HAT-MAKING MACHINES. Stretching and Block-ing.—In the preceding volume of this work (Figs. 2301 to 2315) will be found illustrations of hat-stretching and blocking-ma chines which are operated by hand, and on which the work is manipulated by the operator. These machines have been materially improved, so that they are now automatic in their action.
The Tip-Stretcher has a ribbed and recessed former mounted on a vertical spindle and raised or lowered by a cam mounted on a shaft, which is revolved once only while a hat-body is stretched. This caul is so shaped that it will raise the spindle rapidly until the former and stretching fingers come into working relation. It is then gradually raised higher as the stretching progresses. When the stretching is completed the frame is lowered, and remains stationary long enough to remove the stretched hat-body and put another on over the former. In addition to this motion mechanism is provided which rotates the hat-body while the stretching is going on, and an absolutely uniform shaping of the crown is thus assured—a result not easily obtained in machines of the old type. The machine is capable of stretching from 20 to 30 dozen hats per hour.
The Automatic Brim-Stretcher operates in the same manner as the tip-stretcher. A hat body, which has its tip already stretched, is placed upon the crown-block. The hat-body is raised to the stretching-fingers, and slowly rotated by mechanism similar to that employed in the tip-stretcher while the brim is developed. The machine is capable of stretching twice more hats than a hand-machine, and its work is much more uniform.
Blocking-Machine.—When a hat-body, which has been stretched on tip and brim, is blocked on a hand-machine, the operator has first to put it in the machine, and then clamp it at the edge of the brim. The band-ring has now to be brought and locked and the hat-block and brim-tongs simultaneously expanded, the one by a hand-lever and the other by a treadle. And, finally, when stiff hats are blocked, cold water is poured on to set the stiffening and thus fix the shape. All these operations are performed automatically in the machine shown
in Fig. 1. When the hat-body is placed over the block, and in reach of the tongs, the ma chine is started by means of a foot-lever shown on the right and inside of the frame, and all the above-described operations are made automatically; and when the hat-body is blocked and cooled off, the machine stops and the hat-body is removed. It is evident that these ma chines do not require skilled operators. When once properly adjusted for a certain size of hat-body each performs its work upon the hat-body placed upon it.
Pouncing-31achines.—In former machines the hat-body, operated on by the pouncing ma terial, has been exposed more or less to the danger of being wrinkled, and, consequently, in jured in its passage through the machine. The apparatus has been improved so that the hat-body, which is fed by two small conical rollers, is always perfectly smooth, and the strain upon it while being pounced is reduced to a minimum. The wool-hat pouncing-machine dif fers from the fur-hat machine in the size of its pouncing-roller, which is 6 in., while the pouncing-roller of the fur-hat machine is only 3 in. in diameter. In both machines the hat is supported on a metal button, held up by the operator with his right foot, while the feeding-apparatus is opera ted with the left foot. To cause the hat to run in or out it it only neces sary to depress the foot-lever, which will operate the feed-rollers to a greater or less extent while the hat is being pounced. The facility with which a hat can be pounced is superi or to anything heretofore attained. The fur-hat machine saves all block ing and handling of the hat. The hat is simply put in the machine, is pounced on the brim, and gradually ran into the tip. During this time it remains smooth, and. moving slowly, is not pulled out of shape ; nor is the stiffening taken out of it.