IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF SKINS
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCOIS
CONSTANT JACQUEMART, of Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty, in the first year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
Francois Constant Jacquemart, His especial licence that I, the said Francois
Constant Jacquemart, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I,
the said Francois Constant Jacquemart, my exors, adñiors, 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 mentioned, should and lawfully make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF
SKINS" (communicated to me by a certain foreigner residing abroad); in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Francois
Constant Jacquemart, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His 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, 1, the said
Francois Constant Jacquemart, do hereby describe the manner in which my
said Invention is to be performed by the following description thereof, that is
to say:-
The Invention relates to the manner of tanning, preparing, and dressing
hares, cats', rabbits', and sea-rats' skins, and rendering them fit, through the
medium of various preparations mentioned' hereafter, to make boots, shoes,
gloves, and any other leather goods; little, if any, advantage having hitherto
been obtained from hares, cats, rabbits, and other small skins. All those skins
were nearly or entirely lost for the leather trade, since baving cut the hair off
they were only used to make glue or other similar purposes. Having
examined the nature of such skins, and submitted them to certain pre-
parations, the Inventor has succeeded after many attempts to give them the
necessary strength and consistency in such a way as to employ them with
advantage in making boots, shoes, gloves, or other leather goods.
"First, I proceed as follows:-Tako the skins, lay them open, pull off the
long hair, rub them with merurial acquafortis, and put them into a heat of
about forty-five or fifty degrees by Reaumur's thermometer; I then cut the
hair off, and then take these skins, stript of their hair, lay them in the tan
preparations, when they have been dried so high as forty-five or fifty degrees.
In order to bring them again in their natural state I put them into a salt
water mixed with blood for about six or seven days, afterwards take them
out of it to put them into a water mixed with blood in the proportion of
about one-tenth part of blood to nine-tenth parts of water to get the salt out
and deaden or render them supple, remove them from that lyc, and put
them into a dead lime-water to cause them to swell or thickon, and put them
again for three days into a lime water stronger than the former to obtain
a greater swelling or thickening. To succeed in it, I take one pound of salt
potash and eight ounces of orpiment, that I melt together for one hundred
skins, then I throw them into a lime bath about one-fifth stronger than tho
former ones, and leave the whole for twenty-four hours, after which the hair
will drop off perfectly."
Manner of Tanning the same Skins."I take away the hair from them,
and remove the looso flesh. I have a set of tubs placed upon each other,
I fill them with tan, wash them in lyo in order to get the clear liquid out
springing from the tan, I then lay upon cach tub about one pound of sul-
phuric acid; when this liquid has reached four degrees in strength, I tako
out the skins every other day, change them, and replace them in the same
liquid till they are nearly tanned, then I lay the skins in the pit for about

page_text: one month, after which the skins become much stronger. The currying of
them is done like that of other skins, and those reserved for glove making
are dressed in the same manner as the white skins for that use."
2nd Process."I take the skins, lay them open, pull off the long hair,
steep them in a bucket of clean water, and give them the first dressing; I
put them again in the same water during twenty-four hours, take some lime,
infuse it, and add to it for one hundred skins four ounces orpiment, which
I mix with the lime; I then lay some lime upon each on the side of the flesh
to make the hair drop off, and pick or remove the loose flesh off on the fleshy
side in a contrary way to the grain of the hair to get off the inner skin, I
put them then into a new lime water, add to this lime water for one hundred
skins two pounds of alum and one pound of salt potash, the whole dissolved
together. I let the skins remain in the lime water for the space of eight days;
take them out of the lime water, and dress them every day, wash them
thoroughly, put them into a vessel with the tan, and stir or agitate them four
or five hours every day, let them remain therein about five or six days, after-
wards I put them into a vessel with new tan, and add to it for one hundred
skins eight ounces of sulphuric acid; I let them remain in this fresh vessel
a necessary time to get the strength and thickness which are wanted, which is
obtained in about twenty-four or thirty hours, I take them out of it, put them
into a tan pit or vessel, and lay some tan between the skins in order to soak
them, I take the liquid out of the tan and mix with it for one hundred skins
one pound of alum, I let them remain thus for eight days, take them out of
it and lay them in the pit, and let them remain there about a month, I again
take them out of it and curry them like the other skins."
The skins for glove making are dressed in the same manner as the white
skins for that use.
My manner of tanning, preparing, and dressing these skins as fur skins
so that the hair may not fall off, or the moth or mite get into them (these
leather furs being thick, strong, and supple may be employed in making
boots, shoes, gloves, and other articles,) and have not besides the incon-
venience of the furs called untanned furs.-I take the skins, lay them open,
pull off the long hair, steep them afterwards in clean water; at the end of
twenty-four hours give them the first dressing, put them again into the same
clean water for twenty-four hours; take one pound of alum for twenty-five
skins, melt it in lukewarm water, and pour that water into a bucket; then
I take the skins one by one and dip them in the same water of alum, let
them remain in it for two days, afterwards melt some quicklime in water
and let it get cool; I then take the skins out of the water of alum and put

page_text: them into this quicklimo water, five or six days afterwards I take them out
of the limo water, put them into clean water, and immediately wash them
thoroughly; I then tan, curry, or chamois them in the way before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francois Constant Jacquemart, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord Ono thousand eight hundred and thirty.