A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR LEATHERIZING PAPER, CLOTH, OR ANY FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Kellogg at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th September 1875.
I, HENRY KELLOGG, of Milford, Connecticut, United States of
America, at present of 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS
FOR LEATHERIZING PAPER, CLOTH, OR ANY FIBROUS MATERIAL," to be as
follows:
I take waste leather shavings or clippings of any and all kinds and
immerse them in a bath of lime water, or sal soda, or caustic of soda,
or any other alkali, to free them from grease or other impurities, after
which I wash them thoroughly in clean water; they are next introduced
into the usual pulping machines used for pulping rags for any kind of
paper, whereby they are reduced to a fine pulpy mass. When sufficiently
disintegrated I add from 10 to 25 per cent. of long drawn manilla,
cotton, linen, or any other fibre or pulp of "long staple," to give
tenacity to the article when finished. When this long fibre is added I
raise the grinding knives so that this "staple" may not be reduced, and
continue the action of the machine to thoroughly intermingle them. I

page_text: also at this point add a quantity of gelatine, such as may be required,
from 10 to 15 lbs. to each hundred lbs. of pulped material in the
machine, the whole mass being heated by means of steam to 125° to 140°
Fahrenheit, and when sufficiently mixed it is ready to be introduced into
the usual paper making machine and run off into sheets or rolls of any a
desired length and thickness. I then immerse these sheets or rolls in
any of the well known tanning liquors, and the gelatinous matter which
envelopes every fibre as in a cot, and each cot is allied or jointed to each
other one, the gelatine being transformed into the tanate of gelatine,.
enclosing all the fibres, which are indisoluably joined to each other and 1
waterproof.
When thoroughly tanned they are taken out of the tan bath and
passed between rolls and are ready for the dubbing or other material for
softening leather, when it may be given the. desired color and be passed
through embossing rolls to imitate any kind of leather to suit the 1
fancy.
I also in some cases deposit this pulp upon an open woven tissue,
which is also previously gelatinized, and passed along over, the wire
gauze apron of the paper machine, moving forward in the same line of
the apron and simultaneously therewith while the pulp is being a
deposited thereon, but leaving the aforesaid apron along with the
pulp.
The pulp passing into the intersticies of this tissue gives great tenacity
and strength to the article when finished. In this case it is not
important to add the long drawn manilla or other fibres herein-before 2
mentioned, this skeleton tissue being substituted.
By properly arranged machinery it will be readily seen that the pulp
could be deposited on both sides of this tissue, and the finished article
would present a leather surface on both sides.
In another case I utilize-the-pieces of raw hides and -skins or those-
cut off by the currier while dressing and preparing them for tanning, or
any waste raw hide, by pulping them when properly prepared, by freeing
them of all fatty matter, and forming sheets and rolls as above described,
and tanning the same; or I can mix one half of raw hide or any other
proportion with the waste pieces of leather, in which case no gelatine or
glue is required, as the chondrine of the raw skin takes its place and
will perform the same office as the gelatine. In this case no heat is

page_text: required in the operation unless it is thought advisable to transform the
chondrine into gelatine or glue during the process or to partially do so,
there not being a particle of gelatine in the raw skin, but by heat a
considerable proportion of it becomes transformed into gelatine or glue
the same as in the manufacture of the glue of commerce, or any of the
substances from which glue or gelatine is manufactured may be added
to the pieces of raw hide and leather. By this or substantially the same
process of gelatinization any fibrous matter, or tissue, or felt may be
leatherized to advantage.
I form hats and caps for ladies and gentlemen or the uppers for shoes
and slippers by "sucking," by any known means, this pulp on to
"forms" made of wire cloth or gauze to suit the shape and style
desired, and then tanning and pressing them substantially as herein
described. This leatherized paper or cloth can also be applied to various
other purposes, such as book covers and the like.
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