Improvements in Dash-boards and Wheel-guards for Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE WALTER POWELL, of the City of Lockport,
in the County of Niagara and State of New York, United States of America,
Clergyman.]
Improvements in Dash-boards and Wheel-guards for Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to the construction of dash-boards and wheel guards for
vehicles and more especially to a dash board and wheel guard in which the covering
consists of a substitute for leather.
Prior to my invention finished leather coverings have been secured to metallic dash
frames by stitching, but by this method the stitches remain exposed to the action of
the weather which causes the same to fade and rot, rendering the dash board unsightly
and allowing the parts of the covering to split or become separated. Dash-boards have
also been constructed of layers of paper or paper-board secured to opposite sides of
the dash frame by cementing, but this construction is objectionable because the glue
or cement becomes disintegrated by the action of the weather, causing the layers of
the covering to split and warp.
My invention has for its object to produce a cheap, strong and durable dash-board
or wheel-guard which shall be sightly in appearance and in which all pores and
crevices are closed rendering the dash impervious to water and preventing warping
and bulging thereof.
The invention consists to these ends in securing the covering to the dash frame in
an uncoated state by stitching, and then coating and finishing the covering, thereby
sealing the meeting edges of the covering, closing the stitch or needle-holes and
protecting the thread from decay.
In the accompanying drawing:-
Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved dash-board.
Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts in both figures.
In constructing my improved dash-board, a covering A, consisting preferably of
manilla rope-board or similar tough and flexible material, is placed in its raw,
commercial and uncoated condition on opposite sides of the metallic dash frame B
and tightly held thereon by clamps, applied to the contiguous edges of the covering.
The covering is then firmly secured to the dash frame by lines of stitching
extending along opposite sides of the bars of the dash frame, as shown in the
drawings. After the covering has been stitched to the frame, the clamps are
removed and any well known sizing or coating which is impervious to water, is
applied to the outer surfaces of the covering by dipping the covered frame into a
vat of sizing, or by means of a brush, or in any other suitable manner.
By this treatment, the meeting edges of the covering and the needle holes are
tightly sealed so as to effectually exclude water, and the stitches are covered and
protected by the sizing, thereby preventing fading of the thread, retarding its decay
and lengthening the life of the covering.
When the sizing becomes dry, the covering is given several coats of finishing
material, each coat being rubbed and polished if necessary, thus imparting to the
covering a rich black lustre resembling that of a polished leather covering.
I prefer to use as a finishing coat, a composition consisting of linseed oil,
asphaltum; japan and varnish, but any other finish may be employed, if desired.
My improved dash board possesses greater strength and is less liable to crack
[P621

page_text: than a dash having a stitched leather covering in which the thread is unprotected,
and it is more durable than a cemented paper covering, as the stitching prevents
splitting of the layers.
A covering of the leather may be applied to the dash frame in a raw, uncoated
condition and finished afterwards according to my improved method, but I prefer
to employ manilla rope-board or a similar flexible substitute for leather, as the
same is not only cheaper, but thinner and lighter and therefore more easily stitched
to the dash frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
A dash-board or wheel-guard consisting of a rigid frame, a covering of uncoated
manilla boards applied to opposite sides thereof and secured by lines of stitching, and
an impervious coating applied to the stitched covering, whereby the latter is finished
and the stitching and needle holes are protected and sealed, substantially as set
forth.
0811
A
1100n
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.