Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and other Head Coverings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb:; 1895.
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and other Head
Coverings.
I, WILLIAM VERO Junior, of 30, St. Agnes Place, Park Side, Kennington, in
the County of Surrey, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to a new method of manufacturing hats and other lead
coverings, and. it consists essentially in making the bodies out of sections of felt,
stitched, sewn, or otherwise fastened together, the object being to cheapen
production and obtain a stronger and better article. .
Heretofore felt hat bodies have been made by forming carded wool over suitably
shaped blocks, hardening the same and subsequently shrinking them by means of
fulling or planking machines:
According to my present invention, I cut sections of the required. size or shape
out of sheets of any suitable felt or its equivalent, and I stitch or sew the said
sections together to. form the bodies, which are subsequently. finished off in the
ordinary manner.
According to a modification, I cut the sections out of sheets of felt which have
been hardened or stiffened and dried by any of the known processes, and I then
build up bodies from these sections in the same manner as if sheet cork was used.
Dated hio 02nd day of Wohnworx 100
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and other Head.
..
Coverings.
1, WILLIAM VERO Junior, of 30, St. Agnes Place, Park Side, Kennington, in
the County of Surrey, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a new method of manufacturing hats and other. head
coverings, and it consists essentially in making the bodies out of sections of felt. or
other suitable material stitched, sewn, or otherwise fastened together, the object
being to cheapen production and obtain a stronger and better article.
Heretofore felt hat bodies have been made by forming carded wool, fur or the
like over cone shaped mandrels, hardening the same, then shrinking by means
of fulling or planking machines and subsequently blocking them to shape and
finishing.
In the blocking process the top of the hat is unduly stretched owing to the fact
that it is only possible to form the "hoods" on cone shaped mandrels, consequently
the finished hat is constantly trying to resume its original cone, shape, that is the

page_text: hat tends to become higher in the crown than it should be, thereby altering its
proper shape.
In some types of ladies' felt hats it has been customary to use a flat sheet of felt
or felted material and to produce a crown by means of blocking, but this process
is also unsatisfactory as the hat when it becomes wetted tends to resume its
original flat shape.
In the case of helmets and like head coverings and also in some shapes of ladies'
hats formed of what is termed "gossamer" bodies, these have been built up over
a suitable shape by pieces of "gossamer" proofed or stiffened, each piece put on
singly and hand ironed, but this is a costly process.
Now according to my present invention, out of any kind of suitable material
such as felt, felt cloth, plaited straw, cotton or woollen cloths I cut a number of
sections of any required size and shape according to the shape of the hat it is
desired to make. These sections are then stitched or sewn together so as to
roughly form the body of the hat. The stitching may be quite plain or
or ornamental as desired, or a welt or piping may be stitched or sewn between
each section, of the same or of a different colour or shade to that of the sections.
The sections may be stitched or sewn together so as to form a lap or a butt joint,
whichever is most desirable for the class of hat being made. It is essential that
a strong thread or silk be used in the stitching or sewing together of the sections
to enable the seams to withstand the after processes. In some cases I prefer to use
wire for this purpose.
The roughly shaped body is now ready to be stiffened or proofed in the well-
known manner either soft, half stiffened or hard as may be necessary or desirable.
After being stiffened the body is heated or steamed and placed in the latters'
hydraulic press to mould it to the desired shape, the pressure which it is there
subjected to causes the seams to be pressed quite flat on the outside and after
being finished in the usual way, the seams, when it is so desired, can scarcely be
detected.
The sections may be of one or more plies of the same or different qualities of the
same material, for instance a section of a very cheap class of felt may have a
section of a finer quality on the outside and also on the inside or totally different
materials may be used, for instance one or more sections of cotton cloth may have
an outside section of woollen cloth or felted material.
The linings may also be stitched or sewn in together with the sections or as now
be stitched or sewn in after finishing.
Instead of stitching or sewing the sections together they may be first proofed or
stiffened, either before or after being cut to shape, and then built up by means of
india rubber solution round a suitable shape or block; this method is particularly
well adapted for making cork helmets, sections of suitably stiffened material,
preferably felt, are skived or chamfered on their edges and then coated with
india rubber solution and built up round a block or shape, preferably over a lining,
when the block is covered over with one ply of the material one or more plies of
cork sections are placed over them and finished in the usual manner, by this
construction the helmet is much stiffer and stronger than if composed entirely
of cork.
:
The bodies after being stiffened may have a cover placed over them and are
then finished in the usual way.
_
The sections before being stitched or sewn together may be quilted, braided or
otherwise ornamented.
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 :-
(1) The improvements in the manufacture of hats and other head coverings,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
(2) In the manufacture of hats and other head coverings forming the bodies out

page_text: of sections of felt or other material stitched or sewn together prior to their being
proofed or stiffened and finished as herein before described.
(3) In the manufacture of hats and other head coverings forming the bodies out
of sections, each consisting of one or more plies or thicknesses of the same or
different materials stitched or sewn together prior to their being proofed or
stiffened and finished, as hereinbefore described.
(4) In the manufacture of hats and other head coverings forming the bodies out
of several sections of proofed or stiffened material and joining the sections together-
by means of india rubber solution or the like, as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1895
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,.
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.