Improved Means for Banding and for Breaking and Flattening the Brims of Felt Hats.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 4th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Banding and for Breaking and Flattening the
Brims of Felt Hats.
1 EMANUEL GARNER of 86 Adcroft Street Higher Hillgate Stockport, in the
County of Chester, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for blocking felt hats, and to
perform the various operations of banding, and for breaking and flattening the
brim of, the hat more quickly and more perfectly than has been hitherto possible.
For this purpose I make use of a ring or plate of suitable material having an
oval hole therein to fit the size and shape of the crown of the hat being formed.
The plate or ring is sufficiently large to cover the whole of the brim of the hat,
and is quite flat on its under surface.
I use the ordinary hat block as employed for hand blocking, and having blocked
the crown of the hat thereon, I pass the ring or plate above named over the same,
and having bent outwards the edge or brim of the hat, I press the same between
the ring or plate and a suitable bench, table or other suitable flat surface, and by
means of such pressure I can simultaneously band the hat, and break and flatten
the brim.
I prefer to use a thick ring or plate of suitably soft india-rubber (or of partly
soft and partly hard rubber) so that under pressure the ring or plate, or the under
part thereof, can expand to fit various sizes of hats. Wood or metal rings or
plates may however be used.
I employ a screw press or other suitable means of applying pressure to the upper
side of the ring or plate, or for otherwise pressing the felt thereby.
Dated this 5th day of July 1895
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Means for Banding and for Breaking and Flattening the
Brims of Felt Hats.
I EMANUEL GARNER of 86 Adcroft Street, Higher Hillgate Stockport, in the
County of Chester, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
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 to provide means for blocking felt hats, and to
perform the various operations of banding, and breaking and flattening the brim of,
the hat more quickly and more perfectly than has been hitherto possible. The
invention will be readily understood from the following description on reference to
the accompanying drawings.
For the purpose of my invention I make use of a ring or plate a of suitable

page_text: material having an oval hole therein to fit the size and shape of the crown of the
hat being formed.
The plate or ring a is sufficiently large to cover the whole of the brim of the
hat, and is quite flat on its under surface.
I use the ordinary hat block c as employed for hand blocking, and having
blocked the crown 61 of the hat thereon, I pass the ring or plate a above named
over the same, and having bent outwards the edge or brim 6 of the hat, as seen
at Figs. 1 and 2, 1 press the same between the ring or plate a and a suitable
bench, table or other suitable flat hand or soft surface d, and by means of such
pressure I can simultaneously band the hat, and break and flatten the brim.
I prefer to use a thick ring or plate a of suitably soft india rubber as seen at
Figs. 1 and 2 (or of partly soft and partly hard rubber) so that under pressure the
ring or plate, or the soft under part thereof, can expand to fit various sizes of hats.
Wood or metal rings or plates may however be used, but such plates must be faced
with india rubber or similar material on the side exerting pressure upon the felt
hat brim.
Fig. 3 shews a plate a¹ of metal hard rubber, or other hard material, surfaced
with india rubber at a³.
i
I employ a screw press not shewn on the drawings, or other suitable means of
-applying pressure to the upper side of the ring or plate a Fig. 1, or for otherwise
pressing the felt by the ring or plate, for example when the hat is inverted as seen
.at Fig. 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
A ring or plate made of or surfaced with india rubber or similar material, such
ring or plate fitting around the blocked hat and provided with a flat surface so
that it can be used for banding the hat and also for breaking and flattening the
brim thereof substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.