Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-10-04
TANNED BY ELECTRICITY.
FRENCH TANNERS BRING QUE NEW
PROCESS.

Americans Hard 20 Convince That ths
New IdeH Was Really PractIcal-How
the Work is Done-over 80 Per Cent.
Saved by This --latest system-The
Speed OF Preparation.
The process of converting hides into
leather, as now followed, consumes a
space OF time varying from six 10 twelve
months. 1t also demands close atten-
tion and good management, as we'll as
experience. Great care has to be exer-
cised in the selection of material, else
lot OF choice hides are found at the eX-
piration OF the tanning season to have
deteriorated into second o. even third
quality leather. Tanners, and leather
dealers generally, are accredited with
being very careful and conservative in
all their business methods.
With these facts in view it is not sur
prising that when it was reported from
France that leather was being tanned by
electricity, American tanners regarded
the statement as newspaper sensation.
Twenty-four hours was considered pretty
quick work for even electricity. IL was
not until the doubling Thomases had
seen and felt that they believed.
But now since tanning by this pro-
cess seems an assured fact 1t is no
longer regarded as sort of transatlan-
tic Offset to our electric sugar refining.
Every item that can be cleaned is thor
oughly discussed and every source of III
formation eagerly sought. That tho
earlier efforts in this direction were fail
ures is true, but this was largely owing
to Il lack of electrical knowledge on the
part of the inventors. They were un.
able to econom ically produce an effective
current. And again, many experiments
were necessary 10 learn the strength o.
the most effective current. But thl5 ~
time was learned, as was also its most
economic mean, of production. Only
Uniform current will give good results
just What effect the electric current
has upon the tannin Is, as yet, question
OF dispute. Some claim that its effect is
upon the tannin. giving it more active
properties. Others say that it effects
the hide only. Professor S. p ThoInp.
son, who has examined The process.
thinks that the elect Is 10 open the
pores of the hide and 20 permit n NOR,
rapid access OF the amin solution. An.
ciiier claims that the current renGer,
th'' selallne more soluble, so that it /,
able to combine more rapidly with the
tannin. There is reason to believe ina.
there is truth in both these sta u. rni.,
from the fact that the leather T., IN "a
more pliable and of greater s,icns.;a
than that OF the long process.
A company has recently been formed
in England, which is preparing to tau
quite extensively by electric process.
The process is described by those who
have seen it as a very simple one. lnr
hides are placed in large cylinders.
which revolve upon horizontal aXlcs
The drum is filled with decoctiou q.
!annln and closed Provision is mada
Tor the passing OF current OF electric
ity through the drum. The drum is kept
slowly revolving until the process OF
tanning is completed. The length OF
Time required varies with the nature of
the hide. For the lighter skins, such III
sheen and goat. which used to require
l:um three To six months, by the elec
trie process are tanned in twenty-four
hours. The heavier hides such as CALI
OX, COW, or horse, require from seventy.
Two to ninety-six hours. By the old
fashioned bark process twelve months,
or even more would have been taken.
The coat OF production is greatly re-
duced by this method, for not only is the
saving in tue, but in labor. The actual
cost of working is reduced over 80 pei
cent. By the bark process the cost of
tanning is from to cents per pound OF
dry leather, as against that of or (
cants by the electric methods. And
H. lain, where a force of fifty men were
required to produce a given quantity of
leather, only ten are needed to produce
the same by the new methods. Hereto
tore large capital has been required to
run tannery having regular weekly
output.
As hides often require to lie in the tan
watts nearly year, it will be seen tha5 IL
great number must be in process of tan.
mage IN order that certain amount of
leather be turned out each week. In ali
dition to extensive plant, heavy invest
ments are represented by the hides IN
tannage But the electric process com.
pletely revolutionized this. Hides pur-
chased on Monday have been converted
IN o leather and put on the market by
saturday.