IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICAȚION
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Roughsedge Wallwork, of the Firm of Henry Wallwork
and Company, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers & Ironfounders, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS OR
COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICAȚION left by the said Roughsedge Wallwork at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th December 1881.
ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK, of the Firm of Henry Wallwork and Company, of the
City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Iron Founders.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD."
My improvements relate to machinery or apparatus for performing that
operation in the manufacture of hats termed "setting," that is, giving the finished
shape to the hat brim before or after it has been "bound" or "trimmed,” but
after being "curled."
My Invention for this purpose consists in a modification of that apparatus used
for "curling" hat brims, described in the Specification of. Letters Patent granted
to Henry Wallwork, numbered 2838, A.D. 1867.
The sliding, bed, table or carriage described in the said Specification is simply
prepared to hold the shape or mould upon which the hat brim is to be pressed.
The solid india-rubber shaper which acts upon the brim of the hat is attached
to the plate or head of the ram, but there is a space left between the upper side
of the india-rubber shaper and the plate or ram head, when the ram is lifted away
from the hat; and round the plate a series of sot screws are tapped into the ram
plate the heads of which come against the top side of the india-rubber shaper near
its edge; and the combination of these set screws with the india-rubber and ram
plate is an important feature of my Invention as by these screws the pressure of
the india-rubber upon any part of the brim may be adjusted to a nicety to suit
every required variety of size and shape of hat brim.

page_text: Instead of the adjusting set screws, blocks of wood or metal or other packing
may be interposed between the ram plate and the india rubber but I prefer the
adjusting set screws.
"
When using the improved machine the hats to be operated upon are softened
by heat upon the "baker and are then placed on the shaper or mould on the
carriage, which is then slided under the india-rubber shaper the ram is then
brought down and as it descends the india-rubber shaper first presses upon the
face of the brim and then the set screws, or their equivalents, press upon and bend
the india-rubber shaper to cause it to give the desired pressure to curve the brim
upon the mould or shaper; then the pressure is withdrawn and the carriage is
slided out, and the hat is removed from the mould or shaper with the brim "set"
and it is finished by slight pressure of the hands.
The improved combination above described may be used with a variety of
arrangements for giving the pressure, which may be imparted by an hydraulic
ram by preference, or by a screw or lever or levers or other mechanical means..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Roughsedge Wallwork in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st June 1882.
ROUGHSEDGE WALLWORK, of the Firm of Henry Wallwork and Company, of the
City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Iron Founders.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD."
My improvements relate to machinery or apparatus for performing that
operation in the manufacture of hats termed "setting" that is, giving the finished
shape to the hat brim before or after it has been "bound" or "trimmed," but after
being "curled."
My Invention for this purpose consists in a modification of that apparatus
used for "curling" hat brims described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to Henry Wallwork numbered 2838 A.D. 1867.
The sliding bed, table or carringe described in the said Specification is simply
prepared to hold the shape or mould upon which the hat briin is to be pressed.
The solid india-rubber shaper which acts upon the brim of the hat is attached
to the plate or head of the ram, but there is a space left between the upper side
of the india rubber shaper and the plate or ram head, when the ram is lifted
away from the hat; and round the plate a series of set screws are tapped into the
ram plate the heads of which come against the top side of the india rubber shaper
near its edge, and the combination of these set screws with the india rubber and
ram plate is an important feature of my Invention, as by these screws the pressuro
of the india rubber upon any part of the brim may be adjusted to a nicety, to suit
every required variety of size and shape of hat brim.
Instead of the adjusting set screws, blocks of wood or metal or other packing,
may be interposed between the rain plate and the india rubber, but I prefer the
adjusting set screws.
When using the improved machine the hats to be operated upon are softened
by hent upon the "baker" and are then place on the shape or mould on the
carriage, which is then slided under the india-rubber shaper, the ram is then
brought down and as it descends the india-rubber shaper first presses upon the
face of the brim and then the set screws or their equivalents press upon and bend
the india-rubber shaper to cause it to give the desired pressure to curve the brin
upon the mould or shape, then the pressure is withdrawn and the carriage is
slided out, and the hat is removed from the mould or shape with the brim "set"
and it is finished by slight pressure of the hands.
The improved combinations above described may be used with a variety of
arrangements for giving the pressure, which are or may be imparted by an
hydraulic ram by preference or by a screw or lever or levers or other mechanical
means.
"
I use with the above described mechanism an improved "baker" or arrange-
ment for softening that part of the hat brim which is to be operated upon, without
softening the other part of the lint which is not to be acted upon, and in this
improved "buker" i employ both heat and moisture, that is, the heat and moisture
of steain which by my improved arrangements are applied locally, namely, to the
part to be softened by heat and moisture.
For treating soft hats by my improved machine I operate upon them while they
are placed upon shapes or moulds which are kept hot, and I accomplish this by
forming the carriage supporting the moulds with hollow cavities heated by steam,
and besides placing or securing the moulds on the hot carriage I sometimes form

page_text: the shapes or moulds themselves with hollows and connect the hollow of the
moulds or shapes with the steam cavity of the carriage so that both are heated by
steam, which is brought to and taken away by suitable jointed sliding or other
pipes permitting the requisite movement in the carriage.
Fig. 1, is a front sectional elevation; Fig. 2 is a side elevation and Fig. 3 is a
plan illustrating one modification of my Invention where a ram and bydraulic
cylinder are employed.
a, the two side frames of the machine; a¹ the cross frame carrying the hydraulic
cylinder, ram, and other connected parts; b, is the carriage which can be slided on
the side frames by the handle b', to and fro, that is, under the ram against
when the machine is to operate, or into the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 where
the hat is placed on and removed froin the block.
stop
The blocks and shapers secured on pins on the carriage are of the ordinary form
and construction.
a³ is the pipe from the accumulator, pumps or other source of power; a¹ is a
cock to admit the pressure of the fluid to the ram cylinder; as the cock for
allowing the fluid to pass from the hydraulic cylinder; a³ the hydraulic cylinder;
c its ram of ordinary arrangement; d the plate secured to the ram c, having a
series of screws d' all round it as shown.
The ram plate d is jointed to two links d² which are each jointed to a lever d³
on a fulcrum d' on the cross frame a³, and these levers are weighted to lift the
ram plated when the liquid passing into the ram cylinder (a) is shut off, and the
cock as is opened to allow the fluid to escape.
To the underside of the ram plate d, a disc of india rubber e, with a flange, as
shown in section in Fig. 1, is secured by a bolt d and washer, and the heads of
the screws d¹ come against the disc of india-rubber or shaper near its edge all
around, when the ram descends, and greater or less pressure can be given at any
particular part as desired, by adjusting the screws to act accordingly.
When the ram descends, the flat part of the disc of india rubber e, first comes
upon the face of the hat brim and presses it and then by the continued descent
of the ram, the screws & act upon the edge of the india-rubber disc or shaper and
bend the brim of the hat to the curve of the shape or mould.
Fig. 4 is a detached sectional elevation showing the cross frame a' and plate d
which in this case is arranged to slide upon guides formed on the side uprights of
the cross frame a¹.
There are as many screws d' in the plate d as are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3
but only two screws are shown in the plate & Fig. 4.
The plate & has upward and downward movement imparted to it by levers, in
this modification, that is, by an arrangement of "knuckle joint levers" by which
an increasing leverage is obtained at the latter part of the descent when the pressure
should be the greatest.
The fulcrum of the levers is a joint on the end of a screw f passing through a
boss in the cross frame a¹, and there is a hand screw nut f' and f³ upon the screw f
both above and below the boss, by which the screw, and thus the fulcrum joint
can be adjusted to the required position to obtain the best result and greatest
pressure.
One link or "knuckle lever" g has two arms, one (g¹) forming a handle for
actuating it, the other (92) for a counter weight to lift and hold up the handle
and draw up the plate & when allowed to do so, the end of the "knuckle lever" g,
being jointed with a link or knuckle lever gå jointed with the plate d.
Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation, Fig. 6 a side elevation, and Fig. 7 a plan view of
my improved "baker."
a is a casting with the surface curved to the curve of the flat part of the hat
brim as shown in Fig. 6.
This casting has a centre surface or table a' having a shape
equal to the smallest size of hat. It has also two guide pins a
which a thin plate a³ is placed, and upon this plate and also
and extent about
secured in it upon
upon the said pins

page_text: 8 brow block a is placed, both the plate a³, and "brow block” a* are in size
suitable for the hats to be operated upon.
The plate a³ is of such size as to cover and protect that part of the brim which
is not to be softened, and expose that part which is, to be softened by the steam.
Round and below the plate as there is a cavity a in the the face of the casting, and
below this cavity there is a hollow a in the casting all round, and there are small
holes a at intervals all round in the metal between the hollow a and the cavity a³
which will admit steam from the hollow a to the cavity a³, the steam being
brought by a pipe a³, and admitted through a cock to a jet pipe secured in the
casting to the said hollow a, and the waste and condensed steam is taken away
by another pipe a having a regulating cock.
The hat a to bo operated upon is placed upon the "brow block "a", as shown in
Fig. 5 (it is not shown in Figs. 6 and 7), and a ring lid or plate b hinged at b' is
brought down upon it, that is upon the brim, there being a hole in the plate b
that passes over and clear of the body of the hat; b is the handle for lifting the
hinged plate b when the hat is to be placed and removed, into the position shown
in dotted line in Fig. 6.
The ring plate b just rests upon the upper brim of the hat, and its outer edge
comes against a ring b³ of elastic packing in a cavity in the face of the casting, or
any other suitable arrangement is or may be employed, as the object of the hinged
ring plate bis simply to keep in the steam and confine its action to the
hat brim.
The steam used and supplied does not exceed atmospheric pressure, and thus
does not tend to force itself out, and by conducting the exit pipe a to a cold
water cistern the steam is or may be used a little below atmospheric pressure if
desired.
The steam is turned on when the hat is placed on the “baker,” and may be
turned off when it is to be removed and replaced.
Fig. 8 is a partial side elevation and Fig. 9 a front elevation to illustrate the
mode of heating the moulds or shapers when my improved machines are used for
operating upon soft hats.
b is a slide carriage ninde hollow so as to be charged with steam, it can be slided
to and fro as described in reference to Figs. 1, and 3.
The steam to heat the hollow carriage is brought by a pipe to a short pipe or
cock h, secured in one of the side frames a, and one end of two pipes h' jointed
together to swivel is jointed with the cock or short pipe h, and the other end of
the two pipes is jointed with a short pipe bx from the hollow carriage, and this
arrangement permits of the carriage being placed in two positions as shown in
full and dotted lines in Fig. 8. A similar set of jointed pipes and a cock is used
for taking away the steam or condensed steam from the hollow carriage as shown
in Fig. 9, one set of pipes in that Figure being inlet and the other outlet pipes for
the steam.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner of carrying the same into effect and claim as my Invention,—
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the Drawings,
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and as modified and
described by reference to Fig. 4 of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of adjusting screws or other equivalents with an
india rubber shaper, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein before
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Fourthly. The combination of "knuckle joint levers" substantially in the
manner and for the purpose hereinbefor described and illustrated by Fig. 4 of the
Drawings.
Fifthly. The combination and arrangement of the improved
"bakers" for

page_text: applying the heat and moisture of steam for softening the brims of hats, as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figs. 5, 6 and 7.
Sixthly. The combination of a hollow carriage heated by steam with the
mechanism operating upon hats, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by Figs. 8 and 9 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Roughsedge Wallwork, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
R. WALLWORK. (L.S.)