AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND MACHINERY FOR BLOCKING HATS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Turner, of Denton, in the County of
Lancaster, Manager, and John Hibbert, and John Cheethain, both
of Hyde, in the County of Chester, Hat Manufacturers, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND MACHINERY FOR BLOCKING
HATS."
Sealed the 10th October 1872, and dated the 7th August 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Turner, John
Hibbert, and John Cheetham at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 7th August 1872..
We, ROBERT TURNER, of Denton, in the County of Lancaster, Manager,
and JOHN HIBBERT and JOHN CHEETHAM, both of Hyde, in the County.
of Chester, Hat Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND MACHINERY FOR BLOCKING HATS,”
to be as follows:-
These improvements consist principally in, stretching the brim of the
hat by attaching it at several equidistant points in its circumference to
a corresponding number of suitable catches, which catches are arranged
round the block, either in a circle or any required oval, and then forcing

page_text: these catches outwards simultaneously until the required size of brim is
obtained, and bol ling them in this position whilst a ring is brought down
over the block to form the band of the hat.
The means by which we obtain these objects are as follows:-Our
machine consists of a table, having upon its surface sixteen or any other
number of radial grooves. Upon the centre of the table we place either
an ordinary block or an expanding block, made of three or other con-
venient number of parts. In each of the grooves before-mentioned we
place a slide. Each of these slides carries a guide finger pointing
towards the centre of the block and inclining towards it at an angle of
about 45 degrees, and supported in this position by a light spring, but
free to fall down to a horizontal position by pressure, the object of
these fingers being to guide the edge of the brim to the proper point for
attaching it to the slide. Each slide also carries a lever, the longer end
of which hangs down through a slot in the table, and the upper end
forms the jaw or catch, which pressing against the upper surface of the
slide, holds the brim firmly in the position it has been placed in by
sliding down the guide fingers before-mentioned. These jaw levers are
worked by a foot or hand lever, the power being applied as follows:-
In the centre of the table is a spindle, and upon this spindle is a tube
sliding up and down, and worked either by foot or by hand by any
convenient levers. Each of the jaw levers before-mentioned is connected
at its lower extremity to this tube by a rod and spring. When the tube
is raised the rods act upon the levers, forcing their lower extremities
outwards and their upper extremities down upon the brim, thus fastening
it firmly to the slides. The upward motion of the tube being continued,
and the levers being at the extent of their range of motion, the slides
begin to move, carrying the edge of the brim with them to the required
extent, the limit of motion being determined by an adjustable stop.
To form the brims of different shapes and widths we connect each of
the rods above referred to to a spring, which is fastened to the sliding
tube, the springs are acted upon by a sliding block tapering from a circle
to an oval, so as to vary the distance of each rod from the centre of the
spindle, according to the shape and width of the brim required.
By means of these improvements the operations known as blocking
and steaming hats are performed almost entirely by machinery instead
of by hand as now customary.

page_text: The principal advantages are, first, that the hat may be softened for
blocking either by hot water or by steam; second, that the brim may
be formed of any required width and of any amount of oval with
accuracy; and third, that the whole operation of blocking tip, body,
and brim is or may be performed by machinery with once softening
the hat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Robert Turner, John Hibbert, and John Cheetham
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, ROBERT
TURNER, of Denton, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, and JOHN
HIBBERT and John Cheetham, both of Hyde, in the County of Chester,
Hat Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Robert Turner, John Hibbert, and John
Cheetham, Her special licence that we, the said Robert Turner, John
Hibbert, and John Cheetham, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Robert Turner, John Hibbert, and John
Cheetham, our 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND MACHINERY FOR BLOCKING HATS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Turner,
John Hibbert, and John Cheetham, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
scals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, tho said Robert Turner, John Hibbert,
and John Cheetham, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to
say) :—
The nature of our Invention consists in stretching the brim of the hat
by attaching it at several equidistant points in its circumference to a
corresponding number of suitable catches, which are arranged round the
block, cither in a circle or any required oval, and then forcing these
catches outwards simultaneously until the required size of brim is
obtained, and holding them in this position whilst a ring is brought
down over the block to form the band of the hat.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Fig. 1 is a side clevation; Fig. 2, a front view; Fig. 3, a plan of the
upper part; and Fig. 4, a plan of the lower part of our improved
machinery for blocking hats. These views are all shewn partly in
section.
Our improved machine consists of the table a, having in its surface
thirty-two or other convenient number of radial grooves. The table is
supported upon side frames, which are strengthened by cross stays.
Upon the centre of the table we place either an ordinary block, as shown
at 6, in Figs. 1 and 2, the block resting upon the plate c, which rests on
the packing d, or the block may rest on the plate e¹, fixed to the end
of the vertical spindle e, as shewn detached in Fig. 5, or an expanding
block made of three or other convenient number of parts may be used.
In each of the grooves of the table a before-mentioned we place a
slide, see Fig. 6, and to each slide is hinged a guide finger 9, pointing
towards the centre of the block, and inclining towards it at an angle of
about forty-five degrees when the slides farc in, as shown in Fig. 1, but
they are free to fall down to a horizontal position, as shewn in Fig. 6,
when the slides are moved outwards. The object of these fingers is to
guide the edge of the brim of the hat to the proper point for attaching
it to the slide. To each slide is also jointed a lever h, the longer end of

page_text: which hangs down through the slot in the table, and to the upper end
is jointed the piece i, the end of which forms the jaw or catch for holding
Llic brim; the lower arm of the piece i is provided with a projection »,
which fits in the inclined slots f¹ of the slide f. These jaws or catches
are pressed against the upper surfaces of the slide to hold the brim
firmly, as will be described hereafter. There is a spring at the under
side of the slide to give it a little friction on the table. The slides f,
and the various parts connected to them are moved to and fro in the
slots of the table a by the treadle and hand lever j, the two being
is connected by the link to the
connected by the link . The treadle
lever, in which is a curved slot; the lever k is connected to the shaft k¹
by the short lever, and to the shaft ¹ is fixed the forked lever k³,
which acts on the tube m. In the centre of the table a is the spindle e,
which is keyed below in the footstep e, and is free to move up and down
in a hole in the table above; the footstep e' can be raised and lowered
by the treadle and lever A. Upon the tube m is an outer tube m¹ and
a hand wheel m³, and the upper end of the tube m is screwed to receive
the shaping block m³.
Each of the levers h before-mentioned is connected at its lower
> extremity to a rod h¹, the lower end of which is jointed to the upper end
of the link ³, and the lower ends of these links are jointed to the outer
tube m. All the links are pressed against the shaping block m³ by
an india-rubber spring h³, shewn in Fig. 1. When the tube m is raised,
the rods and links ¹ and ² act upon the levers h, forcing their lower
extremities outwards and their upper extremitics inwards, thereby
bringing the jaws or catches i into position for binding the brim of the
hat against the slides f. The upward motion of the tube m being con-
tinued, and the levers h being at the extent of their range of motion, then
impart an outward or expanding motion to the slides f, which in moving
carry the edge of the brim with them to the required extent, the limit
of motion being determined by an adjustable stop in the plate a³. The
shaping block m³ is screwed on the tube m, as above described, and it is
connected by studs to the tube m¹; by this means when the hand
wheel m is turned round the shaping block is raised or lowered. The
5 position of the block m³ is varied to form the brim round or oval, as
required, the upper ends of the links above referred to being pressed
against the block m³ vary the distance of each rod h' from the centre of
the spindle according to the shape of the brim required.

page_text: In Figs. 1 and 2 the block is shown oval above and round below, and
in Figs. 7 and 8 we have shewn a shaping block, the upper and lower
portions being ovals with their major axes at right angles, but any other
shape may be adopted. Above the table a is a swing frame, consisting
of the elbow levers n, in which are studs to which the ordinary blocking
ring n¹ is suspended; this ring fits over the block band it is held down
by the catch n², which takes on a projection in front of the machine;
the ring n is counterbalanced when the frame is raised by the weight n³.
The mode of operation is as follows:-Before starting, the swing
frame n is raised, as shown in dots in Fig. 1, until the weight n³ bears
on the bracket a¹ the slides f, and parts connected therewith, must now
be in the positions shown in Fig. 1, the fingers g forming inclined guides
all round the block ; the operative then puts a hat body, which has
been previously softened in hot water or by steam on to the block b, the
brim sliding down the guide fingers 9 until it rests upon the upper
surface of the slides f; the operative then depresses the treadle to
raise the tubes m and m². The first portion of the rise of the tubes
causes the rods ¹ to move the levers / until the brim is caught hold of
all round by the catches or jaws i, and the remainder of the rise of the
tubes carries the slides outwards, thereby expanding the brim to the
extent required; the operative then draws down the swing frame n to
bring the ring on to the hat body to form the band, and the swing
frame when down is held by the hook n². The hat may now be set by
pouring cold water upon it or otherwise. The swing frame n is then
thrown up and the hand lever jis raised to move the slides again
towards the block b, thereby opening the jaws or catches i to release
the brim, and bringing the parts into position for the next operation.
If the block required to be used is so large in the tip that the bat body
will not easily fall over it sufficiently to reach to the slides f, then the
block b, see Fig. 5, may be used, which at the commencement of the
operation is in the position shewn in Fig. 5, and remains in this position
until the swing frame n is fastened down by the hook n², then the
operative depresses the treadle to raise the spindle e and the block b to
the level of the hat brim, and holds it in this position until the hat is
set, he then liberates the treadle 2, and the block falls by its own weight
to the position shewn in Fig. 5, ready for the next operation.
The principal advantages resulting from the use of this improved
machine are, first, that the bat may be softened for blocking either by

page_text: hot water or by steam; secondly, that the brim may be formed of any
required width and of any amount of oval with accuracy; and thirdly,
that the whole operation of blocking tip, body, and brim is or may be
performing by machinery with once softening the hat.
•
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, wo wish to remark that we do not
intend to limit ourselves to the details given, as they may be considerably
varied without departing from the peculiar character of our Invention,
and we claim,-
First. The general combination and arrangement of the parts forming
a machine for blocking hats, as shown and described.
Secondly. The slides f, moving in radial grooves and the parts acting
in combination therewith, or any equivalent arrangement of parts, by
which the brim of the hat is caught hold of and held while it is drawn
to the required shape and size, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Turner, John Hibbert, and
John Cheetham, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Third
day of February, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
ROBERT TURNER. (L.S.)
JOHN HIRRERT