IMPROVED TUT Y DAD CARDDING STRIES OR METAL AND WIREOVERING
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomas Loft, of Brooklyn, New York, United
States of America, but now residing at Berwick Street, Pimlico, in the
County of Middlesex, Architect, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
TUT
Y DAD CARDDING STRIES OR METAL AND WIRE."
Sealed the 23rd May 1862, and dated the 25th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomas Loft at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th March 1862.
I, JOHN THOMAS LOFT, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America,
but now residing at Berwick Street, Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex,
Architect, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR COVERING STRIPS OF METAL AND WIRE," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of covering strips
of metal and wire to be used in the manufacture of hoop skirts, and for other
purposes to which covered strips or wires are applicable. In the manufacture
of crinoline steel, it is usual to form a plaited fabric around it by means of
suitable plaiting or braiding machinery; this is, however, a slow and expensive
operation, and moreover it does not effect. a close adherence between the metal
and the plaited fabric.
In covering crinoline steel according to my Invention, I propose to prepare
narrow strips of woven fabric, and to enclose the steel in such strips
by lapping over the edges of the fabric. The strips of steel I wind
upon drums arranged side by side on a common axle, and I guide these
strips into a bath containing a suitable composition of adhesive material.

page_text: Before entering this bath I prefer to heat the steel strips by passing them over
gas jets, or their equivalent. The strips as, they leave the bath pass forward
between or through folders, and thence to a pair of pressing rollers. Before
entering the folders, the strips of metal are severally drawn over a strip of cloth
of sufficient width to lap around and effectually cover their respective strips of
metal. The lengths of cloth are drawn from a cloth beam conveniently situated
for the purpose, and passing around guide rollers they are drawn at tension
over a roller revolving in a bath of adhesive material, by which means one
side of the strip is evenly coated with the adhesive material. This moistened
surface of the strips of cloth is then brought upwards over guide rollers, the
strips here meet the strips of steel which are being drawn forward by the
rotation of the nipping rollers. The strips of cloth overlaid by the steel strips
now pass together through their respective folders, and the edges of the cloth
are lapped over the steel; the pressure of the nipping rollers then completes
the covering operation. If desired the now covered strips may be passed
through a heated chamber, and then wound up on to reels ready for use.
When covering wire according to this Invention, whether with cloth or
other fabric, as paper, the folders and pressing rollers must be shaped to suit
the change in the form of the material to be covered. The pressing rollers
may be engraved if thought desirable, in order to produce an ornamental
embossing on the covering.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Thomas Loft in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THOMAS LOFT; of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, but now
residing at Berwick Street, Pimlico, Architect, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me;
the said John Thomas Loft, Her special license that I, the said John Thomas
Loft, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Thomas Loft, my 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;

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR COVERING STRIPS OF METAL AND WIRE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Thomas Loft, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 John Thomas Loft, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-.
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of covering strips
of metal and wire to render them suitable for being used in the manufacture of
hoop' skirts (or what are now known as crinolines) and for other purposes to
which covered strips or wires are applicable. In the manufacture of crinoline
steel, it is usual to form a plaited fabric around the strips of steel by means of
suitable plaiting or braiding machinery. This is, however, a slow and expensive
operation, and moreover, it does not effect a close adherence between the metal
and the plaited fabric.
In covering crinoline steel according to my Invention, prepare narrow
ribbons or strips of woven or felted fabric, and enclose the steel or other metal
strips in the fabric by lapping: the fabric around the metal, using for that
purpose an arrangement of machinery which I will now describe.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of
the machine for covering strips of steel with woven fabric; Fig. 2 is a partial
plan view, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same part of the machine;
Figs. 4, 5, and 6, are views at full size of the stationary folder employed for
lapping the fabric around the strips of steel. The strips of steel shewn at a, a,
I wind upon drums b. (Fig. 1) arranged side by side on a common axle b³,
which is mounted in a rectangular. frame A. On the same frame is also
mounted a bath c, fitted with a cross bar c¹, and guides c. This bath is to be
filled with any suitable composition of adhesive material, and when thus charged
I pass the strips of metal a into the bath, leading them under the cross bar c',
to ensure their immersion, and then upwards through the guide c. Before,
however, the strips enter this bath, I prefer to heat them, and for this purpose
I'mount a gas burner or burners d between the drums 6 and the bath c, and
place over the burner a metal guide c*, through which I pass the strips of

page_text: steel. The metal guide c* being placed in contact with the gas flame, will be
kept heated, and will impart heat to the steel strips as they pass forward to
the bath. The solution which I prefer to use in the bath is weak glue, to
which is added a solution of zinc. The strips, will, on leaving the bath be
coated with the adhesive material, and in this state they will be ready to pass
forward to the folders e, there to receive the covering of woven or other fabric,
which is subsequently, by means of pairs of nipping rollers, to be pressed into
close contact with the moistened surfaces of the steel strips: Before entering
their respective folders, the strips of metal are severally.to be brought in contact
with a strip or ribbon of cloth or other fabric f, of sufficient width to lap
around and effectually cover the strips of metal respectively. The lengths or
ribbons of cloth f are drawn from a cloth beam: g..mounted in bearings in the
framing A. From this beam the lengths of cloth pass.around guidé rollers h, h;
mounted on a second framing B (set in line with the framing.A) and are
drawn at tension over a roller i revolving in a bath k of adhesive material
similar to that through which the metal strips are passed. This bath k is
mounted in the framing B, and it is provided with end bearings to receive the
axle of the roller i. A scraper is provided for keeping the surface of this
roller clean. By the strips of cloth being thus drawn over the roller i, one side
thereof will be evenly coated with the adhesive material. The moistened
surfaces of the strips of cloth are now brought upwards over..a guide roller.h¹,
and meeting the strips of steel, which are: being drawn forward by the rotation
of the nipping rollers, *, the cloth and steel strips. are.. together drawn into
their respective folders e, as shewn at Fig. 4; these rollers ; *, are mounted
in bearings in the framing B. The lower rollers; it will be seen, are flanged
to assist in guiding the metal strips forward, and the upper rollers are mounted
in adjustable bearings to allow for the proper bite being given to the rollers.
The folders may be made in any suitable manner, but I prefer the construc-
tion of instrument shewn in the Drawing. It consists of a flat plate e, to
which are secured two inclined or bent leaves ee, their front ends being
rigidly fixed and forming the mouth of the folder, and their other ends left free
so as to give an elastic pressure to the covered metal: asi it. passes out of the
folder. The front ends of the leaves e¹, e, are of different inclinations, as
shewn in the end view Fig. 6, so that as the cloth is drawn through the, folder
its edges will be turned over at different angles, in order that one edge may
overlap the other, as shewn at Fig. 5., The cloth. and metal strip, it, will be
'understood; pass through the folder together, and the folded edges of the cloth
as they are lapped the one over the other," will be pressed down flat upon the
steel strip by the leaves e, e³, the free extremities of which are for,that purpose