A NEW OR IMPROVED FINISHING BLOCK FOR HATS
Year: 1886

page_text: I, ALEXANDER HENRY REED, of Suffolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill, Cannon
Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
Baid invention for A NEW OR IMPROVED FINISHING BLOCK FOR HATS, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in an improved hat block which is especially adapted
for use on oval lathes of well known construction during the process of finishing
hats.
This improved finishing block consists essentially of a low block or band block
having thereon a shank which is adapted to be grasped by the chuck of the oval
lathe, and in combination with such a block a bag of rubber or other suitable
material which is secured to or formed integral with the band block and can be
inflated subsequent to the insertion of the block into the hat. The inflation of the
bag is accomplished by the use of a pump or other air compressing apparatus, and
when the bag is thus inflated the same bears closely against the interior surface of
the hat and affords a cushion for the same.
The object of this invention is to procure a finishing block by the use of which
hats, both "soft" and "stiff" can be finished upon an oval lathe, the said operation
having been heretoforé practically impossible owing to the use of the ordinary
wooden block, which completely filled out the interior of the hat and offered a
hard, unyielding bearing for the same, so that the latter were frequently injured by
unavoidable shocks. The air cushion formed in the hat by the inflated bag offers
a yielding support for the material of the hat, and consequently the hat cannot be.
injured under any circumstances.
The specific construction of this improved hat block is more fully pointed out in
the following specification and claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing
in which.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the improved finishing block.
:
Fig. 2 shows a section of the block as provided with the bag, the latter being

page_text: Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same on a smaller scale than the preceding
figure.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the block showing the bag secured thereto in a
modified manner,
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
In the drawings the letter A designates the band block, to which is secured a
shank A¹, which is adapted to be inserted into the chuck 6' of an oval lathe of any
well known construction.
When the hat is drawn over this band block A, the latter extends into the hat
about the usual depth of the sweat band and the greater part of the crown of the
hat is thus left entirely unsupported.
As will be perceived, this block is only intended for stiff hats, since soft hats
would give beneath the pressure applied thereto during the process of finishing;
but stiff bats will resist this pressure without additional support in the crown
portion, while at the same time the hat will yield sufficiently to prevent the felt
from being injured during the operation.
In order to render such a block adapted to use both for soft and stiff hats, a
bag B is used, of rubber or other elastic material, which is secured air tight to the
block, and can be inflated without removal from the block.
In the example shown in figs. 2 and 3 the band block is formed of two transverse
sections b b¹ and over the upper section b, the open end of the bag is drawn and
turned around the lower side of the said section, the bag is securely held to the
block by being jammed between the two block sections b b¹ which latter are secured
to each other by screws c or by other suitable means. A tube C extends through
the two sections and opens into the interior of the bag, the said tube being
provided with a suitable cock C¹. Air or other fluid is forced into the interior of
the bag by the use of a pump or similar forcing apparatus, which is coupled to the
tube C, causing the bag to expand and fit neatly against the crown of the hat and
thus forms a perfectly steady, but at the same time time a sufficiently yielding
support for the hat so that the same cannot be injured by shocks of any description.
In the modification shown in fig. 4 the block is in one piece being constructed
precisely as the block shown in fig. 1 and the bag is secured thereto around its
bottom by the use of a metallic ring D which wedges the ends of the bag between
itself and the block. The air for inflating the bag is conducted to the interior of
the same as above described.
Instead of using only one tube C for conducting the air to the bag B, two tubes
communicating with the latter may be secured to the block, one of which would
Berve as an inlet tube and be provided with a self closing valve, while the outlet
tube would be provided with a cock as before.
The air necessary for inflation might be introduced directly through the
shank A¹ of the block, instead of being introduced on one side of the same as
previously described.
Instead of using air to inflate the bag, water or other fluid may be employed to
effect the same purpose..
It is clear that a block constructed as described can be used with hats of any
shape of crown, since the bag will conform to the shape of the hat during inflation.
When such a bag as described is used in connection with the block, it is not
necessary to tack the hat down to the block as is ordinarily done, in the example
shown in the drawing the band block A is made of wood, but it can be made of
vulcanized rubber, and in this case the bag is formed integral with the block.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
ว
1st The combination with the block A, of the bag B secured to the block and

page_text: 2nd The combination with the block A, and the shank thereof of the bag B
secured to the block and adapted to be inflated, substantially as shown and
described.
3rd The combination with the sectional block A, of the bag B secured at its
mouth between the sections and the orifice in the block which communicates with
the interior of the bag substantially as shown and described.
4th The combination with the sectional block A, of the elastic bag B secured to
the sectional block and adapted to be inflated and the shank on the lower section
substantially as shown and described.
5th The herein described finishing block consisting of a band block A and a
shank A¹ extending therefrom.
6th A finishing block consisting of a block A and a bag B formed integral
substantially as shown and described.
.