To whom it nay concern: Be it known that I, JARVIS B. EDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Forming and Finishing, Fabrics Coated with Zylonite or Similar PYroxyline Compounds for Collars and Cuffs and other Articles, of which the following is a to specification.

This invention relates to that class of manufactures in which the fabric is specially intended to be made into collars and cuffs by means of any of the well-known machinery for punching, creasing, and folding such articles and simultaneously producing an indentation about the same to represent the stitching common in linen goods of similar shape. All of these operations are practiced in the production of and will be recognized in the ordinary paper collars and cuffs of commerce, and the articles so made have met -with great favor owing to their cheapness, while they have been a source of profit to their manufacturers, due to the almost infinitesimal amount of labor required upon them. This minimum of labor has been attained almost wholly by so completely finishing the stock or fabric during its manufacture that nothing should remain but 3o the employment of rapidly-moving machines for punching, creasing, indenting, and folding to complete the manufacture of the articles, and without the aid of any hand-labor. beyond that required for counting and packing; but, notwithstanding the perfection to which the art has been brought, it has steadily failed in those qualities required to enable the article to withstand the moisture of perspiration of the body of the wearer or to permit of its being cleaned, and has consequently been of limited utility and durability. Many attempts have therefore been made to produce a suitably - surfaced material to meet these objections, such as facing a long roll of paper with muslin or linen by combining them with paste, and sometimes by afterward treating such muslin-surface with. a solution having a base of pyroxyline of the nature of a collodion, and scraping off the surplus- material; but in all of these no satisfactory, durable water-proof surface, having the color, polish, and appearance of linen, has been obtained, and the results have been failures. Some progress, however, has been made in the production of water-proof articles by making an "interlining" with turned-over edges of muslin, and then cementing to one of its sides a sheet of zylonite or similar pyroxyline compound sufficiently larger than said. interlining to admit of turning over and cementing down such excess of contour onto the opposite side, pressing, drying, and afterward applying another sheet-blank a zylonite or similar pyroxyline compound of slightly larger contour to the opposite side from the first and. 65 cementing it thereto, pressing it against or between layers of muslin to give an approximate or reverse linen surface, and afterward trimming the edges and polishing to finish, but resulting only in a too expensive article id for the masses of those likely to resort to a substitute for linen. Other attempts have also been made by punching the article out of thick sheets of solid zylonite or similar pyroxyline compounds; but they too, have re-suited in articles too expensive by reason of the quantity of the zylonite, and objectionable by being to stiff and unyielding and/ tearing at the button-holes, and from other causes; and it has therefore been with a view to meet 8o these various difficulties that I have experimented and endeavored for some years to produce a superior and waterproof: surfaced article to the paper or paper-muslin collar and cuff heretofore made, which could be so cheaply made by machinery as to be within the means of the masses, and all of which I will now proceed to describe.

The process consists, first, in forming a suitable base to give the requisite body and strength; second, in applying to one or both sides of the base a thin sheet of zylonite or its equivalent and finishing; and, third, punching, creasing, indenting, and folding the desired article from the same.

Owing to the fact that a collar or cuff to retain its strength must possess a certain thickness as well, as stiffness in order to use the thinnest sheet of the zylonite possible, on account of its costliness, consistent with a proper surface, I manufacture what I term a "base," by first making a ,strong quality of white and suitably thick paper in long lengths, after which I combine with a paste to one or both of its sides a competent quality of muslin, and then dry and calender the combination, so as to produce a smooth, strong, and stiff fabric, taking special care to remove by scraping and brushing such of the combining paste as has worked through to the outer surface of the muslin.

It is not absolutely necessary that the paper shall be made first as a separate operation, as I have Obtained good results by passing the muslin through a paper-pulping machine, depositing the pulp thereon, and making the paper directly upon and in combination with the muslin fabric, and while I prefer the former process Of making the base—that is, making the paper first as a separate step—I do not limit Myself thereto, but reserve the right to use either method, or to substitute for both a strong paper, having mixed with it during its nearly completed state an additional long fiber, which shall-differ in length from that of which the bulk of the paper has been made, and produce a base of sufficiently strong texture and thickness as to entirely avoid the necessity of combination with any muslin at all.

Having thus constructed a paper base, I take the said base and a roll of sheet-zylonite, or similar pyroxylin compound in sheetform, cut, say, four one-thousandths of an inch thick, and pass both through mechanism—for instance, such as described by me in 'my application for patent filed April 28, 1883. and entitled "improvements in forming and finishing surfaces coated with zylonite, &c."—suitable for properly softening the combining side of the zylonite by applying thereto a solvent thereof; and for attaching it to the said base by the aid of pressure, which pressure so embeds the zylonite into *interstices of the muslin (assuming the base to be muslin) as to produce a surface quite equal in appearance to that of the muslin. The zylonite and base, when so treated and dried, form a new fabric—say about Seventeen one. thousandths of an inch thick—possessing superiority over similar fabric heretofore produced as to stiffness, durability, strength, and muslin-like surface, and supplying a fabric long sought, which, while possessing the, above desirable qualities, also admits of being worked up into various collars and cuffs by the machinery now employed on paper goods without any modification or special requirements for heating or molding the same whatever, which collars and cuffs cannot be softened or caused to wilt the moisture or perspiration of the body, even in-the hottest weather, and which when slightly soiled on their zylonite surface can be easily sponged off with soap and water, so as to, present the same appearance as a new article.

When, as in some form of goods, it is desirable to cover both surfaces of the base 65 with the zylonite, or its 'equivalent, I either make the base with the muslin applied to both sides of the paper or to one side only, the difference being that when both sides of the base have zylonite surfaces, while the base itself has only one surface of muslin, there will result a fabric in which the muslin-like surface to the zylonite only obtains on one side, so that, as in a standing-collar, for instance, one side only will appear like muslin, while the remaining side, which would be next to the wearer, will be smooth. When, however, it is desirable to use a base having one muslin side and one paper side, and to cover both sides of the base with the zylonite and still show a muslin surface on both sides, then by So passing the fabric through an engraved roll or against a roll covered with muslin, I obtain a fair representation of the muslin surface desired. The last method is necessary in constructing a fabric with one layer of paper and one of muslin, out of which it is desired' to make a cheaper grade of reversible zylonite coated turn-down collar having a correct linen impress on one side and an imitation linen surface on the other.

The third operation consists in taking any of the fabrics described—say in rolls of a hundred yards or more, and of, say,- thirty-six inches, in Width—and feeding the' same through the 'ordinary machinery, the smile as now used for making collars and cuffs from paper, whether done in stages or at one complete operation, as by some of the mechanisms now in use. 'After the article has been thus formed, nothing requires to be done but to pass the blank through the rolling-machine exactly the same as now practiced in treating paper-stock for the manufacture of similar articles, unaided by any extra heating Or manipulation, cementing, polishing, or other treatment, and producing with great rapidity perfect results, notwithstanding the fact that ordinarily such plastic substance cannot be permanently bent and shaped and set without breaking or causing injury to the same, unless they be heated or rendered plastic and then cooled in such new form.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-
1. The within-described process of producing a fabric from which Collars and cuffs and other articles may be formed, consisting in forming a base by combining paper and a textile fabric, and then softening the contact side of a sheet of zylonite, or its equivalent, and uniting it to the base by pressure, substantially as described.
2. The within-described process of producing a fabric from which collars and cuffs and other articles may be formed, consisting in forming a base by combining paper and a textile fabric, and then softening the contact side of a sheet of zylonite, or its equivalent, and uniting it to the base by pressure and indenting the surface of the zylonite to imitate muslin or linen, substantially as described.
3. The within-described process of producing a fabric from which collars and cuffs and other articles may be formed, consisting in forming a base by combining paper and a textile fabric, then softening the contact side of a sheet of zylonite, or its equivalent, and by pressure uniting a sheet thereof to each side of the base, indenting one sheet of the zylonite with the textile fabric of the base, and the other sheet to imitate muslin or linen, substantially as described.
4. As a new article of manufacture, a fabric from which collars and Cuffs and other articles may be made, composed of a paper base with a thin sheet- of zylonite, or its equivalent, se.; cured to its side by a solvent of the zylonite, substantially as described.
5. As a new article of manufacture, a fabric from which collars and cuffs and other articles may be made, composed of a base of paper and a textile fabric with a thin sheet of zylonite, or its equivalent, cemented to one or both sides.
6. As a new article of manufacture, a collar, cuff, or other article of like character composed of a base of paper and a textile fabric with a thin sheet of zylonite, or its equivalent., cemented to one or both sides thereof by a solvent. of the zylonite interposed between it and the base, and having one or both sides indented to imitate linen or muslin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JARVIS B. EDSON

Witnesses:
STEPHEN THAYER
E. H. Arnold,