Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing Felt Hats.
Year: 1894

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883), as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 18th day of December 1895.
Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1895-Accepted, 1st June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Pressing Felt Hats.
We JOSEPH ROWLEY and JOHN WILLIAM ROWLEY, both of Barn Meadow
Iron Works, Dukinfield in the County of Chester, Ironfounders, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of hats from felt and other substances, it is customary to
" hat dish."
press the same in a shaping die commonly known as a
These dies or dishes are usually made of metal and are set in a suitable
supporting frame, the brim part of the dish resting on the frame; and to enable
the said dish to withstand the strain exerted by the hydraulic pressure of the
ordinary "water bag," the brims of the dishes as well as their sides have been
made very thick and the dishes have been thus made very heavy and expensive.
They have also required turning to fit the seating and around the edge of the
brim part.
According to our invention however we propose to use a very light dish which
can be made of suitable metal or alloy, and so thin that smaller sized dishes can be
stored away inside larger sized dishes and a set will occupy comparatively very
little space; they will not require turning and will therefore be much more
economical and (being lighter) more convenient than the ordinary dishes above
described.
For this purpose we fix upon the bed plate of the hat press by a suitable plate,
ring or rings, a diaphragm of india rubber or other suitable elastic material. This
diaphragm is so shaped, and so attached as aforesaid at its outer edge to the bed
plate of the press, that it will form therewith a water chamber or bag for receiving
and supporting the light metal dish before named.
This water chamber or bag is provided with an inlet for water or air under
pressure, and also with an outlet fitted with a tap for the escape of air when filling
the bag with water.
Or this water chamber or bag may be entirely made of india rubber or other
elastic material fitting upon and in the bed plate to receive and support the light
metal bat dish above named; in this case my invention can more readily be applied
to existing presses.
This water chamber or bag could also be used to support the old heavy dishes
if required.
Above the bed plate is supported a removable metal cover as usual, but the
lower side thereof is made or provided with a pap or block projecting from the

page_text: centre, such block being of such a form and size that when placed inside the hat
it leaves plenty of space all round.
To the lower side of the cover is fixed by a metal ring and screw bolts, or similar
well known means, the outer edge of a second elastic diaphragm the central part
of which fits tightly over the projecting block above mentioned when unexpanded.
A pipe for the supply of water or air under pressure passes through the cover
and its central block and admits the water or air into the space between the second
named diaphragm and the said block, so that when a hat body is placed upon the
light hat dish (which is supported on the lower elastic diaphragm) and the cover
placed in position with the projecting block and upper elastic diaphragm inside the
crown, upon water or air under pressure being admitted between the said block and
diaphragm, the latter will be expanded and give the required pressure to the
hat body.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1891
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.
We JOSEPH ROWLEY and JOHN WILLIAM ROWLEY both of Barn Meadow
Iron Works, Dukinfield, in the County of Chester Iron Founders, 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 :-
In the manufacture of hats from felt and other substances it is customary to
press the same by hydraulic pressure in a shaping die commonly known as
*hat-dish."
a
These dies or dishes are usually made of metal and are set in a suitable
supporting frame, the brim part of the dish resting on the frame; and to enable
the said dish to withstand the strain exerted by the hydraulic pressure of the
ordinary "water-bag" the brim of the dishes, as well as their sides have been
made very thick and the dishes have been thus made very heavy and expensive.
They have also required turning in a lathe to fit them to the seating and around
the edge of the brim part.
The objects of our invention are to enable the hat dishes to be made much
lighter and consequently more inexpensive, and to dispense with the necessity for
turning the same.
The nature of our said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the sheet of illustrative drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation
thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawings is a vertical section of so much of a hydraulic hat press
as is necessary to illustrate the nature and application of our invention.
Fig. 2 is a detached sectional view of the hat dish and bed plate the section
being taken in a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a modification hereinafter more particularly
referred to.
On Fig. 1a is part of the fixed framing and bed-plate of the press, and b is
the movable part or cover with the usual locking arms and lifting chain c.
According to our invention we propose to use a very thin "hat dish" d which
can be made of suitable metal or alloy, and so thin that smaller sized dishes can be
stowed away inside larger sized dishes, and thus a set will occupy comparatively

page_text: very little space; they will not require turning and will therefore be much more
economical and (being lighter) more convenient in use than the ordinary dishes
above described.
The
For the purpose of securing the same we fix upon the bed-plate a of the hat
press, by a suitable plate e bolted thereto, and a ring (or rings) f fitted with
snugs, a diaphragm of india rubber or other suitable elastic material.
holes et in the ring are for the escape of air when the pressure of the water
bag gt is put on the hat in the hat dish.
The diaphragm g is so shaped and so attached as aforesaid at its outer edge to
the bed plate a of the press, that it will form therewith a water chamber or bag
for receiving and supporting the light metal dish & before named.
This water chamber or bag is provided with an inlet pipe for water, under
pressure, and also with an outlet at i fitted with a tap for the escape of air when.
filling the bag with water.
In some cases we propose not to use the india rubber diaphragm g entire, but
merely as a ring to support the brim of the light hat dish d; in this case the water
or other fluid, which may be heated by steam, is enclosed between the dish d and
the chest formed by the bed plate a, and the aforesaid india rubber ring forms a.
tight joint to prevent leakage.
•
Or this water chamber or bag may be entirely made of india rubber or other
elastic material fitting upon or in the bed-plate a to receive and support the thin
metal hat-dish d above named, and this water chamber or bag could also be used to
support the old heavy dishes if required.
Or in some cases we make a light outer casing of metal k (see Fig. 3) in which
we place the light metal dish d and fill in the space between the two by pouring
in plaster of Paris 1, and we support the same on the elastic bag as before-
described.
Above the bed-plate a is supported a removable metal cover b as usual, and the
lower side thereof is made or provided with a pap or block m projecting from
the centre, which block is of such a form and size that when placed inside the hat
it leaves plenty of space all round.
To the lower side of the cover bis fixed by a metal ring n and screw bolts, or
by similar well known means, the outer edge of a similar elastic diaphragm g*,.
the central part of which fits tightly over the projecting pap or block m above
mentioned.
A pipe o for the supply of water under pressure passes through the cover b and
central block m and admits the water into the space between the second named
diaphragın 9+ and the said block, so that when a hat-body is placed upon the light
hat-dish (which is supported on the lower elastic diaphragm g) and the cover b
is placed in position with the projecting block m and upper elastic diaphragm g+
inside the crown, upon water or air under pressure being admitted between the
block m and the diaphragm g+ the latter will be expanded and give the required
pressure to the hat body, the object of the said pap or central block being to fill up
a large portion of the space so that only a comparatively small quantity of water
is required for distending the satne.
We propose to provide an air escape valve to the cover b which valve will be
closed automatically by pressure of water in the bag g+ when full.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inver-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we are
aware of the Specifications of Blackwell's application for Patent No. 11946
A.D. 1894 and we wish it to be understood that we make no claim to anything
patented upon that application and that what we claim is :-
1. In hat presses, the combination with a light metal hat dish of an india rubber
or other suitable elastic bag or diaphragm filled with water or other suitable fluid
for supporting the exterior of the same in or on the fixed bed plate of the press.
substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth.

page_text: 2. The general construction and arrangement of apparatus for pressing hats
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 1st day of May 1895.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.