CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BRIDGES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Button Tool Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-second day of December, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Bridges, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Bridges, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Bridges, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BUTTONS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Bridges, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Bridges, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):--
One of my improvements in buttons relates to such buttons as have move-
able or detachable shanks, and consists of a simple mode of attaching and
This improvement is
detaching the shank than any at present in use.
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 represents a thin piece of steel raised or cupped in the centre, as
seen in Figure 2. This spring is made of sheet steel, such as is used for
making steel pens, and is properly hardened and tempered so as to give it the
greatest elasticity of which it is susceptible.
Figure 3 represents a shell raised out of a disc of iron of suitable thick-
ness. The spring, Figures 1 and 2, is placed in this shell, and the edge of
the latter is then closed over, so as to secure the former in its place, as seen
in section, Figure 3, and in Plan, Figure 4. a, Figure 3, is a projection in
the shell for the purpose of preventing the spring being pressed too far
inwards. Instead of the shell, Figures 3 and 4, I sometimes use a shell, the
central part of which is cut away, as seen at Figure 5. I adopt this form in
applying my improvement to flat buttons, and in that case the inside of the
button front comes so near. to the spring as to answer the purpose of the
projecting.stop a, Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 6 represents a thin disc of metal (I prefer brass) perforated in the
centre, as seen in the Drawing. The form of this perforation is that of two
squares, one superposed on the other, in such a position that the angles formed
by the intersection of the diagonals of the squares are equal to one another.
Figure 7 represents a disc or tablet. of metal (I prefer brass) having a
circular depression in its centre of a size proper to receive the perforated disc,
Figure 6. This depression, is very shallow, as its only use is to retain the
perforated disc, Figure 6, in the centre of the disc or tablet, Figure 7, during
the process of soldering them together. After the discs are soldered together,
a square hole is pierced in the disc or tablet, Figure 7, in such a position
as to correspond with any, four alternate angles of the hole in the disc,
Figure 6. The edge of the disc or tablet is now raised, as seen in Figure 8,
and in this state it constitutes the back of one of my improved buttons. If
the button in which the improvement is adopted is a covered button, I pro-
ceed with its manufacture by the machine represented in Figure 9. b, b', are
two rods sliding easily, but steadily, in the tubes c, c¹. These tubes being
fixed vertically in the work bench d, a cross piece e is affixed to the tops of the
rods b, b, having atf a conical aperture, the sides being inclined to the axis

page_text: at an angle of 3.
This cross piece is shown separately in Figure 9 A.
Another cross piece g connects the lower ends of the rods b, b. A rod and
hook are attached to the lower cross piece g, and a cord from the hook is
connected with a lever fixed on the floor, so that the workman, by placing his
foot on the lever, may depress it, and thereby cause the descent of the rods
b, b, and cross piece e. A cord i, connected with the rod h, passes over the
pulley j. A weight is fastened to the end of the cord i, and raises the rods
b, 6, and cross pieces when they are not held down by the workman's foot
being placed on the above-mentioned lever. A die k is placed under the
cross piece e in such a position that its axis exactly coincides with that of the
conical aperture f. A cylindrical cavity is turned in the die, and a collar m,
shown separately in Figure 9 B, is made to fit accurately in the cavity. l.
The internal diameter of the collar m is such as to admit a button of the
intended size. A tube n, seen separately at Figure 9 C, is fitted to the cross
piece c, by having its upper end turned of a conical figure, and of an inclina-
tion exactly similar to that of the aperture f, and it is held firmly in its place
by being simply placed in the aperture, with a slight pressure. The tube n
fits the collar m accurately.
The action of this machine is as follows:-I place a piece of the covering
material in the neck of the collar m, and on the covering material I place an
iron shell, such as is commonly used in the manufacture of covered buttons.
The shell, and with it the covering material, are pushed down the collar m, and
the shell, Figures 3 and 4, containing the spring Figures 1 and 2, is dropped
down the collar m, the open side of the shell, or that exposing the spring,
being uppermost; and lastly, the back of the button, Figure 8, is dropped
into the collar m. The tube n is brought down, and collects or gathers in the
covering material. A peg is then pushed down the tube n, and presses the
back of the button into the shell, taking with it the spring and shell, Figures 3
and 4, the edge of the covering material being also carried under the edge of
the back into the shell. This being done, the tube n is withdrawn, the collar
m is removed, and the button pushed out of it, after which it is subjected to
the usual mode of finishing. In applying the foregoing improvement to metal
buttons, I drop the shell containing the spring into the shell forming the face
of the button, and close in the back in the ordinary manner. The detachable
shank to be used with the button constructed as above described is repre-
sented in Figures 10 and 11, Figure 11 being a plan of the base and foot, and
Figure 10 a vertical section of the same, with an ordinary shank soldered in it.
The base and foot are thus constructed :-I take sheet brass of five lines in
thickness (forty such lines being equal to an English inch), and cut from it

page_text: discs nine lines in diameter. These discs are put separately in the cavity
formed by the top of the die o and the collar p, Figure 12, and receiving
while there a sharp blow, a part becomes spread over the face of the collar p,
as seen at q. The collar p is now removed, conveying the disc in it, and a
hole is pierced in the disc while still on the collar. The perforated disc is
now removed from the collar p, and the circular shoulder q is clipped square,
and of such a size as to pass freely into the square hole in the back of the
button. This square part I call the foot, and the circular or cylindrical part
the base of my detachable shank.
This shank is attached to and detached from the button in the following
manner In order to attach it (supposing the shank to be sewn to a gar-
ment), the back of the button is presented to the shank in such a manner that
the square hole in the former corresponds with the foot or square part of the
latter. The shank enters the hole in the back of the button, but is prevented
by the spring entering the interior of the button; it is therefore necessary to
press the button against the shank so as to counteract the elastic force of the
spring. The square foot of the shank immediately enters the interior of the
button. When it has entered to a depth greater than the combined thick-
nesses of the back of the button, Figure 7, and the perforated disc, Figure 6,
the button may be turned upon the shank as an axis, without the pressure
which was exerted in introducing the shank into the button; and when, by
the rotation of, the button, the square foot is made to correspond with the
squarex, Figure 8, the foot of the shank is pressed by the spring into the
The button is now so firmly
square a, Figure 8, and held there securely.
attached to the shank that it cannot be detached by accident. The mode of
removing the button from the shank is so obvious that I deem description
unnecessary.
Another of my improvements relates to the employment of materials suit-
able for the faces of buttons (such as silk, satin, cloth, gilt or plated metals,
horn or tortoiseshell, in such a manner as to use a less quantity of such mate-
rials than is used in the ordinary method of manufacturing buttons.
In applying. this improvement to buttons having metal backs I proceed as
follows, namely:-I make a ring of metal (I prefer brass) of the form repre-
I also form
sented in plan in Figure .13, and in section in Figure 14.
another metallic ring shown in plan in Figure 15, and in section in Figure 16.
I then cut a piece of cloth or other suitable material in the form represented
in Figure 17. I place the cloth on the ring, Fig. 15, (the narrow part or neck
of the ring passing tightly through the hole in the middle of the cloth). The
ring, Figure 13, is then placed on the neck of the ring, Figure 15, and the

page_text: whole placed on a peg die fixed on the bed of a fly press. The greatest dia-
meter of the ring, Figure 15, being downwards, a punch, fixed to the bolt of
the press, is brought down upon the neck of the ring, Figure 15, and spreads
it over the face of the ring, Figure 13. The whole has now the appearance
shown in section in Figure 18. The button in this stage of its manufacture is
removed from the die, and a back, Figure 19 (such as is commonly used for
covered buttons, excepting that it has no raised edge), is dropped into the ring,
Figure 15. The whole is again put on a peg die, and a suitable punch is
brought down upon the ring, Figure 15, so as to close it over, and thereby hold
the back. The whole is removed from the die, and the cloth to form the shank
is put into the shell, and forced through the back, so as to form a shank.
Figure 20 represents in section the apparatus to which the button is next
subjected. r is a die, having a cylindrical cavity at its centre, as shown at s;
t is a cylindrical piece of brass, made to slide easily up and down the cavity in
the die ; the top of this brass is turned of a form suited to the button in
process of manufacture, and has a cylindrical cavity u in its axis; v is the bed
of the fly press, and w the work bench on which the press is fixed; y is a rod
passing casily through the work bench, the bottom of the press, and the
bottom of the dier; the upper end of this rod is screwed in the cylindrical
hole in the brass t, and the lower end is connected to a cord z passing over a
pulley 1; the end of this cord is attached either to a stirrup or to a lever
jointed to the floor in such a manner that by pressing thereon the rod y and
brass t may be raised; a weight attached to the cord z', brings the brass t and
rod y down again, when the foot is removed from the above-mentioned stirrup
or lever.
Before describing the mode of using this apparatus, I will describe the mode
of making the discs to form the fronts of my improved buttons when such
fronts are made of a woven fabric. I take sheets of iron of such a size as is
convenient for using at a press; I spread upon these sheets of iron a thin
coat of the following composition, namely, black or colored scaling-wax, dis-
solved in spirit of wine to the consistency of cream, one part, and a quantity
not exceeding one tenth part of a solution of caoutchouc or india rubber in
coal naptha. The fabric to be used for the face of the button is laid on the
iron coated with the composition, and, being placed between two thin sheets
of metal, the whole is passed between rollers to make the fabric lie evenly
on the iron; or I put the iron and the attached fabric under a press, or I
simply lay a sheet of metal on them, and place weights on the metal ; to
whichever of these processes I subject the plates of iron and the attached
fabric I allow them to remain several hours before using, in order that the

page_text: composition may set and hold the fabric securely to the iron. In cutting out
the discs from the fabric thus attached to sheets of iron the following precau-
tions should be observed:-The face of the fabric should be placed downwards
on the die, and the face of the punch should be turned convex or flat, accord-
ing to the form intended to be given to the face of the button; the face of the
die should have a narrow bearing around the cutting edge, so that only a
slight mark may be made around the apertures formed by cutting out the
dises; the discs may thereby be cut very close to each other, and unnecessary
waste of the material be prevented. The discs are thus cut and shaped at one
operation In cutting out a material having any design or pattern on it,
which design or pattern I wish to be placed in the centre of the face of the
button, I proceed as follows; namely, I take an iron plate to which the fabric
is attached, and place it (the fabric being upwards) on a die 19, Figure 29,
fixed on the head of a fly press.. This die has a small cavity in the middle, as
seen in the Drawing.. I then cause a pointed punch 20 to, descend on the
fabric, the latter having been previously so placed that its point corresponds
with the centre of the pattern; the descent of the punch makes a slight
indentation in the plate of iron. A point is thus obtained on the uncoated
side of the plate of iron, exactly corresponding to the centre of the pattern of
the fabric, and in cutting out discs from the plate of iron thus treated I use
a punch, in the centre of which is a slight depression corresponding to the
projection of the uncoated side of the iron plate. Before the punch is brought
down upon the die, the uncoated side of the iron is pressed upwards against
the punch, and moves until the projection on the former enters the depression
in the latter; the punch being then brought down, a disc is cut from the metal
plate and attached fabric, the pattern on the front of which is in the centre
of the disc. The discs are fixed in the buttons in the following manner :—A
.tube 2, Figure 21 (shewn also separately in Figure 22), the internal diameter
of which is such that the disc can just enter it tightly, is put upon a peg 3
fixed on the work bench 4, and a disc placed face downwards in this tube.
The top of the peg 3 preserves the disc in a horizontal position. The tube
holding the disc is removed from the peg 3, and introduced into the die
Figure 20, into which die a button in that state of its manufacture last de
scribed has been previously put. The inclined edge of the tube 2 during its
descent in the die gathers in the cloth, and the punch of the fly press being
brought down forces the disc forming, the front of the button into the shell
the cloth being at the same time carried in the shell under the disc; the
punch is now raised, and the foot being applied to the lever or stirrup of the
cord 2, the brass t rises and throws the button out of the die r. The button

page_text: is lastly subjected to the action of the die and punch, Figure 23. The die 5
is turned of the exact form it is intended to give to the face of the button, and
the punch 6 corresponds in form to the back of the button. After the last-
described operation, the button is placed face downwards in the die 5, Figure.23,
and the punch 6 is brought down upon it; the back of the button is thereby
closed down, and the front becomes moulded to the form of the die.
I sometimes modify the last-described improvement in the following
manner: I form. with suitable tools, a shell, of the shape represented in
Figures 24 and 25. This shell I form of brass in preference to any other
metal. A piece of covering cloth is cut of the form represented in Figure 17;
excepting that the hole in the middle is less, the said hole being made of such a
size that the neck of Figures 24 and 25 passes tightly through it. This shell,
with the cloth stretched on its neck, is placed (its greater diameter being down-
wards) on a peg die fixed on the bed of a fly press; a suitable punch fixed
to the bolt of the press is brought down upon the neck of the shell, Figures 24
and 25, and spreads it over the covering material, which is thus held securely.
An iron washer pierced in the centre is dropped into the frame to support the
flexible shank and give strength to the button, and the cloth to form the
flexible shank is forced through the aperture. The whole is now put into
the dier, Figure 20, with a sliding plug, having the top side suitable for
the button, and completed by having a disc introduced by the tube 2, Fig. 21,
and forced in, as herein-before described. The button is finished by being
submitted to the die, Figure 23, the punch of which is conveniently formed.
I sometimes fix metal shanks to buttons, formed (excepting as regards the
shanks) in the manner last described. I form the frame as shewn in plan in
Figure 26, and in section Figure 27, and drop in an iron washer made to
correspond in form and size with the bottom of the frame. I prepare a
shank by soldering a common shank 7 to a disc of metal 8, (I prefer brass)
as seen at Figure 28); in the disc 8 I put a small leaden washer 9, and
upon that a collet 10; the rim of the disc 8 is turned over the foot of this
collet, the neck is then put through the hole in the centre of the disc of
covering material, and also through the holes in the centres of the frame,
Figures 26 and 27, and the iron disc placed therein, the top of the collet is
then closed over the top of the iron washer in the inside of the frame, Figures
26 and 27, and the covering material is thus held firmly; this frame is then put
in the die, Figure 20, the dise forming the face of the button is introduced by
the tube, Figure 22, and the whole completed, as herein-before described.
I will now point out what I consider the principal advantages.in my Inven-
tion of certain improvements in the manufacture of buttons. My improvement

page_text: in such buttons as have detachable or moveable shanks has the following
advantages-The aperture at the back of the button at which the shank
enters is of the same form as that part of the shank which enters it, and
consequently the difficulty sometimes experienced in other buttons having
moveable or detachable shanks, of ascertaining the relative positions to be
observed between the shank and button in introducing the former into the
latter, does not exist in my improved button.
Another advantage possessed by my improvement in such buttons as have
moveable shanks is, that there is no difficulty in effecting the fastening of the
shank to the button when the former has been introduced into the latter as
before described, the simple rotation of the button without pressure being all
that is necessary; and when the button and shank have been brought into
the proper relative positions the former is arrested, and without any further
trouble secured to the shank.
Another advantage, possessed by my improved button with a detachable
shank is, that, having four points of support between the button and shank, it
is less likely to fail in its operations than buttons having detachable shanks
otherwise constructed.
:-
The advantages possessed by my second improvement are the following:
The raised frame or moulding formed on the edge of the button protects the
more costly or delicate material of which the central part is composed from
injury, while my improved method of forming the fronts of buttons by securing
(with any suitable cement or composition) the material when a woven fabric
on metallic plates enables me to effect a great economy in the material of
which such fronts are made, such fronts having less surface than the face of
the finished button.
I do not confine myself to the precise methods of carrying my improve
ments into effect herein-before described, neither do I limit myself to the
exact forms or proportions of the various parts of my improvements, nor to
the composition of the cement used for attaching a woven fabric to metallic
plates for the fronts of buttons, but reserve to myself the right of using any
convenient methods, forms, and proportions of parts and compositions by which
my Invention, as herein-before described, can in its general features be carried
into effect. I wish it however to be understood that I do not claim exclusive
right to the various parts of my Invention separately considered; neither do I
claim the machinery and processes herein-before described, apart from their
use in carrying my Invention into effect; neither do I claim exclusive right to
the construction of buttons having moveable or detachable shanks, as buttons
having detachable shanks are or may be already in use.
But I claim,

page_text: First, the method herein-before described of constructing buttons with
moveable or detachable shanks.
Secondly, the method herein-before described of constructing covered
buttons, by which the discs used for the fronts of such buttons are less in size
than the face of the finished button.
Thirdly, the mode herein-before described of cutting discs for the points of
buttons, the patterns on which are in the centres of such discs.
And, lastly, the mode of covering sheet iron or other metal with material
to form the face of buttons in sheets, and cutting out discs therefrom, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bridges, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.