IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR Apparatus FOR FELTING OR PLANKING HAT BODIES OR OTHER ARTICLES MADE OF FELT
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Bowden and Robert
Shaw at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 29th November 1870.
We, JOSEPH BOWDEN, of Marple, in the County of Chester, Merchant,
and ROBERT SHAW, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR Apparatus
FOR FELTING OR PLANKING HAT BODIES OR OTHER ARTICLES MADE OF FELT," to be
as follows:
Our Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for felting or
"planking" the bodies of hats or coverings for the head, or for felting other
articles made or formed in a similar manner. In such apparatus we
employ compound revolving rollers and we form each of the said rollers
of- a number of smaller rollers arranged in a circle around the axis of
revolution of the compound roller, and we cause each of the said smaller
rollers to revolve on its axis at the same time that the compound roller
revolves. A number of the said compound rollers are arranged to work
together in such a manner as that when a hat body or a number of hat
bodies. is or are placed between the said rollers the said body or bodies..
will be rolled and turned over by the compound rollers, and at the same

page_text: time will be subjected to a rubbing action arising from the revolving
motion of the aforesaid smaller rollers.
When constructing a machine in manner according with our Invention
we employ three or more of the said compound rollers according as may
be desired, but when making a machine to operate upon two charges of
hat bodies simultaneously we prefer to employ six of the said compound
rollers. Two of the said rollers which we will call the central rollers
revolve in fixed bearings fitted or formed in the framing of the machine,
and two more of the said rollers are fitted to revolve above and the
remaining two below the said central rollers, and the bearings of the
upper and lower pairs of rollers are arranged to slide so as that the said
pairs of rollers may be seperated from or be caused to approach the
central pair of rollers. The lower pair of rollers is pressed towards the
said central rollers by means of balance weights, or by other suitable
means, the upper pair gravitating towards the said central rollers.
Various means may be employed to cause the seperation of the
upper or
lower pair of rollers from the central pair of rollers, but we have found
chains acted upon by levers and treadles to be convenient. In order
that a revolving motion may be imparted to the whole of the compound
rollers we fix one of a pair of bevil or mitre wheels on the axis or
spindle of each of the said compound rollers the wheels gearing with the
two wheels on the spindle of the central rollers, being each fixed to one
of a pair of vertical shafts, the wheels gearing with the wheels on the
spindles on the upper and lower compound rollers, being also mounted
on the said shafts and fitted to slide thereon when the said rollers are
raised or lowered, the said wheels thus remaining in gear although the
distance between the said rollers and the central rollers is varied to any
extent practically required. The said vertical shafts receive motion
from the main driving shaft. It has been said that the smaller rollers
composing each compound roller also revolve. To effect this revolution
we fix a spur pinion on the axle or gudgeon of each of the said smaller
rollers, and we cause the pinions to gear with a spur wheel or ring of
cogs fixed in a position concentric with the axis of the compound roller.
The machine is fitted or supplied with the necessary cistern or tank or
tanks to contain the hot liquor in which the goods have to be dipped,
and is adapted to be attended to by two operators, one of whom works
with the upper rollers and the other one with the lower rollers, but in
some cases one operator will be sufficient. Taking for example the
operator first named, the said operator introduces between the upper

page_text: rollers and the central rollers the bat or bats or hat body or bodies or
article or articles to be felted, and then lowers or causes to be lowered
thereon the said upper rollers. The action of the rollers upon the goods
is continued as long as may be desirable, but in order that the amount
of felting may be regulated we prefer to employ a stopping motion
actuated by a train of gearing or by a worm and wheel or by worms
and wheels to cause the seperation of the upper and lower rollers from
the central rollers when the said rollers have completed a certain number
of revolutions during their operation on each charge. In lieu of one or
more of the aforesaid compound rollers we may employ rollers of an oval
form in cross section made of wood, earthernware, or other suitable
material and either formed in one continuous piece or in sections, or
composed of a number of smaller rollers as in the case of the aforesaid
compound rollers. After the hat bodies or goods have been operated upon
by the aforesaid rollers we sometimes subject them to the rubbing action
of an auxillary apparatus consisting of a table or plate to which a to-and-
fro reciprocatory motion is imparted, over which plate is suspended an
upper table or plate capable of being raised or lowered. The said hat
bodies or goods are placed between the said plates and are subjected to
the rubbing action of the moving plate whilst being pressed by the upper
plate which rests upon the said hat bodies or goods.