H.

HADE; signifies among English miners, the inclination, or deviation from

the vertical, of any mineral vein.

HAIR; (_Cheveu_, _Crin_, Fr.; _Haar_, Germ.) is of all animal products,

the one least liable to spontaneous change. It can be dissolved in water

only at a temperature somewhat above 230° F., in a Papin’s digester, but

it appears to be partially decomposed by this heat, since some

sulphuretted hydrogen is disengaged. By dry distillation, hair gives off

several sulphuretted gases, while the residuum contains sulphate of

lime, common salt, much silica, with some oxide of iron and manganese.

It is a remarkable fact that fair hair affords magnesia, instead of

these latter two oxides. Horse-hair yields about 12 per cent. of

phosphate of lime.

Hairs are tubular, their cavities being filled with a fat oil, having

the same colour with themselves. Hair plunged in chlorine gas, is

immediately decomposed and converted into a viscid mass; but when

immersed in weak aqueous chlorine, it undergoes no change, except a

little bleaching. The application of nitrate of mercury to hairy skins

in the process of _secrétage_, is explained under PELTRY.

For the dyeing of horse-hair, see the next article.

Living hairs are rendered black by applying to them for a short time, a

paste made by mixing litharge, slaked lime, and bicarbonate of potash,

in various proportions, according to the shade of colour desired.

We have no recent analysis of hair. Vauquelin found nine different

substances in black hair; in red hair, a red oil instead of a

greenish-black one.

The salts of mercury, lead, bismuth, as well as their oxides, blacken

hair, or make it of a dark violet, by the formation, most probably, of

metallic sulphurets.

Hair as an object of manufactures is of two kinds, the _curly_ and the

_straight_. The former, which is short, is spun into a cord, and boiled

in this state, to give it the tortuous springy form. The long straight

hair is woven into cloth for sieves, and also for ornamental purposes,

as in the damask-hair cloth of chair bottoms. For this purpose the hair

may be dyed in the following way.

Forty pounds of tail hair about 26 inches long are steeped in lime water

during twelve hours. Then a bath is made with a decoction of 20 pounds

of logwood, kept boiling for three hours, after which time the fire is

withdrawn from the boiler, and ten ounces of copperas are introduced,

stirred about, and the hair is immersed, having been washed from the

lime in river water. The hair should remain in this cooling bath for 24

hours, when the operation will be finished. For other colours, see the

respective dyes.

[Illustration: 532]

The looms for weaving hair differ from the common ones, only in the

templet and the shuttle. Two templets of iron must be used to keep the

stuff equably, but lightly stretched. These templets, of which one is

represented in _fig._ 532., are constructed in the shape of flat

pincers; the jaws C C being furnished with teeth inside. A screw D,

binds the jaws together, and hinders the selvage from going inwards.

Upon the side cross beam of the loom, seen in section at I, a bolt is

fixed which carries a nut F at its end, into which a screwed iron rod E

enters, on one of whose ends is the handle B. The other extremity of the

screw E is adapted by a washer and pin to the back of the pincers at the

point H, so that by turning the handle to the right or the left, we draw

onwards or push backwards the pincers and the stuff at pleasure. The

warp of the web is made of black linen yarn. The weft is of hair, and it

is thrown with a long hooked shuttle; or a long rod, having a catch hook

at its end. The length of this shuttle is about 3 feet; its breadth half

an inch, and its thickness one sixth. It is made of box-wood. The reed

is of polished steel; the thread warps are conducted through it in the

usual way. The workman passes this shuttle between the hairs of the warp

with one hand, when the shed or shuttle way is opened by the treddles; a

child placed on one side of the loom presents a hair to the weaver near

the selvage, who catches it with the hook of his shuttle, and by drawing

it out passes it through the warp. The hairs are placed in a bundle on

the side where the child stands, in a chest filled with water to keep

them moist, for otherwise they would not have the suppleness requisite

to form a web. Each time that a hair is thrown across, the batten is

driven home twice. The warp is dressed with paste in the usual way. The

hair cloth after it is woven, is hot calendered to give it lustre.

HAIR PENCILS OR BRUSHES for painting. Two sorts are made; those with

coarse hair, as that of the swine, the wild boar, the dog, &c., which

are attached usually to short wooden rods as handles; these are commonly

called _brushes_; and hair pencils properly so called, which are

composed of very fine hairs, as of the minever, the marten, the badger,

the polecat, &c. These are mounted in a quill when they are small or of

moderate size, but when larger than a quill, they are mounted in

white-iron tubes.

The most essential quality of a good pencil is to form a fine point, so

that all the hairs without exception may be united when they are

moistened by laying them upon the tongue, or drawing them through the

lips. When hairs present the form of an elongated cone in a pencil,

their point only can be used. The whole difficulty consists after the

hairs are cleansed, in arranging them together so that all their points

may lie in the same horizontal plane. We must wash the tails of the

animals whose hairs are to be used, by scouring them in a solution of

alum till they be quite free from grease, and then steeping them for 24

hours in luke-warm water. We next squeeze out the water by pressing them

strongly from the root to the tip, in order to lay the hairs as smooth

as possible. They are to be dried with pressure in linen cloths, combed

in the longitudinal direction, with a very fine-toothed comb, finally

wrapped up in fine linen, and dried. When perfectly dry, the hairs are

seized with pincers, cut across close to the skin, and arranged in

separate heaps, according to their respective lengths.

Each of these little heaps is placed separately, one after the other, in

small tin pans with flat bottoms, with the tips of the hair upwards. On

striking the bottom of the pan slightly upon a table, the hairs get

arranged parallel to each other, and their delicate points rise more or

less according to their lengths. The longer ones are to be picked out

and made into so many separate parcels, whereby each parcel may be

composed of equally long hairs. The perfection of the pencil depends

upon this equality; the tapering point being produced simply by the

attenuation of the tips.

A pinch of one of these parcels is then taken, of a thickness

corresponding to the intended size of the pencil; it is set in a little

tin pan, with its tips undermost, and is shaken by striking the pan on

the table as before. The root end of the hairs being tied by the

fisherman’s or seaman’s knot, with a fine thread, it is taken out of the

pan, and then hooped with stronger thread or twine; the knots being

drawn very tight by means of two little sticks. The distance from the

tips at which these ligatures are placed, is of course relative to the

nature of the hair, and the desired length of the pencil. The base of

the pencil must be trimmed flat with a pair of scissors.

Nothing now remains to be done but to mount the pencils in quill or

tin-plate tubes as above described. The quills are those of swans,

geese, ducks, lapwings, pigeons, or larks, according to the size of the

pencil. They are steeped during 24 hours in water, to swell and soften

them, and to prevent the chance of their splitting when the hair brush

is pressed into them. The brush of hair is introduced by its tips into

the large end of the cut quill, having previously drawn them to a point

with the lips, when it is pushed forwards with a wire of the same

diameter, till it comes out at the other and narrower end of the quill.

The smaller the pencils, the finer ought the hairs to be. In this

respect, the manufacture requires much delicacy of tact and experience.

It is said, that there are only four first-rate hands among all the

dexterous pencil-makers of Paris, and that these are principally women.

HALOGENE; is a term employed by Berzelius to designate those substances

which form compounds of a saline nature, by their union with metals;

such are _Bromine_, _Chlorine_, _Cyanogene_, _Fluorine_, _Iodine_.

_Haloid_ is his name of the salt thereby formed.

HANDSPIKE, is a strong wooden bar, used as a lever to move the windlass

and capstan in heaving up the anchor, or raising any heavy weights on

board a ship. The handle is smooth, round, and somewhat taper; the other

end is squared to fit the holes in the head of the capstan or barrel of

the windlass.

HARDNESS (_Dureté_, Fr.; _Härte_, _Festigkeit_, Germ.); is that

modification of cohesive attraction which enables bodies to resist any

effort made to abrade their surfaces. Its relative intensity is measured

by the power they possess of cutting or scratching other substances. The

following table exhibits pretty nearly the successive hardnesses of the

several bodies in the list:--

+---------------------+---------+---------+

| Substances. |Hardness.|Sp. Grav.|

+---------------------+---------+---------+

|Diamond from Ormus | 20 | 3·7 |

|Pink diamond | 19 | 3·4 |

|Bluish diamond | 19 | 3·3 |

|Yellowish diamond | 19 | 3·3 |

|Cubic diamond | 18 | 3·2 |

|Ruby | 17 | 4·2 |

|Pale ruby from Brazil| 16 | 3·5 |

|Deep blue sapphire | 16 | 3·8 |

|Ditto, paler | 17 | 3·8 |

|Topaz | 15 | 4·2 |

|Whitish topaz | 14 | 3·5 |

|Ruby spinell | 13 | 3·4 |

|Bohemian topaz | 11 | 2·8 |

|Emerald | 12 | 2·8 |

|Garnet | 12 | 4·4 |

|Agate | 12 | 2·6 |

|Onyx | 12 | 2·6 |

|Sardonyx | 12 | 2·6 |

|Occidental amethyst | 11 | 2·7 |

|Crystal | 11 | 2·6 |

|Cornelian | 11 | 2·7 |

|Green jasper | 11 | 2·7 |

|Reddish yellow do. | 9 | 2·6 |

|Schoerl | 10 | 3·6 |

|Tourmaline | 10 | 3·0 |

|Quartz | 10 | 2·7 |

|Opal | 10 | 2·6 |

|Chrysolite | 10 | 3·7 |

|Zeolite | 8 | 2·1 |

|Fluor | 7 | 3·5 |

|Calcareous spar | 6 | 2·7 |

|Gypsum | 5 | 2·3 |

|Chalk | 3 | 2·7 |

+---------------------+---------+---------+

HARTSHORN, SPIRIT OF; is the old name for water of ammonia.

HATCHING OF CHICKENS; see INCUBATION, ARTIFICIAL.

HAT MANUFACTURE. (_L’art de Chapelier_, Fr.; _Hutmacherkunst_, Germ.)

Hat is the name of a piece of dress worn upon the head by both sexes,

but principally by the men, and seems to have been first introduced as a

distinction among the ecclesiastics in the 12th century, though it was

not till the year 1400 that it was generally adopted by respectable

laymen.

As the art of making common hats does not involve the description of any

curious machinery, or any interesting processes, we shall not enter into

very minute details upon the subject. It will be sufficient to convey to

the reader a general idea of the methods employed in this manufacture.

The materials used in making stuff hats are the furs of hares and

rabbits freed from the long hair, together with wool and beaver. The

beaver is reserved for the finer hats. The fur is first laid upon a

hurdle made of wood or wire, with longitudinal openings; and the

operator, by means of an instrument called the bow, (which is a piece of

elastic ash, six or seven feet long, with a catgut stretched between its

two extremities, and made to vibrate by a bowstick,) causes the

vibrating string to strike and play upon the fur, so as to scatter the

fibres in all directions, while the dust and filth descend through the

grids of the hurdle.

After the fur is thus driven by the bow from the one end of the hurdle

to the other, it forms a mass called a _bat_, which is only half the

quantity sufficient for a hat. The bat or _capade_ thus formed is

rendered compact by pressing it down with the _hardening skin_, (a piece

of half-tanned leather,) and the union of the fibres is increased by

covering them with a cloth, while the workman presses them together

repeatedly with his hands. The cloth being taken off, a piece of paper,

with its corners doubled in, so as to give it a triangular outline, is

laid above the bat. The opposite edges of the bat are then folded over

the paper, and being brought together and pressed again with the hands,

they form a conical cap. This cap is next laid upon another bat, ready

hardened, so that the joined edges of the first bat rest upon the new

one. This new bat is folded over the other, and its edges joined by

pressure as before; so that the joining of the first conical cap is

opposite to that of the second. This compound bat is now wrought with

the hands for a considerable time upon the hurdle between folds of linen

cloth, being occasionally sprinkled with clear water, till the hat is

basoned or rendered tolerably firm.

[Illustration: 533]

The cap is now taken to a wooden receiver, like a very flat mill-hopper,

consisting of eight wooden planes, sloping gently to the centre, which

contains a kettle filled with water acidulated with sulphuric acid. The

technical name of this vessel is the _battery_. It consists of a kettle

A; and of the planks, B C, which are sloping planes, usually eight in

number, one being allotted to each workman. The half of each plank next

the kettle is made of lead, the upper half of mahogany. In this liquor

the hat is occasionally dipped, and wrought by the hands, or sometimes

with a roller, upon the sloping planks. It is thus fulled or thickened

during four or five hours; the knots or hard substances are picked out

by the workman, and fresh felt is added by means of a wet brush to those

parts that require it. The beaver is applied at the end of this

operation. In the manufacture of beaver hats, the grounds of beer are

added to the liquor in the kettle.

_Stopping_, or thickening the thin spots, seen by looking through the

body, is performed by daubing on additional stuff with successive

applications of the hot acidulous liquor from a brush dipped into the

kettle, until the body be sufficiently shrunk and made uniform. After

drying, it is stiffened with varnish composition rubbed in with a brush;

the inside surface being more copiously imbued with it than the outer;

while the brim is peculiarly charged with the stiffening.

When once more dried, the body is ready to be _covered_, which is done

at the _battery_. The first cover of beaver or napping, which has been

previously _bowed_, is strewed equably over the body, and patted on with

a brush moistened with the hot liquor, until it gets incorporated; the

cut ends towards the root, being the points which spontaneously intrude.

The body is now put into a coarse hair cloth, then dipped and rolled in

the hot liquor, until the root ends of the beaver are thoroughly worked

in. This is technically called rolling off, or _roughing_. A strip for

the brim, round the edge of the inside, is treated in the same way;

whereby every thing is ready for the second cover (of beaver), which is

incorporated in like manner; the rolling, &c. being continued, till a

uniform, close, and well-felted hood is formed.

The hat is now ready to receive its proper shape. For this purpose the

workman turns up the edge or brim to the depth of about 1-1/2 inch, and

then returns the point of the cone back again through the axis of the

cap, so as to produce another inner fold of the same depth. A third fold

is produced by returning the point of the cone, and so on till the point

resembles a flat circular piece having a number of concentric folds. In

this state it is laid upon the plank, and wetted with the liquor. The

workman pulls out the point with his fingers, and presses it down with

his hand, turning it at the same time round on its centre upon the

plank, till a flat portion, equal to the crown of the hat, is rubbed

out. This flat crown is now placed upon a block, and, by pressing a

string called a _commander_, down the sides of the block, he forces the

parts adjacent to the crown, to assume a cylindrical figure. The brim

now appears like a puckered appendage round the cylindrical cone; but

the proper figure is next given to it, by working and rubbing it. The

body is rendered waterproof and stiff by being imbued with a varnish

composed of shellac, sandarach, mastic, and other resins dissolved in

alcohol or naphtha.

The hat being dried, its nap is raised or loosened with a wire brush or

card, and sometimes it is previously pounced or rubbed with pumice, to

take off the coarser parts, and afterwards rubbed over with seal-skin.

The hat is now tied with pack-thread upon its block, and is afterwards

dyed. See HAT-DYEING, _infra_.

The dyed hats are now removed to the stiffening shop. Beer grounds are

next applied on the inside of the crown, for the purpose of preventing

the glue from coming through; and when the beer grounds are dried, glue,

(gum Senegal is sometimes used,) a little thinner than that used by

carpenters, is laid with a brush on the inside of the crown, and the

lower surface of the brim.

The hat is then softened by exposure to steam, on the steaming basin,

and is brushed and ironed till it receives the proper gloss. It is

lastly cut round at the brim by a knife fixed at the end of a gauge,

which rests against the crown. The brim, however, is not cut entirely

through, but is torn off so as to leave an edging of beaver round the

external rim of the hat. The crown being tied up in a gauze paper, which

is neatly ironed down, is then ready for the last operations of lining

and binding.

The furs and wools of which hats are manufactured contain in their early

stage of preparation, _hemps_ and _hairs_, which must be removed in

order to produce a material for the better description of hats. This

separation is effected by a sort of winnowing machine, which wafts away

the finer and lighter parts of the furs and wools from the coarser.

Messrs. Parker and Harris obtained a patent in 1822 for the invention

and use of such an apparatus, whose structure and functions may be

perfectly understood, from its analogy to the blowing and scutching

machine of the cotton manufacture; to which I therefore refer my

readers.

I shall now proceed to describe some of the recent improvements proposed

in the manufacture of hats, but their introduction is scarcely possible,

on account of the perfectly organized combination which exists among

journeymen hatters throughout the kingdom, by which the masters are held

in a state of complete servitude, having no power to take a single

apprentice into their works beyond the number specified by the _Union_,

nor any sort of machine which is likely to supersede hand labour in any

remarkable degree. Hence the hat trade is, generally speaking,

unproductive to the capitalist, and incapable of receiving any

considerable development. The public of a free country like this, ought

to counteract this disgraceful state of things, by renouncing the wear

of stuff hats, a branch of the business entirely under the controul of

this despotic _Union_, and betake themselves to the use of silk hats,

which, from recent improvements in their fabric and dyeing, are not a

whit inferior to the beaver hats, in comfort, appearance, or durability,

while they may be had of the best quality for one-fourth part of their

price.

[Illustration: 534 535]

The annexed figures represent Mr. Ollerenshaw’s machine, now generally

employed for ironing hats. _Fig._ 534. is the frame-work or standard

upon which three of these lathes are mounted, as A, B, C. The lathe A is

intended to be employed when the crown of the hat is to be ironed. The

lathe B, when the flat top, and the upper side of the brim is ironed,

and lathe C, when its under side is ironed; motion being given to the

whole by means of a band passing from any first mover (as a

steam-engine, water-wheel, &c.) to the drum on the main shaft _a a_.

From this drum a strap passes over the rigger _b_, which actuates the

axle of the lathe A. On to this lathe a sort of chuck is screwed, and to

the chuck the block _c_ is made fast by screws, bolts, or pins. This

block is represented in section, in order to shew the manner in which it

is made, of several pieces held fast by the centre wedge-piece, as seen

at _fig._ 535.

[Illustration: 536]

The hat-block being made to turn round with the chuck, at the rate of

about twenty turns per minute, but in the opposite direction to the

revolution of an ordinary turning lathe, the workman applies his hot

iron to the surface of the hat, and thereby smooths it, giving a

beautiful glossy appearance to the beaver; he then applies a plush

cushion, and rubs round the surface of the hat while it is still

revolving. The hat, with its block, is now removed to the lath B, where

it is placed upon the chuck _d_, and made to turn in a horizontal

direction, at the rate of about twenty revolutions per minute, for the

purpose of ironing the flat-top of the crown. This lathe B moves upon an

upright shaft _e_, and is actuated by a twisted band passing from the

main shaft, round the rigger _f_. In order to iron the upper surface of

the brim, the block _c_ is removed from the lathe, and taken out of the

hat, when the block _fig._ 536. is mounted upon the chuck _d_, and made

to turn under the hand of the workman, as before.

[Illustration: 537]

The hat is now to be removed to the lathe C, where it is introduced in

an inverted position, between the arms _g g_ supporting the rim _h h_,

the top surface of which is shewn at _fig._ 537. The spindle _i_ of the

lathe turns by similar means to the last, but slower; only ten turns per

minute will be sufficient. The workman now smooths the under side of the

brim, by drawing the iron across it, that is from the centre outwards.

The hat is then carefully examined, and all the burs and coarse hairs

picked out, after which the smoothing process is performed as before,

and the dressing of the hat is complete.

Messrs. Gillman and Wilson, of Manchester, obtained a patent, in 1823,

for a peculiar kind of fabric to be made of cotton, or a mixture of

cotton and silk, for the covering of hats and bonnets, in imitation of

beaver. The foundation of the hat may be of felt, hemp, wool, which is

to be covered, by the patent fabric. This debased article does not seem

to have got into use; cotton, from its want of the felting property and

inelasticity, being very ill-adapted for making hat-stuff.

A more ingenious invention of John Gibson, hatter, in Glasgow,

consisting of an elastic fabric of whalebone, was made the subject of a

patent, in June, 1824. The whalebone, being separated into threads no

larger than hay stalks, is to be boiled in some alkaline liquid for

removing the oil from it, and rendering it more elastic. The longest

threads are to be employed for warp, the shorter for weft; and are to be

woven in a hair-cloth loom. This fabric is to be passed between rollers,

after which it is fit to be cut out into forms for making hats and

bonnets, to be sewed together at the joints, and stiffened with a

preparation of resinous varnishes, to prevent its being acted upon by

perspiration or rain. A very considerable improvement in the lightness

and elasticity of silk hats has been the result of this invention.

The foundation of men’s hats, upon whose outside the beaver, down, or

other fine fur is laid to produce a nap, is, as I have described,

usually made of wool felted together by hand, and formed first into

conical caps, which are afterwards stretched and moulded upon blocks to

the desired shape. Mr. Borradaile, of Bucklersbury, obtained a patent in

November 1825, for a machine, invented by a foreigner, for setting up

hat bodies, which seems to be ingeniously contrived; but I shall decline

describing it, as it has probably not been suffered by the _Union_ to

come into practical operation, and as I shall presently give the details

of another later invention for the same purpose.

Silk hats, for several years after they were manufactured, were liable

to two objections; first, the body or shell over which the silk covering

is laid, was, from its hardness, apt to hurt the head; second, the edge

of the crown being much exposed to blows, the silk nap soon got abraded,

so as to lay bare the cotton foundation, which is not capable of taking

so fine a black die as the silk; whence the hat assumed a shabby

appearance. Messrs. Mayhew and White, of London, hat-manufacturers,

proposed in their patent of February, 1826, to remedy these defects, by

making the hat body of stuff or wool, and relieving the stiffness of the

inner part round the brim, by attaching a coating of beaver upon the

under side of the brim, so as to render the hat pliable. Round the edge

of the tip or crown, a quantity of what is called stop wool is to be

attached by the ordinary operation of bowing, which will render the edge

soft and elastic. The hat is to be afterwards dyed of a good black

colour, both outside and inside; and being then properly stiffened and

blocked, is ready for the covering of silk.

The plush employed for covering silk hats, is a raised nap or pile woven

usually upon a cotton foundation; and the cotton, being incapable of

receiving the same brilliant black dye as the silk, renders the hat apt

to turn brown whenever the silk nap is partially worn off. The patentees

proposed to counteract this evil, by making the foundation of the plush

entirely of silk. To these two improvements, now pretty generally

introduced, the present excellence of the silk hats, may be, in a good

measure, ascribed.

The apparatus above alluded to, for making the foundations of hats by

the aid of mechanism, was rendered the subject of a patent, by Mr.

Williams, in September, 1826; but I fear it has never obtained a

footing, nor even a fair trial in our manufactures, on account of the

hostility of the operatives to all labour-saving machines.

[Illustration: 538]

_Fig._ 538. is a side view of the carding engine, with a horizontal or

plan view of the lower part of the carding machine, shewing the

operative parts of the winding apparatus, as connected to the carding

engine. The doffer cylinder is covered with fillets of wire cards, such

as are usually employed in carding engines, and these fillets are

divided into two, three, or more spaces extending round the periphery of

the cylinder, the object of which division is to separate the sliver

into two, three, or more breadths, which are to be conducted to, and

wound upon distinct blocks, for making so many separate hats or caps.

The principal cylinder of the carding engine, is made to revolve by a

rigger upon its axle, actuated by a band from any first mover as usual,

and the subordinate rollers or cylinders belonging to the carding

engine, are all turned by pullies, and bands, and geer, as in the

ordinary construction.

The wool or other material is supplied to the feeding cloth, and carried

through the engine to the doffer cylinder, as in other carding engines;

the doffer comb is actuated by a revolving crank in the common way, and

by means of it the slivers are taken from the doffer cylinder, and

thence received on to the surfaces of the blocks _e e_. These blocks, of

which two only are shewn to prevent confusion, are mounted upon axles,

supported by suitable bearings in a carriage _f f_, and are made to

revolve by means of a band _g g_, leading from a pulley on the axle of a

conical drum beneath. The band _g_ passes over a pulley _h_, affixed to

the axle of one of the blocks, while another pulley _i_, upon the same

axle, gives motion, by means of a band, to as many other blocks as are

adapted to the machine.

As it is necessary in winding the slivers on to the blocks, to cross

them in different directions, and also to pass the sliver over the

hemispherical ends of the blocks, in order that the wool or other

material may be uniformly spread over the surface in forming the cap or

hood for the shell or foundation of the intended hat, the carriage _f_,

with the blocks, is made to traverse to and fro in lateral directions

upon rollers at each end.

This alternating motion of the carriage is caused by a horizontal lever

_l l_, (seen in the horizontal view _fig._ 538.) moving upon a fulcrum

pin at _m_, which lever is attached to the carriage at one extremity

_n_, and at the other end has a weighted cord which draws the side of

this lever against a cam wheel _o_. This cam is made to revolve by means

of a band and pulley, which turns the shaft and endless screw _q_, 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 _l_, causes the lever

to vibrate, and the carriage _f f_, 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_, corresponding with _e_.

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 _s_, 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 _l_.

It will now be seen that when the larger diameter of the cam wheel _o_

forces the lever outwards, the band _v_ will be guided on to the smaller

part of the conical drum _t_, and the larger part of _s_, consequently

the drum _s_ will at this time receive its slowest motion, and the band

_g_ will turn the blocks slower also; the reverse end of the lever _l_,

having by the same movement, slidden the carriage into that position

which causes the slivers to wind upon the larger 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 cord

_t_, and the smaller part of the cone _s_; consequently, the quicker

movement of the band _g_ will now cause the blocks _e e_ to revolve with

a corresponding speed. The carriage _f_ will also be moved upon its

rollers, to the reverse side, and the sliver of wool or other material

be 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 requisite

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 engine, 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.

[Illustration: 539]

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._ 539. represents the front of three furnaces _a a a_, the tops of

which are covered with iron plates _b b b_. 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 covers _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 rotatory crank _f_, which has 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

described, may be 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 are 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 seems 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.

[Illustration: 540 543]

The accompanying drawings represent the machine in several views, for

the purpose of showing the construction of all its parts. _Fig._ 540. is

a front elevation of the machine; _fig._ 541. is a side elevation of the

same; _fig._ 542. is a longitudinal section of the machine; and _fig._

543. is a transverse section; the similar letters indicating the same

parts in all the figures.

[Illustration: 541 542]

Upon a brick or other suitable base, a furnace or fire-place _a_, is

made, having a descending flue _b_, for the purpose of carrying away the

smoke. A pan or shallow vessel _c c_, formed of lead, is placed over the

furnace; which vessel is intended to contain a sour liquor, as a

solution of vitriolic acid and water. On the edge of this pan is erected

a wooden casing _d d d_, which encloses three sides, leaving the fourth

open for the purpose of obtaining access to the working apparatus

within. A series of what may be termed lantern rollers, _e e e_, is

mounted on axles turning in the side casings; and another series of

similar lantern rollers, _f f f_, is in like manner mounted above. These

lantern rollers are made to revolve by means of bevel pinions, fixed on

the ends of their axles, which are turned by similar bevel wheels on the

lateral shafts _g_ and _h_, driven by a winch _i_, and geer, as shown in

_figs._ 540. and 541.

Having prepared the bodies of the hats, and laid upon their surfaces the

usual coatings of beaver, or other fur, when so prepared they are to be

placed between hair cloths, and these hair cloths folded within a

canvass or other suitable wrapper. Three or more hats being thus

enclosed in each wrapper, the packages are severally put into bags or

pockets in an endless band of sackcloth, or other suitable material;

which endless band is extended over the lantern rollers in the machine.

In the first instance, for the purpose of merely attaching the furs to

the felts (which is called slicking, when performed by hand), Mr. Carey

prefers to pass the endless band _k k k_, with the covered hat bodies,

over the upper series _f f f_, of the lantern rollers, in order to avoid

the inconvenience of disturbing the fur, which might occur from

subjecting them to immersion in the solution contained in the pan,

before the fur had become attached to the bodies.

After this operation of slicking has been effected, he distends the

endless band _k k k_, over the lower series of lantern rollers _e e e_,

and round a carrier roller _l_, as shown in _fig._ 542.; and having

withdrawn the hat bodies for the purpose of examining them, and changing

their folds, he packs them again in a similar way in flannel, or other

suitable cloths, and introduces them into the pockets or bags of the

endless bands, as before.

On putting the machinery in rotatory motion in the way described, the

hats will be carried along through the apparatus, and subjected to the

scalding solution in the pan, as also to the pressure, and to a tortuous

action between the ribs of the lantern rollers, as they revolve, which

will cause the ends of the fur to work into the felted bodies of the

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

operation which when performed by hand, is called rolling off.

The improved stiffening for hat bodies proposed by Mr. Blades, under his

patent of January, 1828, consists in making his solution of shellac in

an alkaline lye, instead of spirits of wine, or pyroxylic spirit,

vulgarly called naphtha.

He prepares his water-proof stiffening by mixing 18 pounds of shellac

with 1-1/2 pounds of salt of tartar (carbonate of potash), and 5-1/2

gallons of water. These materials are to be put into a kettle, and made

to boil gradually until the lac is dissolved; when the liquor will

become as clear as water, without any scum upon the top, and if left to

cool, will have a thin crust upon its surface of a whitish cast, mixed

with the light impurities of the gum. When this skin is taken off, the

hat body is to be dipped into the mixture in a cold state, so as to

absorb as much as possible of it; or it may be applied with a brush or

sponge. The hat body being thus stiffened, may stand till it become dry,

or nearly so; and after it has been brushed, it must be immersed in very

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

cause the shellac to set. If the hats are not to be napped immediately,

they may be thrown into a cistern of pure water, and taken out as

wanted.

Should the hat bodies have been worked at first with sulphuric acid (as

usual), they must be soaked in hot water to extract the acid, and dried

before the stiffening is applied; care being taken that no water falls

upon the stiffened body, before it has been immersed in the acid.

This ingenious chemical process has not been, to the best of my

knowledge, introduced into the hat manufacture. A varnish made by

dissolving shellac, mastic, sandarach, and other resins in alcohol, or

the naphtha of wood vinegar, is generally employed as the stiffening and

water-proof ingredient of hat bodies. A solution of caoutchouc is often

applied to whalebone and horse-hair hat bodies.

The following recipe has been prescribed as a good composition for

stiffening hats: four parts of shellac, one part of mastic, one half of

a part of turpentine, dissolved in five parts of alcohol, by agitation

and subsequent repose, without the aid of heat. This stiffening varnish

should be applied quickly to the body or foundation with a soft oblong

brush, in a dry and rather warm workshop; the hat being previously

fitted with its inside turned outwards upon a block. The body must be

immediately afterwards taken off, to prevent adhesion.

_Hat-Dyeing._--The ordinary bath for dyeing hats, employed by the London

manufacturers, consists for 12 dozen, of--

144 pounds of logwood;

12 pounds of green sulphate of iron, or copperas;

7-1/2 pounds of verdigris.

The copper is usually made of a semi-cylindrical shape, and should be

surrounded with an iron jacket or case, into which steam may be

admitted, so as to raise the temperature of the interior bath to 190°

F., but no higher, otherwise the heat is apt to affect the stiffening

varnish, called the gum, with which the body of the hat has been imbued.

The logwood having been introduced and digested for some time, the

copperas and verdigris are added in successive quantities, and in the

above proportions, along with every successive two or three dozens of

hats, suspended upon the dipping machine. Each set of hats, after being

exposed to the bath with occasional airings during 40 minutes, is taken

off the pegs, and laid out upon the ground to be more completely

blackened by the peroxidizement of the iron with the atmospheric oxygen.

In 3 or 4 hours the dyeing is completed. When fully dyed, the hats are

well washed in running water.

Mr. Buffum states that there are four principal objects accomplished by

his patent invention for dyeing hats.