IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED FABRICS AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st December 1870.-A communication from abroad by Robert
Spencer, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.
I, WILLIAM Edward NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF FELTED FABRICS AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Felted
Fabrics and in the Machinery or Apparatus employed therein," has for
its object to manufacture felted fabrics in such a manner as to increase
their strength and durability, and render them more applicable and
useful than heretofore for the several purposes for which they may be
employed.

page_text: The first improvement relates to the manufacture of felted fabrics of
graduated thickness, that is, thicker at some parts than at others. Such
fabrics will be found exceedingly useful for saddle cloth cushions,
the linings of carriages, the seats or backs of chairs, sofas, and other
articles of furniture or upholstery, and for other purposes where a soft
and elastic pad or cushion-like surface is required or will be found
useful. A convenient method of making felts of graduated thickness
consists in the employment of rollers which are hollowed out at their
central or other part where the increased thickness of fabric is required
so as to admit of an additional quantity of fibre being worked up at
that part.
The additional thickness may be made up of the same
material as that which is used for making the other parts of the fabric,
or a coarser or commoner material may be employed, such as hair, cocoa
nut fibre, coarse wool, or other suitable substance, which will be covered
up and enclosed between the finer material which forms the surfaces
of the fabric. If the felt is required for saddle cloths it will only be
necessary to thicken the fabric at the central part and gradually
diminish it in thickness towards the edges, but if the felt is to be used
for cushions, the seats or backs of chairs, the linings of carriages, and
for some other purposes, it may be necessary to reduce the thickness
transversely of the fabric at intervals so as to produce a kind of elastic
cushion, or rather a series of elastic cushions joined together in one long
length. This long length of fabric may be cut up into pieces of suitable
size to form the intended article, and if required it may be previously
stretched into the desired shape. For some purposes when additional
strength is required a woven, knitted, or other openwork fabric may
be combined with the felting materials as a foundation. One or both
surfaces of the graduated felted fabrics above referred to may if desired
be ornamented by printing or embossing in colours with designs suitable
to the purposes for which the material is to be employed.
The next improvement relates to felted fabrics to be used as carpets,
druggets, rugs, table covers, counterpanes, wrappers, overalls, horse
clothing, and such like purposes, and has for its object to render these
articles stronger and more durable than heretofore. To this end the
felting material such as wool or hair is deposited on an openwork, woven,
or knitted fabric, which forms the foundation of and imparts strength
to the felt, so that if required it may be made lighter than heretofore.

page_text: When the felted fabric is made, it may be teazled, fulled, dressed and
sheared, so as to form a pile with an even surface, and any desired
pattern may be printed thereon according to the purpose for which
the fabric is intended to be employed. If desired the fabric may be
felted, teazled, fulled, dressed, and printed on both sides so that it may
if required be reversible at pleasure.