IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR SHAPING HATS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMITH, of Highbury Grange, in the Parish of Islington and County of
Middlesex, Merchant, 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 Twenty-first day of January, in the eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Smith, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege,
and authority, that I, the said John Smith, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said John Smith, my executors,
administrators, 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 men-
tioned, should and lawfully might nake, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR SHAPING HATS," being a communication
from a Foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said John Smith, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be enrolled in Her 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
John Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say)
This Invention of Improved Means and Apparatus for Shaping Hats,
which has been communicated to me from a Foreigner residing abroad, refers
to the operation of shaping the brim, which has hitherto been dependant for
its perfect performance on the dexterity of the workman. By this Invention I
am enabled to give to brims of hats more regularity of form than can be
produced by the ordinary process, and also effect a great economy in the time
and consequently the cost of the operation. The Invention consists essentially
in the employment of bollow moulds (heated by steam or other convenient
means), which are formed so as to give the proper shape to the brims of hats,
when pressed down upon such moulds by properly shaped weights, as hereafter
described. In order that the Invention may be clearly understood, I have
shewn two Sheets of Drawings, which represent the arrangement of apparatus
employed for this purpose.
In Sheet I., Fig. 1 represents in longitudinal elevation a framing carrying
a series of hollow moulds for shaping the brims of hats, and Fig. 2 shews the
same in plan view.. a, a, a, are the hollow moulds constructed of metal, and
shaped on their upper surfaces according to the style of hat brim desired to be
formed. These moulds are cach in connection with a steam pipe b, placed
longitudinally of the framing. c, c, c, are branch pipes to conduct the steam
from the pipe to the interior of the moulds. d, d, d, are cocks for cutting
off the supply of steam to the moulds when it is no longer required.
The waste steam and condensed water are drawn off' from the moulds by the
pipes e, c, e, which open into the waste pipe f. In carrying on the operation
of bending up the brims of hats and setting them into shape, I prefer first to
place the hats upon a mould formed like that shewn at a', and keep them in
contact therewith by the leaden weights g, g, cast to the form of the face of
the mould, and made to embrace the hat and cover nearly the whole of the
brim, as shown in the plan view, Fig. 2. A wet sponge having been passed
over the brim of the hat before placing it upon the mould, the heat conveyed
to the mould by steam, as before explained, will quickly soften the hat brim
and bring it into a pliable state to receive a further pressure, and when placed
upon either of the other moulds in the framing, which are finishing moulds of
various patterns. Upon referring to Sheet II. the form and construction of the
moulds will be more clearly seen. Fig. 1 is a side view of the mould.first to
receive the hat, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. h, i, are two pins

page_text: rising from the face of the-mould-to receive a block of wood, which is intended
to fit the hat, and keep it in a central position on the mould. Fig. 3 repre-
sents a similar mould with the hat upon it. Fig: 4 represents one of the
finishing moulds mounted on its framing, and in connection with the boiler for
supplying steam for heating the series of moulds. k'is the boiler set in brick-
work in the ordinary way, and 7 the fireplace. The steam is "conveyed' along
the pipe m to the pipe which runs longitudinally of the framing, and supplies
the moulds through the branch pipes, as above mentioned. Fig. 5 is a plan
view of the mould shewn at Fig. 4. Fig 6 is a cross section taken in the line
1, 2, of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is another cross, section taken in the line 3, 4, of
the same Figure. It will now be seen that if the hat (after the brim' has been
softened by the water and the heat of the mould a', as above explained) is
placed upon the block on the mould a, Fig. 4, and weights of a shape corre-
sponding to the surface of the mould are laid on the brim, it will be made to
assume the shape represented at Fig. 8. When therefore it is required to
vary the style of the brim according to the prevailing fashion or the peculiar
taste of individuals, it is only necessary to change the mould and its corre-
sponding weights, and any required style of brim may then be produced. The
time necessary for effecting the softening and shaping of the brim will depend
somewhat upon the nature of the substance of which the hat is composed, and
for the same reason the time will vary for keeping the hat upon the finishing
or shaping mould for the brim to set into its proper shape, but such matters
will be readily determined by the experienced workman. I have generally
found that one minute and a half is sufficient for softening the hat brim, and
about the same time is required to shape it on the finishing moulds; the hat,
with its wooden block, may then be taken off the mould, and when the brim
is cool the block may be removed from the hat.
In conclusion, I desire it to be understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the exact plan of operation above described, as the softening and
shaping may be done on one mould, and other plans may be adopted for
pressing down the brim instead of using the leaden weights. But I claim,
under the above in part recited Letters Patent, the construction and employ-
ment of moulds (heated by steam or other means) for shaping the brims of
hats, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
JOHN (L.S.) SMITH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-first day of July,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Smith came before our Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also
the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-first day of July, in the year above written.