646

HAT MANUFACTURE.

S41

Upon a brick or other suitable base a furnace or fire-place a, is made, having a descend'

ing flue b, for the purpose of carry-ing away the smoke. A pan °Jshallow vessel c c, -formed of lea**’is placed over the furnace; whichvessel is intended to contain a sourliquor, as a solution of vitriolic aci^and water. On the edge of thn>pan is erected a wooden casin-d d d, which encloses three sides,leaving the fourth open for “*purpose of obtaining access to toworking apparatus within. A senof what may be termed )ante rrollers, e e e, is mounted on axle-turning in the side casings; aaanother series of similar la nterollers, /'/ /, is in like man**mounted above. These * al>te .

rollers are made to revolve by * nea ( j sof bevel pinions, fixed on the enof their axles, which are lot ^.by similar bevel wheels on the geral shafts g and k, driven > . gwinch i, and gear, as shownJigs. 540 and 541. . 0 f

Having prepared the bodtethe hats, and laid uponfaces the usual coatings ol 0 ^ e yor other fur, when so prepare ^are to be placed between halt c -jjjjoand these hair cloths folded 1 ^ gC j,a canvass or other suitable wrapper. Three or more hats being thus enclosed inwrapper, the packages are severally put into bags or pockets in an endless band ' jj e rscloth, or other suitable material; which endless band is extended over the lanternin the machine. ,>iieh i s

In the first instance, for the purpose of merely attaching the furs to the felts ("'called slicking, when performed by hand), Mr. Carey prefers to pass the endless bn 1 ! 1 or $ e iwith the covered hat bodies, over the upper series f f f, of the lantern rollers, > a th( , mto avoid the inconvenience of disturbing the fur, which might occur from subjecting yto immersion in the solution contained in the pan, before the fur had become attathe bodies. j % U

After this operation of slicking has been effected, he distends the endless ban .^yyr.over the lower series of lantern rollers m, and round a carrier roller l, as s1 * 0 ' j ch»n§'512; and having withdrawn the hat bodies for the purpose of examining them, 3 e j 0 ihs,-ing their folds, he packs them again in a similar way in flannel, or other suit®and introduces them into the pockets or bags of the endless bands, as before. ^yj beOn putting the machinery in rotatory motion in the way described, the ha g p an , ascarried along through the apparatus, and subjected to the scalding solution m gS the}'also to the pressure, and to a tortuous action between the ribs of the lantern ro 'j ]e pats,revolve, which will cause the ends of the fur to work into the felted bodies 0 ^ when

and by that means permanently to attach the nap to the body; an operation

performed by hand, is called rolling off.

,o «... ipaten 1 -

The improved stiffening for hat bodies proposed by Mr. Blades, under j ns tead 0January, 1828, consists in making his solution of shellac in an alkaline ey,

spirits of wine, or pyroxylic spirit, vulgarly called naptha. v j ( p j) P° ull , 0

He prepares his water-proof stiffening by mixing 18 pounds of sheila® ' ter ; a Js are , eof salt of tartar (carbonate of potash), and 5J gallons of water. These ,. whe*be put into a keltlo, and made to boil gradually until the lac is disso ^ ]eftliquor will become as clear as water, without any scum upon the top, ( p e light *cool, will have a thin crust upon its surface of a whitish cast, mixed W1 dipped * npurities of the gum. When this skin is taken off, the hat body is to* ^ jt roaVthe mixture in a cold state, so as to absorb as much as possible of **! statu I til*applied with a brush or sponge. The hat body, being thus stiffened, i* 1 ve ,g

become dry, or nearly so; and after it has been brushed, it must be im ^ she ]lac

dilute sulphuric or acetic acid, in order to neutralize the potash, and can

of