IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRAPED OR CRIMPED HAIR
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred
William Clarke, both of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRAPED OR
CRIMPED HAIR."
Sealed the 30th May 1876, and dated the 14th December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Roderic Flower
Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Clarke at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th
December 1875.
We, RODERIC FLOWER DONISTHORPE and THOMAS ALFRED WILLIAM
CLARKE, both of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CRAPED OR CRIMPED HAIR," to be as follows:-
In the Specification to a former Patent granted to us we described a
variety of ways in which a continuous roving of hair might be formed
into numerous crimpings or bends, and be retained by cords or wires in
such bent or crimped form during the subsequent setting operations,

page_text: which consisted in boiling the worked up hair, and subsequently stoving
or drying it. We also propose to work up a roving of hair into a knitted
or looped fabric, and afterwards submit it to such setting operations, so
that the fibres of hair when drawn out separately one from another
should retain the bends which were in them when in the knitted
fabric.
+
According to our present Invention we propose to work up an un-
twisted or lightly twisted roving of hair into a knitted fabric, together
with a thin cord or yarn, either of the same or other material. This we
effect upon an ordinary circular or other knitting machine, provided
with two or it might be more thread layers, each to produce a separate
course of work. With one thread layer we lay on to the needles the
roving of hair, and with the other the thin cord, so that the knitted
fabric produced will be composed of alternate courses of the hair roving
and of the cord. By this means the comparatively loose roving of hair
will be formed into loops or bends upon the thin tightly twisted cord,
and the several bends or crimpings will consequently be much sharper,
and will be closer together than when the woven fabric is composed
entirely of lightly twisted hair roving. The fabric after being submitted
to the setting operations may also be much more readily pulled apart, as
the thin cord may be drawn out from the fabric, and so set free the
rovings of crimped hair.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred
William Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th June 2
1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RODERIC
FLOWER DONISTHORPE and THOMAS ALFRED WILLIAM CLARKE, both of
Leicester, in the County of Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Roderic Fowler Donisthorpe

page_text: and Thomas Alfred William Clarke, Her special license that we, the
said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Roderic Fowler Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRAPED OR CRIMPED HAIR," upon the
condition (amongst others) that wo, the said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe
and Thomas Alfred William Clarke, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us or them; should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar montlis next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Alfred William Clarke, on
behalf of myself and the said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
In the Specification to a former Patent granted to us we described a
variety of ways in which a continuous roving of hair might be formed
into numerous crimpings or bends, and be retained by cords or wires in
such bent or crimped form during the subsequent setting operations,
which consisted in boiling the worked up hair, and subsequently stoving
or drying it. Amongst these modes we described working up a roving
of hair into a knitted or looped fabric, to be afterwards submitted to
such setting operations. In this case the roving of hair served as its
own retaining cord, but if a thick roving were used the crimpings or
bends would not for many purposes be sufficiently sharp, and the crimped
hair would consequently be too soft and yielding.
According to our present Invention we propose to work up an un-
twisted or lightly twisted roving of hair into a knitted fabric, together

page_text: This we
with a thin cord roving or yarn, either of the same or other material,
and by this means obtain the desired sharpness of bend.
effect upon an ordinary circular or other knitting machine.
If a circular machine is used we provide it, as is well understood, with
two thread layers, or it might be two or more pairs of thread layers, each
to produce a separate course of work. With one thread layer we lay on
to the needles the thick roving of hair, and with the other the thin cord
or roving, so that the knitted fabric produced will be composed of
alternate courses of the thick hair roving and of the cord.
If an ordinary flat frame knitting machine be used we accomplish
the same object by employing two thread layers for the thin cords, yarns,
or rovings (one for each side of the machine), and one thread layer for
the thicker lightly twisted roving. With this arrangement the mode of
working is as follows:-A course of work having been made with the
thick roving, two courses in succession are made with one of the thin
rovings or yarns; another course is then made with the thick roving,
and afterwards two courses in succession with the other thin yarn or
roving, and so on in succession. By thus knitting together into a
knitted fabric a comparatively thick lightly twisted roving of hair and
a thin roving or yarn of hair or other material, the comparatively loose
thick roving of hair will be formed into loops or bends upon the thin
roving, cord, or yarn, and the several bends or crimpings will conse-
quently be much sharper, and will also be closer together than when the
fabric is composed entirely of lightly twisted hair roving of uniform
thickness. The fabric after being submitted to the setting operations
may also be much more readily pulled apart, as the thin cord may
be drawn out from the fabric, and so set free the rovings of crimped
hair.
To

page_text: manufacture of craped or crimped hair, substantially in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six