The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-04-01
From the UTlmington, Del, Etey Erening.
Making Patent Leather.


not aware that c. & J. Pyle, at Sixth and
Monroe streets, are the only manufacturers
of patent and enameled leather in all that
part of the United States lying south and
west of Newark, n. J. But so it is and
this firm purchases hides by the carload,
and turns out grades of leather that are
not only sent to all parts of the United
States, but exported direct to European
customers. They employ between 80 and
80 men in various departments of their
manufactory which covers the greater part
of square of ground.
1t takes about four months to turn a
green hide into patent leather. The
Messrs. Pyle get the bulk of their hides
from Chicago, because they regard them as
the best, though few are obtained from
Philadelphia, Baltimore and other places
The hides of steers, cows and bulls are
used. They cost. delivered, about 81
apiece and the chief expense in making
patent leather is in the cost of the material
rather than the labor.
The process of manufacture is an inter-
esting one. Arriving by carloads, the hides
are NTcI tflTONn iulO NalS Vi CtE@AE Hdttf 10
remove mud, &c. They are then immersed
into watts charged with a strong solution of
lime, which loOsens the hair. There are
eight of these watts, each holding so hides
When they come out of the lime water
they are taken care of by a set of men
aptly called "unhairers.' These men IA
pidly denude them of the loosened hair
and the hides are then placed in the puri-
fer OF bate.
The '.bate" Is bath which neutralizes
the lime 1t is nothing more than a solu-
ton of pidgeon manure, of which the firm
uses a great many tons in the course of
year Singularly enough, as it appears to
stranger, they can always get supply.
The price paid is about so cents per bushel.
After the hides have been churned in
the bate by revolving water-wheels till
all the lime in them Is killed, they are
placed in the tanning liquor. There are
46 tanning yats each holding so hides.
Here they soak for considerable time but
do not rest JOinted levers, ike giant arms
bent at the elbows, seize the submerged
frames on which the soaking hides are
hung and move them up and down con-
tinuously.
Takea cut of the tanning liquor the wet
hides are introduced into hydraulic press,
that makes them dry up in a hurry. A
cart load Of hides Is piled ON at a time, the
press started, thick stream Of liquor pours
out FOR few moments, and the hides are
thrown aside comparatively dry.
They next pass TO the splitting machine,
which is the gem of the establishment.
Primarily it may be described as a belt
knife about 25 or 80 feet long. carried on
two wheels in similar way TO \ band saw,
only that the band saw moves up and down
while this knife moves horizontally. As
il passes around the wheels il runs At one
part Of its circuits between small grinding
wheels, making :, 400 revolutions per minute
and kesping the edge oonstantly keen. At
the point Of contact showers Of spsrks hy
Of in continuous hery streams. Rollers,
composed Of numerous small sections, 80
adjusted as 10 agiye To the inequalities OF
F the hides. feed them steadily and regularly
towards this moving knife, splitting them
in such manner that the outer side from
which che hair grew Is left Of uniform
thickness Throughout It's whole extent.
ANY inequalities in the thickness Of the
whole hide Is left, after it has been split,
upon the under half Of the hide, which Is
technically termed split The split"
are generally worked up into material, this
Of itself forming a large branch Of the
business Of the firm, but some are finished
and cnsIneled in the same manner As the
upper portions of the hides to gil special
orders for an inferior grade Of that kind Of
lcather
Pull out Your watch and note the time
it takes a hide 20 pass through the ma
chine, says Mr. Pyle MUST 43 seconds
the knife had passed through the whole
length and breadth Of the hide and the
two halves were removed to their respec-
tive piles.
The outer portions Of the hides next pass
to the .-shavcrs, who remove the thin
scnrf adhering TO the outside This oper-
ation. which Is called .'bufhng," Is here
done entirely by hand, because no machin-
cry has vet been found 10 do the work
without cutting below the sscurf and re-
moving some Of the ''lifer Of the leather.
From the shavers the hides pass to the
sumae room, where they are immersed for
a time in vats filed with sumae liquor,
Sicily sumae being used. They next 20 to
the itters-oat aud oilers where they are
spread ON tables and thoroughly oiled.
They are then tackled upon frames and
placed on bong racks in the dryers, where
they are subjected to moderate heat fur
nished BY steam pipes.
After being dried they pass through
softening machines. which beat them into
uniform pliability. These machines are Of
Mr.. Cyrus Pyles own invention, patented
in 1854, and several of them are in use in
eastern factories.
The patehers then carefully examine the
hides, deity eemenfing small pieces into
any holes that may be found, these patches
being. when the hide is finished, as imper-
vious to moisture from the outside as any
other portion and imperceptible to the un-
trained eve.
The hides are now ready for what might
be termed the paint shop, bat is really
called the '.daubing room or japannery.
Here they are stretched on frames and re-
eeive first a coat of mixture of lampblack,
oil and benzine, mixed to the consistency
of thin putty and applied with long
scraper instead Of brush This primes
the leather and at the same time fills the
grain. Two or three subsequent coats Of
lampblack are applied with brush and
the hides then pass to the finishing rooms
where two or more coats of black varnish are
applied, the under coat being rubbed with
pumice stone as in finishing carriages.
As fast as the hides are coated they are
slid into racks, in what are called the dry
ing ovens, in which heat of about l4O0
is kept up. After the last coat has been
applied and has dried they are spread out
in the yard behind the shops to 'sun" for
little while. They are then removed
from the frames, trimmed, and rolled up
ready for the market.
The firm manufactures chiefly collar,
rolling and shoe-tipping, leather for harness
work, filling special orders for carriage
leather, and generally has orders on hand
for months ahead
1t is stated that cabbages may be pre-