IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY USED FOR FELTING OR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS OR BONNETS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Kirk and Samuel Shelmerdine, Hat
Manufacturers, and Cephas Froggatt, Machinist, all of Stockport,
in the County of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MACHINERY USED FOR FELTING OR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS OR
BONNETS,"
Sealed the 17th August 1869, and dated the 16th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Kirk, Samuel
Shelmerdine, and Cephas Froggatt at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 16th June 1869.
We, JAMES KIRK and SAMUEL SHELMERDINE, Hat Manufacturers,
and CEPHAS FROGGATT, Machinist, all of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY USED FOR FELTING OR PLANKING THE BODIES
OF HATS OF BONNETS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in improvements in the apparatus for felting
or "planking" the bodies of hats and other coverings for the head
composed of felt.

page_text: The machines at present in use consist of one set of rollers of varying
numbers. By our Invention we propose to use one, two, or more sets upon
the same framework or standards, and so make the machines double,
three-fold, or four-fold, or more according to circumstances. The surface
of these rollers will be formed of elliptical rings, longitudinal grooves
straight and slightly twisted, of studs or projections, or any modification
of the same that the necessary milling process may be obtained. Under
certain circumstances these rollers will be made so that two or more
parcels or quantities can be operated upon at once by one set of rollers.
The rollers will be constructed of wood, metal, india-rubber, ply, gutta
percha, gelatine, or other material as may be found desirable, and when
certain metals may be used for their construction we coat them with a
suitable metal or material so as to withstand the effect of the liquor used
in the process of manufacture. Motion will be given to each particular
roller by means of cog wheels instead of the endless chain now in use.
These cog wheels can be applied to machines at present in use.
By this Invention the productive capabilities of the machines are
greatly increased, at the same time economising the cost of their con-
struction; and by the substitution of cog wheels in place of the endless
chain great expence from frequent breakage and loss from the 'stoppage
of the machine for repairs will be avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Kirk, Samuel Shelmerdine, and Cephas
Froggatt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th December
1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
KIRK and SAMUEL SHELMERDINE, Hat Manufacturers, and CEPHAS
FROGGATT, Machinist, all of Stockport, in the County of Chester, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said James Kirk, Samuel Shelmerdine, and

page_text: Cephas Froggatt, Her special license that we, the said James Kirk,
Samuel Shelmerdine, and Cephas Froggatt, our executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Kirk, Samuel
Shelmerdine, and Cephas Froggatt, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY USED
FOR FELTING OR PLANKING THE BODIES OF HATS OR BONNETS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Kirk, Samuel
Shelmerdine, and Cephas Froggatt, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, 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 we, the said James Kirk, Samuel Shemerdine,
and Cephas Froggatt, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following, statement and
accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
-
The object of our Invention is to felt (or what is termed "plank")
the bodies of hats and other coverings for the head composed of woollen
felt, and in carrying out our Invention we propose to use two or more
sets of rollers upon the same framework or standards, or, in other words,
to make the machines double, three-fold, or four-fold, or more according
to circumstances, thereby increasing their productive capabilities, and at
the same time greatly economizing the cost of making the machine and
the power and appliances required to drive it, as well as enabling one
man to attend to more than one machine at a time, and thus economize.
his labor,
We also propose to form the working surfaces of these rollers. of
elliptical rings of india-rubber or other suitable material, placed at such
an angle and so close together that they shall each overlap the other and
so dispense with the necessity for the endwise motion usually imparted

page_text: to such rollers; and in some cases we propose to substitute straight or
slightly twisted projections placed on the bias, and so as to overlap,
and also to use rollers with longitudinal grooves running on a slight
incline from end to end.
And, further, instead of driving the rollers by means of endless chains
or other means heretofore employed, we propose to drive them by a
'series of spur wheels so arranged that the necessary motion and direction
shall be given to each particular roller at the same time that the two
top rollers can be raised (for removing and replacing the rolls or parcels
of hat bodies) and lowered together, the wheels all the time remaining
in gear whatever may be the position of the top rollers.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for " 'Improve-
ments in Machinery used for Felting or Planking the Bodies of Hats or
Bonnets," we will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in
which the same is to be or may be performed and carried into practical
effect; and in order that the same may be clearly understood we have
annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation, Fig. 2 a vertical section, and Fig. 3 a front
elevation of a planking machine, with two sets of rollers (i.e. a double
machine) constructed according to our Invention.
a, a, are the standards or side framing of the machine; b, b, are the
tables or "planks," and c, c, is a vessel or cistern common to both far
containing the hot acid liquor in which the hat bodies are dipped;
d, d, are the bottom rollers mounted in brackets bolted to the frame,
and e, e, are the top rollers carried by frames f. f, mounted, and capable
of turning over on the shafts 9, 9, as on a hinge. The frames and rollers
are raised when required by means of the treadles h, h, and cords i, i,
passing round pulleys k, k, the weight of the frame and rollers being
partly relieved by the counterbalance weights 1, 1. The bottom and top
rollers d, d, and e, e, are all driven in the right direction and at an
uniform speed by the trains of spur gearing m, m, m, m, which latter are
so arranged that they always keep in gear whether the frame f, f, is
raised or not; the wheel of the back top roller rolling over the teeth of
the wheel on the shaft g as the frame is raised or lowered. The working
surface of the rollers in Fig. 3 is shown as composed of a series of

page_text: elliptical rings (see detached view Fig. 4) placed at such an angle upon
the roller and at such a distance apart that the upper edge of one ring
shall overlap the lower edge of the one next to it, and thus every part of
the roll of hat bodies is acted upon, and the necessity for imparting
endways motion to the rollers is dispensed with. This is a most
important feature of our Invention.
In some cases we propose to incline half of the elliptical rings in one
direction and the other half in the opposite direction, as seen at Fig. 5;
and we also wish to reserve to ourselves the right to substitute straight
or slightly twisted projections placed on the bias, and so as to overlap
either in one direction only, as seen at Fig. 6, or in both directions, as
seen in Fig. 7; or to make the rollers with studs or pegs, as in Fig. 8.
We also propose in some cases to make any one or more of the rollers
of a set with longitudinal grooves extending from end to end, and
running at a slight angle to the axis. Two operatives stand one at each
side of the machine and each works in the usual way, and entirely inde-
pendent of the other, and has the facility for throwing his own rollers into
and out of gear without interfering with those on the other side of the
machine, and of raising and lowering his frame and top rollers as required
by means of his own treadle, which is much less laborious than the
ordinary method of raising the frame up by hand, and thus both space
and labor are economized.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, we wish it to be understood that
we claim as our Invention,―
Firstly. The general construction and arrangement of the whole
machine.
Secondly. We claim forming the working surfaces of the rollers of
elliptical rings of india-rubber or other suitable material placed at such
an angle on the rollers and at such a distance apart that the upper edges
of each shall overlap the lower edges of the next one, as shown in
Figs. 3 and 5 on the Drawings.
Thirdly. We claim the other modifications of the rollers, herein-before
described, and more especially those shown at Figs. 6, 7, and 8.
And, fourthly. We claim the mode of and apparatus for driving the
rollers by spur gearing, and raising and lowering the same by means of

page_text: treadles, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Kirk, Samuel Shelmerdine,
and Cephas Froggatt, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witnessed by
JAMES KIRK.
(L.S.)
SAMUEL SHELMERDINE. (L.S.)
CEPHAS FROGGATT.
(L.S.)
JOHN HUGHES,
Clerk to George Davies, C.E.,
Office for Patents,
Manchester.