Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 5th June, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and in Apparatus
therefor.
1, JOHN HENRY NEAVE of Rainow Macclesfield in the County of Chester Hat
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of hats or other head coverings partly
or entirely from wood pulp, sulphite wood or other similar fibre or material.
For hats made partially of wood fibre and partially of other materials felted or
pressed together I reduce the fibre into a pulp with which saturate the partly
felted hats (made of wool, fur, or other felting material) and then continue the
"planking" or felting operation. At present I find the machine known in the
trade as a Belgian or crank bumper the best machine for carrying out this operation.
The pulp and the hats being allowed to work together in this machine.
The pulp may however be worked into the hats by other machines or by the
operation known as hand planking or a certain quantity may be introduced into the
hat by mixing it with the "proof" or stiffening.
Or the pulp or fibre in a dry condition may be mixed in with the wool, fur or
other material during the operation of "forming."
Hats made of a mixture of wool or fur and wood pulp will require less shallac
or other stiffening than those made in the usual way and will be lighter and cheaper
whilst equally firm with those made and stiffened in the usual way. And a greater
degree of stiffness may be obtained by use of a "proof" or stiffening with which
wood pulp has been mixed.
For hats made entirely or nearly so of the wood or other similar fibre, I take
a vessel near the bottom of which I place a block or shape corresponding to the
shape of the hat desired to be formed. This block is made of finely perforated
metal wire gauze or any suitable material. The vessel being charged with water
into which the requisite quantity of the fibre or other material has been introduced,
I open a tap or outlet underneath the block or shape and there being no other
outlet for the water it will pass through the openings in the gauze or perforated
block leaving the fibre coated upon the said block. I then close the outlet in the
vessel below the block and exhaust the air from the said vessel by means of an
air pump the pressure of the air above the block will compress the fibre on the
surface of the block and drain off the superfluous water.
After being dried sufficiently I remove the block and subject the fibre (now in
the form of a hat or other desired shape) to hydraulic or other pressure. It will
then be ready for having a cover of felt, silk, cloth or other material placed over it,
or may be finished in like manner to a felt hat by sand or glass paper, card or other
means and shaped and trimmed as a felt hat.
If a greater degree of stiffening is desired proofing or stiffening material may be
introduced into the water during the operation of forming or may be added in a
variety of ways after forming. And the material may be rendered waterproof in
like manner.
The material may be dyed or stained to any desired colour either in the fibre
before it is formed into shape or after it is shaped into the hat or other head
covering.
In some cases I find that the perforated block may be usefully covered with a
cap of felt or other porous cloth to assist in rendering the suction even over all the
surface of the hat. The fibre will then be deposited upon the felt or other cap and
the cap can easily be removed after the drying operation. Or if desired a coating

page_text: of the fibre may in this manner be deposited upon a felt body and made to adhere
by pressure or some milhosive material.
The fibre after being pulped may in a dry and loose condition be formed by blowing
it on to the hat shape upon the same principle as is commonly used in the mami-
facture of fur felt hats. But as I have hitherto found that the fibre adheres
together best in a wet condition I prefer at present to form it in a wet state by the
method above described or some similar method.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and in Apparatus
therefor.
I, JOHN HENRY NEAVE, of Rainow, Macclesfield, 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 :—
This invention relates chiefly to the manufacture of hats or other head coverings
similar in appearance to what are known as felt or felted hats which have hitherto
as is well known been made from animal fibres such as fur or wool the fibres of
which are felted together and my invention is designed to produce a hat or head
covering from pulped wood, esparto, China or rhea grass.
It consists essentially in the manufacture of hats or head coverings partly or
entirely from pulp, made from wood, esparto, and other kinds of fibre by con-
solidating the material when shaped under a heavy pressure in an hydraulic or
similar press and subsequently finishing to resemble a felt hat.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings where as
an example I have shown apparatus I have designed for the purpose.
Fig. 1, sectional elevation showing hat block arranged to receive the material on
its inner surface.
Fig. 2, sectional elevation showing hat block arranged to receive the material
deposited on its outer surface.
A, is a vessel or hopper fitted to or mounted upon a second vessel B which
forms a chamber beneath it, C is a perforated hat shape or block, D is a rim or
ledge between the hopper A and chamber B upon which the rim of the hat shape
rests, E is a tap or outlet pipe from the chamber B, F is a pipe leading from the
chamber B to an air pump.
In carrying out the invention the material is reduced to a pretty fine pulp and
may be used either in conjunction with a base of felted fur or wool or without any
such base. In the latter case it may be used either entirely separately without the
addition thereto of any other fibrous material or if desired animal or vegetable
fibres in short lengths may be mixed with the pulp and worked up therewith without
any felting operation.
For hats made entirely or principally of pulped wood fibre or other similar fibre
1 take the pulp in its liquid or semi-liquid state and run it. into the hopper A over
a hat shape or block C made of perforated metal wire gauze or other suitable
porous material. The hopper A. being charged with water into which the requisite
quantity of the fibre has been introduced I open a tap or outlet E in the chamber B
underneath the block or shape C and there being no other exit for the water it will
pass through the porous block or dish C leaving the pulped fibre coated thereon.
then close the outlet. E in the chamber B and exhaust the air from the said vessel
below the block or dish by means of an air pump or exhaust fan. The pressure
of the air above the block (will compress the fibre against the block or slinpe and
drain off some of the superfluous water. The thickness of the hat may be graduated

page_text: from brim to crown or a greater or less degree of thickness be given to it in any
desired part by having the perforations made larger or smaller or more or less
numerous in different parts of the block or shape. The suction being greater where
the perforations are larger or more numerous, more of the fibre will be drawn to
that part of the block or shape. The hat may be formed either upon the inside
surface or the outside surface of the shape or block C care being taken that the
sides and brim of the dish C are sufficiently perforated to allow of a flow of water
sufficient to counteract the natural tendency of the fibre to settle in the bottom of
the dish aud cause nndue thickness in the crown or tip of the hat. The outlet E
must also be of sufficient size to ensure the amount of suction needful to cause the
fibre to adhere firmly to the sides of the dish.
The employment of an air pump or exhaust fan is not essential though hitherto
I have found it advantageous to have the water well drained off the fibre at this
stage of the manufacture. This may also be effected in a good degree by placing
the outlet E a little higher than the bottom of the chamber B and forming it with
a bent pipe or cover e as shown in Fig. 2 which dips into the water in the chamber
below the level of the outlet E. The size of the outlet E being regulated to allow
the flow of the water from the lower chamber to be in excess of the quantity of
water that percolates from the hopper A through the perforated shape C a vacuum
or partial vacuum will be formed in the lower part of the vessel which will facilitate
the drawing off of the water from the fibre which will be partially consolidated
thereby.
For this operation as well as when an air pump is employed care should be taken
that the hat shape or dish C should fit nicely to the rim D of the vessel in order
to prevent the passage of air for this purpose a cushion of india rubber or other
suitable yielding material may be usefully employed.
The hat being now in shape is subjected to hydraulic or other pressure either
before or after being removed from the perforated dish or block C and either before
or after drying or when partially dried. By preference I remove the hat when
still wet from the perforated shape and place it in an ordinary dish for pressing
hats and subject it to a severe hydraulic pressure usually 200 to 500 pounds per
square inch.
In order to facilitate this operation I find it useful to line or cover the per-
forated shape C with a cap of felt or other porous cloth previously to the operation
of forming the hat. The fibres of the material instead of being deposited directly
into or upon the shape will then be deposited upon the cap and by the use of this
cap not only will the suction during the operation of forming be rendered more
regular and the thickness of the hat more easily and evenly graduated but the hat
when formed will also be more readily handled.
Even after the employment of an air pump the fibre still remains in a soft and
wet condition which makes it difficult to handle without destroying the shape of
the hat but when formed upon a felt cap it may be readily lifted with its cap out
of the perforated shape and deposited in a solid dish for pressing. After pressing
it is sufficiently consolidated to be taken out of the shape and the cap removed.
One or more subsequent pressings in the smooth dish are generally desirable in
order to still further consolidate the material.
If desired the hat may be pressed before it is removed from the perforated shape
in which it is formed and it will then be in a condition in which it can be more
readily handled but I find this plan objectionable on account of the perforations of
the shape being marked upon the surface of the hat and one or more subsequent
pressings being needful in order to remove these marks.
In some cases I have found it desirable to have the perforated shape in which
the hat is formed made in two halves which can be readily disunited in order to
facilitate the removal of the hat from this shape into the solid dish in which it is to
be pressed.
If desired and for some kinds of material it may be useful after forming the hat
and before pressing it to place it upon an oscillating or shaking plate or frame in

page_text: order to assist in felting and equalizing the fibres but I have not found this needful
in all cases.
It will be obvious that the fibre after being prepared may be dried and in a dry
state be formed into a hat shape by blowing on to the shape in the same way that
fur is commonly used in the making of felted hats a spray of water being at the
same time supplied to damp the pulped fibres and make them adhere together on
the shape after which the hat is subjected to severe hydraulic pressure as herein-
before described. I profer however at present to form the hats by depositing the
pulp from water as I obtain better results thereby.
When the hat has been sufficiently pressed and compressed to the desired
thickness and density it is completely dried and may be finished in the usual way
common to felted hats either as a hat body to be covered with silk cloth or other
material or as a hat to resemble a hat felted from fur or wool.
When finished as a hat body it will be covered with a silk or other cloth or other
material in the usual way. The cheapness and lightness of a hat body made in this
way will strongly recommend it.
When intended to resemble in appearance an ordinary felt hat it is finished as
such hats made from folted fur or wool usually are by sandpaper glasspaper card
or otherwise or simply by brushing and velouring or by ironing or any other
process or may be sold without finishing. A mnt of unusual lightness and closely
resembling the ordinary kinds of felt hats may be thus produced. Any desired
colour may be obtained by dyeing or staining. As a matter of convenience I have
found it best hitherto to dye the fibre when in the pulp but various means may be
adopted for dyeing it after forming it into a hat if so desired.
More or less degree of stillness may also be secured by adding shellac rosin or
other suitable stiffening material either after or previously to the process of forming
into a hat. Hitherto I have found the simplest method to be that of adding rosin
or shellac to the fibre whilst in the pulp previously to the forming of it into a hat
although I have also obtained good results by brushing a solution of shellac on to
the hats both whilst wet and also after drying. The same process will also render
the hats sufficiently waterproof or they may be waterproofed by various independent
processes.
Hats made of a mixture of wood pulp and felted fur or wool will require less
shellac or other stiffening than those made in the usual way from fur or wool only
and will be lighter and cheaper whilst equally firm with those made and stiffened
in the usual way. And a greater degree of stiffness may be obtained by use of a
"proof" or stiffening with which wood pulp has been mixed.
The curling and shaping of the hat brins may be done in various stages of the
manufacture but I find it preferable to perform this operation when the hat has
been partially dried and in this state it may roadily be accomplished by placing the
hat in a hydraulic press constructed for pressing curled hats, the dish in which the
hat is placed being furnished with a brim of the required shape the material in its
damp and pliable condition will be pressed to its shape, and the drying then
completed, or the hats may be curled and shaped after they have been pressed and
partially dried by drawing the brims over a frame of the desired shape either by
hand or by a curling press.
I find that a good result may be obtained and the resemblance to an ordinary
felted hat increased by mixing with the wood pulp a proportion of short fur or silk
or wool flocks or similar suitable material whereby a short map of this material
may be obtained upon the surface of the hat especially will this be the case if care
is taken to ensure a good proportion of the wool or fur etcetera being near the
surface of the hat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood
that I am aware that it has been suggested and attempts have been made to
manufacture hats from a vegetable pulp mixed with animal libres to give it cohesion

page_text: but such have only resulted in producing a very brittle and perishable article and
to such I make no claim but I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of hats or other head coverings resembling felt hats the
use of pulped wood as a substitute for felted fur or wool substantially as described.
2. A hat made of pulped wood or other similar fibre consolidated under a heavy
pressure and dyed, waterproofed, finished, shaped, and curled to resemble an
ordinary felt hat substantially as described.
3. The process of manufacturing hats or other head coverings which consists in
depositing pulped wood or other fibre upon a perforated or porous surface by
incans of suction or drawing off the water, then subjecting it to a severe hydraulic
pressure and subsequently finishing to resemble an ordinary felt hat substantially as
described.
4. In the manufacture from pulped fibre of hats resembling felt hats the apparatus
constructed and arranged substantially as described and shown.
DL: 441 1 1201
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, an London, Patent Agents.