Improvements in the Manufacture of Marbled Leather.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1895-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Marbled Leather.
I, REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan and Co., of 18 Buckingham
Street, Strand, W.C., London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention a communication to me from abroad by John Scholl, of 111 Van
Voorhis Street, Brooklyn, N.Y., United States of America, Manufacturer, and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is the production of leather with a practically
indelible marbled surface.
The following is an example of the way in which the invention can be carried
out.
Take skins such for instance as calf-skins of the best possible quality and tan the
same in any suitable manner preferably with sumach, taking care to impart to the
skins the greatest possible pliability and softness and while the same are still in a
wet state stretch them, which can be effected by securing the same on frames of
wood or other suitable material so as to keep the pores of the tanned skins as open
as possible. The stretched skins are then dried in the open air and then they are
uniformly scraped on the flesh side and finally nailed to boards of corresponding
sizes. A vat which must be of sufficient capacity, is charged with fresh water to
which is added a sufficient quantity of common salt so that the oil colors will float
upon the water.
If a skin, prepared as above stated and nailed to a board, is to be marbled with
a single color, pour the oil color in single drops upon the surface of the water
contained in the vat and by the motion of the water produced by the drops, the oil
color is caused to form various configurations which may be still further varied by
imparting to the water in the vat additional movements. These movements can be
produced by means of small wooden rods or by means of a fan or by the evolution
of a gas in the water contained in the vat such for instance as carbonic acid. In
order to effect this last named purpose a small quantity of carbonate of potassium
may be added to the water together with a small quantity of a substance capable
of disengaging the carbonic acid from the carbonate. For this purpose a few drops
of sulphuric acid may be added to the water in the vat.
The color may also be spread out so as to form various configurations either by
dissolving a small quantity of carbonate of potassium in the water or by bringing
the drops of oil color floating on the water, iu contact with carbonate of potassium.
When the configurations of the oil color or colors formed on the surface of the
water in the vat correspond to the taste of the operative, he introduces the skin
nailed on a board in an inclined direction so that the surface of the skin takes up
the color or colors floating on the water.
If it is desired to color skins with various colors such colors may be successively
introduced into the same vat or several vats may be provided which contain the
different colors. The colored skins are dried in a heated room and then they are
removed from the boards and passed through slightly heated calendering rolls.
The loose color existing on each skin is removed by means of a soft brush and the
skin is again passed through calendering rolls. After this has been done, the
colored side of the skin is saturated with a solution of snellac in alcohol which
forms the polishing solution. After the skin has become dry a pad of wool is
saturated with the polishing solution, then this saturated pad is wrapped up in a

page_text: soft linen cloth so that the polishing solution passes through this wrapper and then
the surface of the skin is rubbed with this pad in circular lines, continuing this
operation until the surface of the skin has attained the desired lustre or brilliancy
which is finally reached by applying to the linen cloth containing the pad, a small
quantity of oil.
By the process of dyeing, calendering and polishing the skins become somewhat
hard and their original pliability can be restored by scraping their backs with a
suitable knife.
The colors best suited for carrying out this invention are oil colors. Aniline
colors whether soluble in water or in alcohol are not suitable.
The quantities of the constituents of the composition for carrying out this process
are as follows:
The quantity of salt changes according to the specific gravity of the oil colors
used.
Instead of dissolving the carbonate of potassium in the water very small
quantities of powdered carbonate of potassium may be sprinkled directly upon the
lumps of coloring matter floating on the water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The process of providing leather with a marbled surface, which consists in
providing a body of water, dissolving therein a quantity of common salt, floating
coloring matter on the surface of this solution, and then exposing the leather to the
action of the coloring matter, substantially as described.
2. The process of providing leather with a marbled surface, which process
consists in providing a body of water, dissolving therein a quantity of common salt,
floating coloring matter on the surface of the solution, agitating the coloring
matter, and then exposing the leather to the action thereof, substantially as
described.
3. The process of providing leather with a marbled surface, which consists in
providing a body of water, dissolving therein a quantity of common salt, floating
coloring matter on the surface thereof, bringing carbonate of potassium into contact
with said coloring matter and then exposing the leather to the action of the
coloring matter, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1895.