788 HAT MANUFACTURE 



and this endless screw, taking into a toothed wheel r, on the axle of the cam o, 

 causes the cam to revolve, the periphery of -which cam running against a friction- 

 roller on the side of the lever I, causes the lover to vibrato, and the carriage //, 

 attached to it, to traverse to and fro upon the supporting-rollers, as described. By 

 these means the slivers are laid in oblique directions (varying as the carriage traverses) 

 over the surface of the blocks. 



The blocks being conically formed, or of other irregular figures, it is necessary in 

 order to wind the slivers with uniform tension to vary their speed according to the 

 diameter of that part of the block which is receiving the sliver. This is effected by 

 giving different velocities to the pulley on the axle of the conical drum s, corre- 

 sponding with c. There is a similar conical drum t, placed in a reverse position in 

 the lower part of the frame, which is actuated by a band from any convenient part of 

 the machine passing over a pulley u, upon the axle of t. From the drum t, to the 

 drum 5, there is a band v, which is made to slide along the drums by the guidance of 

 two rollers at the end of the lever I. 



It will now be seen that when the larger diameter of the cam-wheel o forces the 

 lever outwards, the band v will bo guided on the smaller part of the conical drum t, 

 and the larger part of s, consequently the drnm s will at this time receive its slowest 

 motion, and the band g will turn the blocks slower also ; the reverse end of the lover 

 I, having by the same movement slidden the carriage into that position which causes 

 the slivers to wind upon the large diameter of the blocks. 



When the smaller diameter of the cam is acting against the side of the lever, the 

 weighted cord draws the end of the lever to the opposite side, and the band v will be 

 guided on to the larger part of the cone t, and the smaller part of the cone s ; conse- 

 quently, the quicker movement of the band g, will now cause the blocks e e to revolve 

 with a corresponding speed. The carriage / will also be moved upon its rollers to 

 the reverse side, and the sliver of wool or other material bo now wound upon the 

 smaller parts and ends of the blocks, at which time the quicker rotation of the blocks 

 is required. It may be here observed, that the cam-wheel o should be differently 

 formed according to the different shaped blocks employed, so as to produce the requi- 

 site movements of the lever and carriage suited thereto. 



It only remains to state that there are two heavy conical rollers, w w, bearing upon 

 the peripheries of the blocks e e, which turn loosely upon their axles by the friction 

 of contact, for the purpose of pressing the slivers of wool or other material on the 

 blocks as it comes from the doffer-cylinder of the carding-engino, and when the blocks 

 have been coated with a sufficient quantity of the sliver, the smaller end of the 

 pressing-rollers is to be raised, while the cap is withdrawn from the block. The 

 process being continued as before, the formations of other bodies or caps is effected in 

 the manner above described. 



After the caps or bodies of hats, &c., are formed in the above described machine, 

 they are folded in wet cloths, and placed upon heated plates, where they are rolled 

 under pressure, for the purpose of being hardened. Fig. 1133 represents the front of 

 three furnaces a a , the tops of which are covered with iron plates b b h. Upon these 

 plates, which are heated by the furnace below, or by steam, the bodies wrapped in 

 the wet cloths c c c, are placed, and pressed upon by the flaps or covens d d d, sliding 

 upon guide-rods, to which flaps a traversing motion is given, by means of chains 

 attached to an alternating bar e e. This bar is moved by a rotary crank /, which lias 

 its motion by pulleys from any actuating power. When any one of the flaps is turned 

 up to remove the bodies from beneath, the chains hang loosely, and the flap remains 

 stationary. 



These caps or hat-bodies, after having been hardened in the manner above de- 

 scribed, may bo felted in the usual way by hand, or they are felted in a fulling-mill 

 by the usual process employed for milling cloths, except that the hat-bodies ,-irn 

 occasionally taken out of the fulling-mill, and passed between rollers, for the purpose 

 of rendering the felt more perfect. 



Mr. Carey, of Basford, obtained a patent in October 1834 for an invention of certain 

 machinery to be employed in the manufacture of hats, which is ingenious, and M mis 

 to be worthy of notice in this place. It consists in the adaptation of a system of 

 rollers, forming a machine, by means of which the operation of roughing or plaiting 

 of hats, may be performed ; that is, the beaver or other fur may be made to attach 

 itself, and work into the felt or hat-body, without the necessity of the ordinary manual 

 operations. 



The accompanying drawings represent the machine in several views, for the purpose 

 of showing the construction of all its parts. Fig. 1134 is a front elevation of the 

 machine ; fig. 1135 is a side elevation of the same ; Jig. 1 136 is a longitudinal i 

 of the machine ; and fig. 1137 is a transverse section : the similar letters indicating 

 the same parts in all the figures. 



