Improvements relating to Apparatus for the Manufacture of Hats.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Apparatus for the Manufacture of Hats.
I WILLIAM HENRY BLACKWELL 24 Manor Street near Manchester Patentee do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to a new manufacture or improvements in apparatus or new
applacation thereto, for hatting.
1st. With respect to those known as curling presses, the top brim plates used with
these curling presses are subject to being pressed or bent out of shape at the part
hollow viz. where the plate projects the crown of the hat when the press is in action-
to prevent this, I stop any presure or reduce the same to a minimum on the aforesaid
hollow or unsuported portion of the brim plate, to effect this 1 extend a shape or
brim plate protector which may be made of mettal or other suitable material, so as to
reach brim or about the brim or band angle of the largest hat, I then combine or
cover the outer edge or whole surface-the side next to the brim plate-with rubber
or other suitable material or as an equivalient for this, I may make a cap of rubber
or other suitable material to overlap the aforesaid mettal shape, the applacation of
the above rubber is to insure the combination-the india rubber & the plate protector-
working effective, the rubber beding & accomadating itself to the differient heights,
arches, & shapes of the frames or bases used, & the elastical working top brim plate
with my improved cup or base which I hereinafter mention, the aforesaid brim plate
protector will work outside the bag used with these curling presses, the protector may
be made as a combination-vic.-protector top nut, & brim plate stay-the brim plates
being perforated so as to be accommodating to recive the nut, or I may form on the
plate protector two or more pegs & suitably perforating the brim plates to recive the
same; the aforesaid improvements may equally apply to those known as setting
presses.
2nd. In the cup or base which sustains the top brim plate, I form on the cup or
base a series of chambers to recive-prefferably-spirial springs & suitable pins for
compressing the same, I may combine with these pins a circular plate to give sufficient
bearing surface for the brim plates.
3rd. With regard to those known as setting presses, water is now used with the bag
or chamber rubber to obtain the necessary presure or elastical beding on the brim
of the hat, I dispense with this water & inflate the rubber or fill the chamber with air,
with a suitable apparatus which may be portable or combined with the machine. The
aforesaid rubber used with these machines are very liable to fracture at the joints, to
prevent this I apply a joint ring with a full surfaced well rounded inner edge for the
bag to bear against, in place of an angle edge as heretofore, this may apply to other
hat presses in a like manner liable to fracture at the joint.
4th. In felt hating there is no guarantee in geting the crown, brim, & curl of a hat
parallel or lineable with the oval, the unparallelism is chiefly caused in the curling of
the hat. To obviate this, I make steel or other plates or rings on which I form pegs,
these plates are to be used with dishes or shapes in which the hats are pressed to thore
whole extents, the aforesaid plates will be on the brim part of the dish when in use,
& the dish will be perforated so as to recive the aforesaid pegs on the plates, or I may
use screws or other suitable means to keep the plates in possition, I perforate, indent,
or form projections "centrally & prefferably at the back & front of these
indicator plates in sets to suit different widths, or I may form a set of indicators on
one ring or plate to suit a set of sizes & widths as the case may require. The object
of the aforesaid perforations is, that when a hat is pressed with one of these per-
orated plates or rings, the parts of the hat pressed into the perforations will give a
"

page_text: corrisponding distinctive parts on the brim of the hat & on a line with the oval of the
crown, this being a guidence for the curling operator & others.
5th. In the case of those presses used to press the hat hits whole extent I make a
bag protector in one or more parts, of leather or other anamal hide, the same may be
made metallic or combined with or work in conjunction with other material as the
case may require.
W. H. BLACKWELL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Apparatus for the Manufacture of Hats.
L
I WILLIAM HENRY BLACKWELL 24 Manor Street Hooley Hill near Manchester
patentee 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:
1st. With regard to those known as felt hat curling and like presses, the top
brim plates used with these presses, get pressed out of shape centrally, by reason
of this part of the plate not being solid, or supported under the pressure of the
bag, to prevent this in future I make a metal shape or brim plate protector, to
recive the presure, and which will extend to about the brim or band angle of the
largest hat.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 shews a perspective view of my improved
brim plate protector and Fig. 2 illustrates the same applied to a curling press.
In both views a is the brim plate protector constructed of malleable iron and
the outer edge of which extends to about the band angle of the hat-as indicated
by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The central portion b is thickened out and is pro-
vided with a screwed boss c for screwing upon the central pin d of the curling
press. Projecting from the face of this central thicker portion bare a pair of
pins or studs ee which are designed to pass through corresponding perforations
formed in the top brim plate f and thus I ensure such plate being affixed in the
exact central position with regard to the base frame or shape g below.
In this manner I not only support the central portion of the brim-plate when
under pressure and prevent the same becoming injured. or bent as aforesaid but I'
dispense with the loose plate and separate screw-nut hitherto used.
"
2nd. In the cup or base for the centre pin or set-screw which sustains the top
brim plate of a curling press, illustrated by perspective view in Fig. 3-and as
applied to a curling press in Fig. 4. I form a series of chambers or recesses to
receive preferably spiral springs h¹ mounted upon pins depending, from tlie under,
side of a circular plate i-see separate perspective view Fig. 5. These, springs
press at their upper extremities against shoulders formed on the pins and at
their lower extremities against the bottom of the chamber whilst the ends of the
said pins which project through to the outside are furnished, with screw nuts
prevent the cup falling off.
to
The circular plate i forms the bearing surface for the brim plate ; and is pressed
up against the under side of the brim plate by the cup being bored through
and provided in its boss with a screw thread forming a nut for screwing the cup,
upon the central pin.
F.
This cup or base so supported upon springs forms an elastic foundation or
spring cushion for the top brin plates used in this description of curling press and
to allow the said brim plates to work elastically so as to automatically adapt them-
selves to the different heights of shapes used in a curling press. This spiral spring
cup or base k affords dualistic, pressure viz. the hydraulic pressure when turned
on first compresses the springs more or less and then presses the hat brim, and
when the pressure is released again the springs in their turn and in the act of

page_text: relaxing force the water out of the chamber of the press and thus effect a con-
siderable saving in time. Instead of a series of springs I sometimes employ a
single central spring and I may form the screwed boss k¹ inside the hollow box
or base or employ a separate screw-nut.
3rd. With regard to those known as setting presses water is now used with the
india rubber bag to obtain the necessary pressure or elastic bedding on the brim. of
the hat as required in the act of setting the brim. Now I dispense with this water
and inflate the bag or fill the chamber with air and for this purposo I employ the air-
compressing apparatus or small hand pamp illustrated by sectional view in Fig. 6—
and as applied to a setting press in Fig. 7. In both the views a' is the air-com-
pressing cylinder which reciprocates upon the hollow piston rod / and in doing so
inflates the bag with air to any desired pressure. This rod at its lower extremity
is either provided with a stop cock m connected to the bag chamber o-in place of
the cistern hitherto used-as illustrated in Fig. 7 or the end of the cock may he
provided with a cupped india rubber washer p as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 secured
in position by a screw cap y (Fig. 11) and so arranged to receive the end of the
piston rod. In this latter case one air compressor would be applicable for inflating
the bags of several setting presses-the plain spigot end of the piston rod in this
case fitting the cupped washers of the several stop-cocks.
It will be obvious that other arrangements of air compressors might be employed
and hence I do not confine myself to the precise apparatus hereinbefore described.
4th. In felt hat making there has hitherto been no guarantee that the crown and
brim or curl of a hat would he parallel or lineable with the crown-the unparallelism
having been chiefly caused during the process of curling the hat. To obviate this I
make a thin steel or other plate or ring r see perspective view Fig. 12-on the under
face of which I form pegs ¹. This plato or ring hereinafter called the indicator
ring is to be used with the dish or shape of the hydraulic-press (in which the hats
are pressed to their whole extent) as illustrated in side-sectional view Fig. 13 and
plan view Fig. 14, being placed on the brim parts of the dish t (see Fig. 13) when
in use and the dish t being perforated with corresponding sized holes to receive the
pegs or I may use screws or other suitable means to keep the indicator ring upon
the said dish.
Upon the upper surface of the indicator ring I secure at the front and back of
the brim-a pair of markers u Fig. 12ª which project forwards beneath the brim of
the hat and thus serve.when the pressure is put upon the hat to mark the brim with a
distinctive mark at back and front and this in a true line with the oval of the crown-
this line or mark which would in no case extend further on the brim edge of the
hat than will be covered by the binding or trimming of the same-serving as. a
guide for the curling operator and others in the subsequent processes of the hat
manufacture.
The indicator ring may be provided with markers in different lengths (in sets) to
suit different sizes and shapes of hats.
Although I prefer an indicator ring as aforesaid it will he obvious that the marker
might be secured direct to or be formed upon the surface of the dish.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The improved brim plate protector substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated on the annexed drawing.
2nd. The improved elastical cup or base and circular plate provided with spiral
springs mounted and operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated on the drawings.
3rd. In hat setting presses the employment of air under pressure and the use and
application of hand pump or air-inflating apparatus substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated on the drawings.

page_text: 4th. The improved method of and apparatus for marking the brims of hats substan-
tially as and for the purposes hereinhefore described and illustrated on the accom-
panying drawing.
Dated this 6th day of December 1889.
WILLIAM HENRY BLACKWELL.