US2531685A - Method of preparing synthetic filaments for wig making purposes and for making wigs therefrom - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 28, 1950 2,531,685

M. JACOBY METHOD OF PREPARING SYNTHETIC FILAMENTS FOR WIG MAKING PURPOSES AND FOR MAKING WIGS THEREFROM Filed Dec. 27, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

ME YE]? JACOB K ATTOFNEK Patented Nov. 28, 1950 METHOD OF PREPARING SYNTHETIC FILA- MENTS FOR WIG MAKING PURPOSES AND FOR MAKING WIGS THEREFROM Meyer Jacoby, New Yorla N. Y.

Application December 27, 1949, Serial No. 135,228

This invention relates to wigs and to a method of making the same.

The invention is applicable to wigs for toy dolls, and manikins, as well as to wigs or hair pieces which may be worn by performers on the stage and screen, and by persons generally. A principal diflerence between the wigs of the present inlvention and conventional wigs heretofore made, is the difference in the material of which the respective wigs are made. Conventional wigs or hair pieces which aremade of natural fibers such as .human hair, mohair, wool, or the like, have low tensile strength. The wigs of the present in- ,vention, on the other hand, are made of synthetic filaments, such as nylon, which has relatively mat tensile strength. It has heretofore been found not only difficult, but also impossible to make wigs of realistic appearance with nylon or similar synthetic fi aments. There have been dimculties in dyeing the filaments uniformly, difficul'ties in cutting them so that they will appear realistic, and difilculties in waving or curling them to simulate curled or waved human hair.

Wigs made in accordance with the present invention are made to act and appear like human hair. Their coloring is uniform and the ends of the filaments are uneven in length and blended to simulate the ends of natural, growing human hair. The filaments of which these wigs are made are also curled or waved to simulate very precisely the curls and waves of growing, human hair. All in all, therefore, the instant wigs which are made of synthetic material, produce every effect of being made of the finest human hair.

The method of making wigs in accordance with the present invention comprises a combination of mechanical and chemical steps. The initial steps relate to the preparation of the filaments themselves and the final steps relate to the use of these filaments in preparing the wig.

"- Formerly, if wigs were to be made which could be combed and washed, the hairs had to behandjwei'ted or ventilated. n the other hand, wigs made in accordance with the present invention involve a sewingtechnique which adapts the wig to be combed, washed, re-curled, etc., with ease by amateur, as well as by professional wig users. More specifically, the first step in the processes relates to the dyeing of the filaments. It has heretofore been customary to dye the filaments in short lengths, such as in the length of a hank.

- This necessitated the employment of hand-dyeingmethods since short cut lengths of filaments.

cannot conveniently be dyed by any other process; Hand dyeing does not and cannot give uni- 2 Claims. (Cl. 132-5) form color and this is one reason why the earlier methods of making wigs of synthetic filaments referred to herein, were totally unsuccessful. In the present invention, on the other hand, the filaments are handled in continuous lengths which are wound on spools or reels or into long skeins and then dyed by the same continuous processes which are commonly employed in dyeing wool and other yarns; Since the filaments are dyed in continuous lengths by a continuous machine process, uniform color results, and all lengths of filaments can be cut therefrom.

The second ste relates to the treatment of the dyed filaments to prevent them from becoming charged with static electricity. Filaments which are untreated for this purpose are very difficult to manage and they cannot readily be curled or waved to simulate human hair. The processes heretofore employed did not include this very important step and hence the end results were invariably unfortunate. Any conventional means and method may be utilized in the present invention to treat the filaments to prevent them. from becoming charged with static electricity.

The third step in the process involves cutting the filaments to usable lengths. Heretofore, the filaments have been cut perpendicular to their lengths and the eifect was to produce a stubby ap pearance, much like that of a paint brush; I the instant process, however, the filaments an more precisely the skeins or bunches of filaments, are cut at an angle of approximately off the perpendicular. Asa matter of fact, an angle of and even of! the perpendicular (that is; angles of 15 and 10 with respect to the lengths of the filaments) have been found to be very satisffactory for the purposes of this invention.

The fourth step in the process of the present invention relates to the blending or mixing oi the filaments so as to blend the short lengths with the long lengths to produce a realistic effect, and at the conclusion of the operation the filaments are completely inter-mingled and parallel and retain their individuality. The fifth step involves the curling 'of the filaments to simulate curled or waved natural hair. It has heretofore been found very dimcult to achieve this result with synthetic filaments for the reason that curling methods which are generally applicable to natural hair only have been applied to the synthetic filaments. In the present process, however, permanent curls or waves are formed in the filaments in accordance with the following method: A tuft or bunch of the cut and blended filaments is wound around a man- 3 drel or other curling means, in the usual way. The curled tuft is then temporarily secured to the mandrel and placed in a steam bath of water and ammonia, for a suitable period, and then dried at a high heat in order permanently to condition the synthetic filaments inherently to be wavy instead of straight and springy. The curl is then removed from the mandrel. The result is a permanent curl or wave which is exceedingly realistic.

The succeeding steps relate to the making of the wig proper from tufts of permanently curled synthetic filaments. These steps, and some of the preceding steps, are illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of a plurality of filaments, shown prior to the cutting operation and also showing the angles of the cuts, and thereby ilportion of the curled tuft sewed to a wig foundation, this step and the step illustrated in Fig. 4 constituting the sixth step in the process herein claimed.

Fig. 6 illustrates the seventh step wherein one end of the curled tuft is folded. over upon the other end and the fold or bight portion thereof is sewed to the wig formation so as to maintain the tuft in folded condition.

Fig. '7 illustrates the eighth step wherein a second tuft, similar to that shown in Fig. 3, is pulled taut or straight in the middle, as shown in Fig. 4, and then sewed to the fold in the first tuft and to the wig formation, in the same manner that the first tuft is shown to be sewed to the wig foundation in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 illustrates a further step wherein one end of the second tuft is folded over upon its other end and the fold portion or bight of said second tuft is then sewed to the fold portion or bight of the first tuft and also to the wig foundation.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a wig which may be made by following the steps of the process above set forth.

The steps in the process which the drawin ilustrates may further be described as follows: Continuous lengths of filaments 20 may be dyed by conventional continuous process methods and then treated to prevent them from becoming charged with static electricity. The dyed and treated continuous lengths of filaments may then be out along lines 2| and 22 shown in Fig. 1, these lines bearing at angles of approximately and respectively, to the longitudinal axes of the filaments. The cut filaments 23 are then blended as Fig. 2 clearly shows to intermingle the uneven lengths and to produce a natural effect. The blended filaments are then wound on a mandrel to produce a curl and exposed to a water and ammonia steam bath for approximately one shown in Fig. 3. The curled tuft or lock is then heat-treated by placing it in a heat compartment at a suiiiciently elevated temperature to obtain a permanently set curl. It has been found that if the temperature is maintained somewhere between F. and 250 F. for a period of about 5 minutes, excellent results are obtained. The denier of the nylon filaments will determine the length of time and the degree of heat necessary to obtain best results. After the heat treatment, the curl is removed from the mandrel.

It will be noted that in the particular tuft shown in Fig. 3, there are five coils or curls 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d, and 25a, respectively. This curled tuft is then pulled taut at its center portion, thereby eliminating coil 25c and providing in its stead a straight portion 25 The curled tuft of filament isnow ready for the wig .making operations.

It will be noted in Fig. 5 that the straight portion 251 of the curled tuft is sewed to a wiK foundation 30 by means of stitching 3!. It will then be noted in Fig. 6, that that end of the curled tuft which includes curls or coils 25d and 25a is folded over upon the opposite end of the tuft, that is upon curls or coils 25a and 25b, thereby forming a fold or bight 32 which is then sewed to the wig foundation by means of stitching 33.

A similar curled tuft is then placed upon the first curled tuft in the manner shown in Fig. '7, and the straight center portion thereof is sewed to the bight of the first tuft and also to the wig foundation by means of stitching 34. To distinguish the second tuft of filaments from the first, the second is identified by means of the reference character 35 and its coils are designated by means of the reference characters 35a, 35b. 35d and 35a respectively. Its coil which corresponds to coil Me of the first coiled tuft, is not shown in the drawing. That end of the second tuft of curled filaments, which includes coils or curls 35a and 35b, is folded over upon the opposite end thereof which includes coils or curls 35d and 35e. A bight 38 thereby results and stitching 31 and 38 are employed to sew said bight to the bight of the first curled tuft and also to the wig foundation.

As viewed in the drawing, the right end por. tion of the first tuft of filaments is folded over upon the left end portion. The left end portion of the second tuft of filaments is folded over upon its right end portion. Hence, there is in effect, a double tuft of filaments on each side of the series of stitches Si, 33, 34, 31 and 38. See Fig. 8. It is by this method that wig 40 shown in Fig. 9 may be made. The double row of stitches shown in said wig are stitches 31 and 3!, respectively, which are best shown in Fig. 8. All of the other stitches are hidden.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a very unique and highly successful method of making wigs is herein set forth; that by this method of stitching, all filaments on the wig can be combed and washedwithout danger of any of the filaments coming loose. Of course, it will be clearly understood that this method is purely illustrative of the present invention and it may be modified in many ways within the broad scope and spirit of the invention. For example, although this invention relates principally to nylon filaments, it may be utilized in connection with filaments made of other similar synthetic materials and, for that matter, it may also be utilized in connection with filaments made of natural materials. Where the problem of static electricity 5 does not exist, obviously the second step in the process may be omitted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of making a wig of nylon and similar synthetic filaments which includes the following steps: dyein the filaments in long, continuous skeins, cutting said skeins at acute angles to form hanks of filaments of unequal lengths, blending said filaments of unequal lengths, then winding said hanks of blended filaments on a mandrel and temporarily securing said winding, exposin said wound filaments to a steam bath of water and ammonia, then heattreating the steamed windin at a sufllciently elevated temperature to permanently set a curl in the winding. then removing the winding from the mandrel to obtain a curled tress or lock of simulated hair, then straightening the center portion of each curled tress, securing the center portion of one of said curled tresses to a wi foundation, folding over one end of said tress upon the opposite end and then securin the re sulting fold between said ends to said wig foundation, securing the center portion of a second curled tress to the fold of the first tress and also to the wig foundation, folding over one end of said second tress upon the opposite end thereof and then securing the resulting fold between the two ends of the second tress to the fold of the first tress and also to the wig foundation.

' 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dyed skeins are treated to prevent the filaments from becoming charged with static electricity, prior to the step of cutting said skeins at acute angles to form hanks of filaments of unequal lengths. MEYER JACOBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING A WIG OF NYLON AND SIMILAR SYNTHETIC FILAMENTS WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STEPS: DYEING THE FILAMENTS IN LONG, CONTINUOUS SKEINS, CUTTING SAID SKEINS AT ACUTE ANGLES TO FORM HANKS OF FILAMENTS OF UNEQUAL LENGTHS, BLENDING SAID FILAMENTS OF UNEQUAL LENGTHS, THEN WINDING SAID HANKS OF BLENDED FILAMENTS ON A MANDREL AND TEMPORARILY SECURING SAID WINDING, EXPOSING SAID WOUND FILAMENTS TO A STEAM BATH OF WATER AND AMMONIA, THEN HEATTREATING THE STEAMED WINDING AT A SUFFICIENTLY ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO PERMANENTLY SET A CURL IN THE WINDING, THEN REMOVING THE WINDING FROM THE MANDREL TO OBTAIN A CURLED TRESS OR LOCK OF SIMULATED HAIR, THEN STRAIGHTENING THE CENTER PORTION OF EACH CURLED TRESS, SECURING THE CENTER PORTION OF ONE OF SAID CURLED TRESSES TO A WIG FOUNDATION, FOLDING OVER ONE END OF SAID TRESS UPON THE OPPOSITE END AND THEN SECURING THE RESULTING FOLD BETWEEN SAID ENDS TO SAID WIG FOUNDATION, SECURING THE CENTER PORTIONOF A SECOND CURLED TRESS TO THE FOLD OF THE FIRST TRESS AND ALSO TO THE WIG FOUNDATION, FOLDING OVER ONE END OF SAID SECOND TRESS UPON THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF AND THEN SECURING THE RESULTING FOLD BETWEEN THE TWO ENDS OF THE SECOND TRESS TO THE FOLD OF THE FIRST TRESS AND ALSO TO THE WIG FOUNDATION.

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