 In 1820 he patented fastenings for gloves, suspenders, shoes and stockings; in the process of creating these early elastic fabrics, Hancock found himself wasting large amounts of rubber.He invented a machine to shred the waste rubber, his "Pickling machine" (or "masticator" as it is now known).He called it by the deceptive name of "Pickling" because he initially chose not to patent it, instead preferring to rely on secrecy.