IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND OTHER HATS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Williamson, of Manchester Road, Denton,
in the County of Lancaster, Bookkeeper and Traveller, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND OTHER
HATS."
Scaled the 11th June 1869, and dated the 15th December 1808.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Williamson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th December 1868.
I, HENRY WILLIAMSON, of Manchester Road, Denton, in the County
of Lancaster, Bookkeeper and Traveller, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT
AND OTHER HATS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of hats
of any shape blocked in the ordinary manner, and consists in dispensing
with stitching the silk, cotton, or other lining together before placing
it in the crown of such hats, and performing the lining of such hats

page_text: with any suitable fabric, whether of silk, cotton, sattcen, or other fabric,
by coating one surface of such fabric with any substance which would
become soft and adhesive and yet not he injured by means of heat
applied to it, so that such fabric may be cut into pieces to suit the
shape of the crown and be caused to adhere to the inside of the crown
by means of heat and pressure applied by the ordinary india-rubber bag
used in the hydraulic machine for pressing hats, thus lining such hats
to the exact shape of the crown without any stitching being required.
This Invention further consists in making hats with the brim nar-
rower at one end than the other, and leaving the brim soft and pliable
round the crown within about half an inch of such crown, so that the
wearer may reverse such hat, viz., put the back to the front, or vice
versa, and thus have the advantage of a broad or narrow brim_in_one_
and the same-liat.
Another improvement consists in stitching the leather inside and the
band outside hats by sewing machinery, which has not hitherto been
practicable, by one and the same stitching, which is accomplished by
placing the leather inside such hats about half an inch with the right
side of the leather outwards and stitching through the band, hat, and
lining altogether, and then turning the leather back inside the hat,
thus avoiding the dashing of the leather to the hat, which is a great
eyesore and often proves uncomfortable to the wearer.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Williamson in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 15th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WILLIAMSON, of Manchester Road, Denton, in the County of Lan-
caster, Bookkeeper and Traveller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Williamson, Her special licence

page_text: that I, the said Henry Williamson, my exccutors, administrators;, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Williamson, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND OTHER HATS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Williamson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and scals, 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 Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after. the date of the said
Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, .that I; tlie said Henry Williamson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, 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 improvements in the manufacture of hats.
of any shapo blocked in. the ordinary manner, and consists in dispensing
with stitching. the silk,.cotton, or other lining together before placing
it in the crown of such hats, and performing the lining of such hats.
with any suitable fabric by coating one surface of such fabric with
any substance which would become soft and adhesive and yet not be
injured by means of heat applied to it, so that such fabric may be
cut into picces to suit the shape of the crown and be caused. to adhere
to the inside of the crown by means of heat and pressure applied by
the ordinary india-rubber bag used in the hydraulic machine for pressing
hats; thus lining such hats to the exact shape of the crown without any
stitching being required..
This Invention further consists in making hats with the brim nar-
rower at one end than the other, and leaving, the brim soft and pliable
round the crown within half an inch of such crown, so that the wearer
I may reverse such hat, viz., put the back to the front, or vice versa, and
thus have the advantage of a broad or narrow brim in one and the
same hat.

page_text: Another improvement consists in stitching the leather inside and
the band outside hats by sewing machinery, which has not hitherto
been practicable by one and the same stitching, which is accomplished
by placing the leather inside such hats about half an inch with the
right side of the leather outwards and stitching through the Band,
hat, and lining altogether, and then turning the leather back inside
the hat, thus avoiding the lashing of the leather to the hat, which is
creat evesore and often proves uncomfortable to the wearer.
Another improvement consists in stitching the leather inside and
the band outside hats by sewing machinery, which has not hitherto
been practicable by one and the same stitching, which is accomplished
by placing the leather inside such hats about half an inch with the
right side of the leather outwards and stitching through the band,
hat, and lining altogether, and then turning the leather back inside
the hat, thus avoiding the lashing of the leather to the hat, which is
La great eyesore and often proves uncomfortable to the wearer.
In order that this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and
understood I have hereunto annexed a Drawing to illustrate more plainly
the application of my improvements.
Fig. 1 represents (on a small scale) a side view, and Fig. 2 a top view
-of-a-hat, shewing the brim narrower at one end than the other and left
soft round the crown as herein-after described.
Fig. 3 is a side sectional view (drawn about full size) of a hat, shewing
the position of the lining in the act of being stitched to such hat by
sewing machinery, and Fig. 4 represents the same hat, shewing how
the lining is turned back into-the crown when finished, so as to hide
the stitching, and also shewing how lashing has been avoided.
For the purpose of lining hats according to this Invention the silk,
cotton, satteen, or other suitable fabric is coated, by preference, when
in the piece with gutta percha dissolved in hot naptha, which is applied
to one side or surface of such fabric in a liquid state. The different
picces necessary to form the lining of the hat are cut out of the prepared
piece of lining fabric and placed in the crown of the hat with the gutta
percha side next the crown; the hat is then placed in an oven, or is
heated in any other convenient manner, so as to render the gutta
percha soft and adhesible, when the hat is subjected to the pressure
of the india-rubber bag, which has the effect of consolidating the lining
and crown together, and thus securing the lining without any stitching
being required.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the brim of a hat manufactured in
accordance with this Invention, being made wider at one end than the
other, so as to give the advantage of a broad and narrow brim in one
and the same hat, such brim being left soft or not stiffened within the

page_text: space marked B, so as to allow for the hat to be reversed in wear. This
latter feature is also applicable to ordinary hats, as it makes the crown
to fit more comfortably and allows the brim to be bent so as to
place the crown conveniently under the foot of a sewing machine in
order to stitch the band and leather to the crown by one and the same
stitching.
In Figs. 3 and 4 is illustrated my method of stitching the band and
leather to the crown of hats by sewing machines. O is the soft part
of the brim described more particularly in reference to Figs. 1 and 2;
D is the band, and E is the leather, which in Fig. 3 is represented
in the position it occupies whilst being stitched to the crown, viz., with
its right side outwards, the stitching passing completely through the
leather, crown, and band, and being performed by means of the sewing
machine, which is rendered practicable by the brim being left soft as
described. Fig. 4 shows the leather turned back into the crown,
thus hiding the stitching and making the leather comfortable in wear
in consequence of the lashing such leather to the hat having been
dispensed with.
It will be readily apparent that all these improvements are applicable
to a single hat, but they may be applied separately.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
my said Invention, together with the best method with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood that I claim,-
1st. The method of lining hats without stitching, as hercin-before
described.
2nd. Leaving a portion of the brim of hats soft and pliable, as and for
the
purposes hercin-before described and illustrated.
3rd. Manufacturing the brim of hats broader at one end than the
other, so as to form a reversible hat, as herein-before described and
illustrated.
4th. The method of stitching the leather and band to the crown of
hats by sewing machines and by one and the same stitching, as and for
the purposes described and illustrated.

page_text: 5th. The application of my improvements, either séparately or
conjointly, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Williamson, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my scal, this Fourteenth day of Junc, in
the year of our Lord 1869.
Witness,
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Agent,
1, Market Place
Manchester.
HENRY (L.s.) WILLIAMSON..