1838 Faber's Patent Model of a Hand Card

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Object Details

inventor

Faber, George

Description

Hand Card Patent Model

Patent No. 863, issued August 1, 1838

George Faber of Canton, Ohio

Faber’s patent related to the construction of the common hand card used for carding cotton or wool prior to the spinning process. He specifically patented using wood veneer, instead of leather, for the foundation that contained the card’s wire teeth. The wood was cut from 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch in thickness, 4 inches in width, and 4 to 8 inches in length. The wood was then steeped in water to soften it so that when placed in a card-making machine, it could be pricked and the teeth inserted. The veneer was nailed to another piece of wood and a handle inserted to form the hand card.

Although Faber did not claim credit for inventing the card-making machine, in his patent specification he did mention that he had made improvements on it.

Location

Currently not on view

model constructed

before 1838-08-01

patent date

1838-08-01

ID Number

TE.T11396.030

catalog number

T11396.030

accession number

89797

patent number

863

Object Name

hand card

hand card patent model

Object Type

Patent Model

Physical Description

wood (frame material)

wire (overall material)

Place Made

United States: Rhode Island, Smithfield

associated place

United States: Ohio, Canton

Related Publication

Janssen, Barbara Suit. Patent Models Index

See more items in

Home and Community Life: Textiles

Patent Models, Textile Machinery

Textiles

Patent Models

Data Source

National Museum of American History

classified