Improvements in the Manufacture of Felt Hats and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept.,
1890
Improvements in the Manufacture of Felt Hats and in
Apparatus therefor.
'
We, THOMAS TOWNEND, of Lime Street, in the City of London, JOHN EATON,
of Hillgate, Stockport, in the County of Chester, and ARTHUR POWELL TOWNEND, of
Lime Street, in the City of London, Hat Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows: ==
Our invention relates to the manufacture of felt hats of the kind described in
the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to us and dated 23rd May
A.D. 1889, No. 8613, that is to say, felt hats, the brim edges of which are made
thicker than the other parts thereof in order that the brim may have sufficient
substance to enable it to retain its shape without the use of a wire.
In blowing the fur upon one part of the cone more than another the contraction of
the opening which necessarily takes place causes the air blast from the fan to drive the
fur forcibly through the said opening so that the fur is more or less distributed in the
atmosphere and also tends to thicken the body for more than the required width.
Now we have found by experiment that by regulating the air blast in the manner
hereinafter described we are enabled to effect the thickening of the hat brim for the
width required.
According to our invention we provide for blowing the fur onto the cone at an
uniform speed irrespective of the size of the opening of the funnel and we accomplish
this by regulating the air inlet opening according to requirements.
In order to effect the necessary proofing of the brim portion uniformly we
advantageously provide a tray which is filled with the proofing material to the required
depth and into which the hats are dipped. This tray is advantageously connected to a
reservoir from which the proofing material is allowed to flow into the tray from time
to time, a cock being provided to regulate such flow.
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Felt Hats and in
Apparatus therefor.
We, THOMAS TOWNEND, of Lime Street, in the City of London, JOHN EATON,
of Hillgate, Stockport, in the County of Chester, and ARTHUR POWELL TOWNEND, of
Lime Street, in the City of London, Hat 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 relates to the manufacture of felt hats of the kind described in the
Specification of former Letters Patent granted to us and dated 23rd May A.D. 1889,
No. 8613, that is to say, felt hats, the brim edges of which are made thicker than the
other parts thereof in order that the brim may have sufficient substance to enable it to
retain its shape without the use of a wire.
In blowing the fur upon one part of the cone more than another the contraction of
the opening which necessarily takes place causes the air-blast from the fan to drive
the fur forcibly through the said opening so that the fur is more or less distributed
in the atmosphere, and also tends to thicken the body for more than the required
width.

page_text: Now we have found by experiment that by regulating the air blast in the manner
hereinafter described we are enabled to effect the thickening of the hat brim for the
width required.
According to our invention we provide for blowing the fur onto the cone at
an uniform speed irrespective of the size of the opening of the funnel and we
accomplish this by regulating the air inlet opening according to requirements.
.
In order to effect the necessary proofing of the brim portion uniformly we
advantageously provide a tray which is filled with the proofing material to the
required depth and into which the hats are dipped. This tray is advantageously con-
nected to a resorvoir from which the proofing material is allowed to flow into the tray
from time to time, a cock being provided to regulate such flow.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of a portion of a hat-forming machine
constructed according to our invention:
Figures 2 and
represent a sectional elevation and plan respectively of an apparatus
for stiffening or proofing the brims of felt hats according to another part of our
invention:
Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views representing different stages in our improved
manufacture of felt hats.
Similar reference letters indicate similar parts throughout the drawing.
a, Figure 1, is the usual cone upon which the fur for forming the hat body is blown
from the funnel b in the ordinary manner by the fan c.
We first form the outer or thickened part of the brim of the hat. For this purpose
we provide the funnel b with a sliding door d which can be adjusted in order to form
an opening, as shewn at e, of a size sufficient to allow the fur to be blown onto
the cone a to the required width. In order, however to prevent the fur from striking
the cone so forcibly (when the area of the opening is reduced) as to become scattered
or to spread up the cone, so that the latter is thickened for a greater width than
is required as has heretofore been the case, the speed of the fan is reduced pro-
portionately to the size of the opening, so that the fur is only blown through the said
opening at the normal speed, notwithstanding its reduced area.
f represents the said outer or thickened part of the brim-when blown onto the
cone a. The other or thin portion of the hat is then formed in the usual manner.
The body is then planked in the ordinary way thereby reducing it in size.
Figure represents a section of the same when planked.
The body is then dried and freed from the rough hair in the usual manner and is
stiffened or proofed in spirit varnish of exceptional strength. For this purpose we
make use of the apparatus shewn at Figures 2 and 3, which consists of a vessel g, for
containing the said spirit varnish-communicating by means-of-a-valve-h. with a
smaller open vessel i.
In the vessel i is placed the hat body in an upright position as shewn in Figure 2,
sufficient spirit varnish being admitted by the valve h to stiffen or proof the thickened
edge of the brim of the said body. After a short time the body is taken out of the
vessel and "cleared off" in the usual manner.
By the arrangement just described ii will be obvious that each hat body will
be stiffened or proofed to the same depth.
After being "cleared off," the hat body is allowed to stand a short time in order to
partly set the stiffening. The unproofed portion of the body is then proofed in the
ordinary way by immersion in light spirit varnish, after which it is allowed to stand
for a time to allow a portion of the spirit to evaporate. It is then steamed, dried,
cleaned on the surface, dyed, blocked, dried, pressed, finished, and curled, thereby
completing the operation. Figure represents a section of the hat body when
finished.
By this process we produce a hat which is firm round the edge f and flexible and
yielding round the band ;, Figure 5.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The method of making a felt hat, the edge of the brim of which is thicker than
the other parts thereof, consisting in blowing the fur to form the thickened brim
through an opening of the required width, and in regulating the draught of the fan
proportionately to the size of the said opening, so that the fur only passes therethrough
at the normal speed, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for the manufacture of feli hats of the kind herein before described,
the combination of the cone a and the funnel 6, the latter being provided with a door
for regulating the size of its opening, and with a fan the speed of which can be varied
proportionately to the size of the opening, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for the manufacture of felt hats of the kind hereinbefore described,
the combination of the reservoir g the proofing tray i and the cock h, substantially as
described.
הים
100 I
" A
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.