Improvements in or connected with the Rollers of Felting Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 28th June, 1898-Accepted, 6th Aug.,
1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Rollers of Felting Machines.
I, GILES ATHERTON, of the Virginia Mills, Higher Hillgate, Stockport, in
the County of Chester, Hatters' Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
My said invention relates to the rollers of felting machines for felting hat
bodies and the like as is well understood. My invention is particularly applicable
to that class of felting machine in which the hat bodies are passed between a
number of rollers, which are driven on their axes to feed forward the hat bodies
and at the same time receive reciprocatory motion in the direction of their longi-
tudinal axes by which means the necessary felting operation is effected. Such
rollers consist of a number of sections or discs of wood strung upon a mandril
and subjected to hydraulic pressure and are then turned in a lathe.
It is found in practice that owing to the current of hot acidulated water used
in the felting process that the wooden surface of the rollers quickly deteriorates
so that they become ineffective and have to be replaced..
The object of my invention is to provide the surface of the rollers with such a
material which shall not only be effectual for the felting process but shall be
practically unaffected by the hot acidulated water used in the process.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide the surface of the rollers with a
suitable thickness of rubber, preferably the resilient rubber known in the trade
as fibrous rubber although any other suitable description of rubber vuicanite or
the like may be employed.
The rubber may be in the form of a tube and be drawn tightly over the roller,
which may be of metal, wood or other suitable material and of a convenient
diameter.
Instead of a tube, the rubber might be cast around the roller or placed in
position thereon in any suitable manner. The ends of the rollers may be enclosed
with rubber or brass caps or metal or material unaffected by acid, so as to prevent
the acid from obtaining access beneath the rubber envelope or coating.
The improved felting roller has the advantage not only of being more durable
than wooden or other rollers at present employed, but the rubber provides a resilient
gripping surface eminently suitable for the purpose and ensures an improved and
superior felting of the hat bodies.
It must be understood that my improvements are applicable to the rollers of
all descriptions of felting machines, the rubber surface being employed in con-
junction with the usual lags and excentric rings and the like used in various types
of machines.
Instead of rubber as described I may also use compressed cloth or felt as a
material for covering the felting rollers.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with the Rollers of Felting Machines.
I, GILES ATHERTON, of the Virginia Mills, Higher Hillgate, Stockport, in
the County of Chester, Hatters' Engineer, 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 and accompanying
drawings:-
My said invention relates to the rollers of felting machines for felting hat
bodies, or it might be cloth and the like, as is well understood. My invention is
particularly applicable to that class of felting machine known as transverse roller
felting or planking machine in which the hat bodies are passed between a number
of rollers, which are driven on their axes to feed forward the hat bodies and at
the same time receive reciprocatory motion in the direction of their longitudinal
axes, by which means the necessary felting operation is effected.
Such rollers consist of a number of sections or discs of wood strung upon a
mandril, subjected to hydraulic pressure and then turned in a lathe.
It is found in practice that owing to the current of hot acidulated water used
in the felting process that the wooden surface of the rollers quickly deteriorates
so that they soon become ineffective and have to be replaced.
Consequently machines of this type are extremely expensive to keep in repair.
The object of my invention is to provide the surface of the rollers with such a
material which shall not only be effectual for the felting process but shall be
practically unaffected by the hot acidulated water used in the process.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide the surface of the rollers with a
suitable thickness of rubber.
I prefer to use for the purpose rubber known in the trade as fibrous rubber,
which is a compound of rubber and fibrous material. By experiment I have
ascertained that this class of rubber is particularly suitable for the purpose of
felting, the proportion being about 45lbs. of rubber, 45lbs. of fibre (preferably
vegetable) and 10lbs. of sulphur.
It will be understood however that I do not confine myself to these proportions.
The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrates different types of felting rollers
to which my invention is applicable.
Fig. 1 shows a roller of the type used in the transverse roller felting or planking
machines already referred to.
Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line A B of the series of rollers used in
this class of machine.
The remaining figs. indicate varying types of felting rollers..
Referring in the first place to Figs. 1 and 2 I secure a mandril a of wood or
other suitable material upon a shaft b. The shaft b is provided with a collar b¹
against which the mandril a is jambed by a nut c. The rubber, of about a quarter
of an inch in thickness, is preferably made in the form of a tube or jacket d and
drawn upon the mandril a.
This may be conveniently effected by placing the envelope, cylinder or jacket
of rubber within a metallic tube and forcing the mandril a by pressure suitably
applied, into the rubber envelope contained in the metallic tube. As the mandril
is forced into the tube, the mandril is preferably coated with rubber cement
which causes the rubber envelope to adhere to the wooden mandril.
The completed roller is then withdrawn from the metallic tube. The rubber
may however be moulded upon the periphery of the mandril a.
Instead of pro-
viding the wooden mandril with a cylinder or jacket of rubber we might build

page_text: up a roller from a number of thin discs, washers or blocks of fibrous rubber
threaded either on the before mentioned wooden mandril a or on a metallic tube
or shaft.
Washers e of metal or material capable of resisting the action of the
acidulated water are provided at each end of the roller to prevent the acid from
obtaining access beneath the rubber envelope or jacket d.
In addition to being of greater durability, whereby a very considerable saving
in the cost of the rollers is effected, the improved roller has distinct advantages
over the wooden felting rollers at present in use.
The rubber provides a resilient gripping surface eminently suitable for felting
purposes so that not only is a better quality of felt produced but the process is
considerably expedited.
It must be understood that my improvements are applicable to the rollers of all
descriptions of felting machines, the rubber surface being employed in conjunction
with the usual lags, elliptical rings and the like used in various types of machines.
In Fig. 3 my invention is shown applied to a roller such as is used in what are
known as pinning out and stumping machines and also in four roller planking
or felting machines.
In these machines the rollers are formed of wood and are provided with elliptical
rings f of vulcanite. These rings are retained but the wooden mandril a of the
rollers is provided as in Figs. 1 and 2 with an envelope d of rubber upon which
the rings are screwed or otherwise secured.
Fig. 4 shows a roller used in double planking machines the periphery of which
I also provide with a rubber covering d the curved ribs g of brass (shown in full
lines) or the angular ribs (shown in dotted lines) are provided as usual. These
ribs g may be of brass, wood, hard rubber or other suitable material.
Instead of rubber as described I may use compressed cloth or felt as a material
for covering the felting rollers.
In Figs. 5 and 6 I show a felting roller of the type indicated in Figs. 1 and 2,
Fig. 6 being a cross section on the line C D Fig. 5. In this case a number of
discs or rings of cloth or felt are threaded upon a shaft and are subjected to
hydraulic pressure and are then turned in a lathe.
I prefer however the rubber cylinder, jacket or coating on account of its
efficiency and economy in production.
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:-
1) Covering the peripheries of the rollers used in felting machines, or the core
parts of such rollers, with an envelope, jacket or thickness of rubber in the
manner, for the purposes and substantially as described and shown.
2) In rollers of the indicated nature forming the peripheries of compressed cloth
or felt in the manner and substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5
and 6 of the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of June 1898.
For the Applicant,
.E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.