CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING OR MAKING OF BUTTONS
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
SANDERS, of Bromsgrove, in the county of Worcester, Button Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-five, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Sanders, His
especial licence, that I, the said Benjamin Sanders, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Sanders, my exors, admors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN CONSTRUCTING OR MAKING OF BUTTONS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said Benjamin Sanders, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, referenco being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Benjamin Sanders, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof, (that is to say):
My said improvements in the constructing or making of buttons consist in
the substitution of a proper soft and flexible material or materials in place of
metal shanks upon the backs or bottoms of buttons of certain descriptions,
and which said flexible material or materials afford the means of affixing such
buttons to garments of every description with far greater convenience and
neatness than where metal shanks are employed. The descriptions of buttons
above mentioned are such as I have manufactured under a Patent granted for
mo by His late Majesty King George the Third, dated the Fourth day of
November, in the fifty-fourth year of the reign of His said late Majesty, for
my Invention of a New and Improved Manner or Method of Manufacturing
Buttons; and as such method is peculiar to me, I shall proceed to furnish such
a description thereof as is necessary to the proper understanding of my present
improvements thereon, accompanied by explanatory Drawings, as aforesaid, as
my experience have enabled me to afford.
My said buttons have their faces, edges, and either a part or the whole of
their backs formed of circular pieces of cloth, or other flexible fabric capable
of being acted upon by compression with or without the assistance of heat.
Some of these said pieces are to be cut of a larger diameter than that of the
mould in which they are to be formed, in the manner to be described hereafter;
and in order that such picces may be bended over behind or at the backs
of the buttons by the pressure of the hollow cylindrical and conical punch
upon them, as will also be described hereafter. And I do place upon or
within the said flexible pieces of such buttons one or more pieces of paper,
pasteboard, cloth, or other fit material, covered or slightly impregnated with
resin, or resinous compounds capable of giving cohesion or configuration by
heat and pressure, or with some glutinous or other adesive matters or com-
pounds capable of effecting the same purposes, and either by the combined
action of heat and pressure, or by pressure alone. And I form the said pieces
so covered or impregnated either nearly of the size of the button itself, or
gradually or otherwise diminishing in size according to the flat or rounded
form intended to be given to the face of the said button. I next place at the
top of the said impregnated picces a piece or pieces of metal or other firm
and unyeilding material, around, through, or over which the soft and flexible
material or materials to form the substitutes for the metal shanks are to be
applied. I then place these parts so arranged on the top of the mould and
concentric with it, and then force or drive them down to the bottom of it by

page_text: means of a tool or implement which I term a charger or conductor; as,
however, it is difficult to convey an idea of the forms of the different parts by
words alone, I shall proceed to refer to and to describe the various Figures
thereof contained in the Drawing, which, as aforesaid, is affixed to this Speci-
fication, and in all of which said Figures the same letters of reference indicate
the similar parts. I shall begin by describing the Figures of the several parts
already mentioned.
Fig. 1 represents the circular piece of cloth or other flexible fabric, which,
as aforesaid, is to form the face, edge, and part of the back of an intended
button. Fig. 2, a circular piece of paper, linen, cotton, or other flexible
material, rather less than Fig. 1, but larger than the intended button, and
which I occasionally interpose between the cloth or other material forming
the face of the intended button and the impregnated papers. In order to
prevent the adhesive matters they are impregnated with from penetrating
through the face or edge of the button, I make this paper rather lesser in
diameter than Fig. 1, in order to allow the adhesive matter with which
another circular piece of paper, &c., Fig. 3, is impregnated to adhere to the
outer circumference of the cloth, Fig. 1, upon the piece of impregnated paper,
Fig. 3, which is of the size of Fig. 1, and is to be laid upon the plain paper,..
&c., Fig. 2, one or more smaller pieces of impregnated paper, pasteboard, &c.
Figs. 4 and 5 are also to be laid according to the intended flat or rounded
form to be given to the face of the button. And lastly, either the metal plate,
Fig. 6, with four slits or caps in it, formed in the manner to be hereafter
described and wound crosswise with the soft and flexible material which is
intended to form the substitute for the metal shank, is to be placed in contact
with the inner piece of impregnated paper, or else one of the other substitutes
for it, as will be described hereafter. The various pieces thus arranged and
placed upon each other in the order described, and as nearly concentric as may
be, are then to be laid upon the top of one of the cylindrical moulds. A, A, A,
shown at Fig. 7, being guided centrally by a circular groove B made around
the cylindrical hole for that purpose, and as shewn in the plan, Fig. 8. In
this situation of the pieces I employ the cylindrical charger or forcer, Fig. 9,
to thrust them down to the bottom of the mould, and to cause those circular
portions of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which, as before said, are of greater diameter
than the intended button, to rise up between the mould and the forcer, and to
take the cylindrical shape shewn in Fig. 10, the forcer being made smaller in
diameter than the mould to allow thereof. This forcer may be made of steel,
iron, or other proper material, and either have a cushion formed on its top, as
shewn, or not, at pleasure. I next employ the steel hollow cylinder (termed a

page_text: spindle in my former Patent), shewn in section at C, in Fig. 11, which is
made so as exactly to fit and fill the cylindrical mould A, and has its mouth.
below opened to a conical shape, as shewn at D, D, the edge around it being
made as perfect or sharp as may be. This circular edge insinuates itself
all round behind the outside of the raised circular portions of the pieces
1, 2, and 3, and on pressure being employed bends them over at the back of
the intended button, in the manner shewn at E, E, in Fig. 12. In order to
confine and secure them is this position, I next employ the collet or metal-
toothed ring F, shewn edgeways in Fig. 13, and flatways in Fig. 14, and by
a line of section in Fig. 15, and which, when conveyed into the mould in the
manner to be described hereafter, and with its circle of teeth, claws, or points
G, G, downwards, the points seize hold of and penetrate into the pieces so
bent over, and when the final pressure is given, as will also be described
hereafter, they materially serve in contributing to hold the whole materials
forming the intended button firmly together, the teeth, claws, or points G, G,
being bent, clenched, or turned, by coming into contact with the metal plate,
Fig. 6, which, as aforesaid, bears the flexible material or materials forming
the substitute for the metal shanks. This collet F, I introduce into the
cylindrical mould A in the following manner :-After pressure has been made
upon the top of the cylinder C, as shewn in Fig. 12, I remove that cylinder
from the mould A, and place within it a solid steel cylinder H, shewn
separately at Fig. 16. This cylinder has formed at its lower part a circular
channel or groove I, I, and also a concave or hollow J in its centre, and
between them a short cylindrical ring K, K. The circular groove I, I,
receives the collet within it, and preserves its form or figure (when compressed,
whilst the concave J receives into it the tuft of flexible materials intended
to form the substitute for the metal shank, keeps it in form, and also preserves
it from receiving and undue degree of pressure. The solid cylinder H, Fig.
16, is to be placed within the hollow sylinder C, Fig. 11, so as to allow of a
short cylindrical cavity being formed within the lower part of the cylinder C,
as shewn on the right-hand side of Fig. 7, sufficient to receive and lodge
therein the toothed collet F (in Fig. 12 the collet is indeed shewn in place,
but the parts are removed to a greater distance apart than is necessary, in
order to shew them more distinctly). A second pressure is then to be made
upon the top of the cylinder H, and after being continued a proper period, as
will be described hereafter, the button may be taken out of the mould com-
pletely finished.
On the left side of Fig. 7 the several parts described are
shewn in the compressed state, and the button L, as finished, shewn in Fig. 17,
which is an edge view of it, and in Fig. 18, which is a view of the back of it.

page_text: The button may be conveniently removed from the mould by the help of a
sharp steel hook, shewn in Fig. 19, and which is to be inserted into the flexible
substitute for the shank to seize and drag it out. In practice I prefer to form
1, 2, 3, or more moulds in one block M, and to employ several such blocks in
succession, and particularly where the assistance of heat is required, in order
that some of the blocks may be heated whilst the others are under pressure
or filling. The circular pieces of cloth, paper, &c may be cut of the required
sizes, either by means of cutting-out punches, beds and punches, scissars, &c.
and the papers or pasteboards may be coated or impregnated with the adhesivo
resinous material or materials by spreading it over them by means of heated
cast iron plates, spatulas, or other fit and proper instruments. The metal
plate, Fig. 6, with four slits in it, is formed in the following manner :-Fig. 20
represents one of these plates in the flat state in which it is produced or cut
out by being pressed at once from rolled or sheet metal by the action of proper
beds and punches in a fly press, or by other proper tools and implements;
these flat pieces are then to be raised or cupped in their centres as shewn
edgeways in Fig. 21 and in Fig. 22 by means of proper dies and forcers.
The toothed metal collet F, shewn in Figs. 13, 14, and 15, is also formed out
of rolled or sheet metal, pierced, pressed, or cut out in the manner already
described into the flat star-like shape, shewn in Fig. 23. The teeth, claws, or
points G, G, formed around it are next turned up at right angles to the plano
of the collet or ring, as shewn in Fig. 13, and by a sectional line in Fig. 15,
by forcing them through circular holes made in proper beds by the help of
cylindrical punches affixed in a screw or fly press. The relative proportions
of the metal plate with slits in it, Fig. 6, and of the toothed ring or collet F,
suitable for the size of button shewn, may be seen by referring to Fig. 24.
The chief intent of raising up the centre of the plate, Fig. 6, is to cause the
tuft of flexible material or materials forming the substitute for the metal
shank to be elevated sufficiently above the top of the back of the toothed
collet F for the needle to be passed conveniently through the said tuft in the
act of sewing the button upon the garment. Fig, 25 represents the manner
in which I give the first pressure upon three cylindrical rings C, C, C, placed in
the three moulds A, A, A (shewn by dotted lines) of the block M, at once,
and of avoiding to press upon the three solid cylinders H, H, H, at that time.
This I effect by placing upon the three cylindrical rings C, C, C, the metal block
or bar N, having three gaps or hollows O, 0, 0, formed across the under side
of it to receive the solid cylinders H, H, H, within them, and to defend them
from the action of the press. Having thus given the first pressure, I then
remove the block N, and submit the three solid cylinders H, H, H, to

page_text: pressure effected upon their upper ends until they are forced down level with
the tops of the cylindrical rings C, C, C, as shewn on the left side of Fig. 7,
to complete the button. I can either employ screw presses, vices, weighted
levers, wedges, or any other proper means of effecting this pressure, and of
retaining the buttons under that operation for a proper length of time, or
until they are become set and firm enough to be taken out of the moulds
by the hook shown at Fig. 19, as already described, when if the face of the
button has any glass upon it, that may be removed by a slight damping.
Having thus shewn the manner of forming a button complete, I shall
proceed to describe certain other methods of making the other flexible substi
tutes for the metal shanks mentioned in the preceding part of this my said
Specification. Fig. 26 represents a circular metal plate, having four holes
made in it near its centre; through these holes, with the help of a needle,
I pass the soft and flexible material or materials intended to form my said
substitutes for metal shanks across and across, in the manner shewn in Fig.
27. These metal plates may either be used in the flat form, or their centres
may be raised or elevated, as shewn by the section in Fig. 28. Another
substitute form in the following manner-Fig. 29 is a flat metal circular
plate with a circular hole in its centre large enough 'to admit the tuft of mate-
rial to form the substitute for the metal shank within it. This tuft I form by
laying either two pieces of flat wire across each other, as shewn in Fig. 30,
or else two slips of thin metal plate laid in a similar manner across each other,
as shewn in Fig. 31, and then winding across them both ways the flexible
materal for the substitute of the metal shank, as shewn in both these latter
Figures 30 and 31. I then lay either of these crossed pieces underneath the
plate 29, with the tuft. of material for the shank rising through the central
hole in it, and employ them in the place and .manner of Fig. 6, as before.
described. I can occasionally also use the crossed pieces, Figs. 30 and 31,
without the plate Fig. 29, or I can form a solid cross out of a metal plate to
be used in place of the crossed wires or slips. Another of my said substi-
tutes for metal shanks I form by employing a circular metal plate, Fig. 32,
having a smaller hole in its centre than that shewn in Fig. 29, and form the
tuft of flexible material for the shank in the following manner-In Fig. 33
P represents a metal bar or gauge to determine the height of the tuft or
substitute for the shank. Q, a flat wire placed at the bottom or underneath
the bar P, and R, R, à piece of twine laid on the top of the said bár ; -around
these three parts the flexible material to form the tuft or substitute for
the shank is to be wound, as shewn at S. It must then be slipped off the
gauge or bar P; the two ends R, R, of the twine must be brought together;

page_text: the wire Q be cut to a proper length, and the tuft be brought through the hole
in the plate Fig. 31, by first passing the ends of the twine R, R, through it,
and then pulling the tuft S after it. In this state the hole will appear, as
shown in Fig. 84, which is an under view thereof, and in Fig. 35, as seen
edgeways, the wire Q serving to prevent the tuft from being drawn out of
the button. Instead of employing wire or metal slips for these purposes, I
can also use thin slips of whalebone or horn, and either crossed or singly; or
even parchment, leather, or other proper substances of sufficient strength
may be employed when crossed for that use; and in order to prevent the
flexible material or materials forming the substitutes for the metal shanks,
from being withdrawn in wear or otherwise, the slips of parchment,
leather, or other yielding materials ought, however, to be of a sufficient
length to bear turning over to the back of the button in the manner already
described in the reference to Fig. 2. I can employ for the flexible material
or materials forming my said substitutes for metal shanks, thread or twist
composed of hemp, flax, wool, silk, cotton, mohair, or any mixtures thereof
capable of being wound or wrapped around or passed; or in place of imploying
thread or twist formed of such materials, I can also use them in the crossed
or woven state, and either as represented in Fig. 36, or manufactured, in any
other fit and proper manner. Of such material or materials I employ circular
pieces large enough to allow of bending over upon the back of the button;
and in place of employing circular metal plates with holes or gaps in them,
as already described, I use solid ones similar to that shewn in Fig. 37. I
then combine the materials to form the intended button in the following
manner: First, as before, I take the cloth or outside covering of the button,
Fig. 1, and place upon it the circular piece of paper or other material, Fig. 2,
and likewise the impregnated pieces, Figs. 3 and 4. I next lay upon them
the plain circular metal plates, Fig. 37, and upon that another impregnated
picce, Fig. 5; in order, however, to cause the woven flexible substitute for the
metal shank to rise up above the surface of the metal collet F, I place upon
the impregnated piece Fig. 5, one, two, or more small circular pieces of baize
or other soft and elastic material, such as shewn in Fig. 38, and upon them I
lay the woven substitute for the metal shank Fig. 36, and with these various
materials arranged in the order described, I then charge the moulds A, A, &c.,
by means of the cylindrical charger or forcer Fig. 9, in the manner already
described; and lastly, introduce the metal-clawed collet F, and induce pressure
with heat, exactly in the manner above mentioned; and the button when
finished will appear of the form represented in Fig. 39, which is a view
of the back of it, and edgeways at Fig. 40; or instead of using a circular

page_text: piece of crossed or woven threads or twist, I can employ a circular piece of
leather in a similar manner.
I again repeat that I hereby claim as my Invention, and the object of this
my said Patent, the substitution of a proper soft and flexible material or
materials in place of metal shanks to all such buttons as may be formed in the
various methods herein described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Sanders, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand night hundred and twenty-six

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
SANDERS, of Bromsgrove, in the county of Worcester, Button Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-five, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Sanders, His
especial licence, that I, the said Benjamin Sanders, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Sanders, my exors, admors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN CONSTRUCTING OR MAKING OF BUTTONS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said Benjamin Sanders, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of tho said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Benjamin Sanders, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof, (that is to say) :-
My said improvements in the constructing or making of buttons consist in
the substitution of a proper soft and flexible material or materials in place o
metal shanks upon the backs or bottoms of buttons of certain descriptions
and which said flexible material or materials afford the means of affixing such
buttons to garments of every description with far greater convenience and
neatness than where metal shanks are employed. The descriptions of buttons
above mentioned are such as I have manufactured under a Patent granted for
me by. His late Majesty King George the Third, dated the Fourth day of
November, in the fifty-fourth year of the reign of His said late Majesty, for
my Invention of a New and Improved Manner or Method of Manufacturing
Buttons ;tand as such method is peculiar to me, I shall proceed to furnish such
a description thereof as is necessary to the proper understanding of my present
improvements thereon, accompanied by explanatory Drawings, as aforesaid, as
my experience have enabled me to afford.
paper,
My said buttons have their faces, edges, and either a part or the whole of
their backs formed of circular pieces of cloth, or other flexible fabric capable
of being acted upen by compression with or without the assistance of heat.
Some of these said pieces are to be cut of a larger diameter than that of the
mould in which they are to be formed, in the manner to be described hereafter;
and in order that such pieces may be bended over behind or at the backs
of the buttons by the pressure of the hollow cylindrical and conical punch
upon them, as will also be described hereafter. And I do place upon or
within the said flexible pieces of such buttons one or more pieces of
pasteboard, cloth, or other fit material, covered or slightly impregnated with
resin, or resinous compounds capable of giving cohesion or configuration by
heat and pressure, or with some glutinous or other adesive matters or com-
pounds capable of effecting the same purposes, and either by the combined s
action of heat and pressure, or by pressure alone. And I form the said pieces
so covered or impregnated either nearly of the size of the button itself, or
gradually or otherwise diminishing in size according to the flat or rounded
form intended to be given to the face of the said button. I next place at the
top of the said impregnated pieces a piece or pieces of metal or other firm 3
and unyeilding material, around, through, or over which the soft and flexible
material or materials to form the substitutes for the metal shanks are to be
applied. I then place these parts so arranged on the top of the mould and
concentric with it, and then force or drive them down to the bottom of it by

page_text: means of a tool or implement which I term a charger or conductor; as,
however, it is difficult to convey an idea of the forms of the different parts by
words alone, I shall proceed to refer to and to describe the various Figures
thereof contained in the Drawing, which, as aforesaid, is affixed to this Speci-
fication, and in all of which said Figures the same letters of reference indicate
the similar parts. I shall begin by describing the Figures of the several parts
already mentioned.
Fig. 1 represents the circular piece of cloth or other flexible fabric, which,
as aforesaid, is to form the face, edge, and part of the back of an intended
button. Fig. 2, a circular piece of paper, linen, cotton, or other flexible
material, rather less than Fig. 1, but larger than the intended button, and
whi: h I occasionally interpose between the cloth or other material forming
the face of the intended button and the impregnated papers. In order to
prevent the adhesive matters they are impregnated with from penetrating
through the face or edge of the button, I make this paper rather lesser in
diameter than Fig. 1, in order to allow the adhesive matter with which
another circular piece of paper, &c., Fig. 3, is impregnated to adhere to the
outer circumference of the cloth, Fig. 1, upon the piece of impregnated paper,
Fig. 3, which is of the size of Fig. 1, and is to be laid upon the plain paper,..
&c., Fig. 2, one or more smaller pieces of impregnated paper, pasteboard, &c.
Figs. 4 and 5 are also to be laid according to the intended flat or rounded
form to be given to the face of the button. And lastly, either. the metal plate,
Fig. 6, with four slits or caps in it, formed in the manner to be hereafter
described and wound crosswise with the soft and flexible material which is
intended to form the substitute for the metal shank, is to be placed in contact
with the inner piece of impregnated paper, or else one of the other substitutes
for it, as will be described hereafter. The various pieces thus arranged and
placed upon each other in the order described, and as nearly concentric as may
be, are then to be laid upon the top of one of the cylindrical moulds. A, A, A,
shown at Fig. 7, being guided centrally by a circular groove B made around
In
the cylindrical hole for that purpose, and as shewn in the plan, Fig. 8.
this situation of the pieces I employ the cylindrical charger or forcer, Fig. 9,
to thrust them down to the bottom of the mould, and to cause those circular
portions of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which, as before said, are of greater diameter
than the intended button, to rise up between the mould and the forcer, and to
take the cylindrical shape shewn in Fig. 10, the forcer being made smaller in
diameter than the mould to allow thereof. This forcer may be made of steel,
iron, or other proper material, and either have a cushion formed on its top, as
shewn, or not, at pleasure. I next employ the steel hollow cylinder (termed a

page_text: spindle in my former Patent), shewn in section at C, in Fig. 11, which is
made so as exactly to fit and fill the cylindrical mould A, and has its mouth.
below opened to a conical shape, as shewn at D, D, the edge around it being
made as perfect or sharp as may be. This circular edge insinuates itself
all round behind the outside of the raised circular portions of the pieces
1, 2, and 3, and on pressure being employed bends them over at the back of
the intended button, in the manner shewn at E, E, in Fig. 12. In order to
confine and secure them is this position, I next employ the collet or metal-
toothed ring F, shewn edgeways in Fig. 18, and flatways in Fig. 14, and by
a line of section in Fig. 15, and which, when conveyed into the mould in the
manner to be described hereafter, and with its circle of teeth, claws, or points
G, G, downwards, the points seize hold of and penetrate into the pieces so
bent over, and when the final pressure is given, as will also be described
hereafter, they materially serve in contributing to hold the whole materials
forming the intended button firmly together, the teeth, claws, or points G, G,
being bent, clenched, or turned, by coming into contact with the metal plate,
Fig. 6, which, as aforesaid, bears the flexible material or materials forming
the substitute for the metal shanks. This collet F, I introduce into the
cylindrical mould A in the following manner-After pressure has been made
upon the top of the cylinder C, as shewn in Fig. 12, I remove that cylinder
from the mould A, and place within it a solid steel cylinder H, shewn
separately at Fig. 16. This cylinder has formed at its lower part a circular
channel or groove I, I, and also a concave or hollow J in its centre, and
between them a short cylindrical ring K, K. The circular groove I, I,
receives the collet within it, and preserves its form or figure (when compressed,
whilst the concave J receives into it the tuft of flexible materials intended
to form the substitute for the metal shank, keeps it in form, and also preserves
it from receiving and undue degree of pressure. The solid cylinder H, Fig.
16, is to be placed within the hollow sylinder-C, Fig. 11, so as to allow of-a
short cylindrical cavity being formed within the lower part of the cylinder C,
as shewn on the right-hand side of Fig. 7, sufficient to receive and lodge
therein the toothed collet F (in Fig. 12 the collet is indeed shewn in place,
but the parts are removed to a greater distance apart than is necessary, in
order to shew them more distinctly). A second pressure is then to be made
upon the top of the cylinder H, and after being continued a proper period, as
will be described hereafter, the button may be taken out of the mould com-
pletely finished. On the left side of Fig. 7 the several parts described are
shewn in the compressed state, and the button L, as finished, shewn in Fig. 17,
which is an edge view of it, and in Fig. 18, which is a view of the back of it.

page_text: The button may be conveniently removed from the mould by the help of a
harp steel hook, shewn in Fig. 19, and which is to be inserted into the flexible
In practice I prefer to form
ubstitute for the shank to seize and drag it out.
1, 2, 3, or more moulds in one block M, and to employ several such blocks in
succession, and particularly where the assistance of heat is required, in order
that some of the blocks may be heated whilst the others are under pressure
or filling. The circular pieces of cloth, paper, &c may be cut of the required
sizes, either by means of cutting-out punches, beds and punches, scissars, &c.
and the papers or pasteboards may be coated or impregnated with the adhesive
resinous material or materials by spreading it over them by means of heated
cast iron plates, spatulas, or other fit and proper instruments. The metal
plate, Fig. 6, with four slits in it, is formed in the following manner :--Fig. 20
represents one of these plates in the flat state in which it is produced or cut
out by being pressed at once from rolled or sheet metal by the action of proper
beds and punches in a fly press, or by other proper tools and implements;
these flat pieces are then to be raised or cupped in their centres as shewn
edgeways in Fig. 21 and in Fig. 22 by means of proper dies and forcers.
The toothed metal collet F, shewn in Figs. 13, 14, and 15, is also formed out
of rolled or sheet metal, pierced, pressed, or cut out in the manner already
described into the flat star-like shape, shewn in Fig. 23. The teeth, claws, or
points G, G, formed around it are next turned up at right angles to the plano
of the collet or ring, as shewn in Fig. 13, and by a sectional line in Fig. 15,
by forcing them through circular holes made in proper beds by the help of
cylindrical punches affixed in a screw or fly press. The relative proportions
of the metal plate with slits in it, Fig. 6, and of the toothed ring or collet F,
suitable for the size of button shewn, may be seen by referring to Fig. 24.
The chief intent of raising up the centre of the plate, Fig. 6, is to cause the
tuft of flexible material or materials forming the substitute for the metal
shank to be elevated sufficiently above the top of the back of the toothed
collet F for the needle to be passed conveniently through the said tuft in the
act of sewing the button upon the garment. Fig, 25 represents the manner
in which I give the first pressure upon three cylindrical rings C, C, C, placed in
the three moulds A, A, A (shewn by dotted lines) of the block M, at once,
and of avoiding to press upon the three solid cylinders H, H, H, at that time.
This I effect by placing upon the three cylindrical rings C, C, C, the metal block
or bar N, having three gaps or hollows O, 0, 0, formed across the under side
of it to receive the solid cylinders H, H, H, within them, and to defend them
from the action of the press. Having thus given the first pressure, I then
remove the block N, and submit the three solid cylinders H, H, H, to

page_text: pressure effected upon their upper ends until they are forced down level with
the tops of the cylindrical rings C, C, C, as shewn on the left side of Fig. 7,
to complete the button. I can either employ screw presses, vices, weighted
levers, wedges, or any other proper means of effecting this pressure, and of
retaining the buttons under that operation for a proper length of time, or
until they are become set and firm enough to be taken out of the moulds
by the hoc!: shewn at Fig. 19, as already described, when if the face of the
button has any glass upon it, that may be removed by a slight damping.
Having thus shewn the manner of forming a button complete, I shall
proceed to describe certain other methods of making the other flexible substi-
tutes for the metal shanks mentioned in the preceding part of this my said
Specification Fig. 26 represents a circular metal plate, having four holes
made in it near its centre; through these holes, with the help of a needle,
I pass the soft and flexible material or materials intended to form my said
substitutes for metal shanks across and across, in the manner shewn in Fig.
27. These metal plates may either be used in the flat form, or their centres
Another
may be raised or elevated, as shewn by the section in Fig. 28.
substitute form in the following manner :-Fig. 29 is a flat metal circular
plate with a circular hole in its centre large enough to admit the tuft of mate-
This tuft I form by
rial to form the substitute for the metal shank within it.
laying either two pieces of flat wire across each other, as shewn in Fig. 30,
or else two slips of thin metal plate laid in a similar manner across each other,
as shewn in Fig. 31, and then winding across them both ways the flexible
materal for the substitute of the metal shank, as shewn in both these latter
Figures 30 and 31. I then lay either of these crossed pieces underneath the
plate 29, with the tuft of material for the shank rising through the central
hole in it, and employ them in the place and manner of Fig. 6, as before
described. I can occasionally also use the crossed pieces, Figs. 30 and 31,
without the plate Fig. 29, or I can form a solid cross out of a metal plate to
be used in place of the crossed wires or slips. Another of my said substi-
tutes for metal shanks I form by employing a circular metal plate, Fig. 32,
having a smaller hole in its centre than that shewn in Fig. 29, and form the
tuft of flexible material for the shank in the following manner :-In Fig. 33
P represents a metal bar or gauge to determine the height of the tuft or
substitute for the shank. Q, a flat wire placed at the bottom or underneath
the bar P, and R, R, a piece of twine laid on the top of the said bar; around
these three parts the flexible material to form the tuft or substitute for
the shank is to be wound, as shewn at S. It must then be slipped off thic
gauge or bar P; the two ends R, R, of the twine must be brought together

page_text: the wire Qbe cut to a proper length, and the tuft be brought through the hole
in the plate Fig. 31, by first passing the ends of the twine R, R, through it,
and then pulling the tuft S after it. In this state the hole will appear, as
shewn in Fig. 34, which is an under view thereof, and in Fig. 35, as seen
edgeways, the wire Q serving to prevent the tuft from being drawn out of
the button. Instead of employing wire or metal slips for these purposes, I
can also use thin slips of whalebone or horn, and either crossed or singly; or
even parchment, leather, or other proper substances of sufficient strength
may be employed when crossed for that use; and in order to prevent the
flexible material or materials forming the substitutes for the metal shanks,
from being withdrawn in wear or otherwise, the slips of parchment,
leather, or other yielding materials ought, however, to be of a sufficient
length to bear turning over to the back of the button in the mauner already
described in the reference to Fig. 2. I can employ for the flexible material
or materials forming my said substitutes for metal shanks, thread or twist
composed of hemp, flax, wool, silk, cotton, mohair, or any mixtures thereof
capable of being wound or wrapped around or passed; or in place of imploying
thread or twist formed of such materials, I can also use them in the crossed
or woven state, and either as represented in Fig. 36, or manufactured in any
other fit and proper manner. Of such material or materials I employ circular
pieces large enough to allow of bending over upon the back of the button;
and in place of employing circular metal plates with holes or gaps in them,
as already described, I use solid ones similar to that shewn in Fig. 37. I
then combine the materials to form the intended button in the following
manner: First, as before, I take the cloth or outside covering of the button,
Fig. 1, and place upon it the circular piece of paper or other material, Fig. 2,
and likewise the impregnated pieces, Figs. 3 and 4. I next lay upon them
the plain circular metal plates, Fig. 37, and upon that another impregnated
piece, Fig. 5; in order, however, to cause the woven flexible substitute for the
metal shank to rise up above the surface of the metal collet F, I place upon
the impregnated piece Fig. 5, one, two, or more small circular pieces of baize
or other soft and elastic material, such as shewn in Fig. 38, and upon them I
lay the woven substitute for the metal shank Fig. 36, and with these various
materials arranged in the order described, I then charge the moulds A, A, &c.,
by means of the cylindrical charger or forcer Fig. 9, in the manner already
described; and lastly, introduce the metal-clawed collet F, and induce pressure
with heat, exactly in the manner above mentioned; and the button when
finished will appear of the form represented in Fig. 39, which is a view
of the back of it, and edgeways at Fig. 40; or instead of using a circular

page_text: piece of crossed or woven threads or twist, I can employ a circular piece of
leather in a similar manner.
I again repeat that I hereby claim as my Invention, and the object of this
my said Patent, the substitution of a proper soft and flexible material or
materials in place of metal shanks to all such buttons as may be formed in the
various methods herein described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Sanders, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.
Inrolled the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.