IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STRANDS FOR FORMING PLAITS. HEAD DRESSES. CHIGNONS. AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Roderic Flower Donisthorpe, and Thomas Alfred
William Clarke, both of Leicester, in the County of Leicester,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STRANDS
FOR FORMING PLAITS. HEAD DRESSES. CHIGNONS. AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Roderic Flower
Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Olarke at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th May
1874.
J
We, RODERIC FLOWER DONISTHORPE and THOMAS ALFRED WILLIAM
CLARKE, both of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STRANDS FOR FORMING PLAITS, HEAD DRESSES, CHIGNONS, AND
SUCH LIKE ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
-
At the present time strands composed of jute, hemp, wool, or other
such like fibre, plaited or covered over with mohair or other hair,
are commonly used for forming plaits, head dresses, chignons, and such

page_text: .
like articles; such strands are now commonly formed by hand. A foun-
dation of jute, wool, or such like fibre is covered over by hand with
mohair or other hair in repeated drawings or staples, and when so
covered over inserted through a tube into a fine and almost invisible net
by which the hair is maintained in place around the central core of jute
or such like fibre. In order to cheapen and expedite the manufacture
of such strands we cause a sliver of mohair or other hair as it comes
from a preparing machine or gill frame to lap around or partly cover a
sliver or roving of jute, hemp, wool, or such like fibre, and to pass at
once into and through a tube, over which is compressed an extremely
fine net of silk or such like material, which when compressed on to the
tube occupies but a few inches in length, and when extended may
be
several yards in length. We prefer to feed the jute, hemp, wool, or such
like fibre somewhat quicker into the tube than the mohair or other hair, so
that the outer covering of hair may be stretched tightly around the
foundation. A slight tension may also be put upon the net to prevent
its passing off the tube too freely. The strand so formed may sub-
sequently be divided up into the lengths required, and formed into plaits
or otherwise as desired. By this process the covering of mohair or
hair is continuous instead of in short lengths or staples as hitherto made
by hand.
f:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William
Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th November 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RODERIC
FLOWER DONISTHORPE and Thomas Alfred WILLIAM CLARKE, both of
Leicester, in the County of Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hor
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and
Thomas Alfred William Clarke, Her special license that we, the said
.Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Clarke, our
.executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said

page_text: Roberic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Olarke, our
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, use, 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 STRANDS FOR FORMING PLAITS, HEAD DRESSES, CHIGNONS,
AND SUCH LIKE ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Roderic Flower Donisthorpe and Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, 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 Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
on behalf of myself and the said Roderic Flower Donisthorpė, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
•
At the present time strands composed of jute, hemp, wool, or other
such like fibre, plated or covered over with mohair or other hair, are
commonly used for forming plaits, head dresses, chignons, and such like
articles; such strands are now commonly formed by hand. A foundation.
of jute, wool, or such like fibre is made in the required length and thick-
ness by hand and is then covered over by hand with mohair or other
hair in repeated drawings or staples, and when so covered over inserted
through a tube into a fine and almost invisible net by which the hair is
maintained in place around the central core of jute or such like fibre.
In order to cheapen and expedite the manufacture of such strands we
cause a sliver of mohair or other hair or fibre as it comes from a pre-
paring machine or gill frame or other suitable apparatus to lap around or
partly cover a sliver or roving of jute, hemp, wool, or such like fibre, and
to pass at once into and through a tube, over which is compressed an
extremely fine net of silk or such like material, which when compressed
on to the tube occupies but a few inches in length, and when extended
may be several yards in length. We prefer to feed the jute, hemp, wool,..

page_text: -
or such like fibre somewhat quicker into the tube than the mohair or
other hair or fibre, so that the outer covering of hair or fibre may be
stretched tightly over the foundation. A slight tension is also put upon
the net to prevent its passing off the tube too freely. The strand so
formed may subsequently be divided up into the lengths required and
formed into plaits or otherwise as desired. By this process the jute or
other foundation and the covering of mohair or hair is continuous instead
of in short lengths or staples as hitherto made by hand.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed we have shewn the arrangement
of machinery we prefer for carrying out our Invention..
Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus; and Figure 2, a longitudinal
section.
·
a, a, are drawing or carrying rollers taking a sliver of mohair or
other hair or fibre from an ordinary gill frame or from other suitable
preparing machinery. Or successive tufts extracted by a nip from a
gill frame or preparer may be laid one over the other to form-a sliver
and be conveyed to the rollers b. b, b, are hollow rollers, by preference
heated by steam; these rollers serve to impart a gloss to the hair or
fibre. From these rollers the sliver passes into the upper part of a
tube c; into the lower part of this tube a sliver or roving of jute, hemp,
wool, or other such like fibre is conducted through the bent tube d. 'In
order to feed forward continuously the sliver of jute or other fibre
through the tube a small screw gill apparatus is employed, as shewn in
the Drawing. The bars or fallers e, e, of this screw gill apparatus have
motion given to them in the ordinary manner by worms on shafts ƒ,ƒ,
at each of their ends; these shafts are driven at the same speed by gearing
not shewn in the Drawing. The pins of this screw gill apparatus rise
up into the lower part of the tube c and assist the drawing forward of
the sliver or roving of jute or other fibre, and this sliver or roving being
thus drawn forward carries along with it the upper sliver or covering of
hair or other fibre. The sliver or roving of jute or other fibre is also fed
forward through the tube by the screw gills at a somewhat quicker
speed than the sliver of hair is fed forward by the rollers a, b, so that
the hair is drawn tightly over the surface of the jute or other fibre.
The combined slivers after passing out from the end of the tube c are
attached to a weighted cord by which they are drawn forward and an
equal tension is kept upon then. Upon the exterior of the tube is
placed an extremely fine tubular net some yards in length; the end of

page_text: this tubular net is connected to the sliver as it issues from the end of
the tube c and is drawn along with it, being at the same time held back
to prevent its passing too freely from off the tube c by means of small
brushes which bear upon it. These brushes are carried by a split ring h,
shewn separately at Figure 3.
When it is required to place a fresh length of tubular net on to the
exterior of the tube c the brushes and ring can be turned aside out of
the way by partially unscrewing the binding screw k and setting the
ring free to be turned aside. Instead of the sliver of hair or other fibre
which is to form the plating or covering being led over one side only of
the foundation, it might, if desired, be lapped all around it.
By manufacturing strands of fibre plated or covered with hair, as
above described, the strands are made in continuous lengths with the
net and outer covering of hair or fibre stretched tightly over the jute or
other fibre forming the body of the strand. The strands formed, as
above described, are subsequently divided up into lengths as required.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim,―
1st. The manufacture of strands of jute or other fibre plated or
covered with mohair or other hair or fibre, by covering or partly covering
a continuous sliver or roving of jute or other fibre with a sliver or roving,
or with successive tufts of hair or other fibre and passing them through a
tube having upon its exterior the fine tubular net with which they are
to be embraced.
2. The combined arrangement of machinery for the manufacture of
strands of jute or other fibre plated or covered with mohair or other
hair, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Alfred William Clarke,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of
November in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.