IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND PRESSING FELT HATS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bentley, of Denton, in the County of Lancaster,
Hat Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR FORMING AND PRESSING FELT HATS."
Sealed the 6th April 1863, and dated the 18th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said -John Bentley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
October 1862.
I, JOHN BENTLEY, of Denton, in the County of Lancaster, Hat Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND PRESSING FELT HATS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the machinery or apparatus usually employed
for the purpose of pressing hat bodies and forming the same into hats. The
operation of which apparatus depends on the application of a form or basin.
combined with a bag of elastic material (usually of india-rubber), to which a
certain amount of pressure is applied by means of water or other fluid.
My first improvement consists in forming the lid or cover of the apparatus,
with a hinge or joint, on which it turns when lifted off the other part of the
apparatus. From this joint projects an arm or lever, on which is a counter-
weight, which balances or nearly so the lid or cover. By this arrangement the
cover can be raised and replaced with very little exertion on the part of the
operator.
My second improvement consists in forming the pin of the hinge with a

page_text: hole through it, so as to form a tube; this tube is connected at one end with
the pipe which proceeds from the forcing apparatus, and from it proceeds a
tube to the cover or lid, through which there is a hole forming a passage to
the interior of the cover; the other end of the pin is attached to a pipe,
which is furnished with a cock or valve, by which the water is discharged when
required.
My third improvement consists in the mode of applying the india-rubber
bag. This I attach to the under side of the cover by means of a hoop or ring,
which is secured to the cover by means of screws.
The hole through which
the water is forced opens into the space betwixt the under side of the cover
and the india-rubber bag. By this arrangement a considerable saving of india-
rubber is effected.
My fourth improvement consists in the mode of securing the cover or lid to
the body of the apparatus. This I effect by means of three radial bolts,
which are acted upon by a cam turning on a centre at the middle of the out-
side of the cover. These radial bolts take into three filbows attached to the
body of the apparatus, to which when in use they effectually secure the cover.
By means of a handle attached to the cam the operator at one movement
secures or releases the cover from the body of the apparatus.
My fifth improvement consists in forming the basin er mould in two
or more separate parts, and at the same time firmly socuring the parts
together when in use. This contrivance enables me to form or press hats of
other shapes than those which have hitherto been produced by the apparatus
before mentioned.
-My sixth improvement consists in the application of a gauge for indicating
the pressure on the apparatus. A piston working in a tube is acted upon by
a spring, which yields to the pressure, when the pressure exceeds the proper
amount the piston passes a hole in the tube, and discharges a portion of the
water, by which means the excess of pressure is obviated, and the safety of the.
apparatus secured.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Bentley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
April 1863.
เ
. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BENTLEY, of Denton, in the County of Lancaster, at Manufacturer, send 3.
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Bentley, Her special licence that I, the said, John Bentley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Bentley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE,
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND PRESSING FELT HATS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Bentley, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly deseribe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within, six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Bentley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and the accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to the apparatus ordinarily used for forming and
pressing felt hats, and consists in certain various alterations in the form and
arrangement of the said apparatus, and also in certain additions, thereto.
My first improvement consists in forming the lid or cover of the apparatus
with a hinge or joint, on which it turns when lifted off the other part of the
apparatus.
My second improvement consists in forming the pin of the hinge with a
passage through it, which communicates with another tube or passage formed
in an arm connected with the lid, and forming part of the hinge. Through
these passages the water is supplied to the interior of the apparatus, or dis-
charged from it at pleasure..
My third improvement consists in the mode of applying the india-rubber or
elastic bag. This I attach to the under side of the cover by means of a hoop
or ring which is secured to the eover by means of screws.
My fourth improvement consists in the mode of securing the cover or lid to the
body of the apparatus. This I effect by means of radial bolts, which are acted
upon by a cam turning on a centre at the middle of the outside of the cover.,

page_text: My fifth improvement consists in forming the basin or mould in two or
more separate parts, and at the same time firmly securing the parts together
when in use.
My sixth improvement consists in the application of a guage of a peculiar
construction for indicating the pressure of the water when the apparatus is in
use. This guage is placed in a conspicuous position, so that the operator can
at all times know at what pressure he is working.
In order to make my Invention more clearly understood, I have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings, to which the following description relates, and
in which the same letters of reference, or letters and figures conjoined, indicate
the same parts of the apparatus.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of the apparatus to which my improvements
are applied; Fig. 2 a plan of, the same; Fig. 3 a side elevation of the
apparatus in which some of the parts are removed, in order to shew the
operation of other parts not perfectly displayed in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a plan in
which the lid or cover is removed (see Fig. 3), in order to shew the interior
of the apparatus; Fig. 5 view of the interior, partly shewn in section,
through the line x, y, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 another partial section, shewing the
manner in which the hat is removed from the apparatus when the operation
is completed.
a
A, A, framework, by which the other parts of the apparatus are supported;
B, B, a hollow vessel of a cylindrical form and open above, which receives
within it the basin or mould B', B', which gives the shape to the hat when
the operation is completed; it also comprises within it a steam chamber, as
is usual, into which steam can be admitted when required in order to heat
the apparatus. C, C, the lid or cover; attached to it are two brackets or
arms C and C3; these two arms pass betwixt the two brackets or arms
B2, B3, attached to the hollow vessel B, B. Through these arms B², B³, and
C and C, passes the perforated pin or spindle C³, C³. This arrangement
forms a hinge or r joint on which the lid C, C, turns when lifted off the hollow
vessel B, B, as shewn in Fig. 3. C, C, an arm or lever attached to the
arm C, on which is the adjustable counterweight C³, which is arranged so as
to about balance the lid C, C; the hollow perforated pin. C³, C³, serving as a
fulcrum on which these parts turn. At C, on the perforated pin C³, C³, is a
packed joint, so that the arm C¹ can move water-tight on the pin C³, C³; within
this packed joint is an opening into the interior of the pin C³, and a corre-
sponding passage is made through the arm C' to the under side of the lid C, C.
This passage is shewn by dotted lines a, a, in Figs. 2 and 3. At one end of the
perforated pin C³ is the cock or valve b, from which proceeds a pipe to the

page_text: lower part of the reservoir or pressure vessel D. By this arrangement water
can be admitted to the under side of the lid C, C, or shut off, as required.
At the other end of the perforated pin C³ is another cock or valve from
which proceeds a pipe to the water cistern E. By means of this cock or
valve c the water can be let out of the apparatus into the cistern E when
required. C is a bag of india-rubber or elastic material; it is furnished with
a rim or flange round it, by which it is secured to the under side of the
lid C, C, by means of the ring or hoop C, both being held and attached to
the lid C, C, by means of screw bolts. The shape of the elastic bag C7 will
depend on the form of the interior of the mould B', B', the form of which
depends upon the shape to be given to the hat when finished. When tho
apparatus is in use the lid C, C, is secured to the hollow vessel B, B, by
means of three radial bolts d, d, d, which take into the three filbows e, e, e,
attached to the hollow vessel B, B. One of these radial bolts is shewu in
Figs. 8 and 9. F is a circular cam plate turning on a boss at the upper side
of the lid C, C; the under side of this cam plate F is shewn in Fig. 7; it has
in it three eccentric-grooves g, g, g, into which take three pins on the three radial
bolts d, d, d, one of which in shewn at f. h, a handle on the cam plate F,
by which it is turned, by which action the radial bolts are moved, and the
lid C, C, attached to the hollow vessel B, or detached from it at pleasure.
The mould B', B', is, for hats with round crowns, made of a single piece in
the ordinary manner, but when hats with flat crowns have to be formed or
pressed such a mould cannot be used, as after being pressed the hat cannot
be withdrawn from the mould. To effect the removal of the hat from the
mould in such cases, I construct the mould in two or more separate parts,
and combine it with other mechanism and appliances, in order to render it
available for the purpose. The mode of doing this will be understood from
Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. B', B', the mould as before, but made of two separato
parts connected together at the bottom by the joint or hinge m; on the
outside of the mould are two bevilled surfaces i, i, and j, j, forming rings
round it. In the interior of the chamber in the vessel B, B, are two corre-
sponding bevilled surfaces k, k, and 1, 7. When the mould is in its place the
bevilled surfaces i and k are in contact, as are also the bevilled surfaces
jand ; and therefore the greater the pressure on the mould the more forcibly
will the parts of which it is composed be pressed and held together. In
order to cover more effectually the joint at the bottom of the mould, and I
generally insert a flat circular plate of metal, but this addition is not absolutely
essential. The material or body of which the hat is to be formed being placed
in the mould, the lid C, C, is lowered on to the hollow vessel B, B, and

page_text: secured to it as before described. The cock 6 being now opened (the
cock C being closed), water is forced from the reservoir or pressure vessel D
into the india-rubber bag C, which becoming distended thereby forces
the material or body to take the shape of the inside of the mould B¹,
and so become a hat. The cock 6 being then closed, and the cock C
opened, the water is discharged into the cistern E. The radial bolts
d, d, d, are then withdrawn, and the lid C, C, lifted into the position
shewn in Fig. 3. In order to facilitate the removal of the hat from the
mould B', the following appliances are added:-n, n, a rod, at the upper
end of which is a filbow, through which the pin forming the joint m passes.
The rod n then passes through a hole in the bottom of the bollow vessel
B, B, and attached to it is a cross piece o, which has on it two bearings, on
which play the two connecting links p, p, the lower ends of which play on
studs at the shorter end of the forked lever q, turning on a bar r, connected to
the frame A, A, by the cross piece A³. The lower end of the rod n passes
through a hole in the cross piece A' to steady it. Whilst the hat is being
pressed into shape these parts are in the position shewn in Figs. 3 and 5, but
when that operation is finished and the hat has to be removed, the operator
places his foot on the outer end of the lever q, and depressing it raises the
shorter end, which lifting, the rod n, n, raises the divided mould B', B',
which being thus released from the chamber in the hollow vessel B, B, the
parts fall from each other by their own weight into the position shewn in
Fig. 6, and the hat H is then completely at liberty to be removed. B³, B³,
a loose hoop or ring let into a recess at the upper part of the hollow vessel
B, B; the use of this loose ring B³, B', (which may be changed as required,)
is to accommodate the bollow vessel B, B, to any form of the mould B', B',
which may be necessary. The reservoir or pressure vessel D is of the ordinary
construction, being a strong vessel, in which air is confined and compressed by
the water being forced into it at the lower part. The air reacting on the
water forces it out when required (as before described). G, a force pump of the
usual construction; it draws the water by means of a pipe from the cistern E,
and forces it through another pipe into the pressure vessel D at the lower
part. G', a bent lever, by means of which the piston of the pump G is put in
motion by the operator. In many cases it is desirable to detach these parts,
namely, the pressure vessel D, the cistern E, and pump G, from the other
parts of the apparatus, and actuate the pump G by mechanical power, the
pressure vessel D and cistern E being connected to the other parts of the
apparatus by means of pipes. Attached to the pressure vessel D is the pressure
guage I, I; it cousists of a hollow cylinder t, t, in which works the ram or

page_text: plug piston , which passes through a stuffing box at the top of the cylinder
t, t; u', an extension of the piston u, which passes through a bracket u³:
attached to the vessel D, and has on it a collar ; round this extension u¹is
coiled the worm spring a, which is thus compressed betwixt the collar u³ and
the bracket u. The lower part of the cylinder t, t, is connected to the lower
part of the pressure vessel D by a small pipe, so that the water in the vessel
D pressing underneath the piston u, the worm spring u becomes proportionally
compressed; the amount of pressure being indicated on a scale v by an index
attached to the collar u³. I occasionally bore a small hole at the upper
part of the cylinder t, t, the effect of which is that when the lower end of the,
plug piston u rises above the hole, water is discharged from it, the guage
thus in some degree answering the purpose of a safety valve. The position of
the hole must be adjusted to the pressure at which the apparatus is to work,
and will depend upon the strength of the worm spring . The strength of
the spring should be such as to withstand a pressure of 300 lbs. to the square
inch, which is about the usual working pressure.
It must be observed that I do not confine myself to the precise details of
construction of the apparatus for forming and pressing felt hats as herein
described, as these may be varied, it must also be understood that various
parts of the apparatus described were in some form or other in use for the
same purpose before the date of iny said Letters Patent, I therefore do not
claim such parts separately as forming any part of my present Invention; but
that what I do claim as new and of my Invention is as follows:-
First, claim the arrangement and combination of the lid or cover C, C,
with the counterweight C, turning on a hinge or joint, of which the pin is a
perforated tube C³, C³, applied and adapted to the purpose of admitting water
to the interior of the apparatus, or discharging it, as herein described.
Second, I claim the mode of applying and adapting tho india-rubber or
elastic bag C', by means of a 'rim or flange round it, held to the lid or cover
C, C, by the ring or hoops C³, and secured by the screw.bolts, as herein
described.
Third, I claim the mode of securing the lid or cover C, C, to the hollow
vessel B, B, by means of the radial bolts d, d, d, acted upon by the circular
cam plate E, as herein described.
Fourth, I claim the application and adaptation of the basin or mould B', B',
(constructed of separate parts,) to the purpose of pressing and forming felt
hats, as herein described.
Fifth, I claim the mode of applying the basin or mould B', B', (constructed

page_text: of separate parts,) by means of the bevilled surfaces i and j and k and l, and
also the rod n, links p, p, and lever q, as herein described.
Sixth, I claim the application and adaptation of the pressure guage I, I,.
(constructed as described,) to the purpose of indicating the pressure of the
water in apparatus for pressing and forming felt hats, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bentley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed by tho within-named John
Bentley, in the presence of
JOHN POTTER, C.E.,
4, Old Millgate,
JOHN BENTLEY. (L.B.)
Manchester.