Improvements in and relating to Rollers for use in Felt Hat Planking and like Felting Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 23rd Oct.,
1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Rollers for use in Felt Hat
Planking and like Felting Machines.
We, HENRY HERBERT TURNER and ALBERT TURNER, both of Ashton Road,
Denton, near Manchester, Engineers, and ROBERT ROBINSON, of Gee Cross, Hyde,
near Manchester, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention consists of a new construction and arrangement of rollers chiefly
for use in planking and like machines used in the treatment of felt hats, whereby
the hat bodies or other materials acted upon are subjected to a greater amount
of rolling and pressing, and are more effectually planked or felted than by the
rollers as at present constructed and employed.
In accordance with our invention we employ, say four rollers of oval or ellip-
tical (instead of round or circular) formation and we so group, mount and drive
them that as the major axes of two of such rollers assume a vertical position, the
major axes of the other two assume a horizontal position, and as the rollers con-
tinue to revolve such axes change to opposite positions. The rollers are so
mounted as to just leave space for the reception of a hat body between them, and
when set in motion they give a 'nursing' or lateral movement, as well as a
rotating movement to the hat body.
And in order that our said invention may be the more readily understood we
have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is an end view, and
Fig. 2 a side view of one of our improved rollers.
Fig. 3 illustrates the grouping of four rollers and their relative positions as
adapted for planking purposes.
Fig. 4 illustrates the same set of rollers after having made a quarter of a revolu-
tion, and
Fig. 5 shews such rollers after having made half a revolution.
In accordance with our invention, each roller is composed of two (by preference)
metal end pieces or bosses (A), and a series of thin wooden, india-rubber or like
supple or elastic lags (B). The bosses (A) are formed in one piece with the
shaft (C), or keyed thereon, and their outer edges are formed with flats or facits,
as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 1, for the reception of the lags (B), which are
fixed thereon by brass screws (D), with a small space left between the several
lags to allow the central parts of the lags to have a spring-like action upon the
hat bodies or other objects under treatment.
The exterior of the lags may be either plain or fluted, and in a set of four
rollers, we prefer to make each alternate roller with plain lags, and the inter-
mediate rollers with fluted lags.-We may however use all fluted, or all plain
rollers, or two of each in opposite couples.
Each roller is driven in the direction of the arrow adjoining it, and in a
planking machine the upper pair of rollers is mounted in bearings carried by a

page_text: hinged or pivotted frame (E) which serves to raise and lower the rollers for the
introduction of the hat bodies to be felted, and is provided with an adjusting
screw or capstan (F) to regulate the degree of space between the rollers, and
consequently the degree of pressure on the hat bodies.
The action of the rollers produces a double movement on the hat body or other
material under treatment,-first, a rotating movement, and secondly, a slight
tossing or lateral movement, and as a consequence the hat or other object is more
thoroughly and expeditiously planked or felted than by round rollers.
By making the rollers of sectional lags (C) they are easily repaired, a damaged
lag being readily removed, and a sound one substituted, and every individual |
lag being capable of complete wear and renewal, and thus effecting a great saving
in rollers. Moreover, by reason of the elasticity of the lags the planking or felting
is equal, if not superior, to hand felting.
For planking or felting two or more rolls of hat bodies or other material at a
time, two or more sets of rollers may be employed. A modification of our inven- 1
tion consists in affixing all the lags to a sheet of canvas or textile material, and
then wrapping the canvas upon a plain roller and fastening its parallel edges
together by lacing or other suitable means.
Whilst we have described and prefer to use four oval rollers we may use three,
and for some purposes we may use our improved oval roller with a round roller, 2
or rollers, of the same, a larger or smaller size, with a sliding bearing or shaft, or
elastic driving band, to accommodate the movement, and we may apply the india-
rubber lags to said round roller in combination.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what 2
we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-
1. In felt hat planking and other felting machines, the use and combination
therewith of oval or elliptical shaped rollers, mounted and operating as set forth.
2. A roller composed of end pieces (A) or their equivalent, shaft (C) and
wooden, india-rubber or other flexible strips or lags (B), as for the purposes set 3
forth.
3. In felting machines the combination of oval and round rollers, as set forth.
4. The modified construction of roller, either oval or round, with lags secured
to canvas, and wrapped thereon, as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of August 1897.
HENRY HERBERT TURNER,
ALBERT TURNER,
ROBERT ROBINSON.
By John G. Wilson & Co.,
Manchester, Agents.