apparatus
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 18th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 22nd June, 1888
I, CHARLES VERO, of Atherstone, in the County of Warwick, Hat Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in finishing felt hats and in apparatus
therefor.
In finishing felt hats machines are sometimes employed in which a rapidly rotated
horizontal axis carrying a block roughened on its surface with glass paper or pulverized
glass is used. By means of a shoe or presser the hat is held against the surface of the
block. Thus the face of the hat is "cut or pounced " by the roughened surface of the
block. Such a machine is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to
John Henry Neave No. 2051 in the year 1881; a machine of this class is also the
subject of my application No. 2973 in the present year. The machine described in
this latter application is adapted to perform the cutting or pouncing action upon the
hat when turned inside out.
My present invention relates to machines adapted to operate on the hat when not so
inverted and to do so more efficiently than the machines described in the Specification
No. 2051 in the year 1881 already referred to.
To pounce the crown of felt hats I use tapered or conical blocks made hollow at the
sides and to hold the crown part of the bat up to the block I use a shoe or presser
covered with thick soft felt. This presser is made to the same curvature as the block
and it is held up towards it by a counterpoise weight. When a hat is to be operated
upon the shoe or presser is drawn down away from the block by the aid of a treadle,
the hat is then placed over the shoe or presser and this being allowed to rise holds the
hat against the block.
Whilst the hat is so held the workman turns the hat about so as to cut or pounce in
succession every part of the surface with the exception of the brim. He commences
first round the brim and works progressively upwards to the tip or upper part of the
crown. By using a block which is hollow on the sides every part of the surface to be
operated upon is readily made to conform to it by the pressure of the shoe, and the
surface becomes regularly and equally cut or pounced. This cannot be done in so

page_text: satisfactory a way when a cylindrical block is employed as has heretofore been usual
for the more curved parts of the hat cannot be made to conform to the straight side of
the block.
When the crown has been pounced in the manner already described I remove the
block from the axis and substitute for it another block of conical form; I also change
the shoe or presser for another with a straight surface to correspond with the straight
side of the conical block. The machine is so made that these changes can be rapidly
effected and the shoe or presser adjusted to a suitable working position. I then
proceed to cut or pounce the brim of the hat, inserting the brim between the block and
the presser and working the hat round and round until the entire surface is properly
pounced.
By employing in this operation a conical block the pouncing of the brim is
performed much more uniformly than it can be when a cylindrical block is employed,
for the outer edges of the brim where the circumference is largest is operated upon
by the larger part of the block and the inner edge of the brim which is smaller in
circumference is operated upon by the smaller part of the conical block.
In order to remove the dust which is produced in these operations I employ a fan
mounted on the same axis with the block but at the other end. This fan is connected
with a hood and the fan draws in air together with the dust and expels it into a flue or
other suitable receptacle.
After the hats have been pounced, as above described, I clean the surface from dust
by the use of similar blocks covered with velvet or soft felt. I then wet the hat and
again operate upon it in the machine with blocks having a suitable soft covering. The
blocks so covered may be called rotating velours. I now operate upon the hat in the
machine until it is dried by the heat resulting from the friction of the soft face of the
velour upon it. After this I
press the hat.
Hats finished in this manner are not liable to spot with rain.
For covering the rotating velours I prefer to employ a cap of seamless felt and very
advantageously the cap may be faced with fur.
Sometimes in place of the rotating velours I employ blocks of metal or wood well
polished on the surface.
Dated this 18th day of August 1887.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, CHARLES VERO of Atherstone in the County of Warwick Hat Manufacturer 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:
This invention has for its object improvements in finishing felt hats and in apparatus
therefor.
In finishing felt hats machines are sometimes employed in which a rapidly rotated
horizontal axis carrying a block roughened on its surface with glass paper or
pulverized glass is used. By means of a shoe or presser the hat is held against the
surface of the block. Thus the face of the hat is "cut or pounced " by the roughened
surface of the block. Such a machine is described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to John Henry Neave No. 2051 in the year 1881.
My present invention relates to machines adapted to operate on the hat more
efficiently than the machines described in the Specification No. 2051 in the year 1881
already referred to.
To pounce the crown of felt hats I use tapered or conical blocks made hollow at the
sides and to hold the crown part of the hat up to the block I use a shoe or presser
covered with thick soft felt.
When the crown has been pounced I remove the block from the axis and substitute
for it another block of conical form. I also change the shoe or presser for another
with a straight surface to correspond with the straight side of the conical block. I then
proceed to cut or pounce the brim of the hat.
In order to remove the dust which is produced in these operations I employ a fan
mounted on the same axis with the block but at the other end. This fan is connected
with a hood and the fan draws in air together with the dust and expels it into a flue or
other suitable receptacle.
After the hats have been pounced as above described I clean the surface from dust
by the use of similar blocks covered with velvet or felt. I then wet the hat and again
operate upon it in the machine with blocks having a suitable soft covering. The blocks
so covered may be called rotating velours. I now operate upon the hat in the
machine until it is dried by the heat resulting from the friction of the face of the
velour upon it. After this I
press the hat.
Hats finished in this manner are not liable to spot with rain.
For covering the rotating velours I prefer to employ a cap of seamless felt and
very advantageously the cap may be faced with fur.
Sometimes in place of the rotating velours I employ blocks of metal or wood well
polished on the surface.
In the annexed drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of the finishing cutting or
pouncing machine. Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.
à is a rapidly revolving axis carrying the conical block b.

page_text: The block is preferably of wood and for cutting or pouncing it is roughened on the
surface with ground glass attached by glue to the wood. The end of the axis a is
tapered and there is a corresponding hole in the centre of the block. A key or
projection prevents the block turning upon the axis and a nut prevents end wise
movement. c. is a support for the hat to be treated, it is carried in guides and
can be raised and lowered by means of the treddle d. The support c receives the
shoe e upon its upper end. The shoe is of wood covered with thick soft felt nailed
over it. The shoe drops into a forked holder on the support e and a bolt passing
through locks it in place. The block and shoe represented by the drawing are adapted
for use when operating upon the crown of the hat. The figures 3 show this shoe to a
larger scale. The hat is placed over the shoe and then by depressing the treddle the
rounded crown is brought into contact with the conical concave block.
Whilst the hat is so held the workman turns the hat about so as to cut or pounce in
succession every part of the surface of the crown up to the band. He commences
first round the brim and works progressively upwards to the tip or upper part of the
crown. By using a block which is hollow on the sides every part of the surface to bo
operated upon is readily made to conform to it by the pressure of the shoe and the
surface becomes regularly and equally cut or pounced. This cannot be done in so
satisfactory a way when a cylindrical block is employed as has heretofore been usual
for the more curved parts of the hat cannot be made to conform to the straight side of
the block.
The next operation is to cut or pounce the brim and to prepare the machine to do
this, the block and the shoe are changed. A conical block with straight in place of
concave sides is now brought into use. The shoe previously employed which was of
such a form as to press at one time only on a small portion of the surface is now
replaced by a shoe, such as that shown by the figures 4 which will exert a pressure
along the whole length of the block. The workman then proceeds to cut or pounce
the brim of the hat, inserting the brim between the block and the presser and working
the hat round and round until the entire surface is properly pounced.
By employing in this operation a conical block the pouncing of the brim is
performed much more uniformly than it can be when a cylindrical block is employed
for the outer edges of the brim where the circumference is largest is operated upon by
the larger part of the block and the inner edge of the brim which is smaller in
circumference is operated upon by the smaller part of the conical block. is the hood
which collects the dust produced by the cutting action of the block b and f¹ is a
passage leading from the hood to the fan case g.
Figure 5 is an end view of the fan case, a trunk not shown in the drawings is
adapted to the mouth of the fan case at g¹ to load away the blast and the dust, which
it carries with it to any convenient exit. After the pouncing operation the machine
shown is still employed, but in conjunction with a block which is covered with a
fabric. I make the block cover seainless. I proceed as if making a felt hat by
accumulating a sliver of wool upon a double cone but I omit to cover the ends of the
cone (as is done in making hats in order to form the crown) I harden and felt the
sliver and preferably I face it with fur as is sometimes done in hat making. This
cover I steam and stretch on to the block and secure it with small tacks over the ends
of the block. I also in some cases employ seamless covers made by knitting in a well
known manner.
After the dust from the cutting operation has been removed from the hat I wet the
surface and expose it to the action of the machine in the same manner as before but
with a velour or covered block in the place of the cutting block. By the action of the
velour the moisture is dried off. I sometimes use polished blocks of hard material in
like manner and for the same purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The improvements herein described in machines for finishing cutting or pouncing

page_text: felt hats, consisting in the use therein of tapered or conical blocks roughened on the
face and either concave on the sides for operating upon the crown or straight on the
sides for operating upon the brim of the hat and in so constructing the machine that
the blocks and pressers may be readily changed to adapt the machine to the work
which it has to perform as above set forth.
2. The improvement herein described in machines for finishing, cutting or pouncing
felt hats consisting in combining therewith a fan on the same axis with the block and
a hood in close proximity to the block and so applied that the current of air generated
by the fan conveys away the dust resulting from the operation of the machine to a
place where it can conveniently be discharged as above set forth.
3. The improvement herein described in machines for finishing hats consisting in
the use therein of rotating blocks provided with caps of seamless fabric as above set
forth.
4. The improvement herein described in finishing felt hats consisting in taking the
hat after it has been pounced, wetting it, then whilst it is wet operating upon the face
with a rapidly rotating block or velour and continuing the said treatment until the
hat is dry as above set forth.
CHARLES VERO.