IMPROVEMENTS IN FUR COATED FABRICS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Thomas Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
10th March 1878.-A communication from abroad by Henry
Kellogg, of the Town of Milford, in the County of Now Haven, in
the State of Connecticut, United States of America.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 128, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FUR COATED FABRICS," a commu-
nication to me from abroad by Henry Kellogg, of the Town of Milford,
in the County of Now Haven, in the State of Connecticut, United States
of America (to be as follows) :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a fabric coated with fur
or liko fibro, the object being to produce a material having the real fur
surface, which will be much cheaper than tho fur skins, and take tho
place of such skins for many uses; and the Invention consists in a fabric
having the surface coated with fur, the fur caused to adhero thereto by
working one end of the fibro into the surface of the fabric, as more fully
horcin-after described.

page_text: when thoroughly dry it is roued and thoroughly saturated with wULOL,
kept hot by steam or other damp heat, and in this condition is passed
gradually over a perforated surface.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrams
illustrating the process of manufacture.
In Fig. 1 A represents the fabric as above described; B, the perforated
surface over which the fabric passes to a roll O. At the back of the
perforated surface B a chamber D is formed, and in this chamber a
vacuum or partially so is formed by any suitable means for exhausting
the air. In front of the perforated surface a blast is directed directly on
to the fabric which lies upon that surface, here represented as through a
conductor E. Into the blast, that is, between the open end of the
conductor and the fabric the fur or fibre is introduced, and by the blast
is thrown forcibly on to the moistened surface of the fabric aided by the
exhaust on the opposite side, which causes the fibre to attach by one
end only to the fabric, the fabric gradually passing over the perforated
surface B so fast as it is coated, thence to the roll O where an apron F
of hair cloth or other non-feltable material to which the fibre will not
adhero is laid upon the coated surface, and the coated fabric and the
apron F' passed on to a roll G, the apron preventing the fur from coming
in contact with the reverse side of the coated fabric. When the piece
or required length of fabric has thus been coated the roll containing the
coated fabric and apron is taken to a hot bath and there rolled between
several rollers (this bath should be "scalding hot"), and thus rolled
until the fibre has been firmly set upon the surface of the fabric, usually
from fifteen to twenty minutes; then the coated fabric with the apron is
unrolled and reeled into the form of a belt, the abron still remaining,
retaining its relative position to the coated surface, and to insure the.
most perfect work the edges are stitched together at this stage of the
operation. These belts are set over two revolving drums H, H, partially
immersed in hot water, the broken line denoting the water surface.
Above the water and between the drums a table L is arranged, over
which this belt passes, as seen in Fig. 2, and above several pressure
rolls P, more or less in number, are arranged to bear upon the belt as it
passes over the table, such passage being occasioned by the passing of
the drums, and this is continued until the end of the fibre has become
fixed or felted into the surface of the fabric; then it is opened and
thoroughly dried, the coated surface "whipped up," and the fabric is

page_text: complote, the surface presenting the appearance of real fur, and without
the defects which unavoidably exist or occur in skins, and the fabric
may be cut and wrought for various purposes in like manner as the
skins, and the great expense, and care in cutting and arranging the skins
in order to present a uniform surface is entirely avoided.
I wish it to be understood that the process which I have described is
not the only means by which a fabric may be coated with fur, but I
believe this to be the best practical method.
I would remark that instead of throwing the fur upon the surface by
the blast, as before described, it may be arranged thereon in bats or
showered thereon, and subsequently treated in the same manner.
In either case it may be advantageous to introduce a fine cotton or
non-feltable fibre with the fur, as in some cases I find this facilitates tho
work, and presents a finer appearance after whipping the non-feltable
fibre whipping out from the fur.