The Arizona champion., 1891-05-16
TANNING BY ELECTRICITY.
The New Method Adopted in
 Europe.
IT WILL REvolUTIoAIzE THE BUSINESS.
A Description of the Process. It's
 Chsapness.

The process of converting hides into
 leather, as now followed, consumes a
 space of time varying from six to twelve
 months. 1t also demands close attention
 and good management, as well as expe-
 rience. Great care has to be exercised
 In the selection of material, else a lot of
 choice hides are found at the expiration
 of the tanning season to have deteriorated
 into second or 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 1t is not sur
 prising that when 1t was reported from
 France that leather was being tanned
 by electricity, American tanners regard
 ed the statement as a newspaper sensa-
 ton. Twenty-four hours was considered
 pretty quick work for even electricity.
 It was not until the doubting Thomases
 had seen and felt that they believed.
 But now since tanning by this process seems an assured fact it is no longer re- garded as a sort of transatlantic offset to our electric sugar refining. Every item that can Do gleaned is thoroughly dis cussed and every source of information eagerly sought. That the earlier efforts in this direction were failures is true, but this was largely owing to lack of electrical knowledge on the part of the inventors. They were unable to econom- ically produce an effective current And again, many experiments were neces. sary to learn the strength of the most effective current. But this in time was learned, as was also it's most economic means of production. Only a uniform current will give good results.
 The process, as described by those who have seen 1t, Ia a very simple one. The hides are placed in large cylinders, which revolve upon horizontal axles. The drum is filled with decoction of tannin and closed. Provision is made for the passing of current of electricity 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 as sheep and goat, which used to require from three to six months, by the electric process are tanned in twenty-four hours. The heavier hides, such as calf, OK, 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 cost of production is greatly re- duced by this method, for not only is the saving in time, but in labor. The actual cost of working is reduced over 50 per cent By the bark process the cost of tanning is from seven to eight cents per pound of dry leather, as against that of three to four cents by the electric meth ods-And again, where force of fifty men were required tto produce a given quantity of leather, only ten are needed to produce the same by the new meth ods Heretofore large capital has been required to run tannery having regu- lar weekly output. As hides often re. quire to lie in the tan vats nearly a year, it will be seen that a great number must be in process of tanna,e in order that a certain amount of leather be turned out each week. In addition to extensive plant, heavy investments are represented by the hides in tannage. But the cleo trio process completely revolutionizes this. Hides purchased on Monday have been converted into leather and put on the market by Saturday.
 Just what effect the electric current has upon the tannin is as yet question of dispute. Some claim that it's affect Is upon the tannin, giving 1t more active Others say that 1t effects the hide only. Professor s. P. Thomp- son, who has examined the process, thinks that the effectis to open the pores of the hide and 80 permit more rapid access of the tannin solution. Another claims that the current renders the gela- tine more soluble, so that it is able to combine more rapidly with the tannin. | There is reason to believe that there is l truth in both these statements, from the | fact that the leather is much more pli- | able and of greater strength than that | of the long process.
 A company has recently been formed In England which is preparing to tan quite extensively by electric process. They will have an exhibit of their leath- CTS at the Paris exposition, as will also the French Electric Tanning company. Our visiting tanners, leather dealers and shoe manufacturers will no doubt view it with interest One of our largest leather dealers has decided upon Paris trip, especially to learn more of this, what he termed few months ago new tangled idea.-New York Mail and Ex- press.