Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Treating Hides, Kips, cr Skins for the Manufacture of Leather.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Treating Hides, Kips,
cr Skins for the Manufacture of Leather.
I, JOHN HUTCHINGS, of Howley Tannery, Warrington, in the County of Lan-
caster, Tanner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a method of treating hides whereby they
shall be continuously and uniformly exposed to the liquor with continual
changes of surface and thus the hides be tanned in a very short time, also an
arrangement whereby each hide in succession shall be exposed momentarily
to the air at regular intervals. I immerse partially in a tank two wide pulleys
Across
at considerable distances apart and place several bands on these pulleys.
these bands, preferably about a foot apart, I fix laths and arrange a few car-
rier pulleys between the two main pulleys to carry the upper members of the
endless bands and the laths with their contents. To each lath I attach one
end of a hide kip or skin so that if the hides were six feet long they will be
superimposed about sixteen feet, but each projecting in turn over the others
by about a foot. The tank contains tanning liquor or liming liquor as the case
may be and the two pulleys run at such speed that the bands preferably make
from one to three revolutions a minute.
The mode of action on a hide is as follows:-
As the hide travelling along comes over the second pulley, that portion of
it which is attached to the hide is carried over the pulley and becomes immersed
in the liquor. As it passes along the whole hide gradually passes over the
pulley and becomes immersed. Arriving at the second main pulley the hide
is gradually drawn out of the water. After it has been drawn out about a foot,
In the mean-
another hide under it is being drawn out of the water and so on.
time it continues being drawn out until the whole hide becomes again exposed,
the liquid gradually dripping off it but the hide carries up a great deal of
liquid with it and as these hides are all superimposed there is as they travel
onwards a layer of hide, then a slight layer of liquid and then another layer
of hide and so on. In this way the hides are to some extent exposed to the
air and yet are repeatedly drawn through the material, thus stirring up the
tanning material and thoroughly exposing the hides to its effects. The hides
rising out of the water are counterbalanced by those descending into it, the
energy required to drive the apparatus is therefore small.
1008

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Treating Hides, Kips,
or Skins for the Manufacture of Leather.
I, JOHN HUTCHINGS, of Howley Tannery, Warrington, in the County of Lan-
caster Tanner, 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:-
In the tanning of leather hitherto the hides under treatment are either hung
or laid flat in the tanning liquor and changed from one tan pit to another as
the process continues or are treated with the liquor in a closed vessel to which
is given rotary or other motion.
Both of these methods are open to serious objections, the first being exceed-
ingly slow and laborious as well as admitting of a good deal of buckling of
the hides, and the second whilst occupying less time is apt to injure the hides
and make them coarse-grained.
The present invention has for its object an apparatus for treating the hides
expeditiously and with a minimum of handling without causing any buckling
or destroying the fineness of the grain.
In my apparatus the hides will be continuously and uniformly exposed to
the liquor with continual changes of surface and thus be tanned in a short time,
also each hide in succession will be momentarily exposed to the air at regular
intervals. By this means the amount of labour in handling and moving etc.
the hides will be very much reduced or entirely dispensed with and the hides
can be introduced at once into a much stronger liquor than was possible by
the old method.
The invention will be understood from the following description reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Fig. 1 shows an elevation of the machine and
Fig. 2 a plan of same.
A is a tank or trough in which I immerse partially or wholly two wide drums
or rollers BB, at considerable distance apart and having bands or chains C
working over cogs on the periphery of the drums.
Across these bands or chains and fixed to same are laths or light poles, the
whole forming an endless apron. To each end of said laths or poles there is
attached the end or ends of one or more hides each projecting in turn over the
others by about a foot more or less.
The apparatus may be worked by any suitable means such as a worm K gear-
ing into a worm wheel K, fixed on to the shaft E of one of the drums B.
The trough or tank A contains the tanning or depilating liquor and the drums
may be so arranged that either or both may be wholly or partially immersed
in the liquor, the speed being regulated so that the bands make preferably from
one to three revolutions per minute.
The mode of action on the hides is as follows:
As the hides, travelling along, come over the drum or roller B, they are drawn
down and become immersed in the liquor. Each hide in turn becomes entirely
immersed and is drawn along, trailing upon or near the bottom of the tank.
Arriving at the drum or roller B₁ the hides are gradually drawn up out of the
liquor. After each hide (or hides) has been drawn out about a foot more or
less, the next hide (or hides) thereunder is (or are) likewise drawn out of the
liquor and so on. Whilst the hides are rising up out of the liquor and being
carried round the drum B¹, time is afforded for the liquor to drain from off

page_text: The
them, and they are also momentarily exposed to a free circulation of air.
hides then travel along the top line of laths overlapping each other, and in con-
sequence of a certain amount of liquor being carried up with them out of the
tank, there is as they travel onwards, a thin layer of liquor between each layer
of hide.
In this way the hides are for a very short time exposed to the air, and are
slowly drawn through the liquor, which is thus kept slowly circulated.
The hides descending into the tank will counterbalance those rising out of
it, and thus but a small amount of energy is found necessary to drive the
apparatus.
Whilst the above describes my improved means for tanning hides, I do not
limit myself to the precise details set forth, but same may be varied within
the scope of the invention, for example in large machines it might be found
advantageous to insert a third drum or any number of drums midway between
the drum B B in order to support the weight of hides travelling along the top
row of laths, also it might in some cases be found preferable to circulate the
hides entirely submerged under the liquor without exposing the same to the
air at all during the tanning. The above described apparatus may also be used
for the process of soaking the hides in the solution of lime, or other substance
known as depilation, for the loosening of the hair from the skin. This I claim
equally with the tanning process.
The apparatus can be applied to any existing pits or vats of suitable size and
can be kept going day and night with very little attention. And the power
required is so little that a small steam or gas engine will drive a number of
machines.
The process by aid of the above described apparatus can be completed in a few
days,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Apparatus for treating hides, kips, or skins for the manufacture of leather,
comprising an arrangement of endless apron adapted to carry the hides or the
like and to move them through the liquor in the tan pits or vats provided for
their treatment substantially as herein before set forth.
2. In apparatus for treating hides, kips or skins for the manufacture of
leather, the combination of a trough or vat or pit adapted to contain the liquor
and two or more drums or rollers mounted therein and carrying endless chains,
which engage teeth provided on the ends or other parts of said drums or rollers,
and have fixed transversely across them a series of laths or poles adapted to
carry the hides or the like, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In apparatus such as described for treating hides, kips or skins for the
manufacture of leather, providing a circulation of air alternating with immer-
sion in the liquor by so arranging the endless apron as to cause the hides or
the like to be repeatedly immersed in and withdrawn from the liquor substan-
tially as described.
4. The improved apparatus for treating hides, kips or skins for the manu-
facture of leather, constructed and operating as a whole substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of September 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.