Improvements in Means for Purifying the Water of Hat Felting or Sizing Tanks.
Year: 1895

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Purifying the Water of Hat Felting or
Sizing Tanks.
We, GEORGE WELLS, CHRISTIAN SWARTZ and WILLIAM BODWELL
HUBBELL, citizens of the United States of America, all residing at South Norwalk,
in the County of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, one of the United States of
America, Manufacturers, 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 :-
Our invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements to be used in
connection with hat sizing tanks, but particularly relates to the provision of means
whereby particles of fur and other foreign matter are removed from the water
in the tank, whereby the formation of "what are termed "dags" in the hat is
prevented.
In dipping the hats within the usual tank of hot water, during the process of
felting, the water becomes filled with long hairs and loose particles of fur which
constantly attach themselves to the hat bodies and are worked into the same by the
felting operations, so as to form what we have termed "dags."
Constant
By the use of our improvement the water in the tank undergoes a
process of purification, the result being that the quality of the hats is greatly
improved.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this Application-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing a hat sizing tank equipped with a
preferred construction of our improvement;
Figure 2 a detail broken sectional elevation on an enlarged scale, of the peculiar
means which we employ to lift the water in its fouled condition up to the point
where it is cleansed and again delivered into the tank, and
Figure 3 a view similar to Figure 1, but showing a modification of our
improvement.
Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
1 is the usual hat sizing tank. 2 is a base which sets upon the bottom of the
tank and may be bolted thereto or not, as desired, said base being cored out as seen
at and open at the top and interiorly threaded at 3 for the purpose presently
explained. Communicating with the hollow cored out portion of this base are any
suitable number of pipes 4 which extend outwardly and open into the tank below
the level of the water therein. Cast with the base 2 and rising upwardly
therefrom into the cored out portion a is a nipple 5 which is interiorly threaded.
6 is a conical shaped nozzle whose lower end is threaded and secured within said
nipple, and 7 is a duct formed in the walls of the base 2 and communicating directly
with the duct 8 through the nozzle.
9 is a pipe which rises upwardly through the tank, and 10 is a union nipple by
which the base 2 and said pipe are joined. The bottom of this nipple has a conically
shaped recess 11 into which the nozzle 6 projects, said recess leading into a
contracted opening 12, which latter is slightly flared from the bottom toward the
top, and is immediately below the opening in the pipe 9.
It will be observed that the opening in the pipe 9 has a far greater area than
that of the opening 12, so that it will be obvious that when the water rises

page_text: within the recess 11 up into the contracted opening 12, the force of live steam up
through the opening 8 will lift the water into the pipe 9, and as the tendency of
the water in the tank is to find its natural level within the pipe 9, it follows
that the forced elevation of the water within said pipe will be exceedingly efficient
and rapid.
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13 is a steam supply pipe which communicates with the duct 7 whereby live
steam may be introduced
through the nozzle. The top of the pipe 9 at its
discharge end is so formed as that the water elevated will be discharged through
any suitable strainer.
To Figure 1 we have shown the top of the pipe terminating in a goose neck 14
above the level of the water, a strainer 15 being attached to said neck in any
suitable manner so that the water as it is elevated will pass through said strainer
and fall back into the tank. The strainer is provided with any suitable bail 16 so
that it may be readily removed for the purpose of cleansing.
The steam supply pipe 13 is tapped into a main steam pipe 17 which latter is
utilized for the purposes of heating the water in the tank in any suitable and
ordinary manner, not herein shown.
Instead of opening directly into the bottom of the tank the pipes may lead
upwardly, as shown in dotted lines, to a point immediately below the level of the
water if desired, or said pipes may be entirely dispensed with, it being merely
necessary in this connection that the interior of the base portion 2 shall have
communication with the water in the tank.
18 is a small cock tapped into the base 2 and communicating with the duct 7.
whereby the water may be drawn off from within the said duct and opening 5 when
the apparatus is not in use, this being advisable in order to prevent the freezing of
the water.
In Figure 3 we have shown a modification of our improvement, which we will
now describe.
19 is the pipe within which the water is elevated, which pipe is supported in any
suitable manner. We have shown this pipe as provided with lugs 20 which are
secured by bolts 21 to the steam pipe 22, by which the water in the tank is heated,
but of course there are many ways in which this pipe could be supported, all of
which are within the range of ordinary mechanical skill.
23 is the steam supply pipe which may enter the tank at any point, said pipe
extending upward a short distance within the pipe 19. 24 is the strainer which is
secured to the top of the pipe 19 beneath the level of the water in the tank, the top
wall of the strainer being constructed to form a hate plate 25 against which the
wator is driven and is deflected down through the strainer.
The water will rise to find its level within the pipe 19, and the steam jet through
the pipe 23 will induce an upward current of the water and act to force the latter
through the strainer into the surrounding water in the tank. If desired, the
strainer may be located at the side of the tank by putting in a strainer gauze
partition in the tank as shown in dotted lines at 26, the pipe 19 in this instance
being led, as shown at 27, also in dotted lines, into the partitioned portion of the
tank.
The hollow base 2, and nipple 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2, are in effect a
continuation of the pipe 9, so that, in both the construction shown therein and in
Figure 3, the steam nozzle extends upward within the pipe and is enclosed thereby.
We
'e prefer, however, to use the construction shown in Figures 1 and 2, since it
is especially well adapted to force a great quantity of water very rapidly through
the strainer in a given time.
We do not desire to be limited to the location of the strainer above or below
the water level in the tank, nor do we wish to be limited to any special means for
elevating the water filled with impurities and discharging the same through the
strainer back into the tank, since the gist of our invention rests in the broad idea
of changing the water through the medium of a strainer device, and not in the
employment of any special devices for so doing.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a hat sizing apparatus which comprises a sizing tank containing hot water.
the application of means for automatically circulating the water filled with
impurities through a strainer device, from whence the water falls back into the
tank, substantially as set forth.
2. In a hat sizing apparatus comprising a tank containing hot water, the
employment of means for elevating the water filled with impurities and for
discharging the same through a strainer back into the tank, substantially as set
forth.
3. In a hat sizing apparatus comprising a tank containing hot water, the
combination of a conveying pipe having its inlet end communicating with the
water in the tank while its outlet end is provided with a strainer, and means for
forcing the water in the tank into said pipe and through said strainer back into
the tank, whereby the water is cleansed from impurities, substantially as set
forth.
4. In a hat sizing apparatus comprising a tank containing hot water, the
combination of a water elevator pipe whose inlet end communicates with the
water in the tank and whose outlet end lends into a strainer, and a pipe through
which steam under pressure is introduced at or near the bottom of the elevator
pipe, whereby the water is elevated from the tank and discharged back into the
latter through the strainer, substantially as set forth.
5. lo a hat sizing apparatus which comprises a sizing tank containing hot water,
the combination of a water elevator pipe having its lower end below the water
level in the tank whereby the water will normally rise in said pipe to find its level,
a steam injector nozzle near the bottom of said pipe, and a strainer into which the
upper end of said pipe leads, through which strainer the water is delivered back
into the tank, substantially as set forth.
6. In a hat sizing apparatus comprising a sizing tank containing hot water, the
combination of the vertically supported pipe having its lower end below the water
level in the tank whereby the water will normally rise in said pipe to find its
level, a steam injector nozzle extending upwardly within the bottom of said pipe
and normally submerged in the column of water within said pipe, and a strainer
into which the upper end of said pipe leads, through which strainer the water is
delivered back into the tank, substantially as set forth.
7. In a hat sizing apparatus comprising a sizing tank containing hot water, the
combination of the hollow base located in the bottom of the tank and having
communication with the surrounding water and provided with a steam duct, the
steam nozzle rising within said base from the bottom thereof and communicating
with said duct, the water elevator pipe, the union nipple connecting said pipe and
base and provided in its lower end with a conical recess into which sail nozzle
leads and having at its upper end an upwardly flaring contracted opening
communicating with said recess, and a strainer into which the upper end of said
pipe leads, through which strainer the water is delivered back into the tank,
substantially as set forth.
8. lua bat sizing apparatus comprising a tank containing hot water, the
combination of the hollow base in the bottom of the tank and communicating
with the surrounding water, a steam nozzle projecting upward within said base,
means for supplying live steam through said nozzle, the water elevator pipe, the
union nipple connecting said base and pipe and having in its lower portion a
conically shaped recess into which said nozzle projects, and provided in its upper
portion with an upwardly flaring contracted opening into which said recess leads,
and a strainer into which the upper end of said pipe leads through which strainer
the water is delivered back into the tank, substantially as set forth.
9. In a hat sizing apparatus comprising a tank contaiuing hot water, the

page_text: combination of the hollow base located in the bottom of the tank and communi-
enting with the surrounding water, a steam jet nozzle supported within said base,
means for supplying steam to said nozzle, the water elevator pipe, the strainer
into which the upper end of said pipe leads, through which strainer the water is
delivered back into the tank, and the union nipple connecting said pipe and base,
said nipple being open from top to bottom, the opening in the bottom being conical
in shape nud into which said nozzle projects, while the opening in the top is
contracted down to a point whore it leads into the opening in the bottom, and
has an area much less than that of the interior of the pipe, substantially as set
forth.
Dated this 15th day of October 1805
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.