IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HAT BODIES AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the thirteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my exors,
admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Edward Newton,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colouies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HAT BODIES AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," being a
communication from abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Edward Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The invention of "Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Making
Hat Bodies and other similar Articles," which has been communicated to me
from abroad, and for which I have obtained Letters Patent as aforesaid, and
the manner of making, constructing, and using the same, is shewn in the
accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a
cross section taken at the line ×.....x of Fig. 1, and looking in the
direction of the arrow; Fig. 8 is a plan with the former removed; Fig. 4
is a longitudinal vertical section taken at the line z...z of Fig. 8; Fig. 5
is a vertical section of the former, with a bat on it, wrapped around with
a felt cloth, and covered with a perforated metal cap, and with a per-
forated metal shield within the former; and Figs. 6 and 7 are separate views
of the cap and shield. The same letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the Figures.
It has long been essayed to make hat bodies by throwing the fibres of fur,
wool, or other similar materials, by means of a brush or picker cylinder on to
a perforated former, which must be exhausted by a fan below, so as to carry
and hold the fibres on the former by the currents of air that rush from all
directions towards and through the apertures of the former to the interior
thereof, and thus form a bat of fibres ready for hardening and felting. From
various causes, however, all these attempts have hitherto failed. The objects
of the improvements herein-after specified are to remedy the defects which
have hitherto prevented the successful use of this mode of procedure. In
the machinery for forming the bat, or, as it is termed, "setting up the body,"
the fur (or "stock"), after it has been properly picked, is evenly spread upon
an endless apron, which presents it to a pair of feed rollers that feed or supply
it to a rotating brush, which by moving at a great velocity throws it along a
tunnel which is gradually changed in form towards the outlet, where it assumes
a shape nearly corresponding to a vertical section passing through the axis
of a perforated former placed in front of this aperture or mouth, the said mouth
having the effect to direct the fur thrown by the brush on to the former. The
tunnel is provided with an aperture immediately under the brush through

page_text: which a current of air enters, it being drawn in by the rotation of the brush.
This rush of air along the tunnel, assisted as it is by the exhaustion of the
perforated former, has the effect of directing the fibres towards the former,
on which they are deposited and held by the pressure of the atmosphere. As
the fibres are only held on the former by the pressure of the surrounding air,
which acts thereon in consequence of the exhaustion of air from the interior
of the former, it is necessary, before the suspension of this pressure takes
place, that some means should be adopted for holding and retaining and
consolidating the fibres of which the bat is composed, as it will be obvious
that a delicate wob thus formed will not have sufficient tenacity to admit of
removing it from the former before the hardening process. This is effected
by covering the bat, before it is removed from the cone or former, with felted
or fulled cloth, and then employing one or two perforated metallic vessels,
one to put over the bat after it has been surrounded with the moist felt or
cloth, for the purpose of making pressure on the fibres, and to admit of the
circulation of hot water, when the whole is immersed therein, to harden
the bat preparatory. to felting, and the other to be placed within the perfo-
rated metallic former on which the bat has been formed, and which is neces-
sarily thin and weak. The inner shield is employed for the purpose of resist-
ing the pressure of the surrounding water consequent upon a partial vacuum
produced within when the whole is withdrawn from the water.
The first part of this Invention consists in the employment of a tunnel of
a peculiar construction, into which the fibres of fur are thrown by the rotating.
brush, which tunnel guides and directs the fur into an exhausted perforated.
former placed in front of the delivery aperture thereof, the said funnel or,"
tunnel being made to surround the rotating brush, and provided with an,
aperture below the brush for the admission of a current of air to aid in
directing the fur along the tunnel and on to the former.
The second part of this Invention consists in making the sides of this;
trunk or tunnel of thin sheet metal, or other substance which can be readily,
and easily bent to the desired form, so that the form of the aperture or mouth.
of the trunk which directs the fur or other material on to the perforated
former can be changed at pleasure, so as to increase or decrease the deposit
of fur on any part of the former, as it may be required to increase or decrense;
the thickness of any part of the bat.
The third part of this Invention consists in constructing the top of the
tunnel or trunk in such a manner that the end towards the former can be
depressed or elevated at pleasure, by means of which the mouth of the trunk
:

page_text: or tunnel can be adaped to any size of former, and the top of the trunk made
to present an unbroken plane, so as to avoid catching and retaining the fibres,
or prevent the formation of eddies in the current of air that passes through
the trunk, and which would tend to interrupt the direct passage of the fibres
from the brush to the former, the top being so formed as to embrace the
pliable sides, so that the upper part of the trunk may always be of the same
size, irrespective of the position of the top.
The fourth part of this Invention consists in providing the aperture at the
back of the tunnel and below the feed rollers and brush with a valve and
shutter, for the purpose of closing the aperture, to prevent the. passage of a
strong current of air through the tunnel at the commencement of each
operation, and until the perforated former is covered with a film of fibres, by
means of which the formation of welts or air bubbles in the bat are effectually
prevented. At the commencement of the operation, and before the perforations
in the former are partly closed by the deposit of fibres, it will be obvious that
the exhausting fan in the former will produce a much stronger current of air
through the trunk than when the perforations are partly closed, and that
therefore the fibres will be thrown unevenly and with two great violence on to
the former at the commencement of the operation. This it is found by expe-
rience produces counter currents, which throw up the first film of fibres from
the surface of the former, and thus forms welts or protuberances which are
very injurious to the bat, but by closing the aperture at the back of the trunk
the fibres are at first deposited by a gentle current and pressure, and after a
film completely surrounds the former the opening of the valve or shutter will
admit the current, so that the fibres may be thrown on with more forco to
complete the bat.
The fifth part of this Invention consists in the employment of one, two, or
more rollers covered with cloth or like substance below the feed rollers, the
rotation of which, in connection with the brush, bas the effect to brush, comb,
or otherwise straighten the fibres before they are thrown by the brush and
carried to the former.
The sixth part of this Invention consists in surrounding the bat on the per-
forated former with a felt or felted cloth before the pressure of air is suspended,
and then hardening the bat by immersion in hot water whilst on the former,
and to give it sufficient consistency to admit of removing it from the former.
And the last part of this Invention consists in supporting the bat on the
perforated former during the process of hardening by immersion in hot water,
by means of a metal cap so perforated as to admit of the free passage of the

page_text: water to the bat; aud this part of the Invention also consists in giving support
to the inside of the perforated former (when withdrawn from the water) by
means of a perforated metallic shield which fits into the inside of the former.
In the accompanying Drawings a represents a frame of the usual or any
desired construction, and 6 an exhausting fan with a chamber c, over which is
placed the perforated former ", of any desired shape, and which is made of
thin metal perforated with fine holes, and placed in front of the mouth or
aperture d of the tunnel or trunk e, seen best in Fig. 2. This tunnel or trunk
is carried back to and is connected with the case f that surrounds the upper
part of the rotary brush 9, and the bottom h of the tunnel or trunk is flat,
and gradually narrowed from the brush to the mouth; and to the edges of
this are properly secured the sides i, i, of the tunnel, which are made of sheet
copper sufficiently thin to admit of bending with facility, so that the mouth d
can receive any desired shape, and can at any time be changed to regulate
the deposit of the fibres on to the former h; for if the sides be bent so as to
give the form represented by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it will be obvious that the
lower part of the bat will receive a greater quantity of fibres in proportion to
the middle than if formed as represented by the full lines in the Drawing, so
that by this means the attendant can alter the shape of the mouth to increase
or decrease to any extent desired the deposit of the fibres on to any part of
the former, and thus increase or decrease the strength of any desired part of
the bat. The curve given to the sides at the mouth d should be gradually
run along the sides i towards the back
vent any sudden curve along the sides.
like the bottom, and fits within the sides.
the case of the fan; and the forward end,
little beyond the sides; and to the end thus projecting are attached bars 1, 1,
which pass along on the outside of the metal sides i, i (see Fig. 1), and are
connected again with the top at the back end, so that the sides being thus
embraced between the edges of the top and these bars, when the forward end
of the top is depressed or elevated the flexible or pliable sides follow, so that
the upper part of the mouth of the trunk will always present the same size.
The top is held at any desired elevation by means of a cord m attached to any
part of the frame, or it may be held in any other desired manner. By means
of this the height, size, and form of the mouth may readily be adapted to any
size or shape of former, or to the deposit of the fibres required on any part
thereof. The back part of the tunnel between the bottom and the lowest of
the rollers behind the brush is open, for the admission of a current of air to
the tunnel and towards the exhausted former, induced by the exhaustion of the
until the curves are lost, so as to pre-
The top k of this tunnel is made flat
The back end rests on the top of
which is wedge-formed, extends a

page_text: latter and the rotation of the brush. This aperture is provided with a valve or
shutter n (Fig. 4), by which it can be closed or opened at pleasure, for the
purpose of shutting off, in whole or in part, the current of air to the tunnel.
The axle of this valve is provided with an arm or lever o (Fig. 1), and a cord
p, by which the attendant can retain it in any desired position, and thus regu-
late the force with which the fibres will be carried to the former. The fibres
are fed to the brush from an apron q (Fig. 4) by means of two feed rollers r,r,
covered with cloth; and below these, and in the curve of the brush, are two
other similar rollers 8, s, also covered with cloth, against which the fibres are
brushed by the rotation of the brushes, the surface of these rollers forming a
curved bed against which the brush acts, whilst at the same they continue to
hold the fibres for the brush to act on them after they have been liberated by
the feed rollers. One of the feed rollers receives motion by means of a belt in
the usual manner, and drives the others by means of toothed pinions t, t, t, t,
on the end of each, as seen in Fig. 1. Motion is communicated from any first
mover to a shaft a' (Fig. 1), on which there is a pulley b¹, from which a belt c'
passes to a pulley d' on the shaft of the fan, whereby the required velocity is
given to the fan for exhausting the perforated former. On the shaft a¹ there
is a bevelled pinion (shewn by dots in Fig. 1), which gears into another
bevelled pinion on a shaft e'. This shaft is furnished at its opposite end with
a worm f', which works in and drives a worm wheel g³ on a vertical shaft h',
the upper end of which carries, by means of arms i, a grooved rim j³, to which
is fitted the lower edge of the perforated former. The said former should be
properly fitted to the groove of the rim, so that it may be set in and removed
readily, and yet as near as possible make an air-tight joint. The rotating fan
and feed rollers are driven by belts k' and c', which pass around the pullies on
the main or other shaft. It will be obvious that the parts may be operated
by cog wheels or any other suitable arrangement of machinery known to
machinists; and it will also be obvious that other suitable flexible substances
may be substituted for copper in making the sides of the tunnel or trunk, as
any substance that can be readily bent, and which when bent will retain the
form given to it, will answer as a substitute for the sheets of copper. In
operating the machine, the fur or other fibres, after being properly picked, are
to be evenly spread upon the endless apron q, which gradually supplies them
to the feed rollers r, r, which carry and present them to the rotating brush 9₁
which, after brushing them on the surface of the rollers s, s, covered with
cloth, throws them along the tunnel towards the delivery aperture. The sides
of the tunnel guide and direct them on to the surface of the perforated former,
which being exhausted receives the fibres on its surface, where they are held

page_text: The mode of effect-
success is to take a
by the pressure of the atmosphere, and as the former rotates slowly the fibres
are eventually deposited upon every part of its surface until the required thick-
ness has been obtained. At the commencement of the operation the valve or
shutter n, Fig. 4, in the aperture below the brush g, must be closed, in order
that the current that carries the fibres on to the former may be gentle; and
when a film of fibres has been formed on the former, the valve must be
gradually opened so as to increase the current, and deposit the fibres with
more force. If this precaution be not attended to, welts or protuberances will
be formed in the bat which will render the bat defective. So soon as the
required thickness of bat has been obtained, it is to be surrounded with a
moist felt or fulled cloth, for the purpose of retaining it on the former, and
this must be done before the pressure of air is taken off.
ing this object which has been practised with the most
top piece to cover the top, and then take a strip of the said felt or fulled
cloth rolled on a wooden roller, and applied against the bat, and as the former
rotates the cloth will wind off the roller and on to the bat. The former is
then taken from the machine, and another former put on, so that another bat
may be made during the hardening process. A metal cap 1, Fig. 5, and
shewn separately at Fig. 6, is perforated with large holes, and being made a
little larger than the former, is put on over the felt covering, and a similar
perforated metal case A, called a shield, and shewn detached at Fig. 7, is
inserted within the former, and then the whole, as shewn in section at Fig. 5,
is immersed in hot water to harden the bat. The holes in the cap and shield
admit the water freely to the bat, whilst at the same time the cap prevents
the fibres of the bat from being disturbed by the water, and the shield pre-
vents the former from being collapsed by the pressure when the whole is
being drawn out of the water. After immersion in hot water the bat will be
sufficiently hardened to admit of removing it from the former.
Ilaving now described the Invention that has been communicated to me as
aforesaid, I would observe, in conclusion, that although I have described the
best means with which I am at present acquainted for carrying the improve-
ments into effect, I do not mean or intend to confine myself rigidly to the
precise arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn and described, as
they may perhaps be varied without departing from the nature and object of
the present improvements; but that which I consider to be new, and therefore
wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the employment of the rotating brush, in combination with the tunnel
and an exhausted perforated former placed in front of the delivery aperture of
the said tunnel.

page_text: Second, making the top of the tunnel for directing the deposit of the fibres
on to the exhausted former adjustable, and constructing the sides thereof of
thin sheet metal or other suitable flexible material which can be readily bent,
and which will retain the form given to it, so as to admit of changing the
form and dimensions of the delivery aperture of the tunnel, when it is!
desired to vary the thickness of the various parts of the bat to be produced.
Third, the employment of the valve or shutter n for the purpose of regu-
lating the supply of air which enters and passes along the tunnel, and directs
the fibres on to the exhausted former, as described.
Fourth, combining with the rotating brush and feed rollers one, two, or
more rollers covered with cloth or other suitable substance, for the purpose of
holding the fibres whilst being acted upon by the brush, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my band and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the
T
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