IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR BRUISING, GRAINING, OR CURRYING LEATHER SKINS AND HIDES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Théodore Marie Rabatté and Jacques Rettig, of
Paris, in the Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR BRUISING, GRAINING, OR
CURRYING LEATHER SKINS AND HIDES
Sealed the 23rd November 1855, and dated the 26th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Théodore Marie Rabatté
and Jacques Rettig at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 26th May 1855.
We, THEODORE MARIE RABATTE and JACQUES RETTIO, both of Paris, in the
Empire of France, and of 82, Essex Street, Strand, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR BRUISING,
GRAINING, OR CURRYING LEATHER, SKINS, AND HIDES," to be as follows, viz. :-
Our Invention relates to contrivances for mechanically effecting the opera-
tions mentioned in the title in a more efficient manner than can be done by
hand.
These operations, as is well known, are generally carried on by hand with a
grooved or furrowed piece of wood, called graining board, or pummel. The
object of this Invention is to imitate the manual labour by mechanical
pummels, so constructed that the hide or skin is bruised equally throughout,
although the thickness of the same may vary. This we effect by suspending

page_text: a series of mechanical bruisers or pummels in such manner, that each of them
may rise independently of the others, and yield or adapt itself to the thickness
of the hide. We obtain this result by using a series of pummels that are
portions or segments of a cylinder, and by linking said pummels to the lower
ends of frames or arms that are capable of sliding on blocks, the latter turn-
ing on a rocking shaft at the top of the machine. The pummels may thus
have an oscillating motion given to them; also a coiled spring bears; and
between the arm and the under side of the block, and a regulating set screw
passing through the upper extremity of the arm bears on the top of the block,
on which the weight of the arm and pummel and resiliency of the spring is
thus made to rest, the spring allowing the pummel and arm to rise when it
meets an unusual pressure from below.
The pummel is connected at the lower end of the arm by links, which being
put into a more or less vertical position, the radius of the circumference
described by the pummel or graining board, or the pressure produced, may be
increased or diminished at will, a coiled spring acting against the tendency of
the pummel to turn about the links, so as to cause the latter to assume a
horizontal position when working against the hide or skin. The whole set of
pummels is worked to and fro about the rocking shaft by a shaft placed under
the same near the pummels, and acting upon the arm by means of cams or
rollers, which it carries. The hide is laid upon a cylindrical table, which is
capable of rocking about an under shaft, that is in the same vertical plane as
the upper rocking shaft; the distance between the pummels and the currying
table is such that the hide is curried or bruised on the tangent line of the two
cylinders of which the pummels and the table form part; this table receives an
oscillating motion, equal in speed but contrary in direction to that of the
circular pummels. This motion is obtained by the same driving as that for
setting the pummels in motion, by means of a suitable disengaging gear,
similar to those used in planing machines. The whole set of pummels may be
raised or lowered by having the upper rocking shaft mounted eccentrically
upon a wheel shaft, which is turned by the operator by a suitable wheel gear,
thus allowing him to regulate the work and to press more or less hard on the skin
or hide. On the front part of the table there is a raised strip of metal, round
which the hide is passed for forming the fold. The furrows or ridges of the
pummels are inclined, and the pummels suspended in such order that the
inclinations of the ridges of each succeeding pummel is in a sub-contrary
direction to that of the ridges of the preceding one; these arrangements
being for facilitating the passage of the pummel on the hide, and equalizing
the action of the same. The hide is taken up by a roller at the working side

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Théodore Marie Rabatté and Jacques Rettig in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THEODORE
MARIE RABATTE and JACQUES RETTIG, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and
of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Théodore Marie Rabatté and Jacques Rettig, Her special licence
that we, the said Théodore Marie Rabatté & Jacques Rettig, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Théodore Marie
Rabatté & Jacques Rettig, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Treland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR BRUISING, GRAINING, OR CURRYING LEATHER, SKINS, OR HIDES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Théodore Marie
Rabatté & Jacques Rettig, by an instrument in writing under our hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Théodore Marie Rabatté & Jacques
Rettig, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
This new or improved machinery that we are going to describe differs from
all'apparatus used to this day for the same purposes,―
First, by the peculiar arrangement of the pallets that connect each set of
mechanical pummels, so that by causing the hide or skin to slide, it may be
pummelled in two cross directions.

page_text: Second, by a peculiar suspension of the series of mechanical pummels, so
arranged as to bruise the skin or hide equally throughout, although the thick-
ness of the same may vary.
Third, by some mechanical arrangements used for aiding the action of the
pummels.
Fourth, by a means of rolling up the hide or skin when prepared round
a roller.
Fifth, by the whole or general system of machinery.
We are now going to proceed, in reference to the annexed Sheet of Draw-
ings, to point out the progress of the various operations, and the particular
system of constructing the apparatus. Fig. 1 is a front elevation, cut through
the center; and Fig. 2, a section through A, B; a crank a commands the
motion; it is connected with the toothed pinion or spur nut 6, which two
pieces are loosely joined to the shaft c. The pinion 6 sets into gear d, e, f, g,
the last pinion g actuating two toothed semicircles or sectors h & i. One of
these sectors works the shaft k, and through it the pummels j, j', j"; the lower
one i actuates the shaft 7, and through it the cross bar m, on which the hide or
skin rests. The hide or skin is fixed by means of a cramp on the roller o, said
roller being capable of moving with and along its rocking shaft in all direc-
tions when under the pressure of the leather; a click q. by acting upon a
toothed wheel attached to the same shaft as the roller o, will secure the latter.
On the guider the hide or skin passes, which can be inflected, and the leather
is made to turn back under the oscillating motion of the pummels. These
pummels are suspended to oscillating frames s; a small projection t prevents
their sliding too far in one direction, but in the other they are capable of
sliding along a groove made in the piece j; a coiled spring u constantly forces
the pummels to their normal position. The above-described system may be
substituted for that shown, Fig. 3, in which the piece j is only suspended by
one side, acting upon the leather under the pressure of the piece v, which is
turned out of its position; in both cases a spring a constantly tends to force
the pummels against the hide. By the operators' hand the hide or skin is
made to assume different positions, that each part of it may be submitted
to the pressure of the inverse blades w of the series of pummels (Fig. 4).
Figs. 5 & 6 show the arrangement of the said blades of two successivo
pummels. In order to suitably regulate the pressure, we may raise or lower
the pummels by means of circular trunnions A, resting on pillow blocks B, B,
arranged in the frame, and to which is excentrically fixed the shaft that bears
the mechanical pummels. By merely changing the position of the said
trunnions, the length of the pummels, and consequently the pressure on the

page_text: hide or skin, may be increased or diminished. The change of position is
effected by means of the gear wheels A', A', and the crank B¹.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that what we claim as novel, and being secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the blades connecting each set of pummels, arranged in such a
manner as the leather led by the roller may be pummelled in two cross
directions.
Second, the peculiar suspension of the implement j to the movable sector,
which arrangement allows the hide or skin to be bruised equally throughout,
and some other mechanical arrangements contrived for aiding the action of
the pummels.
Third, the manner of rolling up the hide or skin when properly dressed
round the roller.
Fourth, the guide or bar r, which by folding the leather facilitates its
turning back.
Fifth, the spring x, by which the pummels are pressed on the leather,
which is to be bruised more or less strongly as it is more or less thick, the
suitable and desired pressure being regulated by the very thickness of the
skin.
Sixth, the arrangement by which the upper shaft is made movable for
raising or lowering the sector and the pummeling implement.
In witness whereof, we, the said Théodore Marie Rabatté and Jacques
Rettig, have hereunto set our hand and seal, this Twenty-first day
of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-five.