Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Softening the Bands of Hats for Use by Retail Hatters.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Softening the Bands of
Hats for Use by Retail Hatters.
We HENRY HERBERT TURNER and ALBERT TURNER both of Prospect House,
Denton Lancaster, Hat Machinists and JAMES JENKINS of 21 Westbourne Place,
Cardiff, Glamorgan, South Wales, Hat Salesman do hereby declare the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
5 and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the construction and arrangement of an apparatus
whereby the band of a felt hat may he readily heated and softened and especially
useful for retail hatters and consists in the employment of a sheet metal cone shaped
oval block either in conjunction with a separate enclosed vessel practically forming a
steam boiler and which is supplied with water and heated by a gas or other jet or
which block can be heated by the direct application of the flame of a gas burner or
other jet as hereinafter described.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 represents a front view and Fig. 2 a side
view of our improved apparatus as heated by steam and Fig. 3 is a side view Fig. 4
a front view and Fig. 5 a plan view of the same apparatus but heated by a Bunsen
gas burner.
In all the views a is the sheet metal cone-shaped oval block-so made and arranged
as to be suitable for various sizes of hats. The top of this block is formed flat as illustrated
and is so capable of being used as a heater for the lures used by hatters and is
provided with an asbestos or other non conducting cap to be placed on the top when
the hat is undergoing the operation of softening the band and so preventing the
heat rising to the tip. This block a in the case of Figs. 1 and 2 is shewn supported
upon the top of the counter or table 6 and from its bottom depends the pipe c
connecting it with the steam boiler or vessel d. This vessel d is fitted with a funnel
mouthed cock e for supplying the necessary water, with a safety valve and with
a glass water guage g. It is shewn heated by a Bunsen gas burner / but it is obvious
that the flame of a hydro-carbon or other lamp burner might be substituted as the
heating medium. In order to get rid of the air from the interior of the block we
also apply an air pipe by preference carried downwards and terminating in a stop
cock j.

page_text: The action of this apparatus will be readily understood.-The boiler being supplied
with water to the desired height as indicated by the water guage g the air cock j
being opened and the burner ignited steam is soon produced. This steam finds its
way into the interior of the block a and as soon as it is visibly escaping from the
air pipe the cock j is closed. In this manner we heat the block a by a steam
heat which ensures that the hat to be fitted shall never be subjected to too high a
temperature.
In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the block a is supported upon the top of the hollow cast-iron
casing forming a heating chamber and in which is fitted a Bunsen gas burner
supplied with gas through a flexible or other tube connected to the tail pipe 1. In
this case the flame of the burner plays direct upon the bottom of the block and so heats
the same to the desired temperature.
It will however be obvious that the flame of any other form of gas burner or oil
lamp might be substituted as the heating medium.
It will be readily apparent that this improved heating apparatus is specially useful
say for a retail hatter to have in his shop or fitting room to save having recourse as at
present to filling the body of the hat and then heating the same before the fire.
We wish it to be distinctly understood that we do not confine ourselves to the
cylindrical form of steam vessel nor to its exact position as depending beneath the
block as it will be apparent that the same may be considerably modified without
departing from our invention.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our said inven-
tion and in what manner the sanie is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. The combination of the hollow cone shaped block with a steam vessel heated
fitted and operated substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
2nd. The combination of the hollow cone shaped block with a gas stove or its
equivalent as the heating medium substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
55, Market Street, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicants.