US213736A - Improvement in fur articles - Google Patents

Description

s. 1). CASTLE.

' Fur Articles.

No. 215,736. Patented April 1, 1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL D. CASTLE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN FUR ARTICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 213,736, dated April 1, 1879; application filed February 18, 1879.

Heretofore buffalo-pelts have been used for carriage-robes, mats, and other similar purposes; but no attempt has ever been made to employ them as dress-goods, owing to the body of long coarse hair, which, unless removed, would render such use impracticable, and the removal of this hair has not heretofore been attempted in consequence of the expense of the modes in use for such purposes. Every such pelt is covered by a body of the coarse hairs before referred to, and termed master hairs, and by a body of short hair or fur, which is usually concealed by the m as -v, ter hairs, but constitutes a fine close covering for the skin.

In order to expose this fine fur, and at the same time conceal to a great extent the master hair without wholly removing the latter, (which in many instances would leave too little body to the hairy surface, exposing the hide,) I submit the pelt, after the skin has been tanned and dressed as usual, to the action of a revolving spiral or other shaped cutter, A, Fig. 1., operating with a stationary blade, D, between which and the edges of the spiral knives the master hairs are cut and the fur sheared to a nearly uniform surface, Fig. 2.

Owing to the stiffness and greater thickness of the master hairs, they stand out rigidly from the hide between the cuttingedges, and are sheared closely off; but the fine fur, in its natural condition, is bent and packed down, as shown in Fig. 2, and also bends when submitted to the cutters. I take care, therefore, to cut the master hairs w as close as possible without more than shaving the face of this packed mass of fur, so that when the pelt has been submitted to the cutters it is in the condition illustrated in said Fig. 2.

I now pass the pelt between feed-rolls a a, which draw it over the edge of a blade, I), and opposite a revolving card, B, the teeth of which penetrate the mass of packed fur, and comb and straighten the hairs of the same, so that they will extend beyond and conceal the shorter master hairs, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

As the fine hairs thus combed out and brought to the surface are of unequal length, the pelt may be again submitted to the shearing-machine, by which the face is shaved to a uniform level without unduly exposing the master hairs. The whole may then, if necessary, be again combed.

By this means the fine packed fur is straigh tened and brought out, to constitute the hairy surface of the pelt, and the master hairs covered, and an article of fur produced which has a fine ornamental face. and which, either in its natural state or dyed, is serviceable in the manufacture of dressgoods, and for other purposes to which seal, beaver, and other skins have heretofore been applied, and for which buffalo-pelts, as heretofore treated, have never been applicable.

As the process of treating the pelts consti tutes the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent, I do not here claim the same; but.

I claim- As a new article of manufacture, a dressed fur consisting of buffalo-pelt in which the master hairs are cut short and the fine hair combed out to constitute the fur surface, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL D. CASTLE.

Witnesses:

H. E. BowsER, AMos FULLER.

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