Improvements in Leather Ropes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Leather Ropes.
1, CHARLES KELLNER of 1 Bartensteingasse 8, Vienna, Austrin, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to leather ropes, and it has for its object, to provide ropes of
this species, which shall be throughout of uniformn thickness and strength, and easy to
be made.
While, in the attempts made hitherto to ma ufacture leather ropos, flat straps have
heen plaited together or helically wound round a core of leather or hemp, the ropes
are according to this invention, twisted together of leather strings, circular, or nearly
circular, in cross section.
In order to make such a rope, a tanned, or by preference an untanned, hide is cut
into pieces of uniform thickness, and afterwards each of such pieces is cut into a
string, by means of a spiral cut starting either from the centre, or from the circum-
ference of the piece. After having tanned the untanned strings, the breadth of which
is made equal to the thickness, so as to obtain a square cross section, the said strings
are moistened and, by passing them through a wire drawing die plate, or through a
hollow cylinder having sharpened edges, or by rolling them, a nearly circular cross
section is given to them. Finally these strings are twisted together like hemp
strings.
""
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Leather Ropes.
I, CHARLES KELLNER of 1 Bartensteingasse 8, Vienna, Austria, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the method of manufacturing leather cordage of any kind
and more especially leather ropes, and it has for its object to provide ropes, and the
like of considerable length, great strength and relatively small weight and bulk.
According to the invention, the hemp strands, of which ordinary ropes an⋅l cordage
are made, are replaced by leather strings, which have by preference a circular cross
section, hut may in certain cases be in the form of narrow ribbons. Quite as is done
with hemp strands, such leather strings may be twiste together to form ropes; in
special cases they may he suitably combined with strands of hemp, cotton, flax, jute,
wire, etc.
In order to make the leather strings, which are required for carrying out this
invention, dressed or undressed hides are suitably shred, and in the case of undressed
Lides, the strings thus obtained are afterwards dressed. When dressed hides are
concerned, each hide is previously rounded at its circumference and afterwards it
is slightly soaked in water. Then, by a spiral cut extending from a point of the
circuinterence of the hide to its centre, a string is formed, the breadth of which
is made nearly equal to its thickness, so as to obtain a nearly square cross
section.
According to the dimensions of the hide and the breadth of the strip cut, the
resulting leather string may be of a length of from 100 to 500 yards, and it will be

page_text: readily understood that these long strings, the tensile strength of which owing to the
special structure of leather, is very great, afford possibility for the manufacture of very
long continuous ropes.
The leather strings of square cross section, referred to above, are next brought to n
nearly circular cross section by rolling them like whip strings. Prior to this rolling,
alum-leather is moistened with glycerine, tanned leather with degras and chamois-
leather with water. To alum-leather any desired colour may be given at once by
treating it with any suitable well known dye-bath. Another way of rounding the
cross section of the leather strings consists in passing them through a wire drawing
die plate or through a hollow cylinder having sharpencil edges.
The leather strings thus obtained are twisted to ropes according to the same
methods and with the aid of the same machinery as ordinary hemp strands and muy
be suitably combined with strands of other materials.
Ropes of this description will replace to advantage the usual ropes, and when
made exclusively of leather, they will do especially good service in localities where
there is danger of fire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of leather cordage the method of preparing long leather
strings or strips by spirally shredding hides, substantially as described.
2. In the manufacture of leather cordage the method described of preparing long
leather strings of circular cross section by spirally shredding hides into a sting the
breadth of which is nearly equal to its thickness, and afterwards rolling this string
as usual with whip-strings, substantially as described.
3. In the manufacture of leather cordage, the described way of preparing long
leather strings of circular cross section by spirally shredding hides into a string the
breadth of which is nearly equal to its thickness and afterwards passing the string
through a wire drawing die plate or through a hollow cylinder having sharpened elges
substantially as described.
4. Ropes twisted together of leather strings of circular cross section, substantially
as described.
5. Ropes twisted together of leather strings of circular cross section combined with
strands of suitable other materials, substantially as described.
CHARLES KELLNER
CHARLES KELLNER
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, Agents.