A MACHINE ON AN IMPROVED CON- STRUCTION FOR POLISHING, EMBOSSING, AND GRAINING LEATHER, AND EXTENDING AND FLATTENING THE SAME, AND APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1808

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUKE
HEBERT, of the Parish of Saint Stephen, Walbrook, in the City of London,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by,
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of July,
in the forty-eighth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said Luke
Hebert, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Luke Hebert, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A MACHINE ON AN IMPROVED CON-
STRUCTION FOR POLISHING, EMBOSSING, AND GRAINING LEATHER, AND EXTENDING
AND FLATTENING THE SAME, AND APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the
said Luke Hebert, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to 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 one calendar month after the
date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear..
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Luke Hebert, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained as follows, that is to say :-

page_text: I do construct and frame together, in a strong and workmanlike manner, a
large wheel, represented in Fig. 1, of the Drawings hereunto annexed, by a
view of the nature of a vertical section, and in Fig. 2 by a view of the nature
of a plan (the said Drawings having been made upon a scale of one inch to
represent one foot), and I do fit and apply to the said wheel such other well-
known machinery as may be requisite to cause the same, when required, to
revolve on its arbor, shaft, or axis by means of any power or first mover which
the circumstances or situation of the manufacturer who shall or may make uso
of the said machinery may afford; and at or about the circumference of the
said large wheel, but by preference at the outer ends of the spokes thereof, I
do fix certain tools or implements, such as may be fit for acting upon the
surface of leather in the several operations herein-before mentioned, or for
other useful purposes...And in the manner or method of fixing I do dispose of
the acting faces of the said tools or implements respectively in such a manner
as that the action shall be performed or effected by a rub or pressure perpen-
dicular or nearly so to the face or plane of the said large wheel (supposed or
imagined to be enlarged, if need be), or otherwise, in lines of pressure parellel
to the arbor, shaft, or axis of the said large wheel, at the same time that the
said tools or implements are carried along by the circular motion. And
further, I do place and fix round tho said large wheel certain tables, platforms,
or supports, upon which the skins of leather are to be disposed during the
processes of manufacturing or finishing; and the faces of the said tables are
properly disposed and opposed to the faces of the said tools or implements, so
that the intended effect shall be duly produced by tho action aforesaid.
in order that the pressure may be duly regulated, as well as for other good
purposes, I do cause the said tables, platforms, or supports to react against the
said tools or implements by the power of a spring or weight, or other yielding
force. And I do further declare, that although the said machine and the parts
thereof will admit of considerable variety in the dimensions, construction, and
position of the same, yet I do prefer that position of the great wheel which
requires the plane thereof, and the said tables, platforms, or supports, to be
horizontal, and the arbor, shaft, or axis to be upright; and generally that I do
prefer such forms, dispositions, dimensions, and applications of the said tools
or implements, and of the parts of the said machine, as are delineated in the
said Drawings hereunto annexed, and of which the description herein-after
given will sufficiently explain the nature and operation.
And
In Fig. 1 A, A, represents the main shaft. B, B, the pivots. C, the step
brass. D, D, D, D, arms, spokes, or radii of the wheel. E, E, &c., rim or ring
of the wheel, which may conveniently be made of cast iron. G, G, &c., flauch

page_text: of the main shaft for fixing the arms. F, F, &c., braces. H, H, &c., plans of
the main shaft for fixing the braces. I, front view of a carriage or frame, in
which are disposed a number of tools or implements for working the leather;
the said carriage or frame is here shewn as filled with or containing sixteen of
the tools called rollers. I, I, perspective views of the said carriage or frame.
K, K, &c., edge views of the same. The same letters in Fig. 2 denote the
same parts. Fig. 3 shews the form of the chase mortices in the carriages or
frames for receiving the screw bolts of the tools. Fig. 4 shews an edge view
of the same; and at the lower part is seen one of the rollers securely fastened
by the screw bolt in its place. Fig. 5 shews the end of one of the arms,
spokes, or radii, upon which the carriage is fixed and screwed fast, and in the
state for use. Neither the carriage nor the rollers can have any rotatory motion
except that of the large wheel, by which they are carried round; and whenever
the lowest roller in the sett which has been in work is required to be changed
for another, the center bolt of the carriage is loosened by unscrewing its nut,
and the carriage itself turned on its bolt till any other roller that may be wanted
is brought to the lowest place, and then the carriage is again fixed by screwing
its bolt fast. M, M, &c., Fig. 1, represent the frames of the tables, platforms, or
supports. N, N, &c., are front and side views of a cast-iron or other strong frame,
capable of being slided up and down like a window frame. It supports the table,
which is lifted at the points 0, 0, 0, 0, by the treadle of the lever P, P, P,
and is limited in its by the stop.Q, Q. The table itself, R, R, R, &c., in
Fig. 1, and R, R, R, in Fig. 2, is of sufficient dimensions to support the skin;
and that half of the surface thereof near which the carriage first arrives in its
rotation is slightly inclined, as may be observed in Fig. 1, in order that the tools
may act only upon that part of the skin which rests upon the other half of
the said surface; and immediately under the plane of action of the tools there
is a cast iron or metallic bed, which is shewn separately at S, S, in Fig. 8';
and upon the said bed I do apply certain pieces, called table faces, made of
hard wood (or may be made of metal), which remain fixed in their places by
means of the mortice pieces on the lower surface of the same, which enter
into and fit the mortices of the said metallic bed. Fig. 8: the Letters T, T, &c.
shew the different sizes of table faces, to be used according to the size and
nature of the skin. In Fig. 1 & 2 the letter U shews a piece of leather
attached to a steel spring, made fast to the frame V, V, V, where it retains its
place while the table may be lowered in order to change the skin when
wanted; and the use of the said piece of leather is, to receive the first action of
the tool, and to prevent its making too strong and hurtful an impression on
the leather at the commencement of its action. But this piece of leather and
its spring may be dispensed with if the slope of the table be made to change

page_text: its inclination by a very gradual curvature at the place where the action
commences. In Fig. 1 and 2 W, W, denotes a pad soaked in or imbibed
with oil for the purpose of oiling the tools as they pass over it, and X, X,
denotes a brush which cleans them as they pass. Y is a brush moving along
with the carriage, and serving to sweep the skin before the tool comes on.
Fig. 7 is the side view of a brush fixed to an iron frame, having an eye at top
for receiving the extremity of one of the arms or radii of the great wheel,
where the said brush may be fixed instead of one of the carriages, and may be
used for scowering of leather with a supply of water or other proper material.
Fig. 6 shews a side view of the striking tool. And lastly I do declare, that
the operations of polishing, embossing, and graining of leather are effected
by the successive action of tools similar to those used in hand work, but
fixed, applied, and moved as herein-before shown, for which purpose the
skin is shifted as to its situation with regard to the tools at proper periods,
which will be easily understood by any workman; and that the dicing and
printing is performed in the like manner by a roller properly cut or
engraved, which moves round and forms indentations instead of acting by
the rub or stroke; and that the extending, flattening, and smoothing (which is
technically denominated striking or striking out) of leather, is performed in
the same manner as in polishing, &c., but with a tool somewhat sharper than
a roller, the same being made of iron or steel, or any other suitable material,
and quite plain and smooth on the working edge.
In witness whereof, I, the said Luke Hebert, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord