IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Jeremiah Iliffe and James Newman,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, and
Henry Jenkins, of the same place, Die Sinker, for the Invention
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe,
James Newman, and Henry Jenkins at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition and Declaration, on the
29th September 1853, pursuant to the 9th section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
We, HENRY JEREMIAH ILIFFE and JAMES NEWMAN, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, and HENRY JENKINS, of the
same place, Die Sinker, do hereby declare that the nature of our said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS," and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly de-
scribed and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:

page_text: Our Improvements consist, firstly, in manufacturing covered ball,
flower, and drop buttons of various forms.
Secondly, in the manufacture of a covered button, having any orna-
mental or irregular outline.
Thirdly, in producing sunken or intaglio devices upon the shell or
shews a plan of an outside shell or blank.
2, the same, with a flange turned up.
3, section of same.
4, plan of inside shell.
5, 6, and 7, shew some of the forms of buttons into which
this form of blank or shell may be manufactured.
8, a blank, shewing a modification of the above.
9. 10, 11, 12, forms of button into which this blank may be
manufactured.
13, 14, 15, and 16, buttons of irregular outline, covered as
Florentine buttons.
17, 18, 19, and 20, the same forms of blanks or shells per-
forated, through which perforations the covering fabric is
pressed by means of the mould to be presently described
so as to produce sinkings or indentations on the surface of
the finished button.
21, and 22, plan and section of the mould to be used for the
above purpose.
w proceed to describe the manufacture of the form of button
Figure 5. Having cut out a blank of the quatrefoil shape
Figure 1, we put it in a receiving die, by which the flange or
ge, seen in Figure 2, and in section, Figure 3, is struck up.
e may then be either gilt or silvered; and the silk, mohair, or
ering having been also cut out to the requisite form is placed
11; the whole is now removed to a second receiving die, and
of pressure the flange is doubled down on the silk or other
which is thereby secured to the shell. The leaves are now to

page_text: be bent back, the edges or flange being on the outside, and for this pur-
pose the shell is placed between a pair of bullet mould forming dies,
according to the form of which it receives any required shape, as a
bell, a ball, tulip, &c. When it is desired to produce an elongated
form, such as is shewn in Figure 5, the shell, before going into the
forming mould, is placed in a deep mould, and pressed into something
of the required form by means of a plunger of the shape well known in
the manufacture of gilt ball buttons, after which it is completed in the
forming die. The shank may be pressed up out of the blank before
covering, if a metal shank be desired, or may be made by passing a
piece of cord, webbing, or other material through a hole punched in the
blank, and securing the same on the inside. Thus for this
purpose a
piece of gold or silver cord looped may be employed when a drop or
hanging button is desired, as is often the case for ladies dresses, loose
capes, cloaks, &c.
This being the mode of manufacturing this description of button,
which requires, as will be seen, only one blank or shell, we will now
describe the manufacture of the form shewn in Figure 7, which is a
ball completely covered without leaving the metal edges, and which
requires two blanks or shells of the same form, the inner one being
smaller than the outer, as seen at Figure 4. The silk or covering
material is, in this case, required to be larger than the outer shell, so
as completely to cover it, and allow a margin to be turned over the
flange, which is kept in place by the second shell, and the whole is
secured together by pressing down the flange in the manner in which
Florentine buttons are covered. The leaves of the covered blanks are
then doubled in the reverse way inwards, instead of outwards, as in the
button before described, and by means of pressure in the forming
mould before mentioned are brought into the shape of a ball flower;
the shanks being manufactured according to fancy in either of the ways
before nained, the cord of course being inserted before the ball is closed
when that description of shank is used.
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, shew a blank and forms of buttons,
modifications of those already described, serving merely to illustrate the
applicability of this mode of manufacture to almost any form of drop

page_text: button required for dress or other similar purpose; for instance, the
fuchsia form, shewn at Figure 9, may be covered with material of the
natural colour of the flower, and with a single shell; each leaf may
have a gilt or silvered edge, or, where required to be plainly and entirely
covered, may be made with two shells, in manner before described;
the manufacture in either case being precisely the same as for the
preceding forms.
Figures 13, 14, 15, 16, shew various forms of covered buttons, with
an irregular outline, adapted for either coat or dress buttons. To pro-
duce these forms, or any other that may be desired, with an ornamental
or irregular outline, we employ suitably shaped dies and moulds, having
outlines corresponding to that required on the button, with which we
strike out metal blanks, and then cover them, and make up the button
in manner the same as the Florentine; in some instances, as in the leaf
form, placing the shank or tuft towards the top of the leaf, instead of
centrally, which admits of the button hanging more gracefully in cases
where it is more required for ornament than use.
Figures 17, 18, 19, and 20, shew the same forms of buttons, va-
riously ornamented with sunken lines or figures on their surfaces.
To produce these we employ metal shells perforated by a suitable
die in any desired pattern, and in covering the blank or shell we
use a mould of the kind shewn in Figures 21, and 22, having inside
projections exactly corresponding with the perforations in the blank
produced by the die. The outline form of mould shewn is applicable
only for round buttons; the principle would be the same, varying the
outline according to the button. The silk or other covering is placed
in this mould; the blank is then nicely fitted in, when the projections on
the bottom of the mould will force the covering material through the
perforations in the shell. The covering material is secured in this
position by the application of some adhesive or plastic composition, or
gummed paper, or pasteboard. The covered shell is then removed
from the mould, and the button is made up in the ordinary manner.
By this means any intaglio device may be produced on the surfaces of
buttons.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be clearly
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details or
forms of buttons herein described; but we claim,-
Firstly, the manufacture, in manner described, of covered ball, flower,
or drop buttons.
Secondly, the use of metal blanks or shells of irregular outline in
producing ornamental edged covered button.
Thirdly, the method described of producing intaglio or sunken de-
vices on the surfaces of covered buttons.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Jeremiah Iliffe, James
Newman, and Henry Jenkins, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
HENRY JEREMIAH (L.s.) ILIFFE.
JAMES
HENRY
(L.S.) NEWMAN.
(L.S.) JENKINS.