IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS RESEMBLING FELT, IN THE FINISHING OF FELT, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Neave, of Macclesfield, in the County of
Chester, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE
MANUFACTURE OF HATS RESEMBLING FELT, IN THE FINISHING OF FELT,
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR,'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Neave at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th May 1881.
JOHN HENRY NEAVE, of Macclesfield, in the County of Chester. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS RESEMBLING FELT, IN
THE FINISHING OF FELT, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
This Invention relates, firstly, to a new or improved method of manufacturing
hats by means of covering buckram, calico, or any suitable woven, felted, or other
material with flocks or any short stapled wool, cotton, silk, fur, or other material
applicable for the purpose, either before or after forming into the shape of a hat,
and, secondly, to an improved method for finishing these hats, or felt hats and felt
cloths.
The process for manufacturing hats or caps consists in blowing onto or otherwise
covering shapes with flocks or other short stapled material such as wool, cotton,
silk, or fur, the shapes, which may be made of any suitable material, having been
previously covered with waterproof varnish or glue, gutta percha, india-rubber, or
other sufficiently adhesive substance. The flocks are then pressed on by placing
the hat in a suitable hydraulic or screw press, or by ironing, or employing any
other means which will cause the coating of wool or other material to adhere
firmly to the shape over all its surface.
Or the hats may be made of buckram, cloth, or other material which has been
coated with the cotton, wool, silk, fur, or powder in the piece, and afterwards
blocked into the desired shape, or the cloth so made may be sewn or cemented
into shape for hats or caps.
Hats made by this process may be made to resemble ordinary felt hats, and
when made of suitable woven material, well coated, will possess a great amount of

page_text: durability. They may also be made much lighter in weight than ordinary felt
hats, and when desired, a hat with the appearance of a felt hat may be made porous
and semi-transparent as a straw hat.
These hats may be made of all colours, and according to the amount of stiffening
used they may be made hard or soft as desired. The cloth covered as described
may be made from its lightness peculiarly suitable for hat bands.
The hats made as described and felt hats may be finished by holding the hats
against a stone, emery wheel, or cylinder covered with sand paper, glass, or emery
paper, or other suitable roughened or cutting surface prepared in such a manner as
not to possess too great a cutting power, and revolving with sufficient velocity to
impart a beautiful gloss to the material operated upon. For this purpose machines
of various designs may be used. A simple form for such machine will consist in
having a revolving shaft supported by two pedestals, between which is placed on
the shaft and revolving with it the stone emery wheel or cylinder or shell covered
with glass-paper or the other material preferred. Near the circumference of this
drum or shell, and as a matter of convenience usually placed below the centre, a
rest is placed, which by preference is covered with a pad. This rest may be held
against the drum or stone by means of a spring or tension, or may be worked by
a treadle and the pressure regulated by the foot. The hat being placed over the
rest may be allowed to be drawn slowly round by pressing against the rapidly
revolving drum. The hand of the workman will readily adjust the speed at which.
the hat travels. In this way the hat may be passed round in circles till the whole
is operated upon. If glass or emery paper not specially prepared be used, it will
be generally found advantageous to wear it down slightly, or the result may be to
cut or shave off the surface without polishing or finishing.
To prevent the tip or crown of the hat being too much dragged out of shape, it
may be held by a rest placed horizontally against a flat stone or disc covered, as
before described, with emery, glass, sand, or other suitable roughened surface, the
disc being made to revolve at corresponding speed to the stone emery wheel or
covered drum before described.
In operating upon the felt cloth before being made up, it will be necessary,
instead of merely a drum, to have a roller covered, as before described, to the width
of the cloth to be operated upon. The roller being driven at a rapid speed, and
the cloth pressed against it and allowed to travel at a uniform speed, the piece will
be operated upon through its whole length. According to the condition of the
roughened or cutting surface against which the hats or cloth are pressed, a
longer or shorter nap may be produced upon the material operated upon, and a
very high gloss may be obtained. To the machines a circular brush and velour
may be attached for the purpose of thoroughly cleaning and still further improving
the finish of the hat or cloth.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry 'Neave in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th November 1881.
JOHN HENRY NEAVE, of Macclesfield, in the County of Chester. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS RESEMBLING FELT, IN
THE FINISHING OF FELT, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
This Invention relates,-
1st. To a new method of manufacturing hats by means of covering buckram,
calico, or any suitable woven or felted material with flocks or any short stapled
wool, cotton, silk, fur, or other material applicable for the purpose either before or
after forming into the shape of a hat.
2nd. To an improved method of finishing felt or other hats and felt cloths, and
in the machinery for this purpose.
The process for manufacturing hats or caps consists in covering any suitable
material, particularly buckram, muslin, and calico (but not these materials exclu-
sively), with a coating of flocks of wool, cotton, silk, fur, or such like material, of
sufficiently short staple. The calico, buckram, or other material of which the hats
are manufactured may be so coated either before or after forming into the desired
hat, cap, or bonnet shape.
This material being first covered with any waterproof varnish or glue, gutta
percha, india rubber, or any sufficiently adhesive substance, the flocks are blown,
sifted, or otherwise placed thereupon and caused to adhere firmly, by means of
hydraulic or screw pressure, by ironing, rolling, or employing any other convenient
method.
In order to ensure greater strength and durability, it may be frequently desirable
to employ more than one thickness of cloth, and these may be more firmly cemented
together, after being formed into the hat shapes, by placing in a hydraulic hat
press, and subjecting them to a high pressure.
When made of cloth coated with the flocks, powder, or dust in the piece, tho
hats may be blocked, sewn, or cemented into the desired shapes.
Hats made by this process may be made to resemble ordinary felt hats, or by
being thereby coated so as to show through the coating the texture of the cloth,
they may be made to resemble woven cloth. When made of suitable woven
material well coated they will possess a great amount of durability. Hats may
also be made in this way much lighter in weight than ordinary felt hats, and when
desired a hat with the appearance of a felt hat may be made porous and semi-
transparent as a straw hat. These hats may be made of all colors, and according
to the amount of stiffening used they may be made hard or soft as desired.
The second part of this Invention relates to a new method of finishing hats
(especially those made of felt) by means of friction. The hats are brought into
contact with a rapidly revolving surface of suitably prepared material, or the same
result may be obtained by bringing the prepared surface into contact with the hats
revolving at sufficient velocity, or by means of emery, sand, glass, rouge, or other
suitable powder inserted between the hat and covering surface whilst said hat or
covering surface are revolving. This may be accomplished by holding the hats
against a stone, emery wheel, or cylinder covered with sand, glass, or emery, or
other suitable roughened or cutting surface prepared in such a manner as not to
possess too great a cutting power, but revolving with sufficient velocity to produce
a smooth feeling and polished surface on the hat operated upon.
For this purpose machines of various designs may be used.
A simple form for such machine is shewn in the aunexed Drawing. A is a
shaft supported by pedestals or framework marked B. At one end of the shaft is

page_text: fixed a drum or cylinder C covered with a prepared surface of glass, emery, sand,
or other suitably prepared material; D, D, are fast and loose pulleys for driving
the shaft A. When revolving with sufficient velocity the hat to be operated upon
is placed upon the rest E, and brought into contact with revolving cylinder C by
the operator placing his foot upon the treadle H, by means of which the amount
of pressure on the hat may be regulated.
The hat will be drawn slowly over the rest E by the friction of the cylinder (C),
and will be guided and controlled by the hand of the operator, who will be able to
pass the hat round until the whole is operated upon: The size and shape of the
drum and rest may be varied in any way for greater facility in getting the shape
of the hat operated upon. This may be especially desirable in finishing ladies'
hats and other fancy shapes.
The tip of the hat may however be more readily operated upon by placing the
hat over the rest J in such a way as to bring the inside of the tip against the rest,
and, by means of the treadle and connecting rods M, bringing the top or crown of
the hat against the disc K, which is covered with a similar surface to the drum or
cylinder C. The hat will be similarly drawn round by the friction of the disc, K,
and will be guided and controlled by the hand of the operator. The rests E and J
are by preference covered with a pad. As a matter of convenience the drum or
cylinder C is placed outside of the pedestals or framework which support the
shaft A, but it is obvious that the same result might be obtained by placing it
between these pedestals. The pressure of the hats against the drum and disc may
be regulated by a spring or tension instead of the treadle arrangement when found
more convenient, and many other modifications of the machine may be made.
If desired to finish the hats whilst they remain upon the block, this may be.
accomplished by bringing the hat whilst upon the block into contact with the
drum or cylinder covered with the prepared surface.
Various methods may be adopted for keeping the oval block against the drum
with an equal pressure, and the drum may be made concave or convex, or any
other shape to correspond with the shape of the block. And the disc K inay also
be made to correspond with the shape of the block, which may be placed upon the
rod P in place of the rest J, and the hat whilst upon the block thus be brought
into contact with the disc and the tip operated upon, or the result may be accom-
plished by means of a band covered with the prepared cutting or polishing, surface
being passed at sufficient velocity over the hats whilst upon the block.
By attention to the condition of the polishing or cutting surface different results
may be obtained as desired, and according to the degree of fineness of the stone,
emery, glass, or other material used for the roughened surface, a longer or shorter
nap or pile may be obtained, and a greater or less degree of lustre or polish
obtained. By this process is capable of being produced an unusual gloss and
softness and fineness of touch.
This process of finishing is equally, applicable to felt cloths, but instead of a
drun or cylinder of narrow dimensions it will be desirable to have a roller covered
with the prepared surface of the same width as the cloth to be operated upon.
This roller being driven at a rapid speed, and the cloth pressed against it and
allowed to travel at a uniform speed, the piece will be operated upon through its
own length. Instead of employing a treadle the pressure of the cloth against the
polishing roller may be more easily regulated by means of a rest or roller fixed
rigid in proximity to the polishing roller, or pressed against it by means of levers
and weights, or by springs or tension, or any other convenient way.
If an embossed roller is used for the cloth to pass over when pressed against the
polishing or cutting roller, patterns of various designs may be produced.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect,
I claim as my Invention to be secured as under the Letters Patent,-
1st. Covering buckram; calico, or other cloth, woven. or felted (formed into hat
shape or otherwise) with glue or other suitable sticky material, and then coating

page_text: them with short stapled fibrous material, and causing the latter firmly to adhere
so as to form the appearance of genuine felt or of cloth with a heavy nap,
substantially as set forth.
2d. Finishing such cloth or genuine felt cloth, whether in the piece or made up
into hats, by placing it in contact with a rough surface, one or both (the cloth or
felt and rough surface) being in rapid motion, so as to cause a rapid attrition and
polishing action on the surface or nap of the cloth or felt.
3rd. A machine for finishing hats in which a drum of the required shape, or
other surface coated or supplied with emery or other abrasive is caused to rapidly
revolve, and a block roller or other apparatus is used to hold the hat or felt cloth
against the abrading surface.
4th. A machine for finishing hats and other articles made of felt or imitation
felt, in which the article is revolved on a block, and a surface coated or supplied
with emery or other abrasive is brought to bear against it.
5th. In a machine for finishing real or imitation felt, or articles made of such
material, the employment of an embossed roller or block upon which the felt is
held when pressing against the abrading surface whereby the pattern on the roller
can be worn into the felt or felt article.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Neave, have hereunto set my'
hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
JOHN HENRY NEAVE. (L.S.)