IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC TURE OF HATS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wilson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hat
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC
TURE OF HATS."
Sealed the 16th July 1861, and dated the 23rd January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
January 1861.
I, WILLIAM WILSON, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OP HATS," to be as follows:-
In the machines hitherto used for forming hat bodies of wool, or wool and
other materials used with it, two hats only have been made at once, and a
large space of the carder has been unoccupied.
The first part of this Invention consists in constructing a machine to form
four hats at once, and occupy the whole of the carding engine ordinarily used,
as follows:-On the same frame and at a suitable distance from each other
and the carding machine are placed two carriages furnished with two pair of
cones each; these cones driven by suitable gearing on a shaft running between
and connected with said carriages; on the cones are placed the blocks or
moulds for the hat bodies, which revolve by friction of contact with the two

page_text: pairs of cones, and receive the sliver as it comes from the carder. In the
centre of the shaft is a right and left hand screw; the right-hand thread
passing through or crossing the left and uniting with it at each end so as to
form a continuous groove, so that when a tongue, which is made to run therein
comes to the end of one thread it turns on its pivot and runs back on the
other, thus making a continuous reciprocating motion. This tongue is
attached to and guided by a slide parallel to shaft; connected with this
slide and parallel to shaft is a rod connected with the two carriages, and
by means of a lever connected with both at a right angle the carriages receive
motion as follows:-The lever is attached at one end to a pivot, which acts as
a fulcrum, and at the other to the slide, and between them to the rod by a
joint, and as this fulcrum is moved from or to the connecting rod the carriages
make a longer or shorter traverse. To form the bodies thicker at the widest
part of the moulds, so as to be stronger at the brim, as is needed, the fulcrum
is attached to a slide which is in the direction of the lever, so that by moving
it along the slide the length of the lever is varied; the lever being bent at the
part attached to the connecting rod, when the fulcrum is brought under the
above said joint the connecting rod becomes stationary, and the carriages also,
so that the sliver winds on the centre of the moulds as desired, and for as
many revolutions as is needful, which is regulated by a ratchet wheel revolving
one notch for every traverse of the tongue slide, and moving the fulcrum
along the slide to the proper distance and time, also ringing a bell when the
bodies are fully formed. The blocks or moulds may be made of wood, tin, or
other suitable material covered with vulcanized india-rubber, or they may be
made of india-rubber hard enough inside to support itself and maintain its
position, with the inside soft, so as to assist in a process, herein-after
described as hardening; the moulds may be perforated or not.
The next part consists of an arrangement of levers moved by cams, which
raise and stretch the sliver, guiding it also as it passes from carder to the mould
so as to cover every part and prevent creases, or the necessity of "stopping
off" or filling up by hand any places not evenly and fully covered, and also of
certain pads or cushions, which pat or press against the blocks as the wool is
wound on, thus securing and solidifying it, thereby also assisting in the next
process, which consists of a machine for hardening the bodies without removing
them from the blocks on which they are formed. It consists of a turntable
divided into three equal parts, on each of which is placed a circular plate, on
this is a suitable stand to receive the block with the hat body on as taken
from the former. The turntable is moved by a small friction pulley against a
larger; the large pulley having three indentations in its circumference, so that

page_text: when one of them comes to the smaller pulley the large is stopped until again
put in contact by a lever, when it moves until again stopped, and so on,
making exactly one-third of a revolution at once; after the body is placed on
the first of the three parts it moves to the second, where it is; steamed, and
proceeds afterwards to the third to be hardened, returning next to the first to
be removed. Over the turntable is a framework, connected with which is a
slide that will move up and down, and cover the parts used for steaming and
hardening; attached to that for steaming is a hollow inverted vessel to cover
the block and fit close to the table; this is filled with steam to moisten and
harden the hat; attached to that for hardening is a hollow cone lined with
vulcanized india-rubber larger than the block with body on, but so made as to
fit it evenly down the side; it is mounted on a universal joint, so that every
side can be pressed against the block, and by means of suitable gearing it is
intended to be successively and continuously pressed, and whilst the outer cone
is so acting the inner receives a reciprocating motion by means of a short
upright shaft under the turntable, this shaft receiving the said motion from a
small crank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILSON, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hat Manufacturer, send greeting.
'
1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said William
Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Wilson, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,

page_text: should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Wilson, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
In the machines hitherto used for forming hat bodies of wool, or wool and
other materials used with it, two hats only have been made at once, and a
large space of the carder has been unoccupied.
The first part of this Invention consists in so constructing a machine as to
form four hats at once, and to occupy the whole of the carding engine
ordinarily used, as follows:-On the same frame and at a suitable distance
from each other and the carding machine are placed two carriages furnished
with two pair of cones each. These cones are driven by suitable gearing on
a shaft running between and connected with said carriages. On the cones
are placed the blocks or moulds for the bat bodies, which revolve by friction
of contact with the two pairs of cones, and receive the sliver as it comes from
the carder. In the centre of the shaft is a right and left hand screw, the
right-hand thread passing through or crossing the left and uniting with it at
each end so as to form a continuous groove, so that when a tongue, which is
made to run therein, comes to the end of one thread it turns on its pivot and
runs back on the other, thus making a continuous reciprocating motion. This
tongue is attached to and guided by a slide parallel to shaft; connected with
this slide and parallel to shaft is a rod connected with the two carriages, and
by means of a lever connected with both at a right angle, the carriages
receive motion as follows:-The lever is attached at one end to a pivot which
acts as a fulcrum, and at the other to the slide, and between them to the rod
by a joint, and as this fulcrum is moved from or to the connecting rod the
carriages make a longer or shorter traverse. To form the bodies thicker at
the widest part of the mould, so as to be stronger at the brim as is needed,
the fulcrum is attached to a slide which is in the direction of the lever, so
that by moving it along the slide the length of the lever is varied. The lever
being bent at the part attached to the connecting rod, when the fulcrum is
brought under the aforesaid joint the connecting rod becomes stationary, and
the carriages also, so that the sliver winds on the centre of the moulds as
desired, and for as many revolutions as is needful, which is regulated by a
ratchet wheel revolving one notch for every traverse of the tongue slide, and

page_text: moving the fulcrum along the slide to the proper distance and time; also
ringing a bell when the bodies are fully formed. The blocks or moulds may
be made of wood, tin, or other suitable material covered with vulcanized india-
rubber, or they may be made of india-rubber hard enough 'inside to support
itself and maintain its position, with the outside soft, so as, to assist in a
process hereafter described as hardening. The moulds may be perforated
or not.
This part of the Invention is illustrated by the Drawings on Sheet No. 1 ;
the same letters refer to the same objects in each of the three Drawings. On
a frame or bed plate two carriages A are fixed on pivots so as to move freely
thereon, and are attached to and supported by a frame B; on each of these
carriages are placed two pairs of cones C, with bevel wheels D; a shaft E
runs between these carriages, and is connected with each by a double bevilled
spur wheel F, working in a similar wheel G, attached to each carriage; a shaft
Hruns from each side, with bevelled wheels working at one end in that
marked G, and at the other in one of those marked D, attached to each pair of
cones, thus giving motion to these cones, on which are placed the cones or
bat blocks, which revolve thereon by friction of contact. In the centre of tho
shaft E is a right and left hand screw I, the threads crossing and uniting with
each other so as to form a continuous groove, so that when a tongue or pin J,
which runs therein, comes to the end of one thread it turns on its pivot and
runs back on the other, thus making a uniform reciprocating motion. At a
right angle from centre of screw works a slide K, to which a fulcrum Lis
attached, having a hole through it, through which the lever M works; parallel
with the shaft E is a rod N, attached to the lever M and to the carriages A;
parallel with N, and underneath the screw, is a slide rod O, supporting the
tongue or pin J, and moving the length of the screw, and carrying one end of
the lever M along with it, while the other rests in the fulcrum L. Another
lever P works on a pivot Q, with its end extending over a ratchet wheel R,
while the other end is connected with the slide K at the fulcrum L. The
ratchet wheel has holes near its edge into which pins are screwed, so that as
the wheel revolves they catch-the end of the lever when it is moved on,
causing the slide K to move also, carrying along with it the fulcrum L, thus
shortening the action of the lever M and the rod N until the fulcrum L arrives
under the pivot S, which connects M and N together, when-the-rod N. ceases
its reciprocating motion, and the carriages also, so that the hat blocks or cones
receive the wool over the centre only or brim of the hat, where it is needed to
be thicker. When the pins in the ratchet wheel pass the end of the lever it
is released and drawn back by a spring T, and the carriages resume their

page_text: reciprocating motion.
The ratchet wheel is made to ring a bell when the hat
bodies are fully formed. The cones or blocks may either be double cones as
usually employed, or pairs of single cones, in which case they may be covered
with india-rubber vulcanized, and at once removed with the body on to the
hardening machine.
Another part of this Invention has for its object a machine for hardening
the bodies without removing them from the blocks on which they are formed.
It consists of a turntable divided into three equal parts, on each of which is
placed a circular plate. On this is a suitable stand to receive the block with
the hat body on as taken from the former. The turntable is moved by a small
friction pulley working against a larger pulley, (or it may be against the turn-
table itself,) the large pulley or the turntable having three indentations in its
circumference, so that when one of them comes to the smaller pulley the turn-
table is stopped until the pulley is again put in contact by a lever, when it
moves until again stopped, and so on, making exactly one-third of a revolution
at once. After the body is placed on the first of the three parts it moves to
the second, where it is steamed, and proceeds afterwards to the third to be
hardened, returning next to the first to be removed. Over the turntable is a
framework, connected with which is a slide that will move up and down, and
cover the parts used for steaming and hardening; attached to that for
steaming is a hollow inverted vessel to cover the block and fit close to the
table; this is filled with steam to moisten and harden the hat; attached to
that for hardening is a hollow cone lined with vulcanized india-rubber, larger
than the block with body on, but so made as to fit it evenly down the
side. It is mounted on a universal joint, so that every side can be pressed
against the block, and by means of suitable gearing it is intended to be suc-
cessively and continuously pressed; whilst the outer cone is so acting, the inuer
receives a reciprocating motion by means of a short upright shaft under the
turntable, this shaft receiving the said motion from a small crank.
This machine is illustrated on Sheet No. 2, the Drawings in which, Nos. 1,
2, 3, 4, and 5, are of a front and side elevation and plans of the turntable and
gearing of the machine, and a section of the cones. A is a cast-iron frame;
B is a turntable mounted on the shaft C. On the turntable are placed at
equal distances apart three smaller iron tables D, on which are placed the hat
blocks or cones E. The turntable is turned smooth on its exterior as a belt
sheave, and is made to revolve by a small sheave F mounted on an upright
shaft furnished with a bevel wheel G, working into another on a horizontal
shaft driven by the belt H. To the exterior of the turntable three pieces of
iron I are attached, and there is also at three points in its circumference a

page_text: portion cut out, so that when any of these pieces I touch a stopper in the
shaft J, the friction sheave I revolves at one of these points without touching
the turntable, which is consequently stationary when the shaft J turns, so that
the stopper on it is raised above that I on the table. It again revolves, being
brought in contact with the friction pulley F by a long lever K, to which is
attached a weight. L is a frame made to slide up and down in grooves in tho
frame A, and to it are attached the cones or covers M and N. The cone M
is connected with a steam pipe O, having joints so adjusted that when the
slide and cover are raised the steam is cut off; but when lowered it passes
into the cover and moistens the hat body on the block fixed to the table. The
cone N is to harden the hat body whilst warm and moist from M, and is
made of brass or other material, and is hung in a ring forming a universal
joint. The centre of this universal joint corresponds with the centre of the
cone N, and also with the centre of the cone or hat block underneath; but
the cone N is wider than that of the hat block, but yet so that it may be
pressed evenly against it without moving from the centre, see Figure 5. On
the top of the cone N is fixed a shaft or piece of iron P, which passes
upwards into the brass Q, which is made to slide by means of the inclined
spring R in the casting S, so as to press the side of the cone N against the
hat body underneath. The casting S revolves by means of the spur wheel T,
so as to move this side pressure continuously round the hat body. At the
same time that this side pressure is given to every part successively by the
cone N, the table on which the hat block is fixed receives a reciprocating or
jigger motion by means of a crank U connected with a lever V, to which is
connected a double clutch W working on the same point as the lever V. The
clutch is made to rise and fit into the table D by means of a lever X, fitted
with weights; this table being raised sufficiently by means of the clutch
weight to press the top of the hat against the cone N. This machine will
harden the hat bodies equally well whether taken from the cones on which
they are formed and placed on another cone or block fixed to the tables D, or
removed on the cone to a block on the said table. In both cases the cones on
which the bodies are hardened are to be covered with vulcanized india-rubber.
The cone N may also be lined with it, but although this assists in the
hardening process, it is not essential to the success of this machine, which
works perfectly without if covered with cloth less elastic.-
Having now described this Invention, I claim, regarding the first part of the
Invention, first, the so arranging the machine that four hats may be formed
by one machine at one carding engine; second, the combination of machinery
by which they are formed, and by which the reciprocating motion given to the
"

page_text: carriages is stayed, so as to allow the brim to be formed thicker, and is again
resumed when that is done. I also claim, regarding the second part of this
Invention, first, the hardening of a hat body on a cone to which a recipro-
cating motion is given whilst it is covered and pressed on by another cone
working on a universal joint, and the pressure applied evenly and successively,
as described; second, the combination of turntable, steaming, jiggering, and
pressing for this purpose, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wilson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM WILSON. (L.B.)