibbons’ dressed G cwt. 2 qrs. Messrs Fraser and Tinnc’s machine had also a different feed-month from any of those hitherto used by them. Competent judges are of opinion that it would be an improvement on all the machines if the feed-mouths were made wider, with a gradual tapering to the feed-rollers. Messrs Fraser and Tinne’s machine ran very smoothly, and did its work well. It was, however, driver, at a disadvantage, owing to which it was unable to put through as much as it would have done had it been otherwise driven. But little power is requisite to drive this machine. The beaters act upon a plate, adjusted from screws behind, so that anything going wrong can easily bo put in order. The feeder is driven by a separate belt, and acts with great regularity, and is a most useful machine, doing its work well. Messrs Price’s machine, being a new one, had been got up with considerable taste, and showed a decided improvement on others of their manufacture. The heaters are much closer than in the old one, and in the form of aV. The feeder of this machine is driven by a belt separate to the machine and beats on one of the rollers. Owing to these arrangements, however, the rollers having to be so much more compressed, it takes more power to drive the feeder than the machine itself requires. There were five stoppages in the feeding during the trial, and there was some difficulty in getting the machine—winch otherwise -worked well—to take the flax with large butt ends. This difficulty could be obviated by patting in a stationary beater and only allowing the rollers to feed. Were this small alteration made, this would be a most useful machine, and surpass their old machines entirely. Gibbon’s machine, having been wrought for some time, two machines were fitted on one frame, but only one was worked during the trial. It also did its. work remarkably well, met with no stoppage, and is a machine simple in construction, easily kept in order, and takes little power to drive. Altogether it is a most useful machine, and will do a large amount of work. The feed is driven by a belt separate from the machine; the beater acts upon a bar which has four squares. On anything going wrong it can be turned to another square, and -when worn out can easily be replaced. The trial was of the most satisfactory kind, and was a credit to the various makers, who deserve the thanks of the community for the care, attention, and ingenuity they have displayed in bringing these machines to the perfect state they are now in.— Auckland paper.