IMPROVEMENTS IN THE " MANUFACTURE OF CORSETS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND OF SPIRALLY COILED WIRE THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hunting, of 21 Queen Victoria Street in the
City of London England, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
"
MANUFACTURE OF CORSETS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND OF SPIRALLY COILED
WIRE THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES A communication to him from
abroad by John G. Avery, of Spencer, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hunting at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st July 1882.
RICHARD HUNTING, of 21, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London,
England, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORSETS AND SIMILAR
ARTICLES, AND OF SPIRALLY COILED WIRE THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES "
A communication to him from abroad by John G. Avery, of Spencer, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
This Invention relates to the manufacture of corsets and similar articles, and
also to the manufacture of spirally coiled wire therefor, and for other purposes.
Heretofore the spiral coils used for stiffeners for corsets have been made of a
single wire. In practice such single wire coils are found to be deficient in the
primary quality of stiffness unless made of a weight and diameter which precludes
their use.
According to the said invention I employ close coils composed of two or more
wires, whereby I obtain the requisite stiffness without increased diameter and
weight; while stiffeners of this multiple wire coil of any desired length can be
made so as to be applied continuously, if necessary, and owing to their great
stiffness in proportion to their weight, can be used to advantage as substitutes for
"steels" or "busks," as well as for whalebone and the like, in corsets, and as
substitutes for "hoop wire" in bristles and hoop-skirts, being free from liability
to break and form sharp edges. The improved spirally coiled wire may also be
employed for a variety of purposes.
Each multiple-wire coil is formed by spirally coiling two or more similar wires
around a suitable mandril (which may consist of a piece of similar or other suitable

page_text: wire), and then withdrawing the said mandril; I prefer to employ steel wire
hardened uniformly either before or during the coiling. The length of the coils
is only limited by that of the individual wires. When cut to the proper lengths
for stiffeners or other articles, the multiple wire coils may be tempered with any
desired "set" according to the purpose for which it is required.
In applying the said coils as stiffeners for corsets, the latter may be of any
approved description, cut, and make, and the fastenings may be of any desired
form. Those with buttons and button holes can most readily be used in connection
with multiple wire coils as substitutes for front steels. These stiffeners are applied
in pockets, in the usual manner, or are arranged continuously so as to extend
transversely across the lower portions of the corset as well as longitudinally, and
may be thus applied with great advantage in abdominal corsets.
The combination of the successive individual coils or convolutions of one wire,
with those of another, stiffens the multiple-wire coil as a whole, without detracting
from any other useful quality of the same and without adding to its weight, bulk,
or materially to its cost, as compared with ordinary single-wire coils.
The multiple-wire coil will ordinarily be sewed in, in the process of making up
the article, but owing to its stiffness, it is peculiarly adapted to be used loosely
in ordinary bone-pockets. These wire spirals may be coated or covered by any
suitable metal or alloy to prevent oxidation

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Hunting in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th January 1883.
"6
"
RICHARD HUNTING, of 21, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London,
England, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORSETS AND SIMILAR
ARTICLES, AND OF SPIRALLY COILED WIRE THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
a communication to me from abroad by John G. Avery, of Spencer, Massachusetts,
United States of América.
This Invention relates to the manufacture of corsets and other articles of
ladies wearing-apparel, such as dress-improvers and hoopskirts, and also to the
manufacture of spirally coiled wire therefor and for other purposes.
Heretofore, the spiral coils used for stiffeners of corsets have been made of a
single wire. In practice such single-wire coils are found to be deficient in the
primary quality of stiffness, unless made of such weight and diameter as to
preclude their use.
But according to the present invention I employ what I term "multiple wire
coils," that is to say, close spirals coils, each composed of two or more wires,
whereby I obtain the requisite stiffness without increased diameter or weight;
stiffeners of this multiple wire coil, of any desired length, can be made so as to be
applied continuously, if necessary; moreover, owing to their great stiffness in
proportion to their weight, these multiple-wire stiffeners can be used to advantage
as substitutes for "steels" or "busks," as well as for whalebone and the like, in'
corsets, and as substitutes for "hoop-wire" in dress-improvers and hoop-skirts,.
being free from sharp edges and from liability to break.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a front view of a corset provided with my improved stiffeners,
portions of the outer fabric being removed to expose the same.
Figure 2 represents a piece of a multiple wire coil, drawn to an enlarged scale..
Figure 3 is a partial transverse section on the line x, x Figure 1, drawn to the
same scale as Figure 2,
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawing. -
Each multiple wire coil is formed by spirally coiling two or more similar wires
1, 2, (Figure 2) around a suitable mandrel (which may consist of a piece of similar
wire) and then withdrawing the said mandrel; I prefer to employ steel wire
hardened uniformly either before, or during, the coiling. The length of the coil is
only limited by that of the individual wires, and it will be obvious that a coil
formed of two or more wires of a given length will be two or more times as long
as a coil formed of only one wire of the same length. A great advantage is thus
obtained in manufacturing multiple wire coils for "continuous stiffeners." When
cut to the proper lengths for stiffeners or other articles, the multiple wire coils may
be tempered, in a similar manner to ordinary corset-steels, with any desired "set
according to the purpose for which they are required. For preventing rust, I
sometimes coat or cover the multiple wire coil with tin or nickel, or I use what is
known as the "Bower-Barff rustless iron" process.
In applying the said coils as stiffeners for corsets, the latter may be of any
approved description, cut, or make, and the fastenings at x¹ may be of any desired
form. I have shown in the drawing buttons and button-holes, as these can most
readily be used when multiple-wire coils are employed as substitutes for front steels,
as shown at a. Stiffeners applied in pockets, in the usual manner, are shown
at b, and others, arranged continuously so as to extend transversely across the

page_text: lower portions of the corset, as well as longitudinally, are shown at c. These
improved stiffeners may be thus applied with great advantage in abdominal corsets.
When in their proper position and in use, these multiple-wire stiffeners will
develope a greatly increased power, as compared with single coils of the same wire,
to resist bending. This increased resistance to bending is due partly to the
increased sectional area of metal in each stiffener, and partly to the quick or sharp
inclination or pitch of the turns or convolutions of each wire whereby the flexibility
of the coil' is reduced; it is also partly due to the tensile and frictional resistance to
lateral displacement of the individual convolutions, which is caused by the great
resistance to elongation which a close multiple-wire coil possesses as compared
with a close single wire coil; and to the overlapping of the successive convolutions
of one wire by those of another, as seen in Figure 2. Moreover, the stiffness of
the multiple-wire coils is obtained by their peculiar construction without the loss
of any other useful quality and without any addition to their weight or bulk, or
material increase of cost as compared with that of close-single wire coils of the
same stock or material.
The multiple wire stiffeners will ordinarily be secured by sewing, in the process
of making up the article, as illustrated at a, and c, Figure 3; but owing to their
stiffness, they are peculiarly adapted to be used even loosely in ordinary bone.
pockets, as shown at b.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it.
understood that I do not claim broadly a corset-stiffener made of wire in the form
of a close spiral coil as I am aware this is not new, but I claim :-
First. A stiffener for corsets and similar articles, composed of two or more wires
in one and the same close spiral coil wherein the successive convolutions of each
wire are separated and overlapped by those of the other wire or wires, as, and for
the purposes, specified.
Second. The combination, with a corset or similar article, or with the fabric used
in the manufacture of the same, of my improved stiffeners each of which is
composed of two or more wires, substantially as set forth.
Third: The manufacture of close spiral coils by simultaneously coiling together
two or more wires upon a mandrel or other suitable device, substantially as, and for
the purposes, set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Richard Hunting have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Nineteenth day of January in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
.