IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and James Newman,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers,
"for the. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BUTTONS."
Sealed the 16th November 1858, and dated the 31st August 1853:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Jeremiah
Iliffe and James Newman at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 31st August 1853...
We, HENRY JEREMIAH-Iliffe and James,Newman, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers,. do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF BUTTONS" to be as follows, that is to say :-
Our improvements consist, firstly, in manufacturing a description of
button covered with. silk, satin, mohair, or other textile fabric, of a
plastic composition in combination with a metal shell. The button may
either have a silk or other textile fabric covered back, or may be fur-
nished with a metal, shank on the metal shell, and the manufacture
of the button having been completed & the silk, or other covering
attached, it receives any ornamentation that may be desired by pres
S₁

page_text: sure in a die. The composition being in a plastic state, and afterwards
allowed to harden.
Secondly, our improvements consist in manufacturing a button
similar in construction to a metallic bar linen covered shirt button,
but in place of the linen used for the covering we employ silk, satin,
velvet, or other similar fabric, and round the eyelet in the centre, which
is turned up from the upper shell, we place an ornament stamped out
of any suitable material, such, for instance, as silk, satin, or velvet of a
different colour, or thin metal, and then clip this ornamental ring, star,
or other figure under the eyelet before named.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and James Newman in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
HENRY JEREMIAH ILIFFE and JAMES NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the
year of our Lord One tliousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and James
Newman, Her special license that we, the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe
and. James Newman, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the 'said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and James Newman,
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, usc,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and
James Newman, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said

page_text: 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 months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and
James Newman, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is
to say:
Our improvements consist, firstly, in manufacturing covered buttons,
composed either solely of composition, or of a composition in combina-
tion with a single or double metal shell. Secondly, in covering com-
position buttons with raw or unmanufactured fibrous material, such, for
instance, as hair, floss silk, cotton, or swans-down. Thirdly, in manu-
facturing ornamental sewn through covered buttons.
>
We now proceed to describe the manufacture of buttons included
under the first head of our improvements. The composition we find
suitable for this purpose consists of six parts of pulverized pumice stone,
three parts of resin, one part of alum, and one part of fine bees wax,
intimately mixed and melted together. We take a portion of this com-
position, and whilst in a plastic state roughly form it into a half round
or other suitable shape, and placing the Florentine or other covering
round it, we put it in a die, and by means of pressure shape it into any
design we may require. A tuft piece is then attached to the back by
any suitable adhesive solution, or, when a metal shank is desired, it is
inserted into the button at the back, and by the hardening of the com-
position when cold is securely maintained in its position. In making.
this description of button strengthened with a metal shell we take the
composition in the rough form, and having attached the tuft piece or
metal shank in the manner before described, we place a shell having
an aperture in the centre on the back of the composition, and bring
the tuft or metal shank through its centre; the Florentine or other
covering is then brought over the face of the button, and firmly
pressed beneath an edge or flange on the under side of the shell. The
button is then placed in a die, from which it receives by pressure any

page_text: design that may be required on the face. The composition in a plastic
state being easily susceptible of iinpression. When a double shell is
employed similar to that used in the manufacture of an ordinary
Florentine button we make up our button in the same manner as for a
Florentine, with the addition of the composition under the covering
and on the face of the button, and then subject it to the same pressure
in dies as before described. Another description of double shell button
we make in the following manner, and this' is more particularly appli-
cable to ball buttons:-We use two shells stamped into a hemispherical
form, perforated through their centres, the hole in the upper shell being
countersunk. A shank of wire bent into a loop, and one end flattened
into a small butt or knobb, or, a piece of cord in lieu of wire, passes
through the upper shell, the butt filling up the countersinking; this
shell is then covered with silk or other fabric, the covering material
passing over the edge of the shell into the inside,' which is then filled
with the composition described, by which, the covering is kept in place;
the under shell is then similarly treated, and-the loop end of the shank
being passed through it, the flat sides of the two halves of the button
are brought closely together: A washer is then put over the bent wire,
and the loop of the shank opened out, when the button is complete.
It is evident the same manufacture will apply for other solid form
covered buttons. .
We will now describe the second part of our improvements, namely,
covering composition buttons with raw or unmanufactured fibrous
materials; the method of carrying out this is as follows:-We take
a composition button of the character before described, and into the
die from which it is to receive its form and impression we place cut
floss silk, hair, cotton or swans-down, or any analogous material; we
then cover the button with a suitable glue or cement, and place it in
the dic; the silk or hair is thus stuck to the composition, and by
placing the button in a heated die it is smoothed on to the surface. In
some cases we find the glue or cement unnecessary, as the covering will
sufficiently cling to the plastic composition by the aid of the warm dies,
and for greater protection to the face of the button we cover the whole
with lace, net, or any other liglit open fabric by any suitable method.

page_text: The third part of our improvements, namely, the ornamental sewn
through covered buttons is carried out as follows:-We make a button
similar in construction to that known in the trade as the metallic bar
linen covered shirt button, the manufacture of which is well under-
stood, but in place of linen used for covering we employ silk, satin,
velvet, or other ornamental covering, and round the eyelet in the
centre, which is turned up from the upper shell, we fix any ornamental
figure, such as a star or flower stamped out of thin metal or silk, or velvet
of a different colour, which is secured on the face of the button by being
clipped and pressed under the eyelet in the centre of the button.
Having thus described the nature of our said improvements, and the
manner in which the same are practically to be carried into effect, we
wish it to be clearly understood that we do not confine ourselves to the
precise details herein specified, nor to the exact components of the
composition described; but that which we claim is,―
Firstly, the manufacture of covered buttons composed solely of com-
position, or of composition in combination with single or double metal
shells, or any mere modification thereof, in manner described.
Secondly, we claim the covering composition buttons with raw or
unmanufactured fibrous material, such as hair, floss silk, cotton, or
swans-down.
Thirdly, we claim the method described for ornamenting sewn
through covered buttons.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and James
Newman, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand.
eight hundred and fifty-four.
HENRY JEREMIAH (L.S.) ILIFFE.
JAMES (L.S.) NEWMAN.