IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS FROM THE REFUSE WASTE PIECES OF ANIMAL HIDES AND SKINS IN COMBINATION WITH OR WITHOUT VEGETABLE PULP AND CERTAIN CHEMICALS TO RENDER THE SAID SKINS MORE IMPERVIOUS TO WATER THAN THE GENERALITY OF LEATHER; THESE ADMIRICIAL SKINS ARE TO REPRESENT VELLUM. PARCHMENT, AND LEATHER."
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harcourt Brown, of No. 9, Regent's Park
Terrace, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS FROM THE
REFUSE WASTE PIECES OF ANIMAL HIDES AND SKINS IN COMBINATION WITH
OR WITHOUT VEGETABLE PULP AND CERTAIN CHEMICALS TO RENDER THE SAID
SKINS MORE IMPERVIOUS TO WATER THAN THE GENERALITY OF LEATHER; THESE
ADMIRICIAL SKINS ARE TO REPRESENT VELLUM. PARCHMENT, AND LEATHER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harcourt Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th December 1874.
I, JOHN HARCOURT BROWN, of No. 9, Regent's Park Terrace, in tho
5 County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICAL SKINS
FROM THE REFUSE WASTE PIECES OF ANIMAL HIDES AND SKINS IN COMBINATION
WITH OR WITHOUT VEGETABLE PULP AND CERTAIN CHEMICALS TO RENDER THE SAID
SKINS MORE IMPERVIOUS TO WATER THAN THE GENERALITY OF LEATHER; THESE

page_text: ARTIFICIAL SKINS ARE TO REPRESENT VELLUM, PARCHMEnt, and Leather," to bo
as follows:
-
The first Patent granted to me the before-named John Harcourt Brown
for the Invention for manufacturing artificial skins, for the production
of parchment and leather from the refuse of animal hides and skins,
bears date 18th November 1853, and numbered 2684.
The improvements hercin set forth and for which I humbly and
carnestly solicit protection are derived from the experience obtained
since the grant of the before-mentioned Patent of 18 November 1853,
No. 2084, as follows:-For the production of vellum skins I employ tho
waste cuttings of what is known in the trade as chamois leather, but I
prefer what is known as wash leather cuttings, of which I take 80 lbs.
and 10 lbs. of the cuttings of calves' skins, and 10 lbs. of sheep skin
cuttings, 7 lbs. of parchment cuttings, and 5 lbs. of scrolls or glue pieces
from the buffalo, ox, bull, calf, or similar animals. These cuttings or
parts of hides and skins must bo in their raw state after the hair and
wool and the like have been removed by the usual methods of liming.
I would hero observe that the epedermis must be removed from the
scroll pieces by the usual processes. These materials are cut into the
required size as rags are for the making of paper, they are placed in
lime water to soak for a day or two with about 14 lbs. of ordinary soda to
render them soft, they are now placed in a paper maker's rag engine or
other suitable machine with sufficient water (soft), luke warm or cold,
according to the temperature of the weather, to float them under the
roll; here they are treated as rags are, bleached and reduced to pulp of
the consistency required, and passed through a knotter and made into
sheets either by hand moulds or vacuum frames, as described in the
Patent granted to me and John Macintosh, No. 1413, and dated 22
May 1852, for that purpose; or it may be made in lengths upon a paper
machine, or the water can be pressed out of it and can be moulded in its
plastic state into any required configuration. These skins can be con-
verted into leather for enamelling, japaning, and embossing for upper
leathers of boots and shoes, leather bags, covers for sofas, chairs, and
other similar articles, book binding and other useful commercial articles
for which leather is employed; when such articles aro required tho
currier, leather dresser, and japanner will produce the required articles.
When a fine parchment is required for legal documents and such like
purposes I employ 56 lbs. of calf, 56 lbs. of sheep, and 7 lbs. parchment

page_text: cuttings, and 5 lbs. of glue pieces; these are treated as before described,
and when ready to be made into sheets 5 lbs. of fine strong white paper
pulp is well incorporated with the skin pulp to give strength and
opacity.
When skins are required for labels or covers for jelly and other pots,
bottles, and the like, I take 100 lbs. of sheep cuttings, 5 lbs. gluc pieces,
and 7 lbs. of paper pulp, and treat them as before described.
When a useful cheap representation of leather is required I employ
100 lbs. of paper pulp, and from 10 to 20 lbs. of parchment pulp, as
before described, well mixed together and made into sheets, as before
described, embossed, and coloured to represent leather. To render theso
slicets more impervious than ordinary leather I mix with the pulp a
solution of shell-lac, either bleached or unbleached, as desired, with
certain quantities of hydrochloric or other suitable acid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Harcourt Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HARCOURT BROWN, of No. 9, Regent's Park Terrace, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four,
in the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Harcourt Brown,
Her special licence that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Harcourt
Brown, 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 MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS FROM THE REFUSE

page_text: WASTE PIECES OF ANIMAL HIDES AND SKINS IN COMBINATION WITH OR WITHOUT
VEGETABLE PULP AND CERTAIN CHEMICALS TO RENDER THE SAID SKINS MORE
IMPERVIOUS TO WATER THAN THE GENERALITY OF LEATHER; THESE ARTIFICIAL
SKINS ARE TO REPRESENT VELLUM, PARCHMENT, AND LEATHER," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, my ɛ
'executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their bands and scals, 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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately ]
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, do hereby
· declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :—
I now proceed to give the practical methods by which I produce the
said sheets or skins:-In the manufacture of vellum I employ the
cuttings of what are called chamois leather skins, but I prefer what is
known as wash leather, of which I take eighty pounds and ten pounds
of the cutting of calf skins, and ten pounds of sheep skin cuttings,
seven pounds of parchment cuttings, and five pounds of scrolls which
are commonly called glue pieces from the bull, ox, buffalo, cow, &c., but I
prefer when a very superior vellum is required to use fifty-six pounds of
the wash leather skin and sixty pounds of scrolls or glue pieces, omitting
the sheep and parchment cuttings. These cuttings or parts of hides and
skins must be in the raw state after having undergone the process of
liming to remove the hair, wool, &c., before being made into leather. I
would here observe that the epidermis must be removed from the scroll
pieces. The leather and parts of hides and skins are cut into suitable
size picces as rags are for the manufacture of paper. To render them
soft and supple they are placed in any suitable receptacle and ten pounds
more or less of stone lime, which I prefer slacked and reduced to a cream,
together with from one pound to a pound and a half of ordinary soda
with water sufficient to cover them, they may remain in this solution
from one to five days more or less, they are now removed into a rag
breaking engine (well known to paper makers) or any other suitable con-
trivance. I now add seven pounds of lime reduced to a cream and one
pound of ordinary soda with as much soft water, either lukewarm or

page_text: cold, as will float the mass under the roll of the engine; here they aro
to be beat or disintegrated for one hour or more, when they are washed
free from the lime and soda. I prefer to remove them from the engine
and drain the water from them so that the bleaching materials may tako
effect upon the fibres. I find a tank or any other receptacle produces
the effect better than the engine. I now take from one to three pints of
the oil of vitriol of commerce mixed with about from twenty to forty
gallons of water, this is passed through a strainer into the mass with as
much clear water as is sufficient to cause them to be moved, so that the
bleaching material may take effect upon the disintegrated fibres; they
may remain in this bleaching material after seven pounds or less of the
ordinary chlorine or bleaching powders, such as are employed in paper
making, have been added. When of the color required they are removed
into the engine where the bleach is killed by the addition of a pound or
a pound and a half of hypo-sulphate of soda; the whole of the bleaching
materials &c., are now washed out of the mass, they are beat to the
consistancy of paper pulp suitable for the manufacture of strong white
writing paper. When in this condition I add from five to seven pounds
of alum dissolved and passed through a strainer, this is well incorporated
in order to harden the fibres; it is now conveyed to a pulp chest, vat, or
other suitable receptacle and is ready to be made into sheets or skins,
being first passed through a knotter to remove any knots or any unbeaten
particles. If a paper-making machine is employed the vacuum power
must be increased, as these fibres do not part with the water so readily
as vegetable fibre; it is now treated in the same way as for the manu-
facture of paper, the only difference being that the drying cylinders
must be covered with a thin woollen or thick cotton felt, and the heat
must be from 90 to 100 Fahrenheit. Rollers should be affixed so as
to keep the skin from shrinking and in tension as it passes over the
warm cylinders.
If the sheets or skins are to be hand made, where moulds are to be
employed the same as in making paper, and the sheets couched on
woollen felts, the water pressed out of them, and are to be dried by
frequently shifting in dry cotton or wollen felts and finished with warm
or cold glazing rolls as paper is done, they may also be made into sheets
by means of the vacuum principle, as described in the Patent No. 1413,
and dated 22nd of May 1852, granted to me. It may be made into lengths
upon a paper-maker's machine, the water can bo pressed out of it and it

page_text: can be moulded in its plastic state into any required articles. These
skins are converted into leather for enamelling, japanning, and embossing
for the upper leathers of boots or shoes, leather bags, sofas, chairs, and
other covers, book bindings, and other similar commercial articles, for
which leather is employed. When such articles are required the currier,
leather dresser, and japanner will produce them.
When the sheets or skins are to be enamelled, or japanned, colored,
and grained to represent leather, I prefer to take one hundred and fivo
pounds of the cuttings after being made into leather, and soven pounds
of the parchment cuttings, but I prefer to take twenty pounds of tho
glue pieces or scrolls in the raw state instead of the parchment and treat
them as hercin-before describod.
When a fine parchment is required I take fifty-six pounds of calf
skin cuttings, fifty-six pounds of sheep skin cuttings, but I prefer fifty-
six pounds of the glue pieces instead of the sheep skins and parchment 1
cuttings; these are to be treated in the same manner as for the manu-
facture of vellum before described. When these are reduced to a pulp
of the consistancy suitable for fine writing paper I add seven pounds of
prepared paper pulp which I prefer should be made of rope, linen, or
good cotton rags. In this caso it may be found necessary to increase 2
tho quantity of alum to make the pulp work more freely.
When parchment is required for the covering of jelly pots or such like
articles or labels I employ a hundred pounds of sheep cuttings after the
removal from the lime pit, seven pounds of parchment cuttings, or from
five to ten pounds of the gluc pieces, and five pounds of the paper pulp, 2
these are treated in the samo manner, as before described.
When a cheap representation of leather is required for book binding
or similar purposes I take one hundred pounds of prepared paper pulp,
and I add from twelve to twenty-five pounds of the parchment pulp, as
before mentioned, mixed well together; this is made into sheets by the g
processes before described; all these productions may be colored,
embossed, or grained to represent various charactors. I would have it
understood that various shades of colour may be imparted to them cither
in the pulp or surfacially by the usual means.
I would also observe here that very superior writing papers for ledgers 8

page_text: to seven pounds, more or less, of the parchment pulp, as is herein-before
described.
I claim the manufacture of vellum, parchment, and leather skins or
sheets, as herein described, but I do not claim the currying, leather
dressing, or japanning, or enamelling; but I do claim the admixture of
the materials herein-before described, but do not confine myself to the
chemicals or the exact proportions as they may be varied according to the
articles required.
Note. When these articles are required to be more waterproof
than ordinary leather I dissolve from one to two pounds of shellac
of commerce in about four ounces of carbonate of ammonia, soda,
borax, or any other suitable solvent may be employed; this watery
solution of resin, about two gallons, I incorporate with the pulp when
the water has been drained from it and it is ready to be made into
sheets; this will be sufficient for a hundredweight of pulp. To cause it
to incorporate with the pulp I mix half a pint of muriatic acid in two
gallons of water and add this to the pulp which fixes the gum on to the
fibres which falls to the bottom of the engine. The sheets are made as
usual, the water leaving the shellac adhering to the pulp. When these
sheets or skins are intended for book binding, case covering, or similar
purposes where adhesive matters are employed I omit the muriatic acid
solution and simply mix with the pulp the ammoniacal solution of
shellac and make the sheets as before described. To render these
materials impervious to water would prevent their being used for the
before-named purposes.