A NEW AND IMPROVED MANNER OR METHOD OF MANUFAC- TURING BUTTONS
Year: 1813

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
SANDERS the Elder, of Granby Place, in the Parish of Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, in Great Britain, Button Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of November, in the fifty-fourth year of the reign of
His present Majesty, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant
unto. me, the said Benjamin Sanders, His special licence, full power, sole
priviledge and authority, that I, the said Benjamin Sanders, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their
deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Benjamin
Sanders, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED MANNER OR METHOD OF MANUFAC-
TURING BUTTONS;" in which said Letters Patent there 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
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

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation 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,
and manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
in manner following, that is to say :--
As to the tools, machinery, and instruments to be made use of, the same
do consist of, firstly, certain pieces called cylinder dies, which are formed by
making or sinking, in metal or other hard material, one or more cylindrical
cavities, beds, or cells, each of the diameter of the button intended to be
manufactured, and of such depth as to allow the said button to be pressed
therein considerably, or several times lower than the intended thickness of
the said button; and the bottom or lower face of the said cavities, beds, or
cells are cut, formed, or made so as by pressure therein, as hereafter
explained, to give the face of the button itself the figure intended thereon
to be produced. And secondly, certain pieces called chargers or conductors,
made of metal or hard wood, or other material suited to the purpose of
pressing or thrusting the button or materials thereof into the cylinder moulds;
and each of the said conductors is a kind of stick or cylinder, nearly fitted
to the cylinder mould, and having a flat face with a central hole therein
to admit the shank of the button, and an handle or prolongation of length
for conveniently pressing or thrusting, as aforesaid. And thirdly, certain
pieces called spindles, which are made of metal or other hard material,
by preference of the same kind as that of the dies; and each of the said
spindles is made to fit accurately into one of the said cavities in the dies, and
to enter therein to such a depth as shall leave a space equal to that occupied
by the button when manufactured, but is formed with a protuberance or
shoulder, which prevents the same from entering beyond that depth; and the
face of the said spindle, at the extremity thereof which enters the said cavity,
is made concave, in order that the materials of the button may be urged
inwards in the first pressure; but I do also, after the parts of the button have
been consolidated by such first pressure, make use, if required, of a spindle
with a convex or any other description of face. And fourthly, certain pieces
called counter spindles, to be used when needful or preferred, which are formed,
by preference, of the same material as the spindle itself, and are well fitted so
as to slide in the said spindle; and the same are small cylinders having a hole
in the centre of each to receive the shank of the button, and having a small
inotion (limited by a stop) answering to the thickness of a piece called the
collet, which can be lodged in the face of the spindle when the counter

page_text: spindle is drawn back; and in this case the other end of the counter spindle
stands out or projects a like quantity beyond the back face of the spindle
itself. And I do further declare, that with regard to the materials and manu-
facture of buttons, the same, and the operations thereunto appertaining, are as
follows, that is to say:-
Firstly, the face of the button is formed of cloth or other flexible fabric
capable of being acted upon by compression, with or without heat, or of metal
capable of being acted upon by compression, or by a blow such as buttons
might be subjected to without injury in other respects; and if the said face be
of cloth or flexible fabric as aforesaid, the same is to be cut of larger diameter
than that of the mould, in order that such face may be bended over by the
pressure of the spindle, as berein-after described; and otherwise, if the said
face be made of metal, and not very thin or flexible, the sides must be
previously turned up to the size of the mould, by casting, stamping, turning,
or other fit and well-known operation. And I do place upon or within the
flexible face of each button one or more pieces of paper or like material;
covered or slightly impregnated with some resinous or adhesive inatter or
compound capable of giving cohesion or configuration by heat and pressure, or
of some pasty or glutinous matter or compound capable of effecting the same
purpose by pressure alone (and I form the said pieces either nearly of the
same size as the button itself, or gradually, or otherwise diminishing in size,
according to the form intended to be given to the said button. And secondly,
the centre piece and shank, of which the first is a plate more or less small
than the button itself, and having the shank soldered or fixed to the centre
thereof, and the said piece is not indispensibly necessary, but only when there
is no metallic face, or the shank is not soldered or affixed to the face; and the
said centre piece is placed or laid, in the process of manufacturing, upon the
piece of paper or other material last mentioned. And thirdly, the collet, which
is a small circular piece put upon the shank, and compressed upon the back of
the covering by a second operation with the counter spindle, but various kinds
of buttons may be made without the collet. And fourthly, the tube shank,
which is a tube to be slipped on the shank in preference, instead of allowing
the shank alone to be opened above the collet, or otherwise it will be better
to make the collet with a short tube proceeding from the centre hole thereof,
and the shank to be opened above the said tube. And fifthly, the back spring
to the shank, which is a spiral or helical spring interposed been a small plate
keyed or pinned thro' the shank behind the garment and the garment itself,
by which means the button is always kept close, and yields pleasantly and
gently in buttoning. And lastly, I do declare that the manufacturing of the

page_text: said buttons is performed by laying down the covering and then the piece of
-adhesive or cohesive paper or other material, and then the centre piece and
shank; and that I do place and press down the said button, so in progress to
be manufactured, in the cylinder die by means of the charger or conductor, and
do also dispose the collet and tube in the counter spindle; and farther, that I
do then put the spindle into the cylinder dio (both spindle and die being
previously so heated as to act on the resinous or like matter, but not to injure
the face), and subject the whole to strong pressure, continued for about one
minute, or more or less; and afterwards, by a second pressure on the counter
spindle, I force down the collet, and thereby give the button its form, which I
then take out, and open the shank with a bodkin and take off the gloss of the
face by a slight damping. But in case the button be of any other kind or
description, such as not to require heat, or not to need the whole of the parts
and manipulations, or such as to be composed of different materials from those
herein-before mentioned, I do vary my proceedings, as may be easily deduced
by any competent workman, according to my said Invention, as herein-before
specified and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Sanders, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fourteen.