IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SMUTTING OR FINISHING BLACKENED LEATHER Communi
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick James Drewry of Burton on Trent in the
County of Stafford Gentleman Executor of William Morgan Brown Patent
Agent of 38 Southampton Buildings, London deceased for an Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SMUTTING OR FINISHING BLACKENED
LEATHER Communicated from abroad by Charles Bayley Bryant of Woburn
Massachusetts United States of America
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan Brown ab
"
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1883.
WILLIAM MORGAN BROWN Patent Agent of 38 Southampton Buildings London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SMUTTING OR FINISHING BLACKENED LEATHER
[Communicated to him from abroad by Charles Bayley Bryant of Woburn
Massachusetts United States of America]
In the manufacture of leather after the skin has been tanned it is removed from
the tanning liquor and shaved and subsequently while wet is scoured or washed to
remove from it the dirt.
Scouring brings the leather into condition to be oiled or stuffed after which, the
leather having been dried is whitened and then grained and boarded as it is called,
and thereafter blacked, and after blacking, the leather to be fully finished will be
smutted.
This invention has for its object the production of a machine for smutting
leather smutting being one of the processes or steps for the fine or better finishing
of leather.
That class of leather, calf skin & wherein the black face is produced by or due to
the application of lamp black and an oleagenous material, is most commonly used
in the manufacture of boots and shoes and other articles of leather without smutting,
and the face of the leather shews a dull black the material of which easily
crocks off.
In some instances this black face has been rubbed by a cloth and by hand to
rub the black into the leather and remove all surplus black therefrom so that the
black color could not rub off or smut when handling the leather.

page_text: The process of "smutting" by hand, the only way it has been done up to the
present time, is slow and expensive.
In accordance with this invention a hide or side of leather, blackened by
machine or by hand, is subjected to the action of rubbers or smutters, and of
brushes.
The rubbers or smutters, by their friction against the leather roll or rub up
the
black film or skin as it may be called on the surface of the leather, into small
minute crumb like particles which are subsequently swept off or detached from the
leather by the brushes.
My invention consists in a smutting machine, or a machine to clean and finish
the oleagenous blackened face of leather, a support for the leather, and a series of
rubbers or smutters to rub or roll up the oleaginous film or skin thereon as
described, combined with a series of brushes or cleaners to sweep, detach or wipe
off the particles loosened by the rubbers or smutters as will be described.
A wheel or drum is mounted on a shaft having its bearings in standards the shaft
being driven by a belt on a fast pulley.
The drum or cylinder has attached to it a series of brushes, the latter being
made adjustable with relation to the cylinder and the leather supporting surface
which is made hollow to conform to the circle formed by the sweep of the brushes
leaving the space for the skin by nuts, so that the brushes may be made to act
properly on the face of the leather according to its thickness.
Between the series of brushes, and preferably adjustably mounted on the said
cylinder is a series of rubbers or smutters preferably composed of some sort of
strong fabric.
-Good results may be obtained by the employment of pieces of Brussells carpet,
and for the rubbers and smutters if desired a finer and softer brush than the first
named brushes may be employed.
The leather after being blacked in the usual way presents a dull black appearance,
and there is left upon the surface of the leather an oleagenous film or skin which
should be removed or else the same will smut and crock off when the leather is
being handled, or else will gum, in fact the removal of the outside film improves
the leather in every way and enables the same to be finished more readily.
The face of the hide or skin from which the dull black film has been removed
will appear bright and glossy, will not black the hands when the leather is being
handled, will not gum and will readily take further finish such as sizing &°.
This film or skin to remove it properly, must first be rubbed or broken up into
small crumb like particles.
This may be done by the rubbers or smutters before referred to which, acting
against the blackened face of the leather held on the leather support rub or roll up
the said film or skin into small crumb-like particles which are subsequently swept
off or removed from the leather by the brushes.
The series of brushes used alone would not detach the small crumb like particles
of lamp black, and oil, and leave the black face of the leather clean and bright.
The cylinder or drum rotates at a speed sufficiently slow to enable the attendant
to move the leather a little horizontally between the action on it of a rubber or
smutter and a brush, so that the different portions of the blackened face of the
leather will be acted upon in succession by the rubbers and brushes.
The machine herein described operates to perform the work required of it at a
very rapid rate as compared with hand work, and does its work even better than
can be done by hand, improves the quality of the leather, and enables it to be sold
for very considerable more than the ordinary blacked leather which is not
subsequently rubbed and finished as stated.
Prior to this invention the blackened face of leather having a film or skin
of lamp black and oleagenous material as described has not been finished by
mechanism.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick James Drewry Executor of William Morgan-Brown
deceased in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th July 1883.
FREDERICK JAMES DREWRY of Burton on Trent in the County of Stafford
Gentleman the sole acting Executor of William Morgan-Brown Patent Agent
of 38. Southampton Buildings London deceased who died on the thirty first day
of March one thousand eight hundred and eighty three "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SMUTTING OR FINISHING
"
BLACKENED LEATHER (A communi-
cation to the said William Morgan-Brown from Abroad by Charles Bayley Bryant
of Woburn, Massachusetts, United States of America.)
In the manufacture of leather, after the skin has been tanned it is removed from
the tanning liquor and shaved, and subsequently while wet, is scoured or washed
to remove from it the dirt.
Scouring brings the leather into condition to be oiled or stuffed, after which
the leather having been dried, is whitened, and then grained and boarded as it is
called and thereafter blacked, and after blacking, the leather, to be fully finished
will be "smutted."
This invention has for its object the production of a machine for "smutting"
leather, smutting being one of the processes or steps for the fine or better finishing
of leather.
That class of leather, calf skin et cetera, wherein the black face is produced by
or due to the application of lamp black and an oleagenous material, is most
commonly used in the manufacture of boots and shoes and other articles of leather,
without smutting and the face of the leather shows a dull black, the material of
which easily crocks off
In some instances this black face has been rubbed by a cloth and by hand to rub
the black into the leather and remove all surplus black therefrom so that the
black color could not rub off or smut when handling the leather
The process of "smutting" by hand, the only way it has been done up to the
present time is slow and expensive.
In accordance with this invention a hide or side of leather blackened by
machine or by hand is subjected to the action of rubbers or smutters and of
brushes.
The rubbers or smutters, by their friction against the leather roll or rub up
the black film or skin as it may be called on the surface of the leather into small
minute crumb-like particles which are subsequently swept off or detached from
the leather by the brushes
My invention consists in a smutting machine or a machine to clean and finish
the oleagenous blackened face of leather, a support for the leather, and a series of
rubbers or smutters to rub or roll up the oleaginous film or skin thereon as
described, combined with a series of brushes or cleaners to sweep, detach or wipe
off the particles loosened by the rubbers or smutters as will be described.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation in apparatus embodying this invention and
Figure 2, a view of the same from the left of Figure 1.
Referring to the drawings A represents a wheel or drum on a shaft B having
its bearings in standards C the shaft being driven by a belt on the fast pulley D.
The drum or cylinder A has attached to it a series of brushes a a the latter
being shown as made adjustable with relation to the cylinder and the leather
supporting surface E by nuts b, c on bolts d as will be understood from the drawings,
so that the brushes may be made to act properly on the face of the leather according
to its thickness.

page_text: Between the series of brushes and preferably adjustably mounted on the said
cylinder A is a series of rubbers or smutters f preferably composed of some sort of
strong fabric
Good results may be obtained by the employment of pieces of Brussels carpet,
and for the rubbers and smutters if desired a finer and softer brush than the brush a
may be employed.
The leather after being blacked in the usual way presents a dull black appearance
and there is left upon the surface of the leather an oleagenous film or skin which
should be removed or else the same will smut and crock off when the leather is
being handled or else will gum in fact the removal of the outside film improves the
leather in every way and enables the same to be finished more readily.
The face of the hide or skin from which the dull black film has been removed
will appear bright and glossy, will not black the hands when the leather is being
handled, will not gum, and will readily take further finish such as sizing et cetera.
This film or skin to remove it properly, must first be rubbed or broken up into
small crumb-like particles.
This may be done by the rubbers or smutters f before referred to which acting
against the blackened face of the leather held on the leather support E rub or roll
up the said film or skin into small-crumb-like particles which are subsequently
swept off or removed from the leather by the brushes a.
The series of brushes a used alone would not detach the small crumb-like
particles of lamp black, and oil, and leave the black face of the leather clean and
bright
The cylinder or drum rotates at a speed sufficiently slow to enable the attendant
to move the leather a little horizontally between the action on it of a rubber or
smutter and a brush so that the different portions of the blackened-face of the
leather will be acted upon in succession by the rubbers and brushes.
The machine herein described operates to perform the work required of it at a
very rapid rate as compared with hand work, and does its work even better than
can be done by hand, improves the quality of the leather and enables it to be sold
for very considerably more than the ordinary blacked leather which is not
subsequently rubbed and finished as stated
Prior to this invention the blackened face of leather having a film or skin
of lamp black and oleagenous material as described has not been finished by
mechanism
What I claim is
In a smutting machine or a machine to clean and finish the oleagenous blackened
face of leather, a support for the leather, and a series of rubbers or smutters to
rub or roll up the oleagenous film or skin thereon as described, combined with a
series of brushes or cleaners to sweep, detach, or wipe off the particles loosened by
the rubbers or smutters as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof I the said Frederick James Drewry have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twenty third day of July in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
FREDERICK JAMES DREWRY (ro)