IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING WIRE OR OTHER SPRINGS TO THE EDGES OF HAT LEATHERS OR PADS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSE
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERICK WILLIAM CHEETHAM of 131 Great Norbury Street Hyde, in the
County of Chester Felt Hat Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHING WIRE OR OTHER SPRINGS TO THE
EDGES OF HAT LEATHERS OR PADS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR SUCH
PURPOSE" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention relates to the method of and apparatus for attaching wire or
other springs to the edges of the leathers or pads (sometimes called "sweat-
bands") of hats; the objects of my said Invention being to dispense with the
folded covering strip usually employed for this purpose, and to attach the spring
to the leather without the thread or stitches passing round the outside of the
former.
For this purpose I employ a spring made of wire, whalebone, cane, reed, or
other suitable substance enveloped in a skin or covering of mohair or other
thread braided thereon by means of an ordinary circular braiding machine.
This covered wire or other spring is sown to one side of the leather at a short
distance from the edge thereof as hereinafter described, and is then turned back
over the stitches into its proper position at the extreme edge of the leather,
producing the appearance of hand whipping without the thread or stitches passing
round the outside of the spring.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be, or may be, carried into
practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood I have
annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. is an enlarged view showing the way in which I first stitch the covered
wire or other spring a, a onto the side of the leather b, 6 near to one edge thereof

page_text: and Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same. I prefer to do this by means of a glove
stitching machine but any other suitable overseaming machine may be employed
for this purpose, provided that the stitches pass over the edge of the leather and
through the skin or covering of the spring (above the spring itself) and thence
through the leather as seen at Figs. 1 and 2.
Having sewn on the covered spring in this position I then turn or force the
same back over the stitches into its required position at the extreme edge of the
leather as shown at Fig. 3.
This may be done by a hand tool on an ordinary table or bench but I prefer to
effect this turning over of the covered spring onto the edge of the leather by
means of a guide made in the form shown at Fig. 4 which I attach in front of the
rollers to the ordinary flanging machine employed for flanging or turning over
the edge of the leather previously to sewing it into the hat, so that the two
operations of turning back the covered spring and flanging or turning over the
edge of the leather are effected at one and the same operation.
The improved apparatus which I attach to the ordinary glove stitching machine
for the purpose, of stitching on the covered spring in the manner and in the position
above described is shown in sido elevation at Fig. 5; plan view at Fig. 6. and
reversed sido elevation at Fig. 7, c, c being the needle and d, d the hook, e, ef, f
are the feeding rollers, and in the first place I may observe that in order to allow
of the covered spring being flanged or turned over with the edge of the leather
and to give it the required "set" I make the front feed roller e, e, of rather larger
diameter than the back feed roller ff so as to feed the covered spring rather faster
than the leather, and for the purpose of guiding the latter and the covered spring
I attach to the machine a guide g g of a peculiar construction.
This guide has a notch h, h cut in its under side to guide the upper edge of the
leather b, b and it is also drilled with a hole i, i for receiving the covered spring a, a
and guiding it into the required position about one sixteenth of an inch below the
edge of the leather b, b against which it is held by the pressure of the edge of the
front feed roller e, e at such a height that the wire or other spring is below the point
of the needle, c, c but the latter in moving forward always passes with certainty
through the skin or covering of the same above the wire at each stitch, and by these
means the covered wire or other spring. is securely sewn to the leather. I also
attach to any conveniently situated part of the machine a delivery guidek, k (sce
also horizontal section Fig. 8) for the purpose of delivering the work at the required
curve; and this guide h, by pressing downwards that part of the work which has
already becu stitched, raises up the rear edge of the leather against the guide g, g
so that little or no attention is required to the feeding of the machine, excepting
just at the commencement of each leather.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is,
First. Stitching a covered wire or other spring to the side of a hat leather or pad
near the edge thereof, by means of a glove stitching or other overseaming machine,
in such a way that the stitches pass over the edge of the leather and sow the
covering of the spring to the leather above the said spring, and so that the said
covered spring may be subsequently turned back over the stitches onto the extreme
edge of the leather, substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
set forth.
Secondly. I claim the construction and application of the work guide formed
with a notch and a hole so as to present the edge of the leather just above the
point of the needle, and at the same time hold the covered wire or other spring in
such a position that the needle in advancing passes always above the wire but
through the braided skin or covering thereof so as to stitch it to the leather.

page_text: Thirdly. I claim the delivery guide so formed and placed as to deliver the work
in the required curve, and at the same time by pressing down the forward or
stitched part of the leather, raises up the rear edge of the same against the top of
the notch in the work guide