IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Vero, of Atherstone, in the County of
Warwick, Hat Manufacturer, and James Everitt, of Atherstone aforesaid,
Hat Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, AND IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE."
Scaled the 15th December 1857, and dated the 15th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Vero and
James Everitt, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th June 1857.
We, CHARLES VERO, of Atherstone, in the County of Warwick, Hat
Manufacturer, and JAMES EVERITT, of Atherstone aforesaid, Hat Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS, AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements consist of the following methods of manufacturing hats
and other coverings for the head, and machinery or apparatus to be employed
in the said manufacture. We take a body or bat made of wool according to

page_text: the ordinary method, and after basining it into shape we take a separate bat
of fur, fine wool, or other material, with which the hat is to be finished, and lay
the latter upon the former and basin them together in the ordinary manner,
thus forming a fine surface on a course or inferior body; or, we take the wool
body, partly planked, and put a fine bat thereon with water and a brush, and
further plank until the felting is completed and the planking finished.
Our improvements consist further in applying a layer or stratum of a water-
proofing composition over the layer of shell-lac or other agent employed in
giving rigidity to the hat body, the said layer of waterproofing material being
immediately underneath the finished surface.
Our Invention consists further in the use of a basin heated by steam in the
manufacture of hats. The said basin consists of a vessel covered with a plate
of metal of much larger size than the top of the basin; steam is supplied
to the basin by which the plate or cover is heated at its middle, the heat
spreading in a less degree all round the middle.
Our Invention consists further of a pair of moulds or dies to be used in
manufacturing hats. The said moulds are made of metal or wood, or a com-
bination of metal and wood. One of the said moulds is convex and of a
size and form suitable for the reception thereon of the partially manufactured
hat, and the other mould is concave and fits upon the former, the partially
manufactured hat being held firmly between them by the brim. The two
moulds may be clamped together by their rims.
Although for convenience of description we have described the manufacture
of hats only, yet our Invention is applicable to the manufacture of all kinds of
coverings for the head, which are manufactured by methods similar to those
by which hats are manufactured.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Vero and James Everitt in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
VERO, of Atherstone, in the County of Warwick, Hat Manufacturer, and
JAMES EVERITT, of Atherstone aforesaid, Hat Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,

page_text: did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Charles Vero and James Everitt, Her special licence that we, the said Charles
Vero and James Everitt, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Charles Vero and James Everitt our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS
AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Charles Vero and James Everitt, our executors or administrators,*
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Vero and James Everitt,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists of the methods of manufacturing hats and other
coverings for the head, herein-after particularly decribed, and in the machinery
or apparatus, herein-after described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, to be employed in the manufacture of hats and other coverings for
the head.
In manufacturing hats and other coverings for the head according to our
Invention, we take a body or bat made of wool according to the ordinary
method of manufacture, and after having basined the said body or bat into
shape as is well understood, we take another separate body or bat made of
fur, fine wool, or other material with which the hat or other head covering is to
be finished. We lay the latter bat upon the former and basin them together
in the ordinary manner, thus forming a fine surface on a coarse or inferior
body. Or, we take the wool body or bat after it has been partially subjected
to the process called planking, and we put a fine bat upon the wool body with
water and a brush, and then proceed with the planking process until the
felting is completed and the planking finished. The fine bat must, in the

page_text: case of a hat, be extended to the underside of the rim, and, in the case of a
bonnet, to the interior of the front of the bonnet, unless it is intended to line
the front of the said bonnet with some other material, when the fine bat need
not be extended to the interior of the said bonnet. As the processes of
basining and planking are well known and commonly practised, and constitute
no part of our Invention, we do not think it necessary to describe the said
processes of basining and planking.
Our improvements consist further in applying a layer or stratum of water-
proofing composition over the layer of shellac or other agent employed [for
giving rigidity to the hat body, the said layer of waterproofing material being
immediately underneath the finished surface of the hat body. The water-
proofing composition we prefer to employ is india-rubber dissolved in any
quick drying solvent.
Our Invention consists further in heating the instruments called basins,
used in the manufacture of hats, by means of steam instead of by means of a
fire as ordinarily practised. This part of our Invention is represented in plan
in Figure 1, and in front elevation in Figure 2 of the accompanying Drawing.
The said basins consist of vessels a, covered by plates of metal b, the said
plates of metal being considerably larger than the tops of the basins a.
Steam is supplied to the basins a by means of the pipes c, the waste steam
and condensed water being carried off by the pipe d. The pipes c are fed
by the supply pipe e. The plates bare heated at the middle by the basins
a, the heat spreading in a lower degree all round the middle portion. When
the plates bare heated by the steam basins a according to our Invention,
they are more uniform in temperature than when heated according to the
ordinary method.
Our Invention consists further of moulds or dies to be used in the manu-
facture of hats. The said moulds or dies consist of the annular plates shown
in plan and elevation, and marked respectively fand 9 in Figures 3 and 4;
and also the convex metal mould, shown in elevation in Figure 5, and vertical
section in Figure 6, and marked h in the said Figures 5 and 6. The several
inoulds, Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, are represented in Figure 7, in the positions
which they occupy when in use; i, Figure 7, is a basin somewhat similar
to those marked a in Figure 2, but of larger size. The mould is placed
upon the basin i, with the convex metal mould h situated in the circular
opening in the middle of the said mould g. The body or rudely formed
hat is placed upon the mould h, the edge of the said body or hat lying
upon the mould g. The mould f is lifted by its handles and is dropped

page_text: 3
over the convex mould h. By a slight twisting motion the hooks are made
to engage under the heads of the pins m, and the edge of the body or hat is
thus held firmly between the moulds f and g. The hat having been steamed
before being put upon the mould h, and the said hat being kept warm by the
basin i, it gradually shrinks or contracts until it assumes the form of the
mould h. The edges of the hat are prevented from contracting by being held
between the moulds f and g. A hat or body, contracted upon the mould h, is
represented at n in Figure 7. The moulds g and h may be made in one
piece, and the mould f may have a cup-shaped middle resembling in form,
but somewhat larger than, the hat n; but we prefer the method; described and
represented in the Drawing, of carrying this part of our Invention into effect.
The mould f may be held down by any convenient means, instead of by
the hooks l, and the moulds f, g, and h may have any shape which the shape
of the hat to be made may require. Sometimes we dispense with the plate g,
and hold the edge of the unfinished hat under the plate f by a ring slipped
over the edge of the plate, between which ring and the edge of the plate the
rim of the hat is held.
Although for convenience of description we have described in general the
manufacture of hats only, yet our Invention is applicable to the manufacture
of all kinds of coverings for the head, which are manufactured by methods
similar to those by which hats are manufactured.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not
limit ourselves to the precise details described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention, but we
claim as our Invention,-
Firstly, the methods of manufacturing hats and other coverings for the head,
berein before described, that is to say, manufacturing the said hats and other
coverings for the head by the use of a bat of fur, fine wool, or other finishing
material felted upon a body or bat of wool, as described.
Secondly, applying a layer of waterproofing composition between the layer
of shellac, or other stiffening material employed, and the finished surface of the
hat body or other covering for the head, as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the machinery or apparatus to be employed in the manufacture of
hats and other coverings for the head, herein-before described and illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, beating
basins used in the manufacture of hats and other coverings for the lead by
the use of steam, as describe.l.

page_text: Fourthly, the moulds to be used in the manufacture of hats and other
coverings for the head, herein-before described, and represented in Figures
3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Vero and James Everitt,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
WILLIAM WILSON.
CHARLES VERO. (L.B.)
JAMES EVERITT. (L.S.)