IMPROVEMENTS IN CORSET ATTACHMENTS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Goff at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1880.
ROBERT GOFF, of Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CORSET ATTACHMENTS."
This Invention relates to a novel construction of attachment for corsets, the
objects being to provide a fastening which will present a smoother surface than
has hitherto been attained, and also to facilitate the replacement of a worn front
by a new one.
These objects it will be understood are very desirable, inasmuch as those parts
of the corset which enclose the steel busk are liable to wear rapidly at the edges,
and the stud or other projections usually employed in corset attachments serve to
fray the clothes of the wearer.
The steel pieces which form the busk I now propose to cover with cloth like
that, say, of which the corset is to be formed, but of a piece separate therefrom.
I take a strip of cloth of about four times the width of the steel to be enclosed,
and having folded it lengthwise at the middle of its breadth I insert the steel
therein. I then secure the steel in place by stitches, and the edges of the cloth
I turn inwards, in order that they may form a double lap joint with the vertical
edge of the corset. Two of such clothed steels having been provided with a
row of holes at the middle of their breadth, I insert into the holes of one steel
metal eyelets, which I close upon the steel, and thereby secure the cloth covering
firmly thereto.
Into the holes of the other steel I insert metal round headed hooks, which
terminate in an eyelet, and this eyelet I expand and close up by pressure, thereby
securing the books to the steel, and at the same time securing the cloth covering
firmly thereto.
The ends of the cloth strips I finish off by a binding to correspond with the
binding at the top and bottom edges of the corset, and I attach the clothed strips
of steel to the opposite edges of the corset by stitching.
When the covering is worn it may be readily removed by ripping the lines of
stitches which attach it to the corset, and a new busk may be applied to the corset
by stitching as before.
As a modification instead of using a broad steel for the reception of the eyelets,
I enclose in the strip of cloth two steel ribbons, and between them I apply the
eyelets to the cloth, inserting, however, within the fold a strip of leather or its
equivalent for receiving the grip of the eyelets.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Goff in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th August
1880.
ROBERT GOFF, of Forest Gate, in the County of Essex, Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CORSET ATTACHMENTS.'
"
This Invention relates to a novel construction of attachment for corsets, the
object being to provide a fastening which will present a smoother surface than has
hitherto been attained, and also to facilitate the replacement of a broken busk or of
a worn front by a new one.
These objects it will be understood are very desirable, inasmuch as those parts of
the corset which enclose the steel busk are liable to wear rapidly at the edges, and
the stud or other projections usually employed in corset attachments serve to fray
the clothes of the wearer.
The steel pieces which form the busk I now propose to cover with cloth like
that, say, of which the corset is to be formed, but of a piece separate therefrom
which permits of the detachment of the busk from the corset when the cloth is
worn, and the substitution therefor of a fresh busk; the hook and eye fastenings I
form and apply in the manner to be presently explained.
In the accompanying Drawing Figs. 1 shew the corset attachment composed as
usual of two parts A, B, one of which is furnished with hooks, and the other with
eyelets.
Fig. 2 shews these parts A and B connected together, and Fig. 3 is an edge view
of the part B.
Referring to Figs. 1 it will be seen that the part A is composed of a strip of
steel a covered with a lap of cloth a', the edges of which are turned in, as indicated
in the sectional plan view Figs. 1*. A row of holes is punched in the steel strip a
to allow of metal eyelets a² being inserted therein, and the strip a is held securely in
place in the cloth covering by a line of stitches which follows each edge of the strip.
b is a steel busk covered by a lap of cloth b¹, the edges of which are turned
in, as shewn in the plan view Figs. 1*, and secured to this steel busk are hooks b³
corresponding in number and position with the eyelets a².
The form of this hook, which is new only in respect of its application, is shewn
in the detached views, Figures 4 and 5. These hooks are made with rounded
heads and tubular stems, and holes are made in the steel b to receive the stems
which are then expanded for the purpose of rivetting the hooks in place. This I
prefer to do when the cloth covering has been laid over the steel, so that the
rivetting of the hooks may serve also to secure the cloth to the busk. A line of
stitching following each edge of the steel will complete the securing of the steel to
its cover. To form the lap of cloth, whether it be a' or b¹, I take a strip of cloth
of about four times the width of the steel to be enclosed, and having folded it
lengthwise at the middle of its breadth I insert the steel therein. The steel I then
secure in place by stitches as explained, and turn in the edges of the cloth, as shewn
at Figs. 1*, in order that they may form a double lap joint with the vertical edge of
the corset.
The ends of the cloth strips I finish off by a binding to correspond with the
binding at the top and bottom edges of the corset, and I attach the clothed strips
of steel to the opposite vertical edges of the corset by stitching.
This improved corset attachment will present, as will be seen, a smooth surface
to the garments of the wearer, and thus remove a serious objection urged against
the ordinary corset fastenings, the projecting of the hooks being also in this case
very slight.
When the covering a¹ or b¹ is worn one or both may be readily removed
by ripping the lines of stitches which attach them to the corset and new

page_text: parts A, B, may be applied to the corset by stitching as before so as to produce a
new front.
As a modification of the above instead of using a broad steel for the reception of
the eyelets, I enclose in the strip of cloth two steel ribbons, and between them I
apply the eyelets to the cloth.
This modification is shewn in Figures 6, 6*, and 7, which correspond to Figures 1,
1*, and 2; c, c, are two steel ribbons or strips set parallel to each other, and
covered with cloth, the edges of which are turned in as before explained. The
steel strips c, c¹, are set sufficiently far apart to allow of the eyelets a² being
inserted between them, and they are held securely in place in the cloth by the lines
of stitches which follow their edges.
For greater security to the metal eyelets a strip of leather or other strong
fabric d is laid within the lap of cloth to receive the eyelets; the strain therefore
which the eyelets receive will be taken in part by the inserted fabric d, and
thus the tendency of the eyelets to break away from the cloth covering will be
removed.
The remaining parts of the corset attachment being the same as those described
above with reference to Figures 1 to 5 further mention thereof will be unnecessary.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Corset Attachments,"
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
Forming corset attachments in the manner substantially as herein shewn and
described, whereby a fastening having a smooth surface will be provided and
the replacement of a broken busk or worn front by a new one can be readily
effected.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Goff, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
ROBERT GOFF. (L.S.)