IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR IRONING OR FINISHING HATS
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
September 1874.-A communication from abroad by Robert E.
Brand, of Plainfield, County of Union, and State of New Jersey,
United States of America.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR IRONING OR FINISHING HATS," to be as
follows:-
:-
The object of this Invention is to furnish a hat ironing or finishing
machine, which is driven by steam or other motive power, so as to
facilitate and expedite the finishing of hats of all kinds in a more rapid
and superior manner.
The Invention consists of a hat block supporting disk, which is
rotated in a horizontal or vertical position by being thrown into gear
with a driving shaft. A quadrantal guide mechanism and spring clamp
carries the disk into vertical position. The tops of the hat and brim are
finished by the iron in the former position, the side of the hat being
finished in the latter. The hat and hat block are then transferred and

page_text: adjusted to a second rotating disk with central aperture, cushion, and
spring clamps for finishing the under side of brim. The finishing iron
is made adjustable in any direction and at different heights on the top
of the supporting frame, and readily used on either side, it being
detachable with its supporting frame for the exchange of the heating
iron.
The driving shaft of the machine is mounted in suitable bearings on
the supporting frame or table; also an intermediate shaft connected by
gear wheels and thrown in and out of gear by a clutch mechanism.
The second shaft imparts rotary motion by intermeshing conical gear
wheels or belt connection to the vertical shafts of two block supporting
disks, which are set into corresponding recesses of the top part of the
frame.
The shaft of one disk is hung near its upper end to a lateral pivoted
cross bar, and set with the lower end into a slotted quadrantal guide
bracket for the purpose of throwing the disc from the horizontal into
vertical position by means of a hand crank attached to the outer end of
said cross bar. The vertical and horizontal position of the shaft is
firmly secured by a double spring brake or clamping device, which is
attached to the quadrantal bracket and operated by a vertical shaft
provided with a hand crank connected by chains or wire ropes with the
ends of the spring, these spring brakes acting on a friction roller of the
disc shaft and releasing the same by turning said crank, the extent of
forward motion of each brake being defined by suitable stop pins:
The rotary motion of the disc shaft when thrown over into the hori-
zontal position is produced by a vertical shaft gearing by conical end
wheels with the transmitting shaft and the disc shaft.
The hat block is attached by suitable fastening screws to the top of
the disc, and one hat after the other placed thereon to be finished with
the iron at the crown and upper side of the rim. For finishing the side
of the hat body the disc is thrown on its quadrantal guide bracket into
vertical position, and the hat then sidewise exposed to the finishing
iron.
The front part of the frame of the machine is provided with pivoted
stons for blocking the disc readily into horizontal or vertical nosition if

page_text: The second disc serves for the purpose of attaching the hat and
finishing the under side of the brim, and is provided with a central
perforation, into which the hat and hat block are inserted. It [is
changed for each size of block as required in the course of working the
machine. This disc is supported on a conical bracket frame keyed by
its connecting base part to a vertical shaft, and provided centrally below
the aperture of the disk with a cushion attached to a spiral spring, on
which the top of the hat and block is placed, while the side of the hat
is firmly held by spring clamps, which are also attached to the base of
the bracket frame. These clamps are operated by means of rods pivoted
to elbows of the conical bracket frame and radial arms of a sleeve
operated by a pivoted hand lever projecting at the front of machine,
whereby the spring clamps are opened and closed.
The finishing iron is a hollow casing of oblong shape, with square or
other cross section, into which the heated iron is inserted by a sliding
end gate, the iron being hung to a U shaped support, which is centrally
pivoted to side bars and acted upon by band springs for producing the
flexible motion of the iron.
The iron may be used in every direction and on each side successively
by turning it in its support by means of a crank handle which is locked
to the support by a sliding spring bolt and rigidly fastened to the
perforated pivot head of the gate by another bolt. The end of the iron
opposite to its gate turns in a sleeve which is pivoted to the forked arm
of the support, so that the iron may not only be turned readily in the
same but also be carried in downward direction for opening the end
gate and changing the heating irons.
The slide bars of the support move in a slotted frame and rest thereon
by T shaped lateral pieces provided with a handle, so that the position
of the finishing iron is readily changed along the frame. The rear end
of the frame is attached by a hook to a perforated swivel which turns on
a sliding piece, whilst its front end has a handle for governing the iron.
This sliding piece slides on a longitudinal rail which is pivoted at one
end to the top of machine frame and at the opposite end to a vertical
rod operated by a pivoted lever from the front part of the frame, serving
to raise or lower the rail, and with it the iron supported thereon, so that
it may be applied to high crowned hats, and a free and unrestricted use
of the same in every direction and position obtained.

page_text: The corners of the iron near its pointed end may be flattened for a
short distance for the purpose of applying full force to any point of the
hat, as for cutting in the band and other purposes.
A spring lever attached to the top may be applied to the iron to press
it firmly against the block for cutting in the band.
Spring hooks are attached at suitable points of the table and carried
over the iron supporting frame, so as to allow the operation of the iron
in any position on the hat without the use of the hands..
E
The ready adjustability and flexibility of the iron admits of just as
perfect a finish as if done by hand, while the rapid rotation of the block 1
supporting disks economises time and labor and allows even unskilled
workmen to reach soon a high degree of perfection.