IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT HATS OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bywater, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, and John Lees Buckley, of Woodley, near
Stockport, in the County of Chester, Hat Body Manufacturer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT HATS
OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bywater and
John Lees Buckley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th August 1875.
We, WILLIAM BYWATER, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine
Maker, and JOHN LEES BUCKLEY, of Woodley, near Stockport, in the
County of Chester, Hat Body Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FELT HATS OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD," to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of bats and other coverings for the bead formed.

page_text: with an oscillating cap or cover, and according to our improvements
this bottom cone is formed hollow, of brass or other suitable metal, and
is perforated with numerous holes for the passage of steam to assist the
felting process. This hollow bottom conc is mounted upon a revolving
axis, and it receives the conical felt or body as it comes from the carding|
engine.
The top cone or cover is formed of brass, wood, or other suitable
material; it does not revolve, but it has an oscillatory or to-and-fro
motion given to it, by which the felt body placed on the bottom cone
becomes beaten and hardened.
The acting surfaces of either or both of the cones may be covered
with linen or other fabric, and the motion to the top cone or cover may
be suspended or brought into operation at pleasure, and when in action
it will operate with the lower cone on any side or surface thereof
desired.
When the felt body is sufficiently hardened, and which may be
regulated as desired, the top cone or cover is raised out of the way by
mechanical motion given to it for the removal of the body just operated
upon and the placing another to be operated upon, and the top cover
or cone is then brought on to the bottom one for action as before by
mechanical motion given to it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Bywater and John Lees Buckley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM 2
BYWATER, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker, and JOHN
LEES BUCKLEY, of Woodley, near Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Hat Body Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of August, in the year 3
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said William Bywater and

page_text: John Lees Buckley Her special license, that we, the said William
Bywater and John Lees Buckley, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said William Bywater and John
Lees Buckley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT
HATS OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Bywater and John Lees Buckley,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us
or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bywater, on behalf of
myself and the said John Lees Buckley, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the manufacture of hats and other coverings for the head formed
5 of felt a revolving solid conical block has been employed in combination
with an oscillating cap or cover, and according to our improvements
this bottom conical block is formed hollow, of brass or other suitable
metal, and is perforated with numerous holes for the passage of steam
to assist the felting process. This hollow bottom cone is mounted upon
O a revolving axis, and it receives the conical felt or body as it comes
from the carding engine.
The top cone or cover is formed of brass, wood, or other suitable
material, and does not revolve except by contact with the bottom cone,
but at the same time it has an oscillatory or to-and-fro motion given
5 to it, by which the felt body placed on the bottom cone becomes beaten
and hardened.
The acting surfaces of either or both of the cones may be covered

page_text: ummy attached to themy
eccentrics S¹ in the descent of a top cone F, when such eccentric gives
a to-and-fro motion to such top cone F on the bottom conc G. One of
cach of the cones F and G is shown in and the other of them out of
action.
The self-acting motion for raising the top cones F is as follows :—
H is a rod, which is supported at its lower end by means of a conical
collar H resting on one end of the cranked lever J. The rod H is also
attached to the chain pulley K by means of a chain K'. The chain K'
is slack, whilst the rod H rests on the lever J. The lower end of the
rod His attached to one end of the cranked lever L, the other end being
connected by means of the rod L¹ to a clutch lever M for operating the
clutch N, which is keyed on the shaft E. The wheels O, except when
clutched by the clutchs N, revolve loosely on the shaft E. Whilst the
cones F and G are in action, the wheel P thereof having on one of its
arms a stud P¹, is made to revolve, and in its revolution the stud P¹
comes in contact with one end of the lever J, which then releases the
rod H. The rod H thus released acts upon the levers L and M. and
clutch N to throw the clutch N into action with a wheel O for raising
that cone F by means of the chain pulley Q and chain Q. As the
conc F is being raised the chain pulley K winds up the chain K',
raising the rod H to its former position releases the clutch N from its
wheel O, thus stopping the shaft E and chain pulley Q. The cone F
thus raised is retained in its position by means of a ratchet wheel R and
pawl R¹.
and
To lower the cone the lever R2 is raised, thus releasing the pawl R¹
from the ratchet wheel R. This action for raising and lowering the
top cone can be altered to any given length of time to suit the hats
operated upon or the convenience of the operator by means of change
wheels P³. The hat bodies are placed upon the bottom perforated
cone G, and each body as so placed is covered with a canvas cover, one
cover between each pair of bodies, according to the number being
hardened at any one time. During the operation the bottom cone
revolves, and thus the hat bodies are hardened all round. The bottom
cones are heated by means of steam supplied through a small steam
pipe (through the hollow axis of each of them) to their interior, and
this steam escaping assists the hardening of the hat bodies.

page_text: Having thus described our Invention, and means for carrying the
same into effect, we wish it to be understood that what we claim is the
improvements in the manufacture of felt hats or other coverings for the
head, whereby a revolving bottom perforated cone heated by steam is
caused to work in conjunction with a top oscillating cone, the said top
cone having a self-acting raising and lowering motion, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bywater, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
WILLIAM BYWATER. (L.S.)