Year: 1887

page_text: [ ALFRED SMETHAM of No. 18 Brunswick Street Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Analytical Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
The object of my invention is to waterproof leather by filling the spaces with
paraffin or like wax or waterproofing substance and to leave the surface of good and
desirable colour.
For this purpose I pass the tanned butts or leather through amongst molten paraffin
and afterwards remove the wax from the hair or both sides by cleaning with any
solvent such as liquid petroleum petroleum spirit turpentine or like hydro carbon.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Waterproof Leather.
I ALFRED SMETHAM of No. 18 Brunswick Street Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Analytical Chemist 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:-
The object of my invention is to waterproof Leather by filling the spaces with
paraffin or like wax or waterproofing substance and to leave the surface of good and
desirable colour.
For this purpose I pass the tanned butts or leather through amongst molten
paraffin or similar wax like substance or substances and afterwards remove the wax
or like waterproofing matter from the hair or both sides by cleaning the surface with
any solvent such as liquid petroleum spirit, turpentine or like hydrocarbon.
In practice the tanned butts or leather are subjected to the action of the molten
paraffin or like substance for from one to fifteen minutes (usually from three to five
minutes) according to the thickness of the butts or hides. The temperature of the
melted wax must not be sufficiently high to injure the leather. The higher the
temperature and the thinner the butts or hides the shorter the time they need he
under treatment. After the butts or hides have been saturated I pass them through
petroleum spirit or solvent preferably in a series of baths or tanks and by preference
so that the finishing off bath or tank contains the least spent petroleum spirit. The
paraffin or waterproofing substance is thereby removed from the surface but is retained
in the interior of the leather and the leather is restored to its original colour or as
near thereto as may be desired.
Any suitable apparatus may be employed for saturating, such as a vessel heated by
steam and provided with rollers for conveying the butts or leather into and from the
molten paraffin or like substance. The petroleum spirit or solvent may be applied to
or used on the surface of the leather under my invention in many ways.
The spent petroleum spirit or solvent and the dissolved paraffin or wax may be
recovered by distillation.
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:-
First. Waterproofing leather and afterwards removing the outer waterproof
coating substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Second. Subjecting leather first to the action of molten paraffin or like waxlike
substance or substances and afterwards to the action of petroleum spirit or solvent
for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of October 1887
J. T. KING,
Agent.