IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER."-A communication from abroad by Manuel
Luis Godoy, Prince de Bassano, and Louis Antoine Beaudet, both of 33,
Boulevard Saint Martin. Paris, France.
Sealed the 27th May 1863, and dated the 29th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th November 1862.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER," communicated to me from abroad by Manuel Luis
Godoy, Prince de Bassano, and Louis Antoine Beaudet, both of 33, Boulevard
Saint Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved mode of treating leather or tanned
skins and hides before being curried, its object being to render them stronger

page_text: and thicker, more durable, and of improved quality. For this purpose the
leather or tanned skins and hides are treated with chondrine, glutine, or other
proteic and gelatinous matters or substances kindred thereto, employed by
preference in combination with neutral salts, or with a metallic oxyde of
antimony, cobalt, cadmium, bismuth, tin, nickel, lead, or zinc, or the like.
An agent or composition for the purpose of this Invention is manufactured
by combining gelatine and glycerine with animal albumen and a neutral salt
or one of the oxydes before mentioned.
The Invention is applicable to skins and hides when fresh from the tanning,
as also to those that have become dry. In the latter case they may first be
soaked in a concentrated, tannin liquor or solution, so as to absorb as much
tanning substance as possible.
A method of treating leather or skins and hides according to this Invention
consists in taking them, after draining off or expelling the moisture, and soaking
them in a bath or liquor composed of gelatine aad glycerine well mixed
together, to which is added animal albumen obtained from leather cuttings or
waste or animal tissue, and also a small quantity of neutral salts, or one (or
more) of the aforesaid metallic oxydes. The composition should be neutral
and never acid, and the proportions preferred are o gelatine to 1 glycerine,
and four per cent. albumen; and the temperature preferred is 86° Fahr., and the
degree preferred about 10° Beaumé, but other proportions, degrees of tem-
perature, and degrees of arcometer, may be used. After soaking the skins and
hides they should be allowed to imbibe on the side (côté de la fleur) a little
neutral animal oleine mixed with linseed oil, they are then left to dry and ready
for being curried.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send a
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the 3

page_text: said Michael Henry, Her special licence, that I, the said Michael Henry,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Michael
Henry, my 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 Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF LEATHER," communicated to me from abroad by Manuel Luis Godoy,
Prince de Bassano, and Louis Antoine Beaudet, both of 33, Boulevard Saint
Martin, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Michael Henry, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing'
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said Michael Henry, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, as communicated to me, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a mode of treating tanned skins and hides before
they are curried, and it has for its object to render them thicker, stronger, and
more durable, and to improve their quality. For this purpose the tanned
skins or hides are treated with chondrine, glutine, or other proteic and
gelatinous matters, or with substances congeneric or kindred thereto, employed
by preference in combination with neutral salts; or with a metallic oxide of
antimony, cobalt, cadmium, bismuth, tin, nickel, lead, or zinc.
An agent or composition for the purposes of this Invention is manufactured.
by combining gelatine, glycerine, and animal albumen with a neutral salt, or
with one of the oxides before mentioned.
The Invention is applicable to skins and hides when fresh from being tanned,
as also to those that have become dry; in the latter case, before treating them
according to this Invention, they should first be soaked in a concentrated
tanning liquor or solution, so that they may absorb as much tanning substance
as possible.
:
A method or process of treating the tanned skins and bides according, to.
this Invention consists in taking them, after first draining off or expelling the
moisture from them, and then soaking them in the agent before mentioned,

page_text: that is to say, in a bath or liquor composed of gelatine and glycerine, well
mixed together, to which is added animal albumen obtained from leather
cuttings, leather waste, or other animal tissue, and also a small quantity of a
neutral salt, or one of the aforesaid metallic oxides. The composition should
be neutral and never acid. The proportions preferred are nine-tenths gelatine
to one-tenth glycerine, and four per cent. albumen; the temperature and
degrees of areometer preferred are 86° Fahrenheit, and 10° Baumé, but other
proportions and degrees of temperature and areometer may be used. After
soaking the skins and hides in the said agent they should be allowed to drain
and then caused to imbibe on the hair side (côté à fleur) a little neutral animal
oleine mixed with linseed oil. They are then left to dry, and when dry are
ready for being curried.
In performing the process above described, the skins or hides should be left
for several hours in the bath and well turned about therein, so that the agent
may penetrate thoroughly into their pores. To render the leather pliant, the
quantity of glycerine should be proportionately increased. Instead of using
in the foregoing process the aforesaid composition, (consisting of gelatine,
glycerine, and albumen, with a neutral salt or metallic oxyde,) other proteic
and gelatinous matters or substances kindred or congeneric thereto, may be
used in like manner in such process,
I wish it to be understood that in the expression "proteic and gelatinous
matters or substances congeneric or kindred thereto," used in this Specification,
I include proteine compounds and derivatives, matters having proteine for their
base, substances of the proteic, albuminoid, proteiniferous, or proteine group
(as they are variously called), and glutine, chondrine, and gelatinous, and
gélatiginous matters and compounds, and substances analogous, congeneric or
kindred to the same.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as improvements in the
manufacture of leather,-
First, the employment for the purpose set forth of proteic and gelatinous
matters, or substances kindred or congeneric thereto, for treating tanned hides
and skins before they are curried.
Second, the employment of an agent or composition consisting of, gelatine,
glycerine, and animal albumen combined with a neutral salt, or with one of
the herein-before mentioned metallic oxides, for the purpose set forth.
Third, the process or method of treating skins and hides herein-before
described, in which the agent or composition referred to in the second claim,

page_text: or other proteic and gelatinous matters or substances congeneric or kindred
thereto, are employed as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
S. E. A. NEWSOME,
Patent Office,
84, Fleet Street.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)