The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1846-07-10
ANOTHER DI>CuNERY-NEN PROCESS
OF TANNING.


4 recent discovery 20 the atl Of tanning
leather has been uade by DR.. TurnbulI, of
London, which is SAID 10 a French paper,
" to eclipse everything that has been dis
covered IN the practical arts for three hun
bred years The process, It seems. has
bacn carried on lately in London on large
scale and has recently been introduced into
Paris, and been performed there IN presence
of the best tanners. \ communication on
the subject has been presented 10 the
French Academy Of Arts and Sciences,
which relates TO what is styled al Dr.. Turn
bulls practical application of the theory OF
undosmosis and exlosmusls, TO the procoss,o t
tanning, aud also the application Of the
so!uab!e principle Of sugar TO The same
purpose"
We give, from foreign journal. short
explanation Of what is meant BY endosmosis
and oxiosmosis. When a membrane inter.
venes between two liquids Of different dem
sItles, they produce two currents. the one
outward called exlosmos's, and the other IN.
wards called eudosmos,s. by this new
| physical law the currents Interchange On.
| I'll they become Of the sane specific gravity
thus Dr. Turnball, by sewing q hide Fl led
with one liquid of a certain specific gravity
and then lmmefsng the hide IN another IL
qnid Of greater or less sendcnsty, keeps up
| this reciprocal action, until such lime as the
hide is thoroughly tanned. BY the oTdna.
| ~ process Of tanning It requires eighteen
months 10 tan OIL OK hide, ono 100 pounds OF
bark, d.. Turnbull ,Ans the hide in four
teen days, and with only loo pounds oil
bark. Here, then, is saving Of outlay for
the process, and the tanner with the same
amount of capital, can do thirty six times
as much as under the old system. Aud
this not oil DR.. Turubul's process gives
an extra weight Of leather, vary ing from ! 5
10 25 pound per cent. Calves skins, which
under the old process require an immersion
IN the vat Of FIVE, six, and sever months,
are by DR.. Turnbu's process tanned in
tux days. This rapidly Of execution is by
no means attended with inieriori,y TO the
leather produced. On the contrary, il is
SAID TO become much better, all the salura,
ton required for the production Of good
leather beng as fully effected by the new
as the old process. The first par, OF the
ordinary mode Of tanning is to remove the
hair from tho skn-io do this lime is Gsed
and before the hair can be detached, the
corrosive action Of the lime always ptodu.
ces Ell injury to the skin, rendering II spon.
gy, and therefore readily susceptible of
moisture when the leather is made Up for
use, at the same time that the interests Of
the tanner are effected by loss Of weight.
Dr.. Turnbull effects the removal Of the
hair by the use Of sugar or any substance
containing saccharne matter or if lime be
used, It is removed by the application Of
sugar, before i, can do my injury, where.
az, By tie old process, q portion Of il must
forever remain in the skin. Hitherto eve.
~ process Of ropidty 10 tanning, has been
attended with loss Of quality, for the pro.
cess was expedited by The use Of acids
By the new process not only are no acids
used, in addition 10 The usual tanning ma.
tefIais, bet even tie portion Of acid which
those materials CONTAIN is destroyed. The
best tanners Of Paris have certified 10 the
reality aad great benefit Of this discovery
after seeing .1c operation performed uader
their own eyes, and a CON mission from the
AcaIcIny has been chosen to Fepor, on the
remarkably useful experiments.