IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF BUSKS FOR STAYS, WHICH MAY BY MEANS OF THIS INVENTION BE FASTENED OR UNFASTENED IMMEDIATELY, AND MADE TIGHT OR LOOSE AT PLEASURE
Year: 1854

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Newbould at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th September
1854.
I, WILLIAM NEWBOULD, of Derby, in the County of Derby, Draper, do
hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF BUSKS FOR STAYS, WHICH MAY BY MEANS OF THIS INVENTION BE
FASTENED OR UNFASTENED IMMEDIATELY, AND MADE TIGHT OR LOOSE AT
PLEASURE," to be as follows, namely:-
Whereas stays as usually made require to be laced up at the back, and
thus require considerable time in the fastening or lacing; and although stays
have been invented to fasten in the front without lacing, by an ingenious
arrangement with the busk, or by means of certain ingenious mechanical
appliances or fastenings affixed to the said busk, yet they are not so easily or
quickly fastened or unfastened as by means of my said Invention; neither do
they allow of the stays being made tighter or looser at the will of the wearer
to the same extent or with the same facility as they can be by means of my
said Invention. The object of my Invention is to easily and firmly fasten tho
stays in front, to fasten or unfasten them instantaneously, and with like ease
and expedition to have the stays worn tight or loose at the will of the wearer;
also enabling the stays to be made tight at the top while they remain loose in
the lower part, and vice versa. My method of effecting this improvement

page_text: upon stays is by means of two steel racks of peculiar construction affixed on
one half of a busk, also usually composed of steel, but not necessarily so,
which is split down the middle. One of these racks is placed about three
inches from the top, and the other about the same distance from the bottom
of the half busk. Each of these racks is divided into two equal parts, which
are made semicircular, but not necessarily, the inner parts of which are con-
nected on the outer edge by means of an elastic, which serves to pull these
edges towards each other and keep the stays fastened. The outer halves of
theso racks are rivetted or fixed firmly to the busk, while the inner halves are
joined to the busk close up to the outer halves by means of a rivet or pivot
about the middle near the flat edge of the inner half rack. The flat side or
edges of both the racks is placed at right angles to the half of the busk to
which it is affixed. One half of the rack is so fixed as to project inwards
beyond the line of the half-busk, the racks being made of such size that
when the other half of the busk is joined to that on which the racks are
affixed, the racks will cover or extend across the breadth of the two half busks
of the inner halves of these racks. Those parts thereof which project at right.
angles over the parts of the busk to which they are affixed (being about one
half of each of the inner racks) are serrated, to receive and hold fast the pivot
pin or fastener fixed on the other half of the busk. A small segment is cut
off from the outer part of the inner half racks, which thus allows the inner
half racks to work freely upon the centre rivet, a pivot with which they are
affixed to the half busk, and thus allow the serrated halves of the inner racks
to be opened in order to be fastened or unfastened. The halves of the inner
racks from which the segments are respectively cut off are constantly drawn
towards each other by means of the elastic before mentioned, and the serrated
halves are thus constantly joined to the outer or fixed portions of the racks,
except while they slide on the pivot or fastener fixed on the other half busk,
or are momentarily separated by means of the tape or string, herein-after
mentioned, for unfastening the stays. A piece of tape or cord is tied or fixed
to each of the serrated parts of the inner or moveable half racks, which when
pulled near the centre causes both the projecting serrated parts of the inner
half racks to extend towards cach other, and thus unfastens the stays. To
fasten the stays is merely to place the projecting edges of the rack opposite
the pivots or fasteners on the other half busk, and slide them on the same
either together or one after the other. This completes the description of one
half of the busk. The other half has merely two rivets, pivots, catches, or
fasteners, so affixed to the other half busk as to receive and hold fast the
racks which fasten themselves thereto; and for this purpose, one pivot or

page_text: catch is placed about three inches from the top and the other about three
inches from the bottom of the half busk on which they are affixed, being
exactly opposite the line where the fixed and moveable parts of the racks join ;
and to render the fastening more secure, the stem of the pivot or catch is made
with one flat side, the better to retain the teeth of the inner racks.