Improvements in and Apparatus for Drying Hat-bodies after "Proofing.”
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1887
Complete Left, 24th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 25th Nov., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Drying Hat-bodies after
"Proofing.”
We STEPHEN CHRISTY of Stockport, Hat manufacturer and THOMAS MASSEY
PENNEY of Hazelgrove near Stockport, pattern maker both in the county of Chester
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS
FOR DRYING HAT-BODIES AFTER PROOFING to be as follows :-
"
"
This invention relates to the manufacture of such hats as are "proofed," that is,
saturated with a solution of shellac (or similar ingredient) in spirits, and then dried
to evaporate the spirit and stiffen them.
Hitherto the hat bodies, after proofing, have been merely placed upon shelves or
benches round the work-room and allowed to dry gradually, and the evaporated spirit,
besides being wasted, is injurious to the health of the workmen, and the object of our
invention is to recover the greater part of the evaporated spirit and to improve the
atmosphere of the work-room.
We place the hat bodies after being proofed into a chamber or vessel fitted with
suitable shelves or drawers for that purpose; this chamber or vessel is preferably
made of copper and is provided with a sliding or other door so that it may be closed
practically air-tight, and it is heated by a steam coil or other suitable means.
The roof of this chamber or vessel is inclined upwards towards the centre where it
is joined to a pipe which is gradually diminished in diameter and is carried down to
a suitable coiled pipe (or a series of condensing tubes) in a cistern of water, the lower
end of the coil or pipe being provided with a draw-off cock.
The pipe immediately on issuing from the top of the chamber as above described,
is provided for a suitable distance with a jacket or water space, through which a
continuous current of cold water is caused to flow; and we prefer to connect this
water space to the condensing cistern so that the water will flow from the former
through the latter.
The hat bodies are as before mentioned placed in this chamber or vessel, and, the
door being closed, they will soon be in an atmosphere of spirit vapour which will be
continuously rising and passing out from the pipe in the roof where it will be

page_text: condensed, this condensation commencing immediately the vapour has left the chamber
or vessel and being completed by the condensing coil, or tubes.
The hat-bodies may remain in this chamber or vessel for about eight hours when
their appearance and quality will be found to be better than those treated in the
usual manner, and the spirit which has evaporated therefrom will be condensed and
drawn off from the coil and may be utilized again as required.
The vapour, being enclosed in the air-tight chamber or vessel, will not vitiate the
atmosphere in the work-room.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Drying Hat Bodies after
Proofing.
We STEPHEN CHRISTY of Stockport Hat manufacturer, and THOMAS MASSEY
PENNEY of Hazel Grove near Stockport, pattern maker both in the county of
Chester 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:-
:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of such hats as are "proofed" that is
saturated with a solution of shellac (or similar ingredients) in spirit and then dried
to evaporate the spirit and stiffen them.
Hitherto the hat bodies after "proofing" have been merely placed upon shelves
or benches round the work room and allowed to dry gradually and the evaporated
spirit, besides being wasted is injurious to the health of the workmen, and the object
of our invention is to recover the greater part of the evaporated spirit and to
improve the atmosphere of the work room.
The nature of our invention and the manner in which the same is to be carried
into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawing and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. is a front elevation and Fig. 2, an end view of the apparatus which we
propose to employ for this purpose; the door being shown as open in Fig. 1. and
closed in Fig. 2.
We place the hat bodies after being proofed into a chamber or vessel a, a fitted
with suitable shelves or drawers b, b for that purpose; this chamber or vessel is
preferably made of copper and is provided with a sliding or other door c, e so that
it may be closed practically air-tight and it is heated by a steam coil cx, cx or other
suitable means.
The roof d, d of this chamber or vessel is inclined upwards towards the centre
where it is jointed to a pipe e, e which is gradually diminished in diameter and is
carried down to a suitable coiled pipe f,f (or system of condensing tubes) in a
cistern g, g of water, the lower end of the coil or pipe being provided with a nozzle or
draw off cock.
The pipe e, e immediately on issuing from the top d, d of the chamber as above
described is provided for a suitable distance with a jacket or water space h, h through
which a continuous current of cold water is caused to flow and we prefer to connect
this water space to the condensing cistern 9, 9 by means of a pipe i, i so that the
water will flow from the former through the latter.
The drawing shows the jacket or water space surrounding a series of tubes
through which the spirit vapour passes.
The hat bodies are as before mentioned placed in this chamber or vessel a, a and
the door cc being closed they will soon be in an atmosphere of spirit vapour which

page_text: will be continually rising and passing out from the pipe e, e in the roof d, d, where
it will be condensed, this condensation commencing immediately the vapour has left
the chamber or vessel a, a and being completed by the condensing coil or tubes f, ƒ.
The hat bodies may remain in this chamber or vessel a, a for about eight hours,
when their appearance and quality will be found to be better than those treated in the
usual manner and the spirit which evaporated therefrom will be condensed and drawn
from the coil and may be utilized again as required.
The vapour being enclosed in an air tight vessel will not vitiate the atmosphere in
the workroom.
We would here remark that in the drawing we have shown the door c, c as sliding
downwards, to open, and counterbalanced by weights k, k attached to the chains 1,
passing over pulleys m, m and it is made air tight when closed by means of screw
clamps n, n but we wish it to be understood that we do not intend to confine
ourselves to this method of opening and closing the door.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
"
The improved process of and apparatus for drying hat bodies after "proofing
whereby we are enabled to recover and re-utilize the greater portion of the evaporated
spirit and to improve the atmosphere of the workroom substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.