The Manufacture of Brooms, Brushes, and some other similar Articles from a certain Fibrous Material.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
The Manufacture of Brooms, Brushes, and some other similar
Articles from a certain Fibrous Material.
I, JONATHAN TREVETHICK, of Lower Hutt, in the Provincial District of
Wellington, in the Colony of New Zealand, Brush Maker, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a novel and useful method of manufacturing brooms and
some other similar articles, and has for its objects manufacturing the same from a
cheap and durable material, and by a simple process.
The material which I make use of is a novel material for the purpose hereinbefore
described, and consists of fibrous longitudinal sections or bristles split or formed out
of "Rubus Australis " commonly called "Supple Jack," and which I form into
material suitable for the manufacture of brooms and some other similar articles in
the following manner :-
. I first split the said supple jacks longitudinally into strips by pressing them
between two pressing rollers, which compress the material slightly, and draw it
between knives set behind them; the knives being placed at a proper distance
apart and gauged to cut to the thickness required. When the strips leave the
hereinbefore-mentioned knives, they are again.drawn on by rollers which conduct
the split material to circular roller-knives, which by their form and action com-
pletely cut the material into strips or fibres. These fibres or strips are then
steamed or boiled in a solution of silicate of soda (by preference) for about five
hours, afterwards soaked for about a similar period of time in lime water, then
slowly dried, and being cut into convenient length for the purpose for which they
are required are then ready to be made up into brooms or similar articles in the
usual manner.
Dated this 9th day of September 1891.
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Associate Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
The Manufacture of Brooms, Brushes, and some other similar
Articles from a certain Fibrous Material.
I, JONATHAN TREVETHICK, of Lower Hutt, in the Provincial District of
Wellington, in the Colony of New Zealand, Brush Maker, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its objects improvements in the manufacture of brooms,
brushes and all kinds of similar scavenging implements by the employment of a
material not hitherto used for such purpose.
The material which I make use of consists of fibrous longitudinal sections or
bristles split or formed out of a plant which grows in New Zealand and is there
commonly called "Supple Jack" (the botanical name thereof being, according to
my present information, "Rhipogonum Scandens": Forster). I prepare the
bristles for use either as a substitute for, or for admixture with, the materials
hitherto employed in the following manner :-
I first cut the said supple jack into convenient lengths and then split the pieces.
longitudinally by passing them between feeding rollers which compress the material
slightly, and draw it between knives set at the back of the said rollers in a

page_text: similar manner to that which is used for splitting canes. After having sliced the
material longitudinally in this manner, I pass the slices through a pair of rollers
which are formed with concentric grooves cut into the surface of each of them
and at an equal distance apart, and so placed that the groove of one roller
receives the projection on the other roller, and the spaces between the grooves
and the projections gauge the size of the strips or bristles according to the purpose
for which they are required.
By this means, the material is divided into strips or bristles which are then
steamed 'and boiled for about twelve hours in à solution of silicate of soda, and
afterwards carefully dried, and being cut into convenient lengths are ready for use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
In the manufacture of brooms, brushes and similar scavenging appliances, the
employment of fibres prepared from the plant commonly known as ' New Zealand
Supple Jack."
Dated this 30th day of April 1892
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agent.