Apparatus for making resilient handle grips

Apparatus for making a resilient handle grip having reinforced side edges formed of a strip that includes an upper polyurethane layer having its bottom surface bonded to the upper surface of a felt layer, with the strip being of a constant width and depth, said apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a bottom roller of substantially the same width as the width of the strip, said bottom roller being affixed to a horizontal lower shaft, said bottom roller having a horizontal surface, said lower shaft being rotatably supported by the frame;
• a pair of coaxially aligned upper rollers carried by a horizontal upper shaft rotatably supported by the frame about an axis parallel to but spaced above the axis of rotation of the bottom roller;
• facing surfaces formed on the upper rollers, said facing surfaces interfitting with radially outer ends of the bottom roller;
• a coaxial presser disc coaxially formed on each of the facing surfaces of the upper rollers, said presser discs being vertically aligned with outer portions of the horizontal surface of the bottom roller;
• peripheral surfaces of the presser discs being separated from the outer portions of the horizontal surface of the bottom roller by a predetermined distance less than said depth;
• power-operated means on the frame for rotating the lower shaft and the upper shaft in opposite directions to continually urge the strip forwardly longitudinally through the rollers, with a lower surface of the strip supported by the bottom roller and side portions of an upper surface of the strip in contact with the peripheral surfaces of the presser discs;
• heating means to heat the upper rollers to a predetermined temperature at which the presser discs permanently compress the side portions of the polyurethane layer to increase the density and strength of said side portions and to define the reinforced side edges on the grip as the strip is continually urged longitudinally through the rollers;
• and
• control means associated with the frame and the heating means to maintain the temperature of the upper rollers at said predetermined temperature.