IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING AND DRESSING OR CURRYING OF SKINS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Moses
POOLE, of Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-second day of February, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Moses Poole, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Moses Poole, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such other's
as I, the said Moses Poole, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any
timo agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during tho
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING AND DRESSING OR CURRYING OF
SKINS," communicated to me by a certain Foreigner residing abroad; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said. Moses
Poole, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed; to be enrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Moses Poole, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
The nature of the Invention for tanning or currying and dressing skins,
is for the employment of machinery, afterwards described, for the purpose of
removing the hair from the skins without the aid of acid or alkalies, and for
softening the skins in order to render them more suitable to receive the tanning
matter, and for the arrangement of machinery for cutting or paring the skins,
by which I am enabled to obtain a uniform thickness, which is of great im-
portance in tanning the skins in a regular manner; this part of the operation
has been done heretofore by hand; and also in an arrangement of machinery
for currying and dressing skins, as will be hereafter described. The means
and objects of the present Patent rest upon different principles. I have
arranged them to explain the mode of producing the four following effects,--
First, not altering the skins by any chemical reaction.
Second, preparing the skins by mechanical means, so as to render it more
fit to receive the tanning material.
Third, to reduce the labour.
Fourth, a mode of currying or dressing the skins by mechanical means.
The first operation is preparing the skin to be tanned by soaking it in the
green or fresh state for some hours, when it is submitted to the action which
will be afterwards described. The skins, when dried, are treated in the follow-
in manner: After they have been well soaked for some time, generally about
forty-eight hours, I place them in what I call a fulling machine (which is
shewn in the Drawing at Figure 1), and they are subjected to the action ram-
mers for about an hour. By the repeated blows which they receive from these
rammers the skins are softened and brought into a fit state to have the hair
removed. They are then taken into another apparatus or vessel, which is
-shewn in the Drawing at Figure 2, to the action of which they are submitted
for some time. Steam is admitted into this vessel to raise the temperature
about to 40° or 45° degrees of Fahrenheit; the skins are then removed into
another vessel, which may be of wood or any other suitable material, where
they are subject to the action of lukewarm water in running through them
for the space of about twenty-four hours. Care should be observed with regard
to the temperature, otherwise should the action of removing the hair be better
on one side of the skin than the other, you run the risk of making the skin

page_text: hollow, and of injuring the quality. A workman, by practice, can with his
hand. ascertain the proper degree of temperature, but it can always be ascer
tained by the use of the thermometer. To operate upon a small quantity of
skins at one time, no further preparation would be necessary to remove the
hair; but when working upon a large scale it is necessary to act upon them
more quickly. I use lime water in place of lime milk, which is ordinarily used
for soaking the skins, the temperature of which should be regulated by tho
quantity of skins to be operated upon at one time. After these operations
have been completed the hair may be removed from the skins with the greatest
facility; the skins are then subjected to the action of cutting and pairing by a
machine, which is shewn in the Drawing, Figures 4 and 5; the machine
regulated by the workman acts upon the skin in the manner required, and
removes all the parts of flesh which adhere to the skin, and fits it for tho
future operations, which it has to undergo. The advantage, of this mode of
preparing the skin is, that only that part of the skin is prépared for tanning
which is rendered available, whereas in the old plan the whole of the skin is
tanned, and has afterwards to be pared, which produces much waste of tan-
ning matter. The parts of the skins which are cut off in this state may, be used
in the manufacture of glue and such like matters. The skins thus prepared
are placed in the fulling apparatus, and worked in like warm water for some
time, according to the nature of the skins; they are then placed in the vessel
shown at Figure 2, to saturate them in.a weak quantity of tanning matter for
several hours; they are then removed and piled up;.about two hours after that
I place them in a stronger quantity of tanning matter the three first days.
They are removed three times afterwards, once every day; they are fulled every
forty-eight hours, and placed into the other vessel for half an hour in the same
tanning, matter, and then afterwards until they are sufficiently saturated. The
action of the rammers in the fulling machine softens the skins and renders
them more suitable to receive the tanning matter, and by the use of the vessel
at Figure 2 I am enabled to bring every part of the skin in contact with the
tanning matter, which acts upon it in a rapid and uniform state. The time also
in which this operation is performed is considerably shorter than the old plan.
Another mode of operating upon the skins is as follows:-The skins being
placed in the vessel for removing the hair previously described, a quantity of
steam is forced in to raise the temperature of the liquid to about forty or forty-
five degrees.. By the rotatory movement of this vessel the skins are thrown
against the sides and fall to the bottom, and aro again raised; this action is
continued for some time until the skins have lost some portion of their hair;
they are then placed in a vessel shewn in the Drawings, Figures 6, 7, 8, to

page_text: which motion may be communicated by any suitable power. This vessel has
a series of pegs or pins fixed therein, and it is placed in the water as far up as
the half of these pegs. The skins which project over these pegs have their
hair removed by the rotary motion of the vessel, and the hair falls to the
bottom of this vessel; there is a metallic grating which prevents the skin from
falling out of the vessel. The skins may now be cut and submitted to the
different operations previously described.
I will now describe the improvements which relate to currying or dressing
the skins after the skins have been tanned by the process which has been
previously described, or by any other process. They are plastered over with
fatty matter, composed of oil and tallow; the skins thus greased and placed
in a cylinder having a series of pegs or pins placed on the inner surface of
it, in a similar manner to the one previously described. This eylender is
made to revolve, and the skins are forced against the pegs in its rotation.
This action is to be kept up for about half an hour, when the fatty matter
will be found to have penetrated into the skin, and the surface will present a
perfectly dry appearance. They are then to be withdrawn, and stretched
and dried, and further prepared by the ordinary means. Although I have
described the use of this cylinder or drum in the currying or dressing skins in
connection with my system of tanning, yet it is not absolutely necessary to
be used, as this system of tanning prepares the skins to receive better the
greasy matters, but in many cases it will be found advantageous to use
the system above described. I have shewn in the Drawing a press for pressing
the skins; but I do not confine myself to that, as any other suitable means
of acting upon the suitable cutters may be used. Another part of this
system consists in cutting the skins to suitable sizes to render them moro
convenient for the sale of the different products. This is ordinarily effected
by placing on the skin a model of the size or form required, and afterwards
cutting the skin to it. This is usually a long operation, and is not done so
correctly as is required. I have endeavored to arrange a system which will
be found to be more exact and more expeditious. It consists of the use of
a strong plate of the required form, and having round it a cutting blade of
steel, which levels the plate on one side, and raises the cutting blade rather
above the surface of this same plate. By this arrangement the work is
much more regular and exact, and more easily executed than when done by
hand, besides which you are enabled to operate upon a large number of skins.
The skins, although submitted to the operation of pareing, and consequently
have their thickness equalized, present sometimes some slight inequalities
which are injurious; these have to be planed off by a very small cutter.
This

page_text: operation is performed after the skins has been cut and bent into the form
required by the party who is to use the skin, and it is done by placing it
on a table, and retaining there by a sort of nipper, which is pressed upon
the skin by the workman. To keep up this necessary pressure, to retain the
skin in its place, hinders the workman in performing this part of his work.
I have arranged a simple system to obviate this; I use nippers or holder, some-
what of the form of a pruning hook, placed at the side of the table, attached
to an upright bar, which slides in a groove made in the framing fixed to
the side of the table. In the lower part of the nipper is a notch, in which
is placed a lever, having a weight attached to its end; the weight acting upon
the lever draws it down, and consequently forces the nippers on to the table,
and retains the skin in the required position. To relieve this lever when it
is required, there is placed upon the right side of the frame another lever,
which acts against a peg placed in the lower part of the nippers. This lever,
acting against the pin raises the bar which slides in groove, and, consequently,
the nipper above the table, and allows the workman to remove it or not, as

page_text: presser; the upper cylinder A is raised and lowered by means of two
screws D, D, placed in the upper cross part of the framing, and acting
upon the supports H, fixed to the sides of the framing. At the end of
this axis there is a small fly wheel I, by means of which the screws
F, F, are turned, These in turning give movement to the wheels E, which
turns the screws D. These screws carry immediately below the wheel E two
collars, in which rests a bar K, which has affixed to its two ends two
brackets L, into which passes the axis of the cylinder A, and rises and falls
with them. The action is that of a presser. At the two ends of each cylinder
are fixed toothed wheels of different diameter M, N, M, N. Those which
are placed upon the axis of the lower cylinder B are moveable, and run on
this axis in order that they may be moved from left to right by means of
two forked pieces O fixed to the ends of a bar P, which is placed across
the machine. These wheels are moveable according to the length of the
axis, and are fixed by means of a sliding bar fixed on the same axis, in order
that they may not turn without moving the cylinder in their rotation, the
two wheels M, M, taking into each other when the cylinders are apart the
one from the other, and the wheels N, N, when they are brought together.
In order that in these two positions the cylinders turn simultaneously, at
the end of each cylinder are mounted two fixed pullies o, o, which receive
the bands by which motion is communicated to this machine. To the two
front parts of the machine are fixed two cutters P, P¹, which turn in bearings
in the pieces g, q, fixed to the frame. The cutter P has fixed to it a cutting
blade, and the cutter P¹ has a blade, but not having a cutting edge. Tho
action of the machine is as follows:-The skin is placed under the upper
cylinder, and is taken between the two cylinders, and pressed and drawn
through, according to its length; when the skin is thus arranged the two
wheels M, N, are put in motion at the same time. The cutter P¹ is passed
over the skin in pressing it against the upper cylinder. This pressure is effected
by means of the cross piece K, which is moved by hand. The skin thus
pressed is drawn by the two cylinders, between which it is placed. The cutter
P is then to be put into action, the cutting blade of which is parallel to the
surface of the upper cylinder. The edge of this cutter is somewhat similar to
those which are ordinarily used. This cutter, in acting upon the hair side of
the skin, removes what may be on, and equalizes the thickness of it. This
machine performs the work which has heretofore been done by hand.
Description of Figures 6, 7, 8, which shew various views of the moveable
cylinder or drum, the application of which has been previously described. —A
represents the outer case; B, B, the axis of the inner cylinder; C the

page_text: inner cylinder; D the cross pieces which keeps the parts separate; E, F, are
the supports for the cross pieces D; G shews the circumference of the inner,
cylinder; Hare pegs or pins placed thereon; I is a metalic cloth, closing
the opening of the inner cylinder from the periphery and from the axe; K
is the opening for putting in the skins; L is the door for closing this
opening; M, M, are the tubes through which the steam or water or tanning
matter is passed into the cylinder; O is the ladder for the workman to descend
to regulate the cocks; P shews the level of the liquid in the cylinder; 1, 1,
are the wheels which communicate the motion to the machine.
Figures 9, 10, 11, shew various views of the mode of holding the skins
on the table, when under operation of removing the inequalities in the surfaces
of the skins. a, a, represents the form of nipper or holder for holding the
skins; b, b, is the table upon which the skins are laid; c, c, is the upright
rod or bar which slides in a groove; d is the lever which acts upon the
holder a; e is the notch in which the lever d rests; f represents the weight
attached to the lever d; g is the lever which acts upon the pins to raise
the lever d when required, as before explained.
Figure 12 shews a form of press used by me in the process of dressing
skins.
In the foregoing description and Drawings I have described and shewn
particular forms of machines, but I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself thereto, as variations may be made without departing from the
character of the Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-one.
MOSES (L.B.) POOLE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of August, in the
year of, our Lord 1841, the aforesaid Moses Poole came before our said Lady