IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING, EMBOSSING, AND ORNAMENTING LEATHER
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM EAST, of the firm of Thomas East and Son, Bermondsey, Leather
Dressers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fourteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Frederick William East, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Frederick
William East, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Frederick William East, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING, EMBOSSING, AND ORNAMENTING
LEATHER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the
said Frederick William East, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick William East, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner of performing the same, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of dressing, embossing, and ornamenting the flesh
side of leather, as hereafter explained.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
I
would, however, first remark, that heretofore when leather has been dressed
and embossed in order to ornament the same, it has been usual to dye and
emboss the grain side of the leather, by which a close, smooth, and com-
paratively inferior effect can be produced, but by dressing, dyeing, and
embossing the flesh side of the leather a very improved ornamented effect is
obtained.
My improvements apply to sheep and other skins tanned with shumac or
other tanning matter, but not to oil-tanned skins. In carrying out my
Invention, I prefer to employ sheep skins tanned with shumac, though other
skins and tanning matter may be used; and I shave them just sufficient to
cut out flaws, and to make each skin of one uniform substance throughout.
After immersing the tanned skins in warm water, say, about 120° Fahrenheit,
they are to be brushed on the flesh side to remove filth, and to open the fibré
preparatory to the same being dyed. Each skin is then to be folded with the
grain side inwards and the flesh side outwards. The edges are to be sewn
so as to prevent the dye getting to the interior of the close bag so formed.
Or, in place of folding each skin, two skins may be laid together with their
grain sides touching, and then have the edges sown to keep out the dye.
The skins are then "soured" and "sweetened," as is well understood, and
they are next to be dyed, as is also well understood. But the dyeing process. will
be found to require a longer time than when dyeing on the grain,side, which
has heretofore been usually the side of skins which has been dyed; and
in place of using strong dye liquor, such as is generally used for dyeing the
grain side of tanned skins, I prefer to employ weaker liquor, and to, repeat
the process more often; by which means the dye penetrates the fibre, and
produces an even colour. The skins are then rinced, opened out, and dryed;
when dry, they are to be "perched" on the flesh side; the perching knife
should not, however, be so sharp as to cut the flesh off, the object being to
loosen or open the fibre, and produce a nap-like surface. Each skin is again
to be folded with the flesh side outwards, and is then to be passed through a

page_text: solution of glutinous matter. I prefer to employ one part, by measure, of
size or glaire dissolved in three parts of water, or I make the solution by using
one or two parts of strong dye liquor in place of water, to add depth, and
give particular shades of color. Whilst wet the skins are to be strained on
to boards to dry. The edges of the skins are then to be trimmed, and the
surfaces are to be bruised with cork, as is well understood, to render them
soft, the flesh sides being outwards in place of the grain side, which here-
tofore, when performing this process, has been outwards.
When the process
of embossing is to be performed, clean water is applied evenly and lightly on
the grain sides of the skins, and they are laid with their grain sides flat
together for about two days, covering them to exclude the air, by which
means the moisture will pass through, so as to act on the glutinous matter,
and render it of service to cause a gloss on the embossed or pressed parts of
the surface, and also to produce a deeper tone of color to such parts. The
embossing I prefer to be performed by heated rollers or surfaces suitably
engraved, as heretofore used when embossing velvet, and heated to about
250° Fahrenheit. In addition to dyeing the skins, pigments and metals may
be used in giving additional ornament to the flesh sides of tanned skins.
And I apply such pigments and metals in the state of powder, and I sift
the same over the surface or parts thereof, by which, when the process of
embossing has been performed, the pigments or metals will be fixed by the
glutinous matter and the pressure on those parts where the pressure takes
place, and may be dusted off or removed from the other parts of the surface.
This mode of applying pigments and metals will also be found useful if
used on the grain side of tanned skins, when ornamenting the same by
embossing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that although I have been
particular in describing the exact means pursued by me, I do not confine
myself to the details as herein given, as the same may be varied without
departing from my Invention, so long as the peculiar character of my
Invention be retained; but what I claim is the mode of dressing, embossing,
and ornamenting leather herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William East, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
FREDERICK WILLIAM (L.S.) EAST.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of October, in
the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Frederick William East came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose."
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.