US124916A - Improvement in stretching-boards foriregs of pantaloons - Google Patents

Description

`E. F`. SMITH. Stretching Bo-ardfor Legs ofPantaloons. No.124,91'6.

Patented March 26', i872.

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A'rnnr ELLIOT Ii. SMITH, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STR-ETCHvl'NG-BOARDS FOR`L`EGOF PANTALOONS.

Specification forming'part of LottersPatent No. 124,916, dated March 26, 1872.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIOT F. SMITH, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Stretching-Board for Legs of Pantaloons;

and I` do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specifica tion, is a description of my invention suficient to enable those skilled in' the art to practice it.

In the manufacture of pantaloons or trousers it is now customary to shrink and stretch the cloth at the front part of the bottom ot' each leg to I'orm what are known as spring-bottom legs. lVhen the legs of such pantaloons bestretcher blocks inserted in each leg, the outer edge of one block being placed a-gainst the center of the back ofthe leg and the, outer edge of the other block against the center of the front, (such edges boing made otl proper form for this purpose,) and between the inner and adjacent edges ot' these blocks I drive a wedgel or key, which serves to spread the blocks and to stretch and distend the leg upon the blocks, the garment being then hung up and allowed to remain a greater or less time, sufficient for the cloth to become dry or again formed with a permanent set, the weight upon the legs at the same time drawing down and stretching into form the whole length of leg. It is in such formers or stretchers, and their employment to impart or restore the forms to the legs ot pantaloons, that my invention consists.

'Ihe drawing represents, at A, one of the legs of a, pair of pantaloons provided with such stretcher or former blocks, and a pair of the blocks seen in elevation at B, and in crosssection at (ht-he section being taken in the plane of the line ao x.

a denotes the pantaloon-leg; b, the springfront atthebottom of theleg. cdenotes thefront former-block, having a front edge, d, curved to correspond to the curve at the front of the leg when the leg is collapsed midway of the seam.

e denotes the other block, the rear edge of lwhich is shaped in accordance with the shape of the leg at the back. The adjacent edges of the two blocks are straight, and between them, when they are inserted into the leg, is driven the key or wedgef, which forces the blocks apart and stretches upon them the leg,

distendin g the cloth and bringing it to proper shape. The pantaloons being hung up with the stretchers in the legs and allowed to remain a suitable time, the legs will be reshaped at bottom as perfectly as though pressed by a tailor. The blocks may be used to bring the legs to shape only after being wet and wrinkled, or maybe constantly used, when thepantaloons are hung up, to preserve the proper shape of the legs. They' may also be used as boards upon which to press the legs with an iron, they being made iiat on the sides, as seen at C, to receive properly the action ot' a heated pressing or sad iron; and they may, also, be used inmaking pantaloons, to impart the requisite form to the legs. Blocks ot different shapes may be used for different styles of pantaloons;

but for various sizes of one style a pair of The inblocks of one shape will be sufficient. ner edges of the blocks may be grooved and the wedge made with tongues or tenons toenter said grooves, and the wedgemay be made of such length as to enable the same blocks to be used for legs of various sizes. At the upper end of each block a spring, g, may be attached to prevent the formation of sharp bends at the points where the blocks begin to act upon the cloth.

I claim- 1. The stretchers or former-blocks for distending and reshaping the legs of pantaloons, when made with ilat sides and with edges having rounded angles or corners, and outlines suited to give the desired shape to the bottoms of said legs, when provided with awedge suited to the thickness of the blocks, and adapted for insertion between their parts lso as to expand them, substantially as shown and described.

2. Also, the springs g attached to the blocks, substantially as shown and described.

l E. F. SMITH. Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD,

M. W. rFRoIHnaeHAM.

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