IMROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR 'PLANKING' OR ' FELTING' HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD."
Year: 1872

page_text: :
LETTERS PATENT to William Grimshaw, of Hurst Brook, Ashton-
under-Lyne, in-the County of Lancaster, Hat Manufacturer; for the
Invention of "IMROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR 'PLANKING' OR ' FELTING'
HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Grimshaw at
the Office of the Commisioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th August 1872.
'
I, WILLIAM GRIMSHAW, of Hurst Brook, Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
County of Lancaster, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR 'PLANKING' OR
FELTING HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD," to be as follows :—
The object of this Invention is the construction of a simple arrange-
ment of mechanism suitable for planking or felting hat bodies and other
coverings for the head, and consists of a reciprocating oscillating plate,
which is corrugated on its under side, and is. caused to slide backwards
-and-forwards, and to oscillato in slide bars by passing through slide

page_text: blocks, and then being secured rigidly to a connecting rod at either end
connected to a pair of disc plates mounted at the extremities of a
driving shaft, the throw of the crank pins on the aforesaid disc plates
being capable of regulation to the greatest nicety. This reciprocating
plate moves across the corrugated surface of a table which is mounted at
the extremities of lever arms, and is caused to press up against the
reciprocating plate by means of weights either affixed to other arms
branching from the same lever, or by weights suspended, to chains
passing over pulleys, and connected to such lever arms.
The action of this machine is as follows:-When the hat body is to
be introduced between the corrugated surfaces of the machine by means
of a treadle the table is caused to lower, and thus to admit the folded
hat body, which is then felted by being rolled backwards and forwards
across the corrugated table by the action of the reciprocating plate, and
every time the connecting rods pass over the dead centres in their
revolution an extra squeeze is given to such hat body in consequence
of the change in the direction of the oscillation of the reciprocating
plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Grimshaw in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GRIMSHAW, of Hurst Brook, Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of
Lancaster, Hat Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Grimshaw, Her special
license that I, the said William Grimshaw, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Grimshaw,
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, exercise,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANKING' OR 'FELTING' HATS AND OTHER COVERINGS
FOR THE HEAD," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Grimshaw, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and scal, 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 Grimshaw, 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:-
•
The object of this Invention is the construction of a simple arrange-
ment of mechanism suitable for planking or felting hat bodies or other
coverings for the head, and consists of a reciprocating oscillating plate
which is corrugated or pegged on its under side, and is caused to slide
backwards and forwards, and to oscillate in slide bars by passing through
slide blocks, and then being secured rigidly to a connecting rod at either
end, connected to a pair of disc plates mounted at the extremities of the
driving shaft, the throw of the crauk pins on the aforesaid disc plates
being capable of regulation to the greatest nicety. This reciprocating
plate moves across the corrugated or pegged surface of a table which is
mounted at the extremities of lever arms, and is caused to press up
against the reciprocating plate by means of weights either allixed to
arms branching from the same lever, or by weights suspended to chains
passing over pulleys, and connected to such lever arms.
The action of this machine is as follows:-When the bat body or
bodies is or are to be introduced between the corrugated surfaces of the
machine by means of the tredle the table is caused to lower, and thus
to admit the folded hat body or bodies, which is then felted by being
rolled backwards and forward across the corrugated or pegged table
by the action of the reciprocating plate, and every time the con-
necting rods pass over the dead centres in their revolution an extra
squeeze is given to such hat body in consequence of the change in the
direction of the oscillation of the reciprocating plate.

page_text: In order that this my said Invention may be the more readily scon
and carried into practical effect, I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative of my improvements.
Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a plan of a machine constructed
according to my Invention drawn to a scale of about two inches to the
foot.
In both these views A, A, are the sides of the framework, formed by
preference of cast iron, and secured together by the cross frame B; C
is the driving shaft, to which a revolving motion is communicated by
any suitable motive power by a strap passing over the fast and loose
pulleys D, or geared in any other convenient manner. At each extremity
of this shaft a disc wheel E is mounted having on its outer face a stud or
crank pin F capable of being adjusted in its distance from the centre of
the shaft by sliding in the groove G, and secured therein at any point by
the nut H; I is a wooden board, or may be metallic plate (herein-after
called the reciprocating plate) suspended by the metallic straps or
brackets J from the bar K, which passes through the blocks L, sliding
in the guide bars M, and the extremities of this bar on the outside of the
blocks are secured rigidly to the connecting rods N, N¹, mounted upon
the stud F, projecting from the outer faces of the disc wheels E, so that
as the shaft C revolves the reciprocating plate I is caused to traverse
backwards and forwards a distance equal to the throw of the cranks F,
and to oscillate in alternate directions owing to the connecting rods N,N',
being secured rigidly to the bar K. Immediately beneath the recipro-
cating plate I, when at its mid travel, are two other boards Q, Q' (or
metallic plates if desirable), seen best in Fig. 2, herein-after called the
tables, which each extend only half-way across the machine. These
tables Q, Q, are cach secured at the front extremity of separate
levers R, R', which work loosely upon the shaft S as a fulcrum or
centre, and the short arms of these levers are connected by means of the
links T, T, to the short arms of the lower levers U, U¹, working upon
the shaft V as a centre, the front extremity of these levers U, U,
being extended beyond the framework A, where they are formed into
freddles W, WI, within convenient reach of the foot of the workman,
SO that by pressing upon such treddles W, WI, their respective
tables Q, Q, are lowered.
The upper surface of each of the tables Q, Q', is slightly concave or
hollow, as shewn, which I find has a useful effect in retaining the roll of

page_text: hat bodies on such tables whilst being "planked" or felted, and the
upper surface of such tables Q, Q', as well as the lower or under surface
of the reciprocating plate I, are covered with corrugations formed of
strips of wood or india-rubber, or other suitable material, secured there-
upon either in a diagonal or longitudinal direction; or instead of
corrugations. I prefer to employ wooden studs or pegs X, X, secured
upon such surfaces, as illustrated, as I find such pegs are not so liable
(as corrugations) to wear smooth.
Upon cach of the short arms of the double armed levers R, R', is a
clamp Y, Y', carrying a hook Z, Z', from which is suspended a weight a, a
(or instead of a weight a spiral or other suitable form of spring may be
employed), the said weights a, a, forcing the tables Q, Q', upwards when
the foot is removed from the treddles W, W¹, and exerting a pressure
on the roll of hats lying between the tables Q, Q', and the recipro-
cating plate I, and being operated upon, which pressure, it will be seen,
can be varied by setting the clamps Y, Y', and consequently the
weight a, a', nearer to or further from the centre of the shaft S;
b, b', are two adjusting screws with hand wheels c, c', working
through nuts d, d, and secured to the front cross frame B of the
framework. These screws are designed to regulate the rise of and are
consequently situated immediately over the treddles W, W¹ (scen best
in Fig. 2), and by setting these screws the workman can determine the
extent of the felting action to the greatest nicety; e, e', are two clastic
bands attached to hooks f, f', on the treddles W, W¹, and suspended
from studs on the cross frame B to lessen the vibration.
The action of my improved planking or felting machine, which is
particularly adapted to planking fur hats, is as follows:-The roll of
hat bodies being prepared upon the plank and dipped into the
planking kettle h (shown partially in section in Fig. 1), and the machine
› being in motion in the. direction of the arrow the workman places his
foot (for instance) upon the treddle W to overcome the action of the
weight a, and depressing the table Q to the position in which it is illus-
trated in Fig. 1, having then placed the roll of hat bodies upon such
table he removes his foot from the treddle W when the table Q
3 immediately rises by the action of the weight a, and the roll is
caused to move or roll backwards and forwards between the pegged
or corrugated surfaces of the reciprocating plate I and the table Q,
and as the crank pin F passes over the dead centres and the roll

page_text: thereby changes its rolling direction upon the table Q a peculiarly
beneficial felting action is obtained. The relative positions of the
roll with the reciprocating plate I and the table Q is illustrated
in three positions in the Diagrams; Fig. 3 shews such positions when
the crank pin F is at the highest point; Fig. 4, when at the lowest; and
Fig. 5, when upon the far dead centre; the arrows in Figs. 3 and 4
representing the direction in which the reciprocating plate is moving.
When necessary to remove the roll the workman again depresses thic
treddle without stopping the machine, having meanwhile prepared
another roll, which he places upon the table, when the same operation
is performed upon such second roll, whilst the first is being prepared
upon the plank 9 ready to be introduced again.
Instead of the connecting rods N, N', being connected rigidly to the
extremities of the bar K, as illustrated, a crank may be affixed at each
extremity of such bar, to the pins of which cranks the connecting rods:
may be jointed; in this case it would be necessary to have stops to
regulate the extent of the partial revolution of such cranks, and thus
prevent them making a complete revolution, this arrangement being
useful where a longer traverse is deemed desirable, or in case the
machine is made double with a single pair of disc wheels to serve for
both sets of reciprocating plates.
It will be readily apparent that this machine is applicable to hardening
the bodies of hats, in which case the reciprocating plate would simply
traverse backwards and forwards without oscillating, and the corru-
gations or projections on its under surface and on the upper surface of
the table would be dispensed with.
!
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
my said Invention, together with the best methods with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise method of raising
and lowering the tables, nor to the precise details, relative proportions,
or dimensions of the various parts of the machine, illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, as the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the Invention; but what I claim is, the use and appli-
cation of a "reciprocating and oscillating plate," in conjunction with a
table or tables" capable of being raised and lowered and adjusted
without stopping the machine, the under surface of such plate and
68

page_text: upper surface of such table or tables being provided with corrugations
and projections, as and for the purposes horein-before described on the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Grimshaw, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my scal, this Sixth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three
Witness,
Ö
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
71, Market Street,
Manchester.
WILLIAM GRIMSHAW. (L.S.).