IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HAIR FELT AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John White, of Spa Road, Bermondsey, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John White at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th May 1866.
I, JOHN WHITE, of Spa Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HAIR FELT AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the arrangement of machinery and
apparatus for the manufacture of hair felt suitable for covering steam boilers,
steam pipes, and for other purposes to prevent the radiation of heat. Here-
tofore hair felt of this description has been principally made by hand or
manual labour, the felting process being effected between two pieces of
canvas or fabric, by which operation the edges of the hair felt so manufactured
taper off to a wedge-like form, being thinner than the body of the fabric, and

page_text: when used for covering steam boilers or pipes in joining one edge to another
the edges have to be laid over each other, thus producing a clumsy and
uneven joint. Now one of the objects of my improvements is so to manu-
facture hair felt of this description that the edges of the felt in the process of
felting are formed square and of even thickness with the other parts, so that
when two pieces of such felt are laid edge to edge an even joint is formed.
For this purpose I construct a steam box of suitable size, to which steam is
admitted from a steam boiler by means of a steam pipe, the condensed water
being discharged from the bottom of the box by a pipe furnished with a stop-
cock. The top of the steam chest or box is perforated to permit the steam
to pass up into an open chamber above formed by the upper sides of the box
rising above the steam chest or otherwise. The hair to be felted is placed in
this upper chamber, and a plate or board is then placed upon it, the
longitudinal sides of the plate or board fitting so as to move to and fro freely
endways in the upper compartment of the box, its length being somewhat
shorter than the length of the box. The plate or board is attached by a
joint to the end of a connecting rod which receives a to-and-fro motion by
means of a crank or excentric upon a shaft or axis driven by a steam engine
or other motive power. The to-and-fro movement of the plate or board,
which is made rough on its under side, causes the hair in the upper chamber
of the box (aided by the admission of steam thereto) to felt together, the
sides of the felt being kept true and even by the sides of the box fitting
closely up to the felting plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John White in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN WHITE,
of Spa Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John White, Her special licence that I, the said John White, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
White, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 MANUFACTURE OF HAIR FELT AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John White, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said John White, 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 follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the arrangement of machinery and
apparatus for the manufacture of hair felt suitable for covering steam boilers,
steam pipes, and for other purposes to prevent the radiation of heat. Here-
tofore hair felt of this description has been principally made by hand or
manual labour, the felting process being effected between two pieces or
surfaces of canvass or fabric, by which operation the edges of the hair felt
so manufactured taper off to a wedge-like form, being thinner than the body
of the fabric, and when used for covering steam boilers or pipes in joining
one edge to another the edges have to be laid over each other, thus pro-
ducing a clumsy and uneven joint. Now one of the objects of my improve-
ments is so to manufacture hair felt of this description that the edges of the
felt in the process of felting are square and of even thickness with the other
parts, so that when two pieces of such felt are laid edge to edge an even
joint is formed. For this purpose I construct a steam box of suitable size to
which steam is admitted from a steam boiler by means of a steam pipe, the
condensed water being discharged at the bottom of the box by a pipe fur-
nished with a stop cock. The top of the steam chest or box is perforated to
permit the steam to pass up into an open chamber above formed by the upper
sides of the box rising above the steam chest or otherwise. The hair to-be
felted is placed in this upper chamber, and a plate or board is then placed
upon it, the longitudinal sides of the plate or board fitting so as to move to-and-
fro freely endways in the upper compartment of the box, its length being some-

page_text: Figure 1 shows a plan, Figure 2 a side view, and Figure 3 a longitudinal
section of apparatus suitable for manufacturing sheets of hair felt with square
edges or of even thickness with the other parts of the sheet so made according
to my Invention.
a is a rectangular box of the size of the sheet of hair felt required, to
which box steam is admitted by means of a pipe a' communicating with a
steam boiler, the condensed water being discharged by means of another pipe
with a stop-cock, not however shown in the Drawing. The top or division
a³ of the box a is perforated with holes to permit the steam to pass up into
the open chamber as formed on the upper surface of the box a. The hair to
be felted is placed upon the perforated division or felting surface a², the board
or hollow box 6 being raised out of the way at this time by means of the
pulley and rope c, c, which latter is connected by the loop or ring c¹ to the
hook b¹ for this purpose. A to-and-fro movement is imparted to the board
or hollow box 6 (when placed in position as shown in the Drawing) by means
of the lever arm or crank d fixed on the rocking shaft d, the arm or crank ď
being connected to the felting board by the link d³ as shown. d³ is another
lever arm fixed on the rocking shaft d, by which a rocking motion is co-
municated thereto and to the board b from a steam engine or other motive
power.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is carried into practice, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the exact details herein described, but what I claim
is, the manufacture of hair felt with square or true edges, and of even thick-
ness with the other parts of the sheet, by means of apparatus such or

page_text: equivalent to that herein described and shown in the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John White, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
JOHN WHITE. (LS.)