IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC FABRICS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CALEB
BEDELLS, of Leicester, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of February, in the seventh year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Caleb Bedells, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,.
that I, the said Caleb Bedells, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others.
as I, the said Caleb Bedells, my exors, adñiors, 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 ELASTIC FABRICS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Caleb
Bedells, 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
Caleb Bedells, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to a mode of manufacturing elastic fabrics by the
employment of looped fabrics, when two fabrics are cemented together with
india-rubber; and in order that the Invention may be most fully understood,
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me.
It is well known that fabrics made by stocking or knitting frames, and also
by warp frames or machines where the fabrics made are composed of loops,
that those fabrics are not only elastic but allow of being stretched in opposite
directions, and I have discovered that when cementing two fabrics together
with india-rubber, in a manner to obtain the elastic properties of the india-
rubber, it is very desirable to employ looped fabrics made in knitting frames
and warp frames, as by the use of such fabrics they will allow of being
extended in opposite directions, or only in one direction, as occasion may
require, and by the elasticity of the india-rubber they will again assume their
ordinary state; and owing to the peculiar character of the fabrics they will not
pucker or plait up when they contract after having been extended. The con-
struction of machinery for making knit or stocking fabrics and also warp
fabrics being well known, it will not be necessary to describe them here more
particularly, as I make no claim to any novelty in their construction or use;
nor do I make any peculiar description of knit fabric or warp fabric, in order
to carry out my Invention; and I have for the most part used plain fabrics,
though more or less ornamented fabrics might be used; but I prefer the closer
made fabrics to those with open work. I take two of such fabrics, the one to
be for the outer surface and the other for the inner surface or lining, and I
generally make them of the same degree of substance or fineness, though this
is not necessary, and may be varied according to the desire of the manufac-
turer; and I coat over one surface of each fabric with india-rubber cement,
in the same manner as if it were intended to make the two fabrics when stuck
together waterproof, and as has been been commonly practised when preparing
two fabrics with india-rubber to be stuck together in order to produce water-
proof fabrics; but in cases where the object is not to obtain a waterproof, as
well as elastic fabric, I only use so much india-rubber cement to the two-
fabrics as will cause them to adhere together securely, and become as one
fabric. Between these two surfaces of looped fabrics, I introduce several
strands or tapes of india-rubber in the non-elastic state, that is, strands or
tapes of india-rubber which has been extended, as is well understood, and held
in the extended state until it has become set and non-elastic, and these tapes

page_text: or strands of india-rubber, I place more or less close together in parallel lines
on one of the pieces of fabric so that by the cement thereon they may adhere.;
and I apply a coating of india-rubber cement on to the surfaces of the strands
or tapes of india-rubber, in order that they may adhere to both surfaces of the
fabric between which they are enclosed. The india-rubber on the two surfaces
of fabric being in a proper state, as is well understood when sticking two
fabrics together by means of india-rubber (the one fabric having the strands
or tapes of india-rubber thereon), they are to be brought together and pressed
so as to become as one fabric and then by applying heat the strands or tapes
of india-rubber may be rendered elastic, and they will contract themselves and
the two surfaces of fabric; and owing to those fabrics being looped fabrics
made by knitting or by warp frames, they will not by the contraction become
puckered or plaited up, hence it will be found that elastic fabrics of this
description will be very valuable for elastic boot tops, for bands and straps,
and for a variety of articles where this peculiar property of elasticity without
puckering is desired. When it is desired that the combined fabric should be
thoroughly waterproof as well as elastic, then the tapes or sheets of extended
india-rubber used will extend completely over the whole surface between the
two fabrics, by which means, and the india-rubber cement used in sticking the
same to the fabrics, the combined fabric produced when elasticated by heat,
will be both elastic and thoroughly waterproof. In some cases when causing
two surfaces to adhere together by india-rubber, the elasticity may be only
required at one part for a certain length, and at others only at intervals, leaving
intervals without elasticity produced by india-rubber strands or tapes, in which
cases the india-rubber strands or tapes will only be introduced between the
two surfaces of fabric at those places where it is desired that the elasticity
should be. In some cases I have, in place of applying the strands or tapes of
india-rubber between two surfaces of looped fabrics, caused the india-rubber
strands to be worked into one of the fabrics when making it in the machine,
as is well understood, and I have then caused another surface of fabric to be
stuck to the one containing the india-rubber strands by means of india-rubber
cement, and then by heat, I have obtained elasticity to the strands of india-
rubber contained in the combined fabric, which, however, is a more costly mode
of production, and not materially different from that above described. And it
is not absolutely necessary that the india-rubber strands or tapes or sheets
should be stretched out and set to render the same non-elastic before they are
introduced between two fabrics, though I believe that to be the most convenient
process.
The object of the Invention being to obtain cemented fabrics, by employing

page_text: the peculiar property of elasticity and capability of extension and contraction
of looped fabrics, combined with the properties of elasticity of india-rubber,
I would remark that in some cases I only use one looped fabric combined by
cementing with a woven fabric not looped, in which I employ the woven
fabric containing india-rubber strands and rendered elastic thereby, as is well
understood, and cement thereto a looped fabric. And I would remark that I
am aware that various fabrics have before been cemented together by means
of india-rubber, and therefore I make no claim to the simple act of cementing
fabrics together by india-rubber; nor do claim the rendering fabrics generally
elastic by means of india-rubber, various means having been resorted to for
such purposes; but what I claim is the mode of manufacturing elastic fabrics
by employing looped fabrics combined by cementing with india-rubber, in such
manner as to obtain the elasticity of the india-rubber conjoined with the
yielding or extending and contracting properties of such looped fabrics.
In witness whereof, I, the said Caleb Bedells, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.