The Manufacture of Felt Toy
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1895-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1895
The Manufacture of Felt Toy, Articles.
THOMAS MARSDEN COOKROFT of 67 Burley Lodge Terrace Leeds. Depôt
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of felt forms, direct from, wool. carding
or other, feltable fibres, without, seam.. or joining; said felf, forms being readily
adapted for attachment to toy balloons, and, which are, moreover, suitable for
shuttlecocks, and as bases to which shuttlecock feathers, teats, teething rings, bells,
balla,, whistles, gingles, or the like,,may.be.easily attached.
In carrying out my invention, I make a. ekittle shaped former, preferably of
vulcanised rubber, I wind around said former a sufficient thickness of wool carding,
as it. is. doft or stripped from the carding, engine. The sliver of wool carding.
should be somewhat broader, than, tho, length of said', former to allow for the
oarding overlapping, both ends of said former..
I now-wind spirally, from endito. end., of said former, a thread of botany yaru,
which loosely binds said wool carding to said former, I then saturate the herein-
before described wool covered: former with warm soapy water, and manipulate the
wool covering.in.the hands by gentle pressure and friction over its entire surface
until partially "hardoned"; and. afterwards place said wool covered former
between two boards grooved to correspond with outline of wool' covered' former';
the bottom board of which may be reciprocated by any well known means, whilist
the top board is held stationary, which causes the former to be rotated' between
Said boards and against the inertia of the top board, and consequently, further
"ills" or felts the wool covering, by pressure and friction, until the resulting felt is
sufficiently compact for the purposes herein set forth.
To form two,. four, six,, or eight leaved or radially branched, shuttlecocks, or
forms suitable for attachment to other toys, or as bases, to which toys may be
attached, I slit the felt lengthways of the body part of said former, into as manyý
slits as is necessary to make the desired number of leaves or branches.
I now withdraw.said rubber former, and where stiffness, rigidity, or a waterproof
characteristic is a desideratum,, I may "proof" the leaves and head with size,.
shellac solution rubber solution, or linseed oil.
As withdrawn from the former, the head of the felted form lias a cavity, which
may be stuffed with fibrous material, which has previously been, dipped in any of
the hereinbefore mentioned proofing ingredients.
"
AS
Another part of this invention relates to the manufacture of solid felt forms.
In carrying out this part of my invention, I take a sufficient quantity of fibrous
material, which may be, of a feltable.or nou: feltable kind, I make the same into a
spherical core,. cover with. wool carding, botany yarn, partially, "harden
hereinbefore described, then place between a stationary and a reciprocating board, said
boards having, grooves forming an ellipse in cross section; or so cut the grooves
as to form a small cylindrical projection at each end of said solid form.
The wool covering is.now acted upon by, the co-operation of, the two grooved
boards as bereinbeforo.described,.until the, felt is made sufficiently compact: and
has taken approximately, the shape of the grooves.
Dated this the Twenty-eighth day of September 1894...

page_text: THOMAS MARSDEN COCKROFT 67 Burley Lodge Terrace Leeds Depôt
Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of felt forms direct from wool carding
or other feltable fibres, without seam or joining, said felt forms being readily
adapted for attachment to toy balloons, and which are moreover suitable for
shuttlecocks, and as bases to which shuttlecock feathers, teats, teething rings, bells,
balls, whistles, etc., may be easily attached.
I will now proceed to describe my invention by the aid of the drawings hereto
annexed, in which corresponding letters denote corresponding parts in all the
figures.
In carrying out my invention; I make a former A, preferably of vulcanised
rubber, I wind around said foriner a sufficient thickness of wool carding B, as it is
delivered from the carding engine. The sliver of wool carding should be somewhat
broader than the length of said former to allow for tlie carding overlapping both
ends of former A.
I now wind spirally from end to end of wool covered former A, a thread of
botany yarn C, which loosely binds said wool carding to said former. I then
saturate the herein before described wool covered former A, with warm soapy
water, and manipulate the carding B in the hands by gentle pressure and friction
over its entire surface until partially "hardened," and afterwards place said wool
covered former between grooved boards D and E; board E may be reciprocated
in any well known manner, whilist board D is held stationary, which causes the
former to be rotated between said boards aud against the inertia of board D, and
cousequently further "mills or felts the wool carding Bby pressure and friction,
until he resultant felt is sufficiently compact for the purposes herein set forthi.
»
I take the felt covered former at this stage and slit the felt from point 2 to
dotted line, x, into two, four, six, or eight leaved or radial branches, (see
Figs. 3 and 4).
now withdraw former A, and where stiffness, rigidity, or a waterproof
characteristic is a desideratum, I'may proof the leaves and head with "size" shellac
solution, rubber solution or linseed oil.
A cavity is left in the head of felted body by the withdrawal of former A, which
may be stuffed with fibrous material, which has been previously dipped in any of
the hereinbefore mentioned proofing ingredients.
Fig. 4 illustrates the method of applying rings, teats, and balls to the felt body,
and Fig. 6 the method of securing an inflated balloon by threading a rubber thread
through eyelets G. The combination of rings, teats, balls bells & balloons with
the berein described felt body, are no part of this invention and are simply shewn
to illustrate the application to the felt form or body.
Another part of this invention relates to the manufacture of solid felt forms or
bodies.
In carrying out this part of my invention, I take a sufficient quantity of fibrons
material, which may be of a feltable or non-feltable kind, I make the same into a
spherical core, cover with wool carding, botany yarn, partially "harden" as herein-
before described, then place between-grooved boards Hand I. The reciprocation
of board co-operating with stationary board H gradually reduces the spherical
form to the outline shewn in Fig. 8.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,―
I. As a new article of manufacture, a felt body, without seam or joining, having
two, four, six or eight leaves radiating from a head portion, substantially as
described and set forth.
II. As a new article of manufacture, a solid felt body substantially as described
and set forth.
III. The process of manufacturing felt bodies, by covering a former A, with
carded wool B, botany yarn C, "hardening" and felting in the manner herein set
forth.
Dated this the Twenty-seventh day of July 1895.
THOMAS MARSDEN COCKROFT.