Improved Method and Apparatus for Attaching Buttons to Boots, Clothing and other Articles.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improved Method and Apparatus for Attaching Buttons to Boots,
Clothing, and other Articles.
I, WILLIAM WASS of 10 Marple Street, Great Alfred Street, Nottingham, in the
county of Nottingham, Needle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said Invention for "IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING BUTTONS
TO BOOTS CLOTHING AND OTHER ARTICLES" to be as follows:-
The
My invention relates to the attachment of buttons provided with an eye or
shank, to boots shoes, coats, gloves or other articles whether of clothing or other-
wise to which such buttons are applicable-The apparatus which I employ, consists
essentially of an improved form of needle and an improved form of fastener.
said needle is formed of steel preferably of a flat section, and terminates at one end
in a flat spear shaped blade having two converging cutting edges meeting in a
point. The said edges and point are hardened and tempered and ground to a sharp
edge, so that the needle easily enters the material to which the button is to be
attached, and cuts a clean slit therein.
The base of the said spear shaped blade is wider than the body of the needle, for
a reason to be presently described. The other end of the needle is tapered
gradually down to a fine point and is turned back upon the flat side of the needle
and forms a spring loop being hardened and tempered to spring temper. A groove
is provided in the flat side of the needle to receive the point of the loop. To use
the needle, the shank of a button is pushed under the loop so that the end of the
loop enters the shank, which can then be threaded on it-The needle is then passed
through the material to which the button is to be attached, and the loop slipped
out of the button shank, leaving the said shank projecting through the slit formed
in the material. By reason of the width of the base of the spear shaped blade, the
slit formed thereby is sufficiently long to allow the passage of the needle loop
without being torn or injured and the point of the loop being housed in the groove
in the needle cannot catch in the material.
The button is now ready for the fastening which is preferably formed of steel
wire bent somewhat into the shape of the figure 8, the ends of the loops of the 8
being left open and a vertical loop or bend being provided midway between them,
and the whole hardened and tempered.

page_text: The fastener is threaded into the button shank so that the said shank is in the
central bend of the fustener; and the button is then pulled back so that the said
central bend lies in the slit in the material and the flat loops of the 8 lie on the
underside of the material-The button is now firmly secured in place and the form
of the fastener prevents the possibility of it being pulled through the material by
any violent strain-It will be found that the button shank will as a rule give way
first At the same time the fastener and button can be instantly removed when
desired My improved apparatus provides a speedy and thoroughly effecient and
economical mode of attachment for shank buttons-It is especially valuable for
metal buttons on uniforms and liveries as it enables the buttons to be removed and
replaced for cleaning, any number of times, with the greatest facility and without
affecting the security of the attachment in the least degree.
AMBROSE MYALL, C.E,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Clothing, and other Articles.
I, WILLIAM WASS of 10 Marple Street, Great Alfred Street, Nottingham in the
county of Nottingham, Needle Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to the attachment of buttons provided with an eye or
shank, to boots, shoes, coats, gloves or other articles, whether of clothing or
otherwise, to which such buttons are applicable.
The apparatus which I employ consists essentially in the first place of an
improved form of needle for forming the aperture in the article to receive the
button shank, and for placing the button shank therein and in the second place of
an improved form of fastener for securing the button in place.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings,
Figures 1 and 2 are views of my improved needle at right angles to each other.
Figure 3 is a plan and
Figure 4 is a view at right angles to Figure 3 of my improved fastener.
Figures 5 and 6 are two views of an ordinary button for the attachment of which
my invention is peculiarly applicable.
Figure 7 represents my improved fastener in the act of cutting a slit in a piece
of material and inserting a button therein, and
Figure 8 represents the said button secured in position by the fastener.
Similar parts are denoted by similar letters of reference throughout the figures.
The needle A is formed of steel preferably of a flat section as shewn, and
terminates at one end in a long flat spear shaped blade B having two converging
cutting edges meeting in a point C. The said edges and point are hardened and
tempered and ground to a sharp edge, so that the needle easily enters the material
to which the button is to be attached, and cuts a clean slit therein.
The base D of the said spur shaped blade is wider than the body A of the
needle, for a reason to be presently described. The other end of the needle is
tapered gradually down to a fine point and is turned back upon the flat side of the
needle and forms a spring loop E, the said loop being hardened and tempered to
spring temper.
A groove F is provided in the flat side of the needle to receive the point of the
loop. To use the needle the shank H of a button, such as is shewn in Figures 5
and 6, is pushed under the loop E, so that the end of the loop enters the shank,
which can then be threaded on it as seen in Figure 7.
The needle is then passed through the material M (see figure 7) to which the
button is to be attached, and the loop slipped out of the button shank, leaving the
said shank projecting through the slit formed in the material. By reason of
the width of the base D of the spear shaped blade, the slit formed thereby is
sufficiently long to allow the passage of the needle loop E, without being torn or
injured and the point of the loop being housed in the groove F in the needle,
cannot catch in the material.

page_text: The button is now ready for the fastener, figures 3 and 4, which is preferably
formed of steel wire bent somewhat into the shape of the figure 8, as shewn in
Figure 3, the ends K K of the loops of the 8 being left open.
A vertical loop or bend L see Figure 4, is provided midway in the fastener and
at right angles to the looped ends and the whole is hardened and tempered.
The fastener is threaded into the button shank H, so that the said shank is in
the central bend of the fastener, and the button is then pulled back so that the
said central bend L lies in the slit in the material and the flat loops K K lie on the
underside of the material, as clearly shewn in figure 8. The button is now firmly
secured in place and the form of the fastener prevents the possibility of it being
pulled through the material by any violent strain. It will be found that the button
shank will as a rule give way first.. At the same time the fastener and button can
be instantly removed when desired.
:
My improved apparatus provides a speedy and thoroughly effecient and econo-
mical mode of attachment for shank buttons, and it will be understood that the
form of button shewn in the drawing is merely given as an illustration of the
mode of using my invention and that I do not confine its application to such
particular form of button, for any shape of button if provided with a suitable eye
or shank can be affixed by its means.
My invention is especially valuable for metal buttons on uniforms or liveries as
it enables the buttons to be removed and replaced for cleaning any number of
times, with the greatest facility and without affecting the security of the attachment
in the least degree.
My improved fastener may be employed to secure buttons without the use of
the needle A, the slit being formed in the material by any convenient means and
the button shank inserted therein by hand, but my improved needle affords the
readiest means of performing this operation, as the slit is cut and the shank
inserted at one and the same operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim, is
:
(1.) The improved needle for forming a slit and placing a button shank therein,
substantially as herein shewn and described.
(2.) The improved fastener for attaching a button, having an eye or shank, to
any desired article, substantially as herein shewn and described.
Dated this 28th day of April 1886.
AMBROSE MYALL, C.E.,
Agent for the Applicant.