IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TAPED FURS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, FREDERICK VOROK, of 206 Broadway, in the City and State of New York,
United States, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TAPED FURS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
This invention relates more particularly to that method of taping furs, in which
the strips of fur, after being cut, are attached to a continuous web of textile fabric
or other suitable material; I will however remark here that certain portions of my
invention, especially certain preliminary steps of the process are also applicable to
that mode of taping furs in which the strips of fur alternate with bands of fabric
or tape, the two being united by sewing.
The main objects of my invention are to produce an article of much greater
durability and strength than has been possible by the methods heretofore in use,
this feature being most important when the manufactured article is to be used for
trimmings for cloaks, etc., in which case it has to be cut into strips of various
widths, whereby the durability of articles made according to former methods has
been greatly impaired, as will more fully appear hereinafter.-Further objects are,
to give the finished article a more perfect and even appearance, and to effect a
greater saving in time and labor in the manufacture.
It has been proposed to secure the strips of fur upon a continuous web of fabric
by means of a cementing material, and also in addition to such cementing to sew
the strips by hand upon the fabric. But this latter proceeding, aside from its
being a very slow and tedious process, is open to the objection, that the stitching is
not sufficiently strong, even when the entire manufactured piece is used as a whole,
while, when the manufactured piece is cut up transversely to the direction of the
strips of fur, for the purpose of utilizing the same for trimmings, etc., the stitches
loosen and pull out very rapidly, so that in the latter case the cementing material
alone can actually be relied upon as a holding means.
To avoid this difficulty I have discovered that it is necessary to sew the strips
upon the fabric in such a manner that each stitch shall in a certain measure
become locked against loosening, independently of the Security against pulling out
which is afforded by the friction alone of the thread on the fabric and the skin of

page_text: the several strips. Such a locked stitch, which it would be utterly impracticable
to produce by hand sewing, is formed by nearly every sewing machine known to
me, and I have therefore made numerous experiments with the object of attaining
satisfactory results in this direction, and I have ultimately discovered a method of
mechanically sewing the strips of fur upon the fabric, whereby locked stitches or
stitches locked to a certain degree are made sufficiently close and of just the right
degree of tightness to insure a reliable fastening, while, with the proper precautions,
which also form a part of my invention, and which will be hereinafter set forth,
the required evenness and pliability of the manufactured article may be maintained.
Other minor details of my invention relate to certain operations in preparing
and cutting up the skins into strips and separating said strips the required distance
apart preliminary to the securing thereof to the fabric, and such operations will
also be hereinafter fully described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification Fig. 1
represents a face view of a piece of taped fur manufactured according to my
invention, the hair being partly removed and the sewing being shown only on a
few strips. Fig. 2 is an underside view corresponding to Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is
a section showing the sewing on a larger scale.
I will now proceed to give a full description of the entire process of taping furs,
as I practice it according to my invention, it being well understood that certain
steps of said process may be usefully practiced without necessarily carrying out the
entire process as herein set forth.
The skin of the animal being properly prepared in the ordinary manner, is first
dampened and, while in a moist condition, stretched upon a board with the fur or
hair downward, so as to expose the bare or flesh side thereof. Then the exposed or
bare side is coated with one or more thin layers of a suitable stiffening or size, such
as flour or starch paste. I consider this preliminary step quite important, as the
size gives to the skin, particularly to the finer sorts, a certain body or stiffness
which facilitates the subsequent operations.
I then proceed to cut the skin into strips of greater or less width, as the quality
of the fur will permit. I find, for example, that one tenth (1/10) of an inch is a
suitable width in the case of fox skins of medium or good quality, but I do not
intend to confine myself to any particular width of these strips. Care must be
taken to cut just only deep enough to divide the skin without injuring the hairs,
the strips running preferably transversely to the natural direction of the lairs.
After the entire skin or such part thereof, as may be desired, is thus divided into
strips, I proceed to separate the strips the required distance apart. In this
operation it is important to preserve as much as possible the natural condition of
the hairs or fur, which, being interwoven, should not be pulled entirely apart, as
this would leave distinct marks in the manufactured article. It is also important
to perform this operation in a delicate manner, so as not to tear or otherwise injure
the skin. To attain both these ends and also in order to finally obtain an article
which shall in every respect present the most perfect appearance possible, it is.
desirable, not only that the strips, after being separated the required distance apart
shall be equidistant from each other and as nearly as possible parallel to each other,
but also that, during the act of separating every two strips from one another, the
parallelism shall never be destroyed, and I therefore proceed in such manner both
while the separation takes place and after it is accomplished, as to keep the strips
constantly parallel. This may be done by employing two combs of sufficient width
to span the entire length of the strips. The two combs, being close together, are
inserted between two strips and are then, while being kept perfectly. parallel to
each other moved the required distance apart, so as to separate the entire length of
one strip from the other at a single operation. The combs not being inserted
deeply into the hair or fur, will divide the latter, without injury thereto, only as
much as the required distance between the strips dictates, leaving the main body
of the fur in substantially the original interwoven condition, excepting the tension
which naturally results from the separation of the strips.
-

page_text: After the strips a are thus separated, I lay thereupon a thin sheet of rubber or
gutta percha b and upon the latter the web of fabric c to which it is desired
to secure the strips. I then pass over the whole a slightly heated sad iron, or
preferably a metallic roller so heated, whereby the gutta percha is caused to become
soft and to serve as a cement between the strips of fur and the textile_fabric.
After allowing a sufficient time to cool I introduce the article thus prepared into
a sewing machine. I prefer to use for this purpose the machine described in the
United States Patent granted to C. M. Boland, dated April 23, 1878, N° 202,695,
with such modifications as I have found the peculiar qualities of the article under
treatment to require for successful operation.
By numerous experiments I have found that the stitches cannot be made
sufficiently loose by operating the machine in the ordinary manner.
It is necessary
to fold the article as shown in Fig. 3; the needle consequently traverses two
thicknesses of fabric and of the sheet of gutta percha, and, preferably, at least one
thickness of skin, and, by means of a looper not represented makes an overseam
stitch. The stitches produced by the machine, when the thread is passed through
the ordinary tension devices is much too tight to allow the article to be straightened
out after the sewing is completed; and this difficulty is increased by the friction
produced on the thread when traversing the gutta percha which serves to cement
the strips of fur to the fabric. I have discovered that by discarding all the tension
devices of the sewing machine and by allowing the thread to run off a spool
turning on a smooth pin, directly to the needle d the stitch-forming mechanism
operates perfectly in consequence of the tension provided by the passage of the
needle through the gutta percha, and that yet the stitches thus formed are
sufficiently loose to allow the subsequent perfect stitching and smoothing of the
finished article.
I prefer in most cases to let the needle pass through the strips of fur only once
for every stitch as shown in Fig. 3, and then on that side or edge which is nearly
free of hair, in consequence of the natural direction of the latter, as will be
understood; I can however in some cases pass the needle through the strips twice
for every stitch, or I can simply embrace the strips within the stitch, not passing
the needle through the same at all, as will be casily understood; I prefer however
for reasons of strength and durability to follow the plan illustrated in Fig. 3.
After all the strips of fur are thus secured upon the fabric by means of a
mechanically produced stitch of the proper degree of looseness, as set forth,
I smoothen the article by stretching and rubbing the same sufficiently to draw all
the stitches taut and to flatten or straighten out the fabric along the several linos
of stitching, and this being effected the article may be considered finished and
ready for the market; but while in this condition the article still presents a certain
stiffness and is not as pliable and as soft to the touch as is desirable with most
goods of this class.
I have discovered a means of great simplicity to remove this fault; this consists
in passing again, over the back of the finished article, a sad iron or metal roller
heated rather to a higher degree than is necessary for the similar operation
herein before described. I have formed a theory in regard to the result thus
obtained which I believe to be correct and I will state the same, but it will be
understood that I do not base the validity of my claim to this portion of the
process, viz: giving to the article the required pliability by means of the application
of heat, as described, upon the correctness of my theory, as said theory may
possibly be proven to be erroneous, while the beneficial results of this portion of
the process have been established beyond dispute by the experiments which I have
made. I believe, that the stiffness of the article, after it comes from the sewing
machine and after the fabric is straightened out and the stitches are drawn taut by
stretching, is due to the presence of the layer of paste upon the lower side of each
strip of fur, applied at a previous stage of the process, as herein before described-
and that the application of a higher degree of heat than has been used to cause the
gutta percha to act as a cement, causes that material to become sufficiently liquid to

page_text: partially penetrate the layer of paste and thus destroy the hardness of the latter;
and as the gutta percha, after having once become softened to a certain degree by
heat does not change back to a solid or hard condition, the pliability thus imparted
to the article forms a permanent quality thereof and increases its value and
usefulness.
Although I have throughout this specification and in the claims call the web o
a fabric, it will be understood that leather or any suitable analogous material may
be used instead.
E
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
I claim is:-
1. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in preparing the
skins for subsequent operations by coating the back or flesh side thereof with one
or more layers of a suitable size, substantially as set forth.
2. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in preparing the 1
skins for subsequent operations by stretching the same in a moist condition and
coating the back or flesh side thereof with one or more layers of a suitable size and
allowing the same to dry while in the stretched condition, substantially as set
forth.
3. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in separating the 2
cut strips of fur from one another while strictly maintaining the parallelism of the
portions being separated, substantially as set forth.
4. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in separating the
cut strips of fur from one another along their entire length at one operation while
maintaining the parallelism between the strips being thus separated, substantially
as set forth.
5. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in mechanically
sewing the strips of fur to a web of fabric by a thread running loosely from the
thread spool to the sewing machine needle, thereby producing loose or untightened
stitches which permit the strips to lie smoothly on the fabric, substantially as set
forth.
6. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in mechanically
sewing the strips of fur to a web of fabric by a thread running loosely from the
thread spool to the sewing machine needle, passing the needle with its loose thread
through the edges of the strips and bights or bends of the fabric, and partially
tightening or drawing up the stitches by the friction incidental to the passage of
the thread through the strips and fabric, but leaving the stitches sufficiently loose
to permit the strips to lie smoothly on the fabric, substantially as set forth.
7. That improvement in the art of taping furs which consists in cementing the
strips of fur upon a web of fabric, then further securing said strips upon the fabric
by sewing, then stretching and rubbing the article thus produced and finally
applying heat thereto, substantially in the manner herein set forth.
8. The improved process of taping furs which consists in first coating the skins
with one or more layers of a suitable size, then cutting the same into strips, then
separating these strips the required distance apart without completely destroying
the interwoven condition of the hairs, then cementing the same under the
application of heat upon a web of fabric by means of an interposed sheet of gutta
percha, then further securing the strips upon the fabric by means of sewing, then
stretching and rubbing the article produced, and finally exposing the same again to
the action of heat and slight pressure, all in the manner and for the purposes set
forth.
9. Taped fur, composed of narrow strips of fur secured at suitable distances
apart upon a web of fabric by loose sewing machine stitches, substantially as herein
specified.
10. Taped fur, composed of narrow strips of fur, the skin of said strips being
genarated by interstices of suitable width, while the interwoven condition of the

page_text: 5
hairs is not completely destroyed, a web of fabric and a sheet of gutta percha
interposed between said fabric and the strips of fur and caused to act as cement
between the two by the application of heat, the strips of fur being further secured
to the fabric by loose sewing machine stitches, all as herein set forth.
Dated this 4th day of November 1884.
ALLISON BRO8,
Agents for the Applicant.