Improvements in Hair Felt.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hair Felt.
1, EDWARD NELSON, trading under the name and style of F. McNeill & Co., of
the Patent Felt Works, Bunhill Row, in the City and County of London, Felt
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to produce hair felt that is practically untearable
and unbreakable and yet is as flexible as the ordinary hair felt. A further
advantage gained by the use of hair felt made in accordance with my invention is
that sheets, strips or pieces thereof can be sewn or otherwise fastened together,
whereas it is impossible to attach strips or pieces of the ordinary hair felt together,
as, on account of its loose and open character, it does not offer sufficient hold for
the yarn, thread, wire or other fastening means adopted.
In the manufacture of hair felt in accordance with this invention, I introduce
a sheet, strip or piece of woven or other open wire or lattice work, or metal,
string, yarn or other netting in such a manner that it is sandwiched between two
layers of hair and the whole felted together. Thus the hair in the two layers is
felted through and between the apertures or interstices of the open wire or lattice
work or netting, which is thereby held securely in position.
In carrying my invention into practice I proceed as follows:-In the box of the
hair machine I first place a layer of hair, of suitable quantity and thickness or
depth, and on this I carefully place a sheet, strip or piece of woven or other open
wire or lattice work, or metal, string, yarn or other netting. I then place another
layer of hair above the open wire or lattice work or netting, the upper layer of
hair being equal both in quantity and in depth or thickness to the under layer so
that the intermediate layer of wire or lattice work or netting shall be in the centre
of the felt when the same is made up. The top plate of the box is then lowered
on to the upper layer of hair, and the machine is started to felt top and bottom in
the ordinary manner and the felting continued until the whole becomes one solid
untearable sheet of hair felt.
By this means I am enabled to produce a hair felt which possesses all the
flexibility of the ordinary hair felt, and which is, at the same time, strong and
practically untearable and unbreakable and capable of being sewn or otherwise
attached or fastened in strips or pieces together, or direct to a wooden or other
base or support when so desired.
By attaching strips or pieces of my improved hair felt together, either by wire,
yarn, thread or other fastening means, it is obvious that I am able to produce a
continuous strip, sheet or piece of hair felt of any desired length and breadth,
whereas with the ordinary hair felts it is, for this purpose, necessary to provide
a backing of some fabric or material which will furnish the requisite hold for
attaching the strips together. The production of a continuous strip of any required
length and breadth is especially valuable when using hair felt as a non-conducting
covering for steam boilers and pipes. My invention may also be used in hand made
felts or in felts made in long lengths.
It is also easier to apply my improved hair felt to the covering of steam boilers
and pipes, as the stitches, wire or other fastening means adopted pass through or
between the wire meshes, or interstices in the netting, and thus do not pull out
when the hair felt is stretched in the process of laying on. Such pulling out of
the stitches or other fastening frequently happens when laying on the ordinary
hair felts attached to a backing of fabric or material.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The manufacture and use of hair felt having a central layer of woven or other
open wire or lattice work, or metal, string, yarn or other netting substantially as
and for the purpose herein before set forth.
Dated this 10th d
1001
F. W. GOLBY,
Agent for the Applicant.