Silk Hats or other Silk Plush.
Year: 1886

page_text: Silk Hats or other Silk Plush.
I RAYMOND THOMAS EDDY of 28 Faulkner Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED
MEANS FOR SMOOTHING AND POLISHING THE SURFACE OF SILK HATS OR OTHER
SILK PLUSH and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The principal object of this invention is to provide a ready means for giving a
smooth and brilliant polish to the surface of silk hats but the same means are
equally applicable for polishing hat plush or similar kinds of silk plush in the
piece.
The invention consists in the use for this purpose of a handkerchief or piece of
woven "pongee" silk or a pad covered with such woven material such handkerchief
or piece or pad of silk being impregnated with vaseline prepared and treated in
the following manner.
I take a suitable quantity of pure vaseline and I heat it in a suitable vessel until
its temperature is raised to boiling point I then add to the boiling liquid Alkanet
root in the proportion of about half an ounce of alkanet root to each pound of
vaseline and I continue the boiling until the latter is reduced to about half its
original bulk and has assumed a turkey red colour. I then remove the alkanet
root.
I then prepare a soft pad of any convenient size the surface whereof is covered
(by preference) with a piled or other woven fabric or it may be of any other
suitable absorbent material and I saturate this with the colored vaseline prepared
as above described. Upon this pad so prepared and saturated I place a handkerchief
or piece of fabric woven from "Pongee" silk and by passing a heated iron or roller
over the surface of the handkerchief or silk I cause the handkerchief or silk to
become impregnated to a considerable degree with the prepared vaseline.
If this handkerchief or piece of woven silk so impregnated be now passed a few
times over the surface of a silk hat it will be found to impart thereto a brilliant
lustre without giving it any oily or greasy appearance and without any liability to
promote the adhesion of dust thereto.
The handkerchief or piece of woven silk thus prepared may be kept and used for
this purpose for a considerable time (some months) if it is not exposed too much to

page_text: the action of the atmosphere and when it loses its efficacy it can be washed and
impregnated over again as before.
In some cases instead of using simply a handkerchief or a piece of woven silk for
this purpose as above mentioned I prepare a small pad (of a convenient size to bo
used by the hand) which I cover with woven "Pongee" silk and I impregnate it
with the prepared vaseline and use it in the same manner.
It will of course be evident that a pad so made and prepared may.be used for
finishing and polishing silk plush in the piece or in other form than that of a
silk hat..
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
رو
The preparation and use for the purpose of polishing the surface of silk hats or
other silk plush of a handkerchief or pad made of or covered with woven "pongee
silk and saturated or impregnated with prepared vaseline substantially as herein-
before set forth and described.