CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BRUSHES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAmes
COLE, of No. 2, Youl's Place, Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Brush
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of January, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Cole, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said James Cole, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said James Cole, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, and exercise, within that part of Her Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Planta-
tions abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF BRUSHES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that
I, the said James Cole, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Cole, do hereby declare that my said improvements are seven in
number, and that the nature of the same and the manner in which they are
to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following Specification thereof, that is to say:-
Whereas the usual modes of making brushes and brooms are technically
called pan and drawing, and according to the first of these modes the bristles are
set into the wood by means of pitch, cement, or glue (generally pitch), kept in a
heated state in a pan over a charcoal fire, while, according to the second mode,
they are drawn into the wood by being passed into a loop of wire which
tightens as it is pulled, until the bristles get firmly fixed in the hole, after
which the wire is passed through the next hole, a loop made for the bristles,
and so on until the brush is complete. In the former case, it is the
pitch, cement, or glue that holds the bristles fast, in the other case it is the wire.
Now, the nature of the first of my said invented improvements consists in
securing the bristles independently of the pitch or wire. In explaining how
this is accomplished, I will treat of the operation under three heads, namely:
First, the boring of the holes. Second, the making of the knots of bristles.
And third, the inserting of the knots.
Fig.1.
Fig.2.
Eig⭑3.
First, then, of boring of the holes.-The hole made for pan work is only
a partial excavation of the wood, as represented at a Figure 1.
on the margin. The hole for drawn work is, in the first instance,,
similar to. a, Number. 1, but, the, smaller perforation 6 is after-
wards made as shewn in Figure 2.. Now, for my improved:
method, adopt the drawn-work hole inverted, but with, a.
less disproportion between the two orifices, as, represented in.
Figure 3; as, in drawn work in certain, cases, a taper hole.
made with one bit, answers, instead of making the two. holes
by separate operations, so also in my method, one bit cutting.
a taper hole will in many instances, answer instead of using two, bits. The
main distinction, however, between the hole I adopt in my new plan and that
common to drawn work is, that I use the hole in, an inverted position. In
drawn work the largest part of the hole is on the face of the brush, while in
brushes of my improved description the largest part, is, at the back of the
brush.
Secondly, of making the knots, of bristles.-A knot is, the technical term, for..
the quantity of bristles with which, each hole is, filled. In drawn work the
knot is formed by the action of the wire, and held in by it. In pan work the.
knot is formed by taking as many bristles as will fill the hole, and dipping the

page_text: root ends into melted pitch, cement, or glue to the depth of three eighths or
four eighths of an inch, the superfluous pitch, cement, or glue is then cleared
off by drawing the knot over a thin edge of metal called a striker, and the
bristles thus cleared are all bound together by a piece of thrum or hemp
being wound tight round the part which has been so dipped. In the same
manner as that last described I make the knots for my improved construction
of brushes.
But, thirdly, as regards the insertion of the knots into the wood.--According
to the method ordinarily followed in pan work, when the knot has been
dipped and bound together in the manner last before explained, it is dipped a
second time into the pitch, cement, or glue, and with all the pitch, cement, or
glue which adheres to it is immediately inserted in the hole, the pitch, glue,
or cement used being the only thing that attaches the knot of bristlés tö
the wood.
Now, my improvement as regards this part of the operation consists in
not dipping the knot a second time, but binding the whole of the bristles
together by winding a piece of thread loosely round them from the root
upwards to the flag, and then passing the knot so wound up flag foremost
through the hole at the back part, and pulling it through until the part pitched
and bound together fills the cavity prepared for it; I then pull out the loose
thread which was only put on for the convenience of passing the knot through
the hole easily and speedily; a knot secured in this manner cannot afterwards
be pulled out without breaking the wood that holds it together. But as there
is nothing in the form of the hole to prevent it from being pushed back again,
in order to guard against this, after I have filled all the holes in the brush,
in the manner before described, I take a red-hot iron and burn away all
irregularities of pitch, bristle, or thrum to a level with the wood in which
the are inserted, and then affix to the surface so levélled a back of wood
or other material, nailed, glued, screwed, or otherwise fastened to it, by
which backing any pushing back of the knots is effectually prevented.
By this my first improved mode of construction I combine the two advan-
tages which separately distinguish the pan. and drawing methods, and am
able to make brushes of a more effective and durable character than can bé
made by either.
And I declare that what I claim under this first head of my improvements
is, the constructing of brushes by inserting and securing the bristles in the
wood by the combination of means herein-before described, or by making use
of holes of the form herein-before described in combination with any other
suitable means.

page_text: The second of my said improvements consists in subjecting the string with
which such brushes are tied to a previous preparation, whereby the bursting,
so much complained of when brushes are laid in water, to prevent the paint
on them for hardening, is effectually prevented. According to the usual
process of manufacture, the paint brush, after it is formed is soaked in a
solution of soap and soda to cleanse the bristles from the dirt that naturally
adheres to them, and when in this wet and softened state it is rubbed to and
fro, or, as it is called, ground upon a stone to render the top of the brush fine
and pointed. This done, it is rinsed in clear water, and the water which it
takes up in this operation is beaten or jerked out of it, after which it is put
into the bleach house to be whitened by the fumes of sulphur. In passing
through these processes the string gets unavoidably wet, especially that part.
nearest the top of the brush, and when it goes in this wet state into the bleach
house the fumes of the sulphur condense upon it, and the moisture in the
string is converted from water into sulphuric acid, which alters the virtue of
the string and makes it a very different thing to what it was when first wound
round the brush. Some makers have tried to compensate for this deteriora-
tion of the string by giving it a coat of red paint, but the paint cannot restore
that internal strength which the string has lost, the utmost it can do is to bind
together more firmly just those fibres of the string which are covered by it,
and the utmost that can be covered by it is about one third of the circum-
ference or thickness of the string. The other two thirds remain in the dete-
riorated state, and these parts being in contact with the bristles are those
against which the bristles exert their force when swelled by being laid in water.
Now, to obviate this great defect in brushes as ordinarily constructed, I saturate
the string previous to using it with a composition which enables it to pass
through all the processes of washing and bleaching uninjured, and conse-
quently leaves it better fitted to bear that pressure from expansion, which
ordinarily occasions the bursting. The composition which I use is made as
follows: To the article known in commerce by the name of." The British
American Fluid," I add as much caoutchouc in solution as it will take up or
combine with; I am not particular as to quantities, as any excess of caout-
chouc sinks to the bottom and serves for a fresh portion of the fluid. The
fluid is slow in taking up the caoutchouc, and I have not been able in any of
my experiments to saturate it completely until the mixture has stood five or
six days. When thus prepared, I immerse the string in the preparation and
leave it in long enough for it to become saturated with it; I then draw it out,
clean it of the superfluous fluid, and dry it. And I declare that what I claim
under this second head of my said improvements is the making use, in the

page_text: construction of brushes, of string prepared in the manner before described,
whether the brushes are of any of the improved forms which I have herein
specified, or of any other forms.
.
The third of my said improvements relates to that class of brushes in which
the handle is inserted in the form of a wedge, as in the painting brush, tar brush,
dusting brush, and others. The handle is the only stay for brushes so made,
and from the nature of the wedge it is plain that the least relaxation from the
tightness imparted by the last drive of the hammer endangers the whole brush.
There is a moisture in bristles which long exposure to a warm atmosphere dries
up, and it is a matter of every day occurrence that, through this drying up, the
handles of brushes so made get loose, and the brushes fall to pieces. As this
happen in the climate of England, it follows, that brushes so constructed must
be still more unfit for hot climates, and, in point of fact, no brushes of this class
at present made are fit to export to any countries warmer than Great Britain.
To remedy this evil I adopt the following means: after the brush is made in
the usual manner, I submit it to an artificial heat, to shrink the bristles as
much as possible. I then take a square staple of metal, as wide as the thickest
part of the wedge handle, and with prongs as long as the binding on the brush,
and drive these prongs through the body of bristle that has been shrunk until
the bar of the staple rests upon the top of the wedge and the points of the
prongs appear through the bristles at their roots; or, in other words, at the
back of the brush. I then take a thin plate of metal of the same size as the
back of the brush, having a hole in the centre sufficient to enable it to pass
freely down the handle, and having also holes for the reception of the prongs
of the staple, and having passed this plate on to the handle and prongs, I
secure it to the staple by soldering or rivetting. The bristles being thus artifi-
cially shrunk, and the laxity thus produced being made good by the
prongs of
the staple passing through them, the brush is rendered extremely tight, and
the staple crossing the top of the wedge, and being secured by its prongs to
the plate at the back, keeps the brush so; because the staple so confined cannot
slide back from its position, nor can it allow the wedge to do so in the least
degree. And I declare that what I claim under this head of my said improve-
ment is, the employment, in the construction of brushes with wedge handles,
of artificial heat, and of a staple and back plate in manner before described,
for the purpose of better securing the said handles.
The fourth of my said improvements consists in in constructing, in manner
following, brushes of plush for cleaning ladies' garments and other slight
fabrics, the texture of which might be injured by the friction of bristles. I
take a piece of plush of any convenient length and width (say six inches and

page_text: three quarters long and six inches wide), and form it into a cylinder, having
the grain of the plush running round it. It is then closed at one end, and
white flock or other suitable material is stuffed into it. When thus stuffed,
the upper end is closed after the same manner as the lower end. To hide the
gatherings at the ends, I cover button moulds of a convenient size with silk or
other material, and affix one at each end of the brush. And what I claim
under this head of my said improvements is, the adaptation of plush, in the
manner last herein-before described, to the construction of brushes suitable for
brushing slight fabrics, which would be injured by the friction of bristles.
The fifth of my said improvements consists in making brushes or pencils of
spun glass, by which aquafortis and other corrosive acids can be applied by
silversmiths and jewellers with more delicacy and safety in testing metals than
by any of the usual means, and which can also be made available for many
useful purposes in chemistry and the arts. One form in which I make brushes
of this sort resembles in some respects the well-known camel-hair pencil:
Instead of the quill there employed, I make use of glass tubes, preferring to
have them tapering off in diameter at the end designed for the brush. The
spun glass being cut into convenient lengths, I pass a knot or bunch of it
down the tube until it comes out of a convenient length at the other end. If
the tube is well filled, and a good length of the knot is left inside, no addi-
tional fastening will be required; but for the sake of greater certainty, that
portion of the tube which immediately surrounds the knot of glass may be
softened by means of the blowpipe, and then compressed and elongated a
little so as to tighten upon the spun glass, taking care not to allow the flame
of the blowpipe to touch the spun glass, which would be fused or injured by
it. Another mode of securing the spun glass is to make use of a tube of
tapering form, and drawing the spun glass through the smaller end till it can
be drawn no further, and then plugging up the vacant part of the tube with
wood or other suitable substance.. Instead, also, of such brushes being cir-
cular, they may be made flat, and spun glass be secured within flat tubes, or
between flat plates of glass, placed either parallel to each other or at any
suitable angle, and closed at the ends by the blowpipe or any other suitable
means. And I declare that what I claim under this head of my said improve-
ments is, the adaptation of spun glass to the construction of brushes in the
manner and for the purposes before specified.
The sixth of my said improvements relates to brushes for cleaning decanters
and other bottles. Two years ago I invented a brush for cleaning decanters,
and introduced it to the trade under the name of the "Nonpareil Water
Bottle and Decanter Brush." The brush answered well in most instances,

page_text: but it was found too thick to pass the necks of many of the more modern
decanters. It seemed at first that this defect could not be overcome without
endangering the strength and efficiency of the brush; but I have now dis-
covered that it can be accomplished with safety by the following methods:―
My decanter brush, as originally made, was formed on a piece of beech wood,
twelve inches long and seven sixteenths square. For eight inches of the length
the wood was turned round to serve as the handle, and to the remaining square
piece of four inches I attach the brush. The holes for the bristles were bored
down two sides of the square and at the end, and the other two sides were
excavated to form a back way to the holes, through which to introduce the
wire by which the bristles were to be drawn in. After the brush was made
the excavations were filled up with putty or cement. The width of these
excavations was about one eighth of an inch, and if they could be dispensed
with, there would be one eighth of an inch in diameter gained, which is
considerable in so small a space as the neck of a decanter. Now I dis-
pense, with them in this way-instead of making the brush on one piece
of wood, I make the sides of the brush in two parts, that is to say, on
separate pieces of wood, and then fix them together, back to back, and.
pin them together with metal pins. Beech wood can be. used as in
the original brush, but I prefer for this new arrangement hard wood or bone,
as having more strength and closeness of grain. The slips of wood or bone
may be a little longer than is necessary for the brush part, and when united by
the pins, the extra length, may be turned, so, as. to. fit in a stem of beech for a
handle, or the slips may be of the full length requisite, that is about twelve
inches, and united by pins the whole length, which last mode is, I think, both
the best and cheapest; but, as by this new arrangement there is no space for
bristles at the end, to supply this deficiency I adopt one of three different con-
trivances the first is, to get a metal tube that will fit on to the top of the
brush, and to insert a knot of bristles in the tube, and then to attach the tube
to the brush; the second is, to sew two pieces of plush together in such a
manner that they shall present two faces with the grain of each running in the
same direction. This I insert between the slips at the end of the brush, when
pinning the two parts, together, taking care to insert it. so. that the grain of the
plush inclines towards the brush. The effect of this, arrangement is, that in
whatever way the brush is worked in the decanter the plush presents. its
opposing grain to any surface it passes over, and consequently acts like a brush.
The third method is, to, attach a flannel bag, with a few shot inclosed; to the top
of the brush. A flannel bag attached to a bent rod of wire is frequently used

page_text: alone for cleaning decanters, but it has never been used in combination with
brushes of the kind herein described..
And I declare that what I claim under this head of my improvements is, the
constructing of brushes for cleaning decanters and bottles by making them at
first in two parts, or on separate pieces of wood or bone, or other suitable'
substance, afterwards joining those parts together with metal pins, and adding
at the ends metal tubes filled with bristles or pieces of brush, or flannel bags
containing shot, all in manner last herein-before described.
The seventh and last of my said improvements relates to brushes for
cleaning cruets and other small bottles, which I make in manner following:-
I take a slip of box wood or bone about four inches long, one quarter of an
inch wide, and one eighth thick, and beginning at one end I bore a row of
holes about two inches long, boring the first hole in a sloping direction, so as
to throw the bristles over the end of the wood, and gradually at each hole
working to an upright; I then form a groove at the back of the holes for the
reception of the wire; the bristle is then drawn in and cut off at any suitable.
height, and the. wire covered over with cement, sealingwax or other suitable
material, when the brush is complete.
And what I claim under this last head is, the constructing of brushes for.
cleaning cruets and other small bottles in the manner last herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth
T