IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTRASSES, CUSHIONS, BRUSHES, AND BROOMS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING CERTAIN MATERIALS APPLICABLE TO SUCH PURPOSES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BARSHAM, of Long Melford, in the County of Suffolk, Manufacturer of
Bitumen, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of October, in the ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, to give and grant unto me,
the said John Barsham, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Barsham, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Barsham, my
exors, admors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTRASSES, CUSHIONS, BRUSHES, AND BROOMS, AND IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING CERTAIN MATERIALS APPLICABLE TO SUCH PURPOSES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John'
Barsham, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Barsham, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My Invention relates, first, to improvements in the manufacture of mattresses
and cushions.
Secondly, to improvements in the manufacture of brushes and brooms.
And, thirdly, to improvements in the machinery used for preparing certain
materials applicable to such purposes.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows an end view of the machinery used for the preparing by
weaving the fibrous materials suitable for the making mattrasses and cushions
according to the first part of my Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section
of the same; and Figure 3 is a front view of the same; in which Figures the
same letters are used to indicate the same parts.
a, a, is the framing of the machine, the nature of which will readily be seen
on examining the Drawings; b is the batton, which moves on an axis c, and
the axis c of the batton is progoressively moved as the length of fabric is
increased; d is the reed; e is a board, which is introduced when the shed in
the warp has been opened in order to keep the shed sufficiently open for the
workman to introduce the tufts of fibres, as hereafter explained; f, f, is the
warp, which is wound on to the warp roller g, which is kept from unwinding
whilst the workman is at work, the elasticity of the warp being sufficient to
allow of the shed being opened, the workman letting off a small quantity of the
warp as it becomes too tight; h, h, is the harness, which are moved by means
of the lever i by the cords j. The work is carried on as follows:-Two work-
men are in front and one at the back of the warp work at the same time;
the man at the back changes the position of the lever i, to open the warp,
the lever i being retained in position by the band i¹.
The peculiar character of the first part of my Invention is so to weave tufts
of cocoa-nut fibre, or of hair, or other material sufficiently stiff to stand on end,
and by standing on end to give elasticity as a stuffing for mattresses and
cushions. The workmen have tufts of the fibres, which they bend and intro-
duce round two warp threads, one workman applying his tufts to the warp

page_text: threads, which may for the time being be at the back, and the other workman
applying his tufts to the warp threads at the front, and so soon as there has
been a tuft put in to each two warp threads at the back and each two
warp threads at the front, two weft threads by means of long needles are
thrown across between the two rows of tufts, and the batten is caused to
beat up the work;
then the board e is to be removed and the shed reversed,
so that the warp which was at the back will come to the front, and the
warp which was at the front will be next at the back; and in order to
give strength to the selvages, I have two or more extra warp threads at
the outer edges, on which no tufts are placed; and in order to give still
greater strength to the selvages, I lace or bind the outermost warp threads
into the other warp threads with an extra thread 7 by means of a needle; in
this manner a fabric is produced of such thickness, width, and length as may
be desired for making a mattress or a cushion; and then I cause the same to
be introduced into a case, or covered, as in making ordinary mattresses, and
the mattresses or cushions so made may or not be tied down at intervals, as
heretofore, according to the desire of the manufacturer. By this means may
mattresses and cushions be stuffed with fibres of the husk of the cocoa nut, or
with hair, or other fibres having sufficient strength or stiffness for such purpose.
And the first part of my Invention consists in thus stuffing mattresses and
cushions, and the third part of my Invention consists in arranging machinery
in the manner above described for performing the preparatory process of
weaving fibres for such purposes.
The second part of my Invention consists of various modes of making
brushes and brooms from fibrous materials suitable for such purposes, and
particularly from the fibrous matters obtained from the husk of the cocoa nut.
One part of my Invention consists in first spinning and then weaving the
fibres, so as to hold them together more securely and advantageously when
made up into brushes and brooms than by other modes of securing and
retaining fibres when making the same up into brushes and brooms.
Figure 4 shews a piece of fabric woven of cords of cocoa nut or other fibre
suitable for these purposes. A spaced warp m, m, is placed in a loom, and the
warp threads are so arranged in respect to the harness or heddles that half will
go up and half down at each time of opening the shed, and each time of opening
a shed the cords of cocoa nut or other proper fibre are introduced as weft, as
shewn at n, n. The fabric thus prepared will then be suitable to be cut up at
the dotted lines o, o, and the ends of the cords on either side of the warp are
then to be carded or combed out, which will readily be accomplished, as the
twisting of the fibres is only to be to such an extent as to hold together during

page_text: the process of weaving, or the carding or combing out may be done after
making up into brushes and brooms. The fibrus matter thus produced may
be made up into various forms for brushes and brooms.
Figure 5 shows a side view and sectional end view of a stair brush, or
duster, for other purposes.
It consists of the handle p, and a portion of the
weaving m, n, made fast to the handle by nailing. This brush is shewn as if
the carding or combing out of the fibre did not take place before making
the weaving up into a brush, as part only has been carded or combed out,
the other part remaining in the state of cords as when woven. And it will
be understood that the object of twisting the fibres is to retain them more
conveniently together when weaving, and it also allows of different lengths of
fibre being twisted into the same cording.
Figure 6 shows two views of the head of a broom made with a portion
of a similar weaving. In this case the weaving is folded at q, so as to
bring the two ends of the fibres in the same direction, and in this state the
weaving is nailed on, there being a binding plate r, as shewn. The peculiarity
of this mode of making brushes and brooms consists in the twisting and weaving
and then making up the brushes and brooms, as described, or other shaped
brushes and brooms may be made.
Figure 7 shews a front view, and Figures 8 and 9 two side views, of
a frame or apparatus for making a fabric which is to be converted into
brushes and brooms. In carrying out this mode of manufacture I cause a
cord of cocoa nut or other suitable fibre to be made as shewn at Figure 10;
this cord consists of four strands, each strand being of two yarns; but this
may be varied.
Two of such cords are folded to and fro in the frame,
Figures 7, 8, and 9, which consists of the two bars s, s, combined together
with screws t, t; one of the bars & is held fast in a vice or by other means,
and the workman having made one end of each of the cords fast, passes
them between the bars s, then he introduces a pin v, then he passes the cords
between the bars and introduces another pin and passes the cords back, intro-
ducing another pin v, till the length of the desired fabric is produced between
the bars s, then by means of a filling piece u the various folds of the cords are
driven close up together, and then the bars s are screwed up more tightly; the
workman than withdraws the pins v, and by means of needles and strong
waxed yarn fastens the whole together into a flat fabric, by passing the needles
so as to cross each other through the holes left open at each fold by the
withdrawal of the pins v.
And I would remark that it is important to cross the yarn in passing them
through and through by the needles, so as to tie the separate folds of cords closely

page_text: together. By this means the fabric, Figure 11, is produced, and this fabric may
be made up into two brushes by fastening the same on two handles or backs
w, w, as shewn at Figure 12, by means of nails and bands of metal, or other mate-
rial, as shewn, and then by cutting at the dotted line two brushes will be pro-
duced, one of which is shewn at Figure 13, the end of the fibres being carded
out by suitable coarse cards, placed on the periphery of a cylinder, the
diameter of which I prefer to be not more than five inches, in order to the
teeth going more closely into and opening the fibre, and if desired this brush
may have a back end piece applied at a, as shewn by applying a woven portion
prepared as before explained, as shewn at Figure 14, or the brush may be
be completed without such end x, according to the purpose to which the brush
so made is to be applied.
;
Figure 15 shows two views of a broom-head made with a similar fabric;
Figure 15+ shews two views of a strap connected to two pieces of metal
in the form of hooks, which I place on the fabric, Figure 11, as shewn by
dotted lines, so that in passing the fabric round the backs or handles of the
brushes the parts of the fabric may be kept more closely together, and
prevented opening at the part y. The peculiar character of this part of my
Invention is the making a fabric by cords, as herein described, and in this
mode the shapes of the brushes and brooms may be varied, and also the mode
of making up brushes and brooms may be varied so long as a fabric of cords
is first produced, as herein explained.
Another mode of making brushes and brooms according to my Invention
consists in first twisting cocoa nut or other suitable fibre into a proper cord,
and then by cutting off short lengths and bending them to introduce them
into grooves or channels. This will be understood by Figure 16, which shews
the handle of a brush having two grooves y, y, formed therein, which have
comparatively a narrow slit at the top. Portions of cord bent are succes-
sively introduced into a forked instrument, Figure 17, and successively forced
into the grooves, and when the grooves are full the end ones are made fast by
nailing or otherwise, and the fibres are combed or carded out.
In this manner
may brushes be made for machines for brushing cloth.
Figure 18 shows various views of a metal frame for making long brushes,
which may be fixed to a cylinder for making a cylindrical brush. The metal
is bent so as to produce a dovetail groove, into which the bent lengths of
cord are to be introduced, as before described, and then at the ends the
metal is to be folded in to fasten the end tufts, and the fibres are then to be
carded or combed out.
Another mode of making brushes and brooms consists in a manner of using

page_text: In
the husk of the cocoa nut without having first converted it into fibres.
carrying out this part of my Invention, I saw or cut up the husk into dovetail
forms, as shown at Figure 19, and I fill therewith handles or frames (with
suitable dovetail grooves, or grooves with an enlargement below), as shown at
Fig. 20, and fasten them therein, and in this manner make up brushes and
brooms. The fibres being on end will readily be deprived of the other matter
or dust of which husk is composed by means of a wire card.
Having thus described the nature of 'my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed; I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the details, so long as the peculiar character of either part of
my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,―
First, the mode of stuffing mattresses and cushions by masses of woven fibre.
Secondly, I claim the modes herein described of making brushes and brooms.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of arranging machinery for performing the
preparatory process of weaving, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Barsham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.