american institute. 537 



Polytechnic Association op the American Institute, 



Decemher 2^th, 1859- 



Profcssor Mason, Chairman. John Johnson, Esq., Secretary pro tem. 

 Mr. Howe read a paper prepared by Mr. Taylor, of Danbury, Conn., on 



HATS. 



The machine of Mr. Taylor was patented in 1856. It consists of four 

 rollers, a trough and frame, with cavities and chambers, the rollers being 

 fitted with axles and having a shaft in the centre, between them. Motion 

 is communicated by gearing, revolving all one way. There are four hats 

 fitted at one time, and these receive a longitudinal motion as well as a rotary, 

 so that they are passed out at one end of the machine by this means. xS'o 

 two rollers are on the same line. They are concave, about four feet long, 

 four inches diameter at one end, and taper oif to about two and one-half 

 inches at the other end. A pressure from 500 lbs. to 1,000 lbs. is required 

 to produce felting. A machine of this kind will turn out about COO hats 

 per day, and effect a saving in the manufacture of about fifty per cent. It 

 will also felt cloth as well as woollen hats. Pulled wool is better for hats 

 than sheared ; and the best qualities of wool are imported from Australia, 

 Africa and South America. Consumers need not fear adulteration with 

 cotton ; cotton will not felt or blend with wool, or at least not without being 

 easily detected and palpably injuring the fabric. About 20,000 wool hats 

 are made daily in the United States, and they require 5,000 lbs. of wool for 

 their manufacture. Cloth establishments also consume vast quantities of 

 wool, so that it is worth considering what would be the result if all the 

 wool-bearing animals were to become extinct. 



Each hat passes through thirty operations ; and it takes thirty men to 

 turn out two hundred dozen a day. The wool is carded upon a core like 

 a hen's egg. The shoddy is made in two parts, but each part makes a 

 hat, containing about two ounces of wool. 



After hardening, the hat is shrunk to about one-third of its original size, 

 and for this process sulphuric is found to be the best acid. The wool fibre 

 has a fine beard upon it, which the acid eats away, and removes as well the 

 grease which is found upon the surface of wool. 



Thxire is, however, a limit to the extent to which the felting operation 

 can be carried, which limit can only be learned by experience and experi- 

 mental skill, for each kind of wool shrinks in a manner peculiar to itself. 



Professor Mapes said he had never examined the process of felting, but 

 thought that if the fibres could be all interwoven, they would give a very 

 strong fabric. Wool has butts or roots which are liable to be. drawn into 

 a mass or lump, and these presented the greatest difficulty to be overcome 

 in the old plan of felting. To avoid the forming of lumps it is necessary 

 to keep every fibre of the wool in motion, until it drops into its place. 



In making seamless garments a copper man is formed, and upon him the 

 fabrics are felted. I have seen gloves made in a similar manner, and am 

 inclined to think there is some glutenous substances which unites the fibres 

 one to another in felting. A Mr, Osborne, in 1832, carried on the businesa 



