Richmond palladium., 1845-04-16
From tho Dayton Journal.
New Mode Of Tanning.

pace, OF 4 new nlOOe tanning ieather,
attracted good deal of attention. Mr.. Snyder
has secured paten, for his process in :iis coun-
try, anu has gone abroad for the purpose of secu-
ring tho advantages of his discovery in England
and France. Important discoveries generally
meet with opposition. and received with dis
tiEust. Mr. Suyder's process has secured ,he ap-
provai OF several practical mon, TO whom il has
been disclosed and if it at all reaches ,heir con-
victions of lis utility, will Be- impor tant and
| valuable.
Mr.. Snyder. previous to his departure for Eu-
rope, lott paper detailing the advantages of
his discovery, 5 we'll as the process for which ho
| has obtained patent. We cannot do better
| than to publish his own account Of the whole mat
ter. Mr.. Snyder says
Tho advantages Of my invention over the old
mode of tanning leather. claim TO be, that il
Will make better artcc. very much facilitate
! the process and save bark and fixtures.
First. As TO its quality. l, has long been the
oblec, of tanners and scientific mon of Europe, 70
find out some mode of impregna,ing with .anuln.
| tho hide skin in tho shortest possible time,
at;or II was cleansed and put into the tan ooze,
(see Ure's Dictionary, I'd volume, in the article
headed "Leather,D for these reasons:-ln tho
cleansing process. the neares, approach to putri-
J flction-so that it does actually take place
is desidera,um aimod particularly in all kinds
! of upper leather. Sometimes, in n very sudden
change OF weather, say from clear TO thunder
storm. when the atmosphere is highly charged
with electricity. II is very difficult to avoid it.
OF course ali the tibres throughout tho skin
aro or loss affected. To stop all this ten
dency, they put in tan sooon ,hey
can be worked over the tanners beam. But tho
tan oozc viii not infuso itself throughout tho
skin by the old plan. but merely acts upon tho
two surfaces, as Is we'll known.
! | rather think overcome this difficulty by my
plan, will readily be admitted when onco un-
derstood.
Again, II is supposed that tho necessary tan
ming and retaining, according to tho old plan, of
.i,. r.. ii
skim tends i9. IL Tnhad elasticity essential to
a good article of leather. OF this thcro can
scarcely be doubt.
1t will require little evidence to provo tho
ond proposition, that facilitate tho process of
tanning when my plan IS understood | expose
SO much more surface to the tan ooze. that II must
tan faster 81 besides have the further evidence
that q heavy calf skin will tan perfectly in twen-
iy days in tho of white black oak bark.
! In tho third place. savo bark in this way.
Tho effect ofmy operation, IS to render tho skin
more susceptible of receiving tho tannin, henco
the ooze must bo removed tho moro frequently
and consequently will be kept sweet. 1t is wolI
known that whom sours, it lOoses portion
of its tanning quality, in other words. that tho
tannin combines with other substances i'll tho IL
quid, in which it Is held in solution. And herc.
too is a reason why leather tanned on my plan,
will bo better. Tho effect of sour liquor or oozo
upon leather, is to puff up tho fbres and make It
have 4 livery appearance, which makes It open
and porous, and much moro liable to break, as is
not at all unfrequenty the case, in boot or
shoe at that part of tho foot, which bends tho
most in walking.
+ The PRocEss.-The skin is puncturod whilo
in reduced state.
The instrument with which it is dono, presents
level surface of steel points, which have mado
out Of 4 vorv fino article Of cotton card combs,
containing Is points to the inch, which, placed
side, by side, and screwed firmly together TO n
box Of iron with three sides, the top of which
is handle, which is struck with maot
For heavy leather, will have n Goa rsor instru-
mont, say of IL points to tho inch. So far |
have struck these points through the skin and
when the skin is tannod there scarcely any
traces Of the punctures to bo seen farther than
tho grain sido epidermis.
BY this process Of puncturng the skin, the tan
min has free and immediate access to all parts of
it. This Is the improvement. Mr.. Snyder had
a pair of boots made from calf skin which he
had tanned in his twenty day process. The
leather was pronounced by the maker of the
boots, who was ignorant of the modo by which it
was tanned, to be singularly tough. while it wns
remarkably soft and plinble. So far as expert
| men,s have been made with heavy leather, the
suit confirms Mr.. Snyder's expectations. The
process leaves a most perfect grain, as the pune
tures stop all tendency to draw, while they in no
wise inJure the skin, when finished, the leath-
close that tanned in the usual way. .
| We doub, not, but that this process discovered
by Mr.. Snyder will command general attention
from those engaged in the business Of tanning.
If the leather tanned by this process be of better
quality than that tanned by the old node, and tho
time required shortened to turn out calf
SIX ms in 20 DAYS, and heavier leather in 80 100
the Improvement of Mr. S. will have most i'm
por,ant influence upon the business Of tanning, az
well upon the price of leather. Both manu-
facturers and consumers are deeply interested In
:, it.
Hon. r. C. Schonck, IN the absence of Mr.
Snyder;wiIl attend to any applications for rights
. to tan under tho now process.
c CLAss-It is difficult to forsee to what De rfec