IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Gottheil, of 96, Leipziger Str., Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Patent Solicitor and Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR.' A communication from Gustav Emil Stadtvoigt, Schlebusch, in
the Kingdom of Prussia (German Empire).
"
Sealed the 22nd August 1879, and dated the 26th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Gotheil at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th February 1879.
ROBERT GOTTHEIL, of 96, Leipziger Str., Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Patent Solicitor and Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BUTTONS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication from Gustav Emil
Stadtvoigt, of Schlebusch, in the Kingdom of Prussia (German Empire).
The Invention relates more particularly to the manufacture of buttons from
corozo-nut or vegetable ivory, and consists in the application of dies and presses in
the following manner:-The roughly shaped raw-material is softened by boiling it
in water, or otherwise, placed into a matrix, subsequently warmed upon a stove
The
which may be heated by steam or fire, and then brought under the press.
stamp of the press carries a form or die at both ends, and is placed between two
matrices, an upper one and a lower one. After the pressure has been applied for
some time, during which the forms have cooled, the latter are emptied and filled
with fresh material. One apparatus may contain several presses, each of them
provided with a stamp and a pair of matrices, and placed upon one common metal
base plate. The matrices may be made of any suitable material, but preferably of
steel, engraved and polished.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Gottheil in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th August
1879.
ROBERT GOTTHEIL, of 96, Leipziger Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, AND IN APPARATUS THERE-
FOR." A communication from Gustav Emil Stadtvoigt, of Schlebusch, in the Kingdom
of Prussia (German Empire).
The Invention relates more particularly to the manufacture of buttons from
corozo-nut or vegetable ivory, and consists in the application of dies and presses in
the following manner, reference being had to the Drawings:-The roughly shaped
buttons obtained from the nut by turning, are sorted into moist ones and dry ones.
The former are then softened by boiling in water and placed in the press, while the
moist buttons are directly transported to the press. The pressing of the softened
or originally soft buttons is effected at a high temperature, always taking two
together, a pressing stamp hollowed out at each end being placed between two
matrices, an upper one and a lower one, into which the raw material has previously
been laid (Fig. 6 of the Drawings). The press for pressing the buttons is placed
with its base plate upon a stove, heated moderately by steam or fire. Upon this
base plate are placed the matrices, designated by a and a', in Fig. 6 (engraved and
polished steel matrices), and each filled with a blank button, after which they are
gradually advanced, getting hotter and hotter until they have attained the
necessary temperature. Finally they are placed under the press, as shown in
Fig. 6, pressed and emptied, and then again filled with raw or blank buttons. The
mechanical appliances for simultaneously pressing several buttons are illustrated by
the accompanying Drawing, Figs. 1 and 2, showing a small stove for heating the
press forms; Fig. 3, a side view; Fig. 4, a front view; and Fig. 5, a plan of a base-
plate, upon which six presses are combined for this purpose; Fig. 6, a vertical
central section of two matrices with the stamp between them, in order to show
their position when the press is in operation; Fig. 7, a plan of an engraved matrix
for pressing buttons. Corresponding parts are designated by the same letters.
The apparatus is worked as follows:-The roughly shaped buttons sufficiently
softened by boiling are placed in a matrix, and put upon the cast-iron plate c of
the stove (Figs 1 & 2), in order to be heated, always taking two together, as shown
in Fig. 2, in such a manner that according to the progress of the work, the two
innermost, and therefore hottest, matrices are taken to the press, while the others
are advanced nearer to the centre, and a new (cold) pair of matrices with buttons
is placed on the margin, thus always keeping on the stove the same number of
matrix-pairs and buttons to be gradually heated. The hot matrices taken from the
centre, together with the corresponding press-forms,. are now placed in the first
press, in the position shown by Fig. 6, where they remain under pressure, a second
pair being placed in the second press, and so on to the sixth press. When coming
to the seventh pair, press No. 1 is emptied, the seventh pair of buttons subjected to
pressure and left there; for the eighth pair, press No. 2 is emptied, and the operation
so continued that a pair of buttons is always remaining under pressure during the
time necessary for the consecutive manipulation of five presses. Owing to this
arrangement the buttons are partly cooling in their matrices, and thus retain the
exact shape imparted to them.

page_text: 2. The manner of treating the raw-material, corozo-nut or vegetablo ivory,
substantially as described.
3. The press for producing buttons of vegetable ivory or corozo-nut, substantially
as described, and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Gottheil, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, A.D. 1879.
ROBERT GOTTHEIL (18)