IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING CATECHUS, CUTCH, OR GAMBIER TO OBTAIN PRODUCTS THEREFROM SUITABLE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hunt, Professional Chemist, and George
Manley Hopwood, both of Worsley Street, Salford, in the County
of Lancashire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING
CATECHUS, CUTCH, OR GAMBIER TO OBTAIN PRODUCTS THEREFROM SUITABLE
Sealed the 25th July 1878, and dated the 4th March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Hunt and
George Manley Hopwood at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th March 1878.
We, EDWARD HUNT, Professional Ohemist, and GEORGE MANLEY
HOPWOOD, both of Worsley Street, Salford, in the County of Lancashire,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TREATING CATECHUS, CUTCH, OR GAMBIER TO OBTAIN PRODUCTS THEREFROM
SUITABLE FOR USE IN TANNING, DYEING, AND PRINTING,” to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating catechus,
outch, or gambier, in order to obtain products therefrom suitable for use
in tanning, dyeing, and printing.

page_text: At the present time catechus, cutch, and gambier are used both by
tanners, and also by printers and dyers; but only a portion of the
material is useful to the tanner, and another portion is useful to the
dyer and printer. Henco heretofore when these materials have been
employed in these trades respectively, one portion of the material has 5
been wasted.
According to our Invention we treat the catechus, cutch, or gambier
so as to separate the material so treated into two products, the one
suitable to the requirements of the tanner, and the other to the require-
ments of the dyer and printer.
1
We proceed as follows:-We subject the catechus, cutch, or gambier
to the dissolving action of boiling water either with or without pressure,
using sufficient water to procure proper solution. This solution wo
allow to cool in a conveniently shaped vessel for the deposition of sedi-
mentary and insoluble matters. When cold, the materials are in a state 1
of what is termed magma. This magma we subject to pressure in any
convenient manner, but so as to secure the separation of the fluid from
the solid portion.
(A.) This fluid part we call " catechu syrup,” and it may at onco bo
used for tanning without further treatment. This fluid may when 20
required be evaporated at a low temperature to the consistency of an
extract, and when so treated we call it "catechu extract."
(B.) The solid portion can be used directly for dyeing and printing,
but we prefer to re-dissolve it in hot or boiling water, and to filter or
strain the hot solution before allowing it to cool. When cold the solid 2
portion, if only drained from the mother liquor, we call "cutch paste ;
if subjected to pressure, we term it "cutch cake."
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Hunt and George Mantey Hopwood in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd September 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
HUNT, Professional Chemist, and GEORGE MANLEY HOPWOOD, both of
Worsley Street, Salford, in the County of Lancashire, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
5 give and grant unto us, the said Edward Hunt and George Manley
Hopwood, Her special license that we, the said Edward Hunt and
George Manley Hopwood, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Edward Hunt and George Manley Hopwood,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
O with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING CATECHUS, CUTCH, OR GAMBIER, TO OBTAIN PRODUCTS
5 THEREFROM SUITABLE FOR USE IN TANNING, DYEING, AND PRINTING,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edward Hunt and George
Manley Hopwood, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
O nature of the said Invention and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date.
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Hunt, on behalf of myself
and the said George Manley Hopwood, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating catechus,.
cutch, or gambier, in order to obtain products therefrom suitable for
use in tanning, dyeing, and printing.
At the present time catechus, outoh, and gambier are used both by
tanners, and also by printers and dyers; but only a portion of the
material is useful to the tanner, and another portion is useful to the'
dyer and printer. Hence heretofore when these materials have been
employed in these trades respectively, one portion of the material has
been wasted.
"
;

page_text: .
According to our Invention we treat the catechus, cutch, or gambier
so as to separate the material so treated into two products, the one
suitable to the requirements of the tanner, and the other to the require-
ments of the dyer and printer.
Wo proceed as follows:-We subject the catechus, cutch, or gambier 5
to the dissolving action of boiling water, cither with or without pressure,
using sufficient water to procure proper solution. This solution we
allow to cool in a conveniently shaped vessel for the deposition of sedi-
mentary and insoluble matters. When cold, the materials are in a state
of what is termed a magma. This magma wo subject to pressure in any 1
convenient manner, but so as to secure the separation of the fluid from
the solid portion.
(A.) This fluid part we call "catechu syrup," and it may at once bo
used for tanning without further treatment. This fluid may when
required be evaporated at a low temperature to the consistency of an 1
extract, and when so treated we call it “ catechu extract.”
(B.) The solid portion can be used directly for dyeing and printing,
but we prefer to re-dissolve it in hot or boiling water, and to filter or
strain the hot solution before allowing it to cool. When cold the solid
portion, if only drained from the mother liquor, we call "cutch paste;
if subjected to pressure we term it "cutch cake."
"2
The manner in which we prefer to conduct the process is as follows:-
We dissolvo catechu, cutch, or gambier in boiling water, using about
15 gallons of water to 1 cwt. of catechu, cutch, or gambier; and we
separate sedimentary matters or impurities from the hot solution either 2
by subsidence or by filtration. The clear hot liquor is drawn off into
coolers, and cooled rapidly. When cold it is in the state of a magma,
and is transferred to bags, and subjected to a graduated pressure until
the residue in the bag is reduced to a stiff cake.
The fluid portion, which we call "catechu syrup," may be used for å
tanning without further treatment. For convenience of transport we
evaporate most of the water at a low temperature, and reduce the syrup
to the consistency of an extract. The solid portion, which is unpurified
"cutch cake," is suitable for dyeing or printing, but it may be obtained
in a purer state by re-dissolving it in hot water, as already described; 8
and we find it advantageous to add to the purified cutch cake about one
quarter of its weight of treacle or golden syrup; or if the material is sent

page_text: out as purified cutch paste we add to it treacle or golden syrup in a like`
proportion.
It will be seen that by the use of our Invention great economy is.
effected, inasmuch as heretofore the catechu, cutch, or gambier has
; been employed in its entirety in the tanning or in the dyeing process
respectively, and such employment has been attended in the tanning
process with waste of the part useful for dyeing, and has been attended
in the dyeing process with waste of the part useful for tanning. This
waste by the use of our improvements is obviated, and what we claim is,
o the treatment of catechus, cutch, and gambier, so as to obtain therefrom
respectively "catechu syrup" and "catechu extract" suitable for the
use of tanners, and "cutch paste" and "cutch cake" suitable for the
use of dyers and printers, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Hunt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
EDWARD HUNT. (L.S.)