IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHAPING AND CURLING HAT BRIMS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Rowbotham, of Hazel Grove, in the County
of Chester, Hat Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Rowbotham, of Hazel Grove, in the County
of Chester, Hat Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SHAPING AND CURLING HAT BRIMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Rowbotham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st January 1881.
THOMAS ROWBOTHAM, of Hazel Grove, in the County of Chester, Hat
Manufacturer. « IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHAPING AND CURLING HAT
BRIMS."
My Invention relates more particularly to the manufacture of felt hats, and has
for its object to facilitate the shaping of the brims of such hats. The said brims
are bent or curved to impart the required "set," and are also curled or turned up
or over at the side edges as is well understood. I effect this shaping and curling
by one operation. I employ a press which is fitted with side moulding plates,
blocks, or parts, which advance towards the hat brims and act in conjunction with
an expanding "former," which acts laterally upon the edges of the brim in
conjunction with the said moulding plates to impart the required curl, and also acts
vertically in conjunction with the block which. supports the hat to impart the
required set or curvature to the brim. In one arrangement the said block is fixed
upon a table, which can be raised and lowered by means of a cam shaft, or
by other suitable means. The table when rising carries with it the two side
moulding plates which are pressed inwards by means of fixed inclines. Upon
the hat brim is placed the expanding "former," which is shaped on the under-
side to impart the required "set" or curvature to the brim. The said former
consists principally of two parts which are arranged to be thrust apart by
means of wedges, which act upon opposed inclined faces formed on the ends of the
two parts of the "former." When the press table is forced upwards, the said
wedges or a wedge-ring come or comes in contact with the lower ends of screws or
of adjustable stops, and by reason of the upward progress of the wedges being thus
arrested the parts of the "former" are forced apart. The edges or sides of the

page_text: "
side moulding plates are suitably grooved, and the edges of the parts of the
" former are correspondingly shaped, and when the table is forced upwards
the side edges of the hat brim are moulded or shaped by being forced into the
moulding hollows in the said moulding plates. I prefer to so form the parts as
that whilst the pressure upon the hat is sustained, a knife may be passed along or
around the hat brim in such a manner as to remove the superfluous felt from the
edge of the brim. When so treated the hat brim is moulded or "set," curled, and
trimmed during the one operation. The arrangements for forcing inwards the side
moulding plates, blocks, or parts, and for expanding the said "former" may be
varied, and the table might be lowered to impart the pressure; but I do not
consider that such an arrangement would be so convenient as that herein
indicated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Rowbotham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st July
1881.
THOMAS ROWBOTHAM, of Hazel Grove, in the County of Chester, Hat
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHAPING AND CURLING HAT
BRIMS."
My Invention relates more particularly to the manufacture of felt hats, and has
for its object to facilitate the shaping of the brims of such hats. The said brims
are bent or curved to impart the required "set," and are also curled and turned up
or over at the side edges, as is well understood. I effect this shaping and curling
by one operation. I employ a press which is fitted with side moulding plates,
blocks, or parts which advance towards the hat brims and act in conjunction with
an expanding "former," which acts laterally upon the edges of the brim in
conjunction with the said moulding plates to impart the required curl, and also
acts vertically in conjunction with the block which supports the hat to impart the
required set or curvature to the brim. I prefer to so form the parts as that whilst
the pressure upon the hat is sustained a knife may be passed along or around the
hat brim in such a manner as to remove the superfluous felt from the edge of
the brim.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood I have attached hereunto
a Sheet of Drawings made to a scale of about three inches to the foot and marked
with letters of reference, corresponding letters indicating the same parts in the
various Figures. In the said Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2, an end
elevation; and Fig. 3, a plan of the complete apparatus constructed in accordance
with my Invention. In the said Figs., a is the framing which carries the parts of
the apparatus, and is adapted to be secured to a work-bench as is usual. On the
uprights of the framing are formed or fixed guides b, which are planed to receive
planed ribs which are formed on a table c, whereby the parallelism of the said
table is maintained during its upward and downward movements. On the face
of the said table are formed vee slides d, d, upon which the moulding block e
is fitted to slide. The upper surface of this moulding block is curved, hollowed out,
and shaped to suit the intended form which has to be imparted to the undersurface
of the hat brim. A section of the said moulding block appears in Fig 4. Upon
the moulding block, side plates f. f, are fitted to slide. These plates are curved
to suit the form of the block, and slide between the face of the block and the under-
side of an oval ring g, which is secured to the block by means of screws g¹, which
pass through slots in the plates f. The inner edges of the said plates are curved to
the form which it is intended to impart to the cut edge of the curl, and the meeting
ends or edges of the plates are or may be beveled and shaped to overlap. To the
outer edges of the said plates are fixed pieces h, h, upon which act inclines i, i,
which are secured to the uprights of the framing. When the table is raised the
said inclines push inwards the plates f. When the hat is placed in position upon
the block a thin oval ring k is placed upon the brim. This ring is separately
represented by Fig. 6, and is suitably shaped to suit the curvature of the brim.
Upon this plate are placed two curved pieces 1, 1, which together act as an
expanding former, and are represented in Fig. 5. Upon each end of each piece is
formed an upward projection ', upon which is formed an inclined face. The upper
bar of the framing is prepared to receive a screw m, and upon the lower end of this
screw is mounted a fork n, and the lower end of each member of this fork is
formed with two inclined faces to act as a wedge. When the table is forced
upwards the two wedges on the fork enter between the inclines 1, on the parts of
the expanding former and force the said parts outwards in opposite directions. In
the example the table is acted upon by means of two cams o, o, which are fixed
upon a shaft p, which can be rotated to the required extent by means of a hand
lever r.
The hat to be operated upon is placed upon the block when the table is

page_text: in its lower position, and in order that the placing of the hat and of the expanding
former may be conveniently effected the moulding block is drawn forwards upon
the slides d. To permit this movement of the block the fork n has to be moved
into the position indicated by the dotted lines, and in the example this is effected
by means of a spiral spring s. The operation of the apparatus may be described
as follows:-The hat body having been placed upon the block the ring k is
placed upon the hat brim, and the parts l, l, of the expanding former are
placed upon the said ring. The block is then pushed forwards upon the
slides, and the fork n is brought round into the position indicated by the full
lines in Fig. 1. The hand lever is then drawn down or acted upon, whereby the
cams o are caused to force upwards the table. The pieces h, h, by sliding upon
the inclines are forced inwards, whereby the plates f. by sliding inwards turn
down the side edges of the brim over the upper edges of the expanding former, as
indicated in Fig. 4. The same upward movement of the table and block brings
the inclined faces on the ends of the parts l, l, into forcible contact with the wedge-
shaped ends of the fork n, whereby the parts 1, 7, are forced outwards in opposite
directions, thereby forcing the brim into the corners formed by the block and the
plates f, and at the same time the said parts 1, 1; are forced downwards, whereby
the brim is pressed between the block and the ring k. Adjustable screw stops t, t,
determine the extent to which the plates fare forced inwards, and the pressure
upon the expanding former is regulated by turning the screw m so as to raise or
lower the fork. Whilst the hat brim is under pressure a knife is passed around
the curled brim so as to remove the superfluous material, the curved edges of the
plates facting as guides for the knife. When the hat has been sufficiently pressed
the hand lever is acted upon to lower the table when the spring moves the fork
out of the way, and the block can be drawn forwards and the hat be removed.
It will be seen that the hat brim is moulded or "set," curled, and trimmed during
the one operation with the apparatus. The arrangements for forcing inwards the
plates and for expanding the former may be varied, as, for example, the inclines ¿
and the fork n, or a frame carrying inclines and wedges, might be forced down-
wards instead of the table and blocks being forced upwards. The ring k might
be dispensed with, its principal uses being to constitute a presser which shall be
continuous around the hat, and to present a surface upon which the parts of the
expanding former can slide.
'
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said. Invention, and
the manner in which I carry the same into practical effect, I would have it to be
understood that I claim,-
First. The apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated
hereinbefore, and in and by the accompanying Drawings. ;
Secondly. The plates or parts f forced inwards acting in conjunction with the
parts 1, 1, which are forced outwards, and are at the same time pressed upon the
brim so as by one operation to curl the edges of the brim and impart the set
thereto, substantially as set forth and indicated.
1 "
And, Lastly. The hat.block mounted upon a rising table and fitted with plates or
parts which are forced inwards by inclines in conjunction with plates or parts which
are forced outwards and downwards by wedges, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth and indicated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Rowbotham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-one