Improvements in the Method of and Means for Raising, Cutting, Brushing, and Lustreing Felt Hats.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 31st May, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Raising, Cutting,
Brushing, and Lustreing Felt Hats.
I, ALFRED DYSON, of Market Street, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Wool Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to felt hats, and consists in the method of and means
for imparting or producing a lustre or polish thereon, and in performing the
operations of raising, cutting and brushing the felt by machinery instead of by
band.
In carrying out my invention I mount a roller covered with card clothing, in
suitable bearings in the frame of the machine with which said roller is inter-
changeable, as required, a rotary cutting knife or "perpetual," and a brush, each
adjustable and adapted to be driven from the same source. Under the roller is a
bed or foundation preferably tapered to a point, over which bed the felt body is
caused to pass and is thereby brought into contact with the roller, knife, or brush
at that point and the felt raised, cut or sheard, or laid, as the case may be. A.
blade is also attached to the machine to act in conjunction with the rotary knife.
The hat body is placed around a series of conical rollers when either of the
aforesaid operations are to be performed, the outer cones being mounted in
bearings which are adapted to be moved laterally or away from the inner cones by
cam, screw or like means, actuated by lever or wheel, and to be drawn in the
opposite direction or against the inner cones by a strong spiral spring which also
permits of the said outer cones adjusting themselves to varying thicknesses of
felt or to irregularities therein passing between them and the inner cones.
cones are preferably placed at an angle with their apexes pointing to one centre
and extending to or just beyond the end of the bed or foundation, their arrangement
in this order serving to continuously traverse the conical hat bodies under the
roller, knife, or brush so as to raise, shear, or lay the felt or fur from the base to
the apex of the body so that the operations are performed equally and with the
same regularity throughout.
The
One of the inner conical rollers is driven through the medium of suitable
gearing, from any convenient source and a second one is held in check or its
motion retarded by a brake arrangement, the former serving to traverse- the felt
body over the bed or foundation and around the cones and the latter giving the
requisite tension thereto. One or more of the said conical rollers may be grooved,
fluted, roughened, or have a spiral thread thereon whose tendency will be to draw
the felt body towards the base of the cones; or this may be accomplished by guide
rollers, or by an attendant.
The several operations of raising, cutting and laying or brushing the felt- are
performed at various stages in the finishing of the hat body, some being repeated
once or twice both when in the grey, and after being dyed and proofed, as required.
After being raised, the felt hat bodies are placed one outside the other over a cone
block secured in a portable frame and when a pile has thus been built up, a second
block adapted to slide up and down in the said frame and having formed therein
an inverted cone is lowered by screw or like means and presses the hats between
the two blocks. The frame is then placed into a vessel containing boiling water
and the pressed hat bodies are boiled, for producing the lustre or glaze, or said
frame may be placed into a chamber and steam blown through from the outside,
or steam inay be forced through the centre of the blocks.

page_text: After pressing, boiling and cutting the felt bodies, they are again hot pressed
between the blocks, each hat body in this case being separated by thin hollow
metal cones which have been previously heated; or the hot pressing may be
performed by causing the hat bodies to traverse around cones arranged as above
set forth and between a pair of heated rollers or drums.
By thus pressing and boiling or steaming hat bodies and by the method and
means adopted for raising, shearing and laying or brushing the felt, a lustre or
glaze is imparted thereto or produced thereon superior to that obtained by the
present methods, and in performing the operations by the means set forth a saving
is effected both of time and labour and a better finish is given to the felt.
Dated this 29th day of July 1893.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Huddersfield, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Raising, Cutting,
Brushing, and Lustreing Felt Hats.
I, ALFRED DYSON, of Market Street, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Wool Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manuer the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has reference to felt hats and consists in the method of and
means for imparting or producing a lustre or polish thereon and in performing
the operations of raising, cutting, and brushing the felt by machinery instead of
by hand.
Under
In carrying out my invention I mount a roller covered with card clothing in
suitable bearings in the frame of-the machine with which said roller is inter-
changeable a rotary cutting knife or "perpetual" cutting cylinder or a rotary
brush, each adjustable and adapted to be driven from the same source.
the roller, cutting cylinder or brush is a bed or foundation preferably tapered to
a point over which bed the felt body is caused to pass and is thereby brought
into contact with the roller, knife or brush at that point and the felt raised, cut
or sheared, or laid as the case may be. A blade acts in conjunction with the
cutting cylinder.
The hat body is placed around a series of cones or conical rollers when either
of the aforesaid operations are to be performed the outer cones being mounted in
bearings which are adapted to be moved laterally or away from the inner cones by
cam screw or like means actuated by lever or wheel and to be drawn in the
opposite direction or against the inner cones by a strong spiral spring or springs
which also permit of the said cones adjusting themselves to varying thicknesses of
felt or irregularities of surface.
The cones are preferably placed at an angle with their apices pointing to one
centre and extending to or just beyond the end of the bed plate or foundation,
their arrangement in this order serving to continuously traverse the conical hat
bodies under the card roller knife or brush so as to raise, shear or lay the felt or
fur from the base to the apex of the hat body so that the operations are performed
equally and with the same regularity throughout.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood I will now proceed
to particularly describe and ascertain the same for which purpose reference is
hereafter made to the annexed drawings and to the letters of reference marked
thereon:-
Fig. 1 is front elevation of a machine for raising, cutting or shearing and

page_text: brushing felt hat bodies constructed according to my invention, the lower portion
of the framework and the main driving shaft being omitted.
Fig. 2 is plan view and
Fig. 3 transverse section of same.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the machine shewing a rotary knife or cutting
cylinder applied thereto in substitution of the card roller or brush.
Fig. 5 is a detail hereinafter referred to.
Referring to the drawings a represents the framing of the machine; b, b, two
standards supported thereon to which are secured brackets or bearings c in which
a shaft carrying arms e, e, is journalled. is a roller covered with suitable
card clothing which is supported in bearings in the arms ee and secured by
caps e e. The said roller is removeable from the bearings in the arins e e and
is interchangeable with a rotary brush or calendering roller (not shewn). The
arms e, e, are moveable about the centre d and by means of screws e, e, adapted
to rest, on supports a¹ a' the roller or brush can be adjusted to or from the bed
plate or foundation g to any degree of nicety according to the nature or thickness
of material to be operated upon. The said card covered roller (or brush) is driven
by strap from the main driving shaft said strap passing around intermediate
adjustable pulleys. The arms e, e, shaft d and roller or brush fare removeable
bodily from the machine and corresponding arms or a frame e carrying a cutting
cylinder or rotary knife and blade f (see Fig. 4) can be substituted therefor,
the cutting cylinder being driven by the same strap h.
The card covered roller, brush, calendering roller, or cutting cylinder are
introduced into the machine as required for the operations of raising, brushing or
laying the felt, calendering or lustreing and shearing the hat bodies which are
passed over the bed plate y and in order to traverse the conical hat bodies under
the roller, brush or knife for the aforesaid operations I arrange at an angle,
preferably as shewn at Fig. 1, two pairs of cones or conical rollers j, j', and k, k
one pair on each side of the bed plate y, the apices of which point to one common
centre.
The inner cones; and k are supported in bearings in the framing a and their
shafts extend through said framing and carry at their extremities toothed wheels l, m.
In gear with the wheel m is a pinion mounted on a stud n' carried by bracket n'
and driven by speed pulleys ³ and cord * from corresponding speed pulleys on
the main driving shaft, the motion thus communicated to the wheel m being
transmitted through pinion or bevilled wheel o carried on stud ol to the toothed
wheel. The two outer cones or conical rollers and are journalled in the
upper ends of two levers p, p pivotted to the framing a at p p and they are held
in contact with the cones j, k, or the felt body by means of springs secured at
each end to studs or pins carried by said levers this arrangement permitting of
self adjustment of the said cones j' ' to varying thicknesses of, or to irregularities
in the hat body. At the bases of the cones j, k, are pinions r, s, which gear with
like pinions on the cones j', k', and give motion thereto. The two outer
cones j, k, are forced outwardly or away from the inner cones to admit of the hat
bodies being passed around the said inner cones and over the bed plate or for other
purposes, by means of a double armed piece t centred at and having its
extremities inclined or cammed as indicated at 2. The said inclined ends engage
with the studs or pins and when the lever is pressed down as indicated by
dotted line it moves the said armed piece on its fulcrum as indicated by the
arrows and the inclines acting against the studs cause the levers to be forced
outwardly on their pivots a distance sufficient to enable the conical hat body to be
placed between the cones and into the position indicated by dotted lines in
Figs. 1, and 3.
When the lever is released the springs cause the return of
the levers and cones to their normal positions and the felt body is nipped between
the two pairs of cones. On the machine being set in motion the conical hat body
is continuously traversed by the cones over the bed plate and under and in contact

page_text: with the roller, brush or cutting cylinder which raises, brushes or lays the felt or
shears it from the base to the apex of the hat body. The direction of motion of
the cones and of the traverse of the felt body is indicated by arrows in Figs. 3
and 4. The edge of the felt body may be guided by the hand, if necessary, or by
a bar to keep it distended or to draw it towards the bases of the cones so that the
apex of the said body shall be close up to the apices of the cones, or the same
result may be obtained by grooving, fluting, roughening or forming spiral threads
on one or more of the cones.
The conical roller is driven rather slower than the roller k so that the traverse
of the felt body over.the bed plate is somewhat retarded and the required tension
obtained.
The upper end of the bed plate may be provided with a small roller, or a cone
shaped roller may be employed in lieu of the bed plate to reduce friction on the
hat bodies.
I do not confine myself to the number of conical rollers employed in the machine
as these may be varied as found most suitable for the work in hand, and they may
be also differently arranged without affecting the traverse of conical hat bodies.
The several operations of raising, cutting or shearing and brushing or laying the
felt and of calendering, are performed at various stages in the finishing of the hat
body, some being repeated once or twice both when in the grey and after being
dyed and proofed as required. After being raised, the felt hat bodies are placed
one outside the other over a cone block in a portable frame carrying a sliding
block with an inverted cone of the ordinary description and when a sufficient
number have thus been built up the inverted cone is lowered and forced down onto
the pile of hat bodies, the portable frame being then placed into a vessel
containing boiling water and the hat bodies boiled for producing the lustre or
glaze; or said frame may be placed into a chamber and steam blown through or
forced through the centre of the blocks.
After pressing boiling and cutting or shearing the hat bodies they are hot
pressed between the blocks, but in this case each hat body is separated by thin
hollow seamless metal cones such as shewn at Fig. 5, which have been previously
heated; or the hot pressing may be performed by traversing the hat bodies around
the conical rollers and between heated rollers, one being cone shaped and taking
the place of the bed plate and the other journalled in the arms e, e.
By the method and means above set forth a considerable saving of time and
labour is effected in raising cutting or shearing and brushing or laying the felt or
fur of hat bodies, these said operations being performed with greater regularity
and evenness and enabling me to impart or produce on the hats a lustre or glaze
superior to that which can be obtained by the present methods.
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 :-
Firstly. The method of and means for raising, cutting or shearing brushing and
lustrcing hat bodies substantially as herein shewn and described.
Secondly. In a machine for raising, cutting or shearing and brushing or laying
the felt of conical hat bodies, a card covered roller, rotary brush and rotary knife
or cutting cylinder each interchangeable with one another or with other rollers, a
bed plate or foundation and conical rollers or cones for traversing the hat bodies
over the bed plate, all arranged and operating in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as shewn and described.
Thirdly. In a machine for raising, cutting or shearing and brushing or laying
the felt or fur of hat bodies the self adjusting cones or conical rollers and means
for moving them laterally and away from the inner cones substantially as shewn and
for purposes described.
Fourthly. In lustreing felt hat bodies, the thin hollow seamless metal cones for
dividing each hat body substantially as shewn and described.

page_text: Fifthly. The general arrangement combination and operation of the parts
comprising the herein described machine for raising, cutting or shearing and
brushing or laying the felt of hat bodies substantially as set forth.
Dated the 30th day of April 1894.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Huddersfield, Agents for Applicant.