Improvements in the Method of and Means for Strengthening the Metallic Casings in Certain Forms of Brushes, and in Mirrors and other Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by FLORENCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, of
No. 200 Pine Street, Northampton, in the County of Hampshire,
Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Strengthening the
Metallic Casings in Certain Forms of Brushes, and in Mirrors
and other Articles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
Heretofore hair brushes have been made in which the body of the brush is
composed of metal shells, namely, an upper one which is termed the back, and a
lower one which is termed the face, the latter being perforated and having bristles
set in the perforations, and the said face and back being secured together by
uniting the edges thereof. The said shells lack sufficient stiffness or rigidity to
obviate collapsing and indenting, and hence are very liable to injury by being
accidentally or otherwise subjected to sudden pressure and falls. It has been
proposed heretofore to use a brush block of wood corresponding in shape with the
body of a brush, but not extending into the handle-portion thereof, this block being
perforated to correspond with the face-shell. The face-shell having been applied
to the block, the edge of the former is to be turned up around that of the latter,
and then the bristles are to be applied by drawing them into the perforations in the
face and block, they being secured by wires, the back being secured in place by
turning or bending its edge upon the previously turned edge of the face.
The brush block prevents the shells from collapsing, except in the handle-portion.
It is difficult, however, so to apply the shells to the block in the first
instance as that they shall fit to the latter pefectly on both the upper and the
lower surfaces thereof, skilled labor and expensive appliances are required in the
production of the brush, the shells do not remain in contact with the upper and
lower faces of the block, but spring away therefrom and then become liable to
injury, the block loosens through shrinking, the brush is liable to twist in the handle
portion under torsional strain, and the inserting and securing of the bristles are
slow and expensive operations.
The present invention relates to brushes of the class mentioned above, and has
for its object to provide a brush of such class of novel and improved construction,
which shall be strong and durable, free from liability to collapse or become
indented under hard usage, free from liability to twist at the handle under torsional
strain, and free from the defects and disadvantages set forth above, and also to
simplify and render more convenient and inexpensive and expeditious the process of
manufacture.
The invention first will be described fully with reference to the accompanying
drawing, in which is represented the best embodiment of the invention which has
yet been devised, and the distinguishing features thereof are particularly pointed
out and distinctly defined in the claims at the close of this Specification.
In the drawings,
Fig.
is a view showing in longitudinal section a bair-brush embodying the

page_text: Fig. 2 is a view showing the body of a brush in similar section, a modification of
the construction being embodied therein.
Fig. 3 is a detail view in section illustrating the construction more clearly.
At 1 in the drawing is shown the upper portion or back of a brush-body, and
at 2 the lower portion or face thereof. These parts are secured together by over-
lapping the edges or flanges of the said parts or shells, as shown at 3. The precise
manner of overlapping the edges or flanges is not important in the first part of the
present invention, but preferably they are overlapped as shown, namely, by turning
out the edges of both of the shells and then folding the edge of one shell around
the edge of the other. In this way, the two parts of the body may be secured
together firmly, without the aid of any independent securing means such as solder,
rivets, and the like, and a neat and finished joint may be formed. The shells are
struck up from thin sheet metal into the desired shape. At 21 are the perforations
which are made in the lower or face shell for the reception of the bristles 4.
Preferably, the inner ends of the bristles are burned to expand then, in the usunl
manner. After the bristles have been inserted into the said perforations, a mass of
plastic composition or cement 5 is placed inside the cavity of the face-shell and
allowed to flow around and completely cover and embed the inner ends of the
bristles. This composition or cement secures the bristles in place. Heretofore,
bristles have been secured in this manner, but in the present invention a quantity
of composition or cement is employed which is greater than customary and sufficient
to substantially fill the cavity of the face shell. The object in using so much of
the composition or cement is to form of it a re-enforce which is firmly adherent to
the interior surface of the face shell and serves to stiffen such shell and give it the
desired solidity and rigidity.
A second and separate re-enforce 6 is inserted into the cavity of the back-shell.
This re-enforce consists preferably of a layer or veneer of wood which is shaped to
correspond in contour with the said cavity. The said layer or veneer is secured to
the interior surface of the back shell by means of some suitable adhesive material 51,
preferably shellac, coatings of which are applied to the contacting surfaces of the
shell and layer or vencer before inserting the latter into the cavity of the former.
The said layer or veneer having been inserted into place in the cavity of the back
shell, the two are subjected to considerable pressure between dies in the presence of
heat. This moulds the wood perfectly to the internal conformation and configura-
tion of the cavity in the back shell, causing it to conform to all the curves, and to
any depressions or elevations which may be made therein by ornamental figures or
the like. It also causes the flexible layer or veneer to become intimately united
throughout its contacting surface with the interior surface of the back shell. As
soon as the adhesive material is hard and firm, the re-enforced back is ready to
be applied to the re-inforced face having the bristles set therein. The two having
been put together, they are united by overlapping the flanges of the shells in the
nanner previously described, and the brush is then complete.
The re-enforce for the back shell extends throughout the handle of the brush, as
shown, in the case of a brush having a handle, thereby obviating all tendency of
the handle to twist under torsional strain. When it is desired to re-enforce the
handle portion of the face shell, as usually is the case, in order to strengthen the
same and prevent it from indenting or collapsing, a re-enforce of wood 7 is employed
therein, as shown in Fig. 2.
The lending features of the first part of the invention are the employment of a
re-enforce for the back-shell which is independent of the means employed for
securing the bristles in place in the face shell, and re-enforcing the latter shell. In
the process of manufacture, the operations by which the two shells are separately
prepared for being joined are performed conveniently and readily, and skilled labor
is not required. The use of a separate re-enforce in the back shell enables the back
shell and its re-enforce to be subjected to pressure between dies, as aforesaid, which
effects the perfect moulding of the re-enforce to the shell and the perfect union of
the two surfaces which have the adhesive material applied thereto. Such moulding

page_text: of the re-enforce to the shell, and perfect union of the two, are requisite in a perfect
brush.
The second part of the invention relates to brushes having the bodies thereof, or
the exteriors of such bodies, composed of sheet-metal shells, each shell consisting of
sections which are united by joints of the character which has been described with
reference to the accompanying drawing. The term "shell" as here used refers to
the entire metallic casing." As will be apparent from what follows, this part of the
invention is equally applicable to mirrors or other articles having the bodies thereof
composed in whole or in part of sheet-metal shells each consisting of sections which
are united by the joint aforesaid. A brush-body or a mirror-body which is formed
by uniting upper and lower sections or linlves (ie. a face and a back shell) in this
manner presents around the sides or edges of the same a projecting bead, as clearly
shown in the drawing, the said bead resulting from the interlocking or overlapping
of the edges or flanges of the face shell and back shell. The metal which is
employed in the construction of such a brush body or mirror body, or shell, is more
or less soft and yielding, and therefore is liable to become indented. The first part
of the present invention consists chiefly in the employment of separate re-enforces
whereby to stiffen and render solid the upper and lower halves of a brush-body, and
thus prevent the identation and injury which otherwise might be occasioned by
pressure or by an accidental blow, the said re-enforce being united to the inner
surfaces of the said halves. Thereby the said brush-body is rendered durable and
strong, and also free from the danger of becoming accidentally indented in such
manner as seriously to mar its appearance at all points except along the bead above
referred to, which bend extends around the edges of the said body or shell. When a
brush or a mirror having such a bead is dropped, it is liable to strike on this bead,
and to have the bead bent over or indented, which impairs to a considerable extent
the appearance of the brush or mirror. Thus the brush or mirror is quite liable to
accidental injury in the hands of those who are packing or handling it, or who have
it for sale, and in case it thus is accidentally marred or indented it is unsaleable as
of first quality and requires to be sold at a discount. The second part of the
invenion therefore has reference to obviating the objections and disadvantages
which have just been recited, and has for its object to render the bead rigid and
capable of resisting a considerable blow without becoming marrel or indented. In
accordance with this part of the invention, a re-enforcing rim or strip 8, which is
represented in Figs. 1 and 2, but most clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, is inserted into
the bead between the flanges of the two shells or sections 1 and 2.
re-enforcing rim or strip 8 preferably is of hard metal such as steel or hard brass.
It may be shaped to conform to the contour of the brush body before it is inserted,
or it may consist of a simple strip or wire and be laid in position in the construction
of the brush prior to uniting the shells or sections 1, 2. The precise cross-sectional
shape of the rim or stip 8, as also the method of forming or securing it in place, are
not material, as these details are merely matters of construction and may be carried
out in various ways by those skilled in the art. Preferably, the rim or strip 8 is
oblong in cross-section, as shown, and is cut from a sheet of metal to the proper
shape. It is laid between the flanges of the shells or sections 1 and 2 before the
said flanges are interlocked. The free edge of the flange of the back shell then is
bent over the outer edge of the rim or strip 8 and over the flange of the face shell
or section, the turned-over free edge being pressed down and finished subsequently.
The rim or strip 8 acts as a re-enforce to stiffen and strengthen the bead and also
the sides of the brush body, and thereby is produced a brush of largely increased
durability and one which is not likely to be easily damaged or impaired.
This
Having now particularly ascertained and described the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner in which the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is ;
1. A brush having a body composed of two sheet-metal shells, bristles set in
perforations in one of the shells, a mass of cement or composition re-enforcing

page_text: such shell and having the inner ends of the bristles embedded therein, and a second
re-enforce fitted within the other shell and having its surface conformed to the
interior surface of the latter shell and united thereto, substantially as described.
2. A brush having a body composed of two sheet-metal shells, bristles set in
the perforations in one of the shells, a mass of cement or composition re-enforcing
such shell and having the inner ends of the bristles embedded therein, and a second
re-enforce fitted within the other shell, extending into the bandle portion thereof,
and having its surface conformed to the interior surface of the latter shell and
united thereto, substantially as described.
3. The herein described method of constructing brushes and applying re-enforces
to the upper and lower halves or shells of the bodies thereof, substantially as set
forth.
4. A brush or other article having a body composed of a metallic shell made
in sections which are united at their edges by overlapping flanges forming a bead,
and provided with a re-enforce within the said bend to strengthen the flanges at
the point of their engagement, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.