A PROCESS BY WHICH A CERTAIN MATERIAL IS PREPARED AND RENDERED A SUITABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR LEATHER
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GUNBY, of New Kent Road, in the County of Surry, Sword and Gun Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
•
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-eighth day of February,. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-
four, in the fifth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said John
Gunby, my exors, adonors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said John Gunby, my exors, admors, and
assigns, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A PROCESS BY WHICH A CERTAIN
MATERIAL IS PREPARED AND RENDERED A SUITABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR LEATHER;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said
John Gunby, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within.six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then, the
said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby.
granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the
same, relation 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
John Gunby, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in the following description thereof, that is to say:-
I take woollen or linen cloth of any requisite thickness, or a mixture of linen
and woollen or linen, cotton, and woollen or felt, &c., as all these fabrics are
convenient for my purposes. For such articles as require a pliable quality
for the manufacture of ties for women's pattens, &c., I make a composition
as follows:-Common glue size in a state of jelly, about one part, fat boiled
linseed oil about four parts; lamp black about half a part; white lead, as
ground in the mill, about one part; pipe clay, ground fine, about one part;
litherige ground fine two parts. When the glue size is sufficiently
melted at a moderate heat, add the boiled linseed oil by degrees, keeping
the mixture in constant motion until completely blended, and which will
be effected in a few minutes; then add the lamb black, white lead, and
pipe clay and litherige, and when all are melted and quite free from
lumps, let the whole simmer for half an hour or more, by which means
the composition will become much thicker and consequently much firmer
for the intended purpose; then the composition is ready to apply to the
cloth. The readiest mode I find is to strain the cloth on a frame (or frames)
of such dimensions as is most convenient, and with a proper size palet knife
(or any other convenient way) apply the composition (in a warm state) to the
cloth, taking especial care the cloth is well filled with said composition, so
that when dried and cut it is found to be thoroughly saturated; when the
cloth is so prepared, let the frames be placed where there is a circulation of
air, or in a moderately warm room, according to the season of the year, as it
is material the composition should be dried gradually. When the first coat
of composition is found sufficiently dried, add a second or third or fourth
coat, as may be thought requisite, taking care each additional coat is
laid on as thin as possible (as a superabundence would prevent the desired
pliability) leaving the surface every time as smooth as it can be made, and
should such care not yield a surface so even as may be wished, let the cloth
be cut into stripes of a proper breadth for patten ties, &c., and placed
between iron or other plates and passed through rolls, worked by horse or mill
or manual power, by which means the surface may be made as even as the
plates themselves. When I have proceeded thus far, I take oil or varnish
colour of any tint required, and when these coatings are dry, and the surface
assumes a japanned appearance, the operation is complete, and the material
ready to be cut up into patten ties, &c., such ties, &c., being finished in dies

page_text: under a press or stamp, similar to raising impressions on paper, metal, or horn.
For purposes which do not require to be so elastic, such as for carriage tops,
&c. &c., I add glue size and pipe clay and white lead in such proportions
as the nature of the surface demands, and when the pieces are so large as
to be inconvenient to pass through rolls, the surface may be rubbed down
from time to time with pounded pumice stone, trippels, &c., and then the
oil or varnish colour applied as often as found necessary for the purpose
intended.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gunby, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.