IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING HORN AND BONE STRIPS SUITABLE FOR STIFFENING DRESSES AND CORSETS
Year: 1883

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Alexander Lyman of Old Bailey in the City of
London, Manufacturer for an Invention of IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
MANUFACTURING HORN AND BONE STRIPS SUITABLE FOR STIFFENING DRESSES
AND CORSETS." Communicated to him from abroad by William Alfred
Nettleton of Bridgeport in the State of Connecticut United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Alexander Lyman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1883.
HENRY ALEXANDER LYMAN of Old Bailey in the City of London Manufacturer
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING HORN AND BONE STRIPS SUITABLE
FOR STIFFENING DRESSES AND CORSETS." [Communicated to him from abroad by
William Alfred Nettleton of Bridgeport in the State of Connecticut United States
of America]
In the manufacture of corsets and the bodies of dresses thin strips of horn or
whalebone are commonly used to stiffen certain parts thereof but as lengths
measuring several inches are usually required the elastic material is often cut to
waste and thus small pieces which have little value remain on hand.
Now the object of this invention is to utilize this waste by converting the short
strips into continuous lengths from which, pieces of any desired length may be cut
as required.
To produce this novel manufacture I employ a braiding machine of peculiar
construction which I will now proceed to describe.
On a hollow horizontal spindle held at the middle by a clip bearing two discs
are loosely mounted. Fitted to each of these discs is a braiding bobbin and the
bosses of the discs serve as pulleys for bands leading up from a driving shaft
below.
One of these bands is crossed to enable it to impart to its disc rotary motion in
the opposite direction to that of the other diso
The waste strips of horn or whalebone which it is intended to convert into a

page_text: '
long elastic strip are fed into this machine by hand two strips being placed side
by side one somewhat in advance of the other and forced between a pair of
pressing springs or elastic jaws which present the strips to a pair of gripping
rollers.
These rollers which are driven from below deliver the strips into a guide box
composed by preference of two horizontal rebated bars overlaid by a plate of
glass. These bars are caused to approach each other and nip the strips between
them by means of springs which bear on the back of the bars and are capable of
adjustment.
From these bars the strips receive a lateral pressure and they are kept to the
same level by means of the overlying glass plate which shews the workman
whether the following strips are advanced sufficiently to make good butt joints
with the preceding strips.
I have said that the strips pass into the machine side by side this doubles the
thickness of the strip intended to be manufactured and care must be taken to
break joint so as to ensure in the manufactured article a uniform minimum
strength throughout.
Jisi F
The strips as they leave the guide box enter the hollow spindle which carries the
loose discs, and while entering this spindle the first' disc carrying a braiding bobbin
lays a thread helically around the strips.
In passing out of the other end of the hollow spindle the disc carrying the
second bobbin and rotating in an opposite direction will lay a thread around the
stripa in an opposite direction to the first thread and thereby bind the strips firmly
together.
1.
As the compound strip leaves the hollow spindle it passes through a guide to a
second pair of gripping rollers which draw it forward and deliver it out of the
machine.
I may find it desirable to apply a coating of paste or cement to the strip as it
leaves these rollers and then to pass the strip between heating surfaces in order to
set the paste and thereby prevent the braiding threads from becoming loose when
the strip is cut in pieces.
By this means it will be understood that I am enabled at a small cost to provide
long lengths of stiffening strips suitable for use by the dress and corset maker
without producing waste.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Alexander Lyman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st October 1883.
HENRY ALEXANDER LYMAN of Old Bailey in the City of London Manufacturer
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING HORN AND BONE STRIPS SUITABLE
FOR STIFFENING DRESSES AND CORSETS " à communication, to me from abroad
by William Alfred Nettleton of Bridgeport in the State of Connecticut United
States of America
In the manufacture of corsets and the bodies of dresses, thin strips of horn or
whalebone are commonly used to stiffen certain parts thereof, but as lengths
measuring several inches are usually required the elastic material is often cut to
waste, and thus small pieces which have little value remain on hand.
Now the object of this invention is to utilize this waste by converting the short
strips into continuous lengths, from which pieces of any desired length may be cut
as required.
To produce this novel manufacture, I employ a braiding machine of peculiar
construction, which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings
Fig 1 is a plan view of the machine complete
:
Fig: 2 is a longitudinal section taken at the line 1. 2 of Fig: 1
Fig 3 is an elevation of the feeding end of the machine: and
Fig: 4 is an elevation of the delivery end of the machine,
Fig 5 shews in cross section certain details of the machine the line of section
being taken at 3. 4 of Fig: 1
A A is a box casting forming the hollow base of the machine; bolted to this
casting is a cross head A' which forms a bearing for a short central hollow axle B.
Upon this axle two discs C C are loosely mounted-Fitted to each of these discs
is a braiding bobbin cc' charged with braiding thread. The bosses of the
discs CC serve as pulleys for bands d d leading up from pulleys D D' keyed to
a driving shaft D' mounted in bearings bolted to the underside of the base A.
The driving band d' is crossed to enable it to impart to the disc C¹ rotary motion
in the opposite direction to that of the disc C, which is driven by the uncrossed
band d
The waste or short strips of born or whalebone which it is intended to convert
into a long elastic strip will as nearly as possible be of a uniform gauge. These
strips are fed into the machine as at E E by hand, and brought under the action of
the braiding bobbins c c' to unite them into one continuous elastic strip by the
means which I will now describe
.
FF is a pair of springs which are fitted to a plate A³ made fast to the base A
which springs form a guide for directing the strips as they are fed by hand to the
machine into the grip of a pair of rollers G.
In feeding the strips to the machine by hand, two pieces are placed side by
side, care being taken that their rear ends do not coincide, but extend the öne
behind the other so as to ensure the formation of lap joints with the succeeding
strips.
The rollers GG are keyed on their respective vertical shafts G G having their.
bearings in the base A and sliding blocks fitted in the plate A³. Keyed to the
shaft G is a worm wheel g, into.. which gears a worm g¹ keyed to the driving
shaft D. The motion communicated through this gearing to the shaft Q and

page_text: its roller is transmitted to the shaft G and its roller by means of a pair of spur
pinions g².
The feed rollers deliver the strips into a guide box H. This guide box consists
of two horizontal rebated bars h h¹, set parallel to each other in a horizontal slot
cut to receive them in the plate A², and underlying these bars, but entering the
recess formed by their rebates, is a bar h³ which forms the bottom of the guide
box H.
Overlying this box is a glass plate h³ which forms a cover to the guide box.
The bars h h are caused to approach each other and nip the strips between
them by means of coiled springs h, recessed into the plate A' and bearing on the
back of the bars.
They are held in place in their recesses by means of adjusting screws h³.
Similarly, the bar h³ a vertical extension of which projects through a slot in the
plate A., is pressed upwards by means of coiled springs he, bearing upon and under-
lying plate h in contact with the vertical extension of the bar h. This plate h' is
held in place by screws 8 which pass through the springs he and plate h and
enter threaded holes in the plate A³. In passing through the guide box H the
strips E receive a lateral and an edgeway pressure, the uniform level of the strips
being maintained by the underlying bar h pressing them up into contact with the
overlying glass plate h³ which shows the workman whether the following strips
are advanced sufficiently to make good lap joints with the preceding strips
This plate is held down by a pair of clips 9 screwed to the plate A* and it is
extended rearwards to cover the forward ends of the guiding springs F and prevent
the strips from rising up above the springs.
These springs F are formed into loops at their rear ends to receive screwed pins
which hold them down to the plate A; they are further kept in place by a strap
piece f, which is screwed to the plate, and at their forward ends they are kept in
line with the bite of the rollers by means of stop pins f¹ standing up from the
plate, and at such distance apart as will allow of the springs yielding to any
increased thickness of the strips passing between them.
I have said that the strips pass into the machine side by side, This doubles the
thickness of the strip intended to be manufactured and care must be taken to break
joint so as to ensure in the manufactured article a uniform minimum strength
throughout, which strength is increased by lapping the forward end of each
succeeding strip upon the rear end of the strip preceding it
The strips as they leave the guide box H, propelled through the same by the
feed rollers G, enter the hollow axle B which carries the loose discs, driven as
before explained, by bands from pulleys on the main driving shaft. While
entering this axle, the disc C carrying a braiding bobbin c will lay a thread
helically around the strips, such thread being led off the bobbin c through
thread guides c projecting from the disc and made fast at its end to the
travelling strips..
In passing out of the other end of the hollow axle the disc C¹ carrying the
bobbin c¹ and similarly fitted with thread guides c* will lay a thread around the
strips E in an opposite direction to the first thread (the disc C' being for this
purpose driven in an opposite direction) and thereby bind the strips firmly
together.
As the compound strip leaves the hollow axle it passes through a guide I screwed
to the base A and enters the bite of a pair of rollers K which draw it forward and
deliver it out of the machine.
The grip of these rollers K and also of the rollers G is elastic or yielding; one of the
shafts K¹ of the rollers K which carries a loose roller being pivotted to the base A
so to rock thereon, and receiving a forward pressure from an india rubber block or
equivalent spring.
The shaft K of the other roller K which is driven, turns in fixed bearings
and receives motion through a worm wheel k and worm k' from the driving
ST2

page_text: The shafts of the roller G having their upper ends turning in sliding block
bearings as already explained are pressed towards each other (so as to give an
elastic bite to the rollers G) by means of springs g³ made fast to the rear end of
the base A
I may find it desirable to apply a coating of paste or cement to the strip as it
Jeaves the rollers K; and then to pass the strip between heating surfaces in order
to set the paste and thereby prevent the braiding threads from becoming loose
when the strip is cut in pieces
By this means it will be understood that I am enabled at a small cost to provide
long lengths of elastic stiffening strips of horn or whalebone suitable for use by
the dress and corset maker without producing waste.
Having now set forth the nature of the said Invention of "Improved Machinery
for manufacturing horn and bone strips suitable for stiffening dresses and corsets
as communicated to me from abroad by my Foreign Correspondent and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim :
The conversion of waste or short strips of horn or whalebone into a continuous
strip by means of a machine constructed and operating as above described such
machine consisting of a braiding apparatus situate between a pair of feeding and a
pair of delivery rollers the feeding rollers taking the strips from between a pair of
guiding springs and passing the strips to and through a guide box which presses
the strips firmly together preparatory to their receiving binding threads from the
revolving bobbins of the braiding apparatus, and the delivery rollers leading the
continuous strip out of the machine:
In witness whereof I the said Henry Alexander Lyman have hereunto set my
hand and seal the twenty ninth day of October in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
TIEND V A