IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF ARTICLES OF HARNESS AND ANALOGOUS OBJECTS FROM SCRAPS OF LEATHER
Year: 1884

page_text: We, JAMES STANLEY, and THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN LEMASSENA of Commercial
Street, Newark, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey, U.S.A. manufacturers
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ARTICLES OF HARNESS AND ANALOGOUS OBJECTS FROM SCRAPS OF
LEATHER, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists first in the formation of certain parts of harness and
other analogous articles of the composition of scraps of leather united directly into
the form of such article by pasting together with suitable cement in a mold having
the required shape.
It also consists in combining with such an article, molded directly into the
required shape, of a layer or covering of water-proof material dried upon its surface
to protect it from moisture and abrasion; and in some instances of a lining or
facing of elastic material for the purposes hereinafter set forth.
The invention is applicable to all those parts of the harness, as collars, cruppers,
saddles, trees, blinds, rosettes, trotting balls, which do not require a combination of
great flexibility and strength, and is shown in the drawing annexed, as applied to
a horse collar, riding saddle, saddle tree and "prop block" for supporting the
jointed bows of a carriage top.
The process of manufacture we employ produces a perfectly solid and firm
texture in the various articles of harness, and their durability is secured by baking
or otherwise drying a waterproof composition upon the surface of the article, in
such a manner as to form a seamless, unbroken coating over its entire surface.
The baking operation, and the heat employed therein, also tends to saturate the
fibrous texture of the article with waterproof material so as to secure the utmost
permanence in the effects of the coating applied to the surface of the article, to
protect it from moisture.
The process of manufacture is as follows: a suitable mold, formed in several
detachable parts, (so as to release the finished article) is provided, and any kind of
leather scraps is pasted together therein with an admixture of any suitable cement,
until the article is formed of the desired shape.

page_text: In the case of all rounded articles, as for instance, the collar shown in the
drawings, it is necessary to compress the article thus shaped in a second or
finishing mold, to give it the smoothness and final form desired.
The article may be partially dried before it is subjected to such finishing mold
and is then better fitted to take a smooth surface and to retain the acquired form.
In the case of flat or rectangular articles, it is obvious that the pasting or
shaping mold may be used as the pressing or finishing mold, but in such case the
mold performs two distinct functions and the pasting and final pressing are.equally
distinct operations.
For the pasting mold, we use plaster of paris, but prefer metal for the final
mold, although the plaster mold is sometimes used.
When fully pressed, the article is dried, either in or out of the mold.and when
freed from volatile fluids ita surface is preferably coated with a waterproof
composition capable of protecting the substance from atmospheric influences.
Japan or india rubber varnish are most suitable for the purpose, and when such
agents are used the article is preferably baked in an oven at such temperature as is
required to harden the japan or vulcanize the india-rubber, and when the surface
is thus coated with an unbroken shell of waterproof material, the article is adapted
to endure great exposure to weather with very little and slow deterioration.
In the preparations of fabric or artificial leather compounded from leather scraps
heretofore, the cement employed has usually been of such a nature, as paste or
glue, that moisture would readily penetrate the edges or surface of the fabric and
disintegrate the same by destroying the adhesive power of the cement; but our
invention obviates this defect which exists in artificial leather or compounds of
scraps, by molding the article directly of the required form without any joints, in
one single piece, and by coating the entire surface of each required piece, with a
waterproof material, which is preferably baked upon and into the article.
Several modifications of our invention are shown in the annexed drawing,
including a horse collar made either solid or hollow; and also with layers or a
facing of india-rubber applied thereto. Also a saddle tree made with a transverse
spring to render it more elastic, and a saddle made with a longitudinal spring to
stiffen and support it; and a "prop block," so-called, for sustaining the jointed bows
of a carriage top when lowered.
In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front view of a horse collar, and Fig. 2 is a transverse
section of the same, on line z, z, in Fig. 1, showing the collar constructed of leather
alone, or of leather and rubber intermixed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a riding
saddle. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a saddle tree on line 2, 3, in Fig. 5 which
latter is a plan of the same. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a top prop block; and
Fig. 7 is a transverse section like Fig. 2, of a collar of alternative construction,
showing a method of forming an article hollow, or with an elastic stuffing.
In Fig. 2 A represents the leather scraps of which the article is constructed, and
usually employed in the form of shavings of all sizes; B is the cement interposed
between the fragments. C is a layer of india-rubber, inserted in the substance of
the collar, between layers of leather; and D is a patch or facing of india rubber
applied to the rear face of the collar, where it bears the hardest upon the horse's
neck.
This construction obviously imparts a yielding quality to that part of the collar,
which the collar could not possess, if formed of leather scraps entirely hardened by
pressure and baking as described.
The section to which the reference letter A is applied, is shown composed of
leather scraps cemented and pressed together into a solid mass as above described;
but in Fig. 7 is shown an alternative construction, whereby the collar inay be made
hollow and light; or filled with any soft and yielding material, as hair, wool,
tow, &c, &c.
Such an internal hollow E is formed, as indicated at the left side of Fig. 7,
by inserting in the mold a piece of wood, as a core E¹, when the leather has been
filled up to the intended thickness in the bottom, and then forming flaps to cover

page_text: such core, by pasting large scraps of leather into the mold at each side, as at F,
and fitting them together over the core as at F" at the right hand side of the same
figure.
Such core may then be removed by raising the flaps, after which they may ba
pasted down into their arched position and the upper layers of leather, as F, be
applied over their joint, to complete the article. The article is preferably pressed,
to harden it, before the core is removed; after which it should be nearly dried
before pasting the flaps over the cavity; that the form may be well preserved.
The cavity may be left empty, as in Fig. 7, or be stuffed with dry hair, wool,
tow, hard leather scraps, or other material.
'In the saddle in Fig. 3, the elastic substance is merely indicated in the form of a
spring O, applied along the top of arch, to stiffen and strengthen the construction
without destroying its yielding character. In Figs. 4 and 5, the tree H is shown
formed, in one piece, of the leather scraps, and having recesses I formed in the ends
to receive the tugs. A spring O is also shown secured across the arch H', by
means of rivets J, the washers of which are shown sunk into the substance of the
tree at K. Such spring strengthens the arch of the tree, which we prefer to make
thin enough to yield very readily, that it may adjust itself to the shape of the
animal's back.
This cannot be done without expensive padding, in trees formed with an iron or
wooden frame, unless the same be made in two separate parts and provided with
our arch spring.
Such spring may be molded entirely within our leather tree, or may be applied
above or below the arch; recesses J¹ being preferably formed, in such case, to
receive the thickness of the spring.
The trees made by our method, may be trimmed with great facility, as they may
be penetrated at any point by an awl or needle to fasten on the flaps, tugs and
other necessary fixtures.
The riding saddle made by our construction may also be trimmed with any
needful attachments with the same facility as the spring when used would be
confined chiefly to the middle of the construction, while the said attachments would
be secured chiefly at the edge.
In Fig. 6 is shown a method of forming solid articles from leather scraps by using
rollers as an equivalent for a pressing die in case the articles require a hole within
a prismatic exterior. In the drawing, L is the square hole generally formed in
prop blocks, to apply them to the stud at the side of the carriage; M is the body
of the block, and N is a longitudinal ridge provided to receive the wear and impact
of the bows.
This prop block is made in long pieces, (to be cut into suitable lengths. when
finished) by wrapping scraps of pasted leather around a square mandrel and then
subjecting the whole to the action of rollers grooved to form the desired shape.
The hold shown in N is formed by inserting a rod inside the leather while pasting
it upon the mandrel; and is withdrawn when the material is properly press-d.
Such hole adds greatly to the elasticity of the ridge N whether left empty, or
filled with india-rubber, wool or other elastic materials.
Such matter as india-rubber may be inserted in place of the rod while forming
the body M, but the wool or tow may be stuffed into the hole N¹ after the long
piece is cut into lengths of 11, or 2 inches for use.
It will be seen from the above that our invention differs from other articles
formed by pasting or securing leather scraps together, in that no part of the article
desired is served or cut or joined to another part by penetrating the surface, and
that each article is constructed with an unbroken coat of waterproof material, dried
upon its surface, when deemed necessary.
For the manufacture of the various articles to which our invention is applicable,
there are therefore needed suitable molds to compress and shape the article in the
desired form; and each article requires to be wholly finished in the desired form
before the final coating of waterproof material is dried into and upon it.

page_text: When the article is to be protected by japan, it is preferably dipped into the
latter, and the heat subsequently applied tends to saturate the porous parts of the
article with the japan, so that its substance remains waterproof when abraded
or cut.
.
With the japan coating, any suitable cement may be used in uniting the scraps,
and when pressed in molds and finished with a highly polished coat of japan, these
are readily recognized as new articles of manufacture, from the unusual firmness
and solidity of their texture and great resistance to wear and moisture.
We are fully aware that it is not new to unite scraps of leather by paste or
cement, and that such materials have been formed into flat sheets and worked up
into insoles for shoes; and do not therefore make any claim to artificial leather in
sheets..
Our method of construction enables us however, to produce a composite article
with qualities not attainable by the use of sheet leather; as for instance, having a
surface free from joints; or combined with elastic material molded in its substance,
an illustration of which is shown at O in Fig. 2.
Such india-rubber layers would be properly secured among the scraps of leather
by the use of india-rubber cement, and the exterior of the whole article would be
peferably covered by the larger scraps or sheets of thin leather, cut to fit the form.
and pasted upon the surface after the article had been pressed somewhat to its final
form, or partially dried.
Such a finish furnishes a better surface to the article and binds all the internal
parts together, whether the waterproof covering be employed or not.
Our invention is obviously applicable to the manufacture of any article to which
the process is adapted.
The baking referred to herein, is not an essential step in our process, although
requisite if hard japans are used. With india-rubber varnish and other volatile
varnishes and paints, no baking in an oven would be required to dry the coating
properly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is,
1 The process berein shown and described, for the manufacture of certain articles,
of scraps of leather; which consists in pasting such scraps of leather together
with suitable cement directly into the desired form in a mold of suitable
shape.
2nd An article formed in one piece, of leather scraps pasted together into the
desired form, and having a coating of waterproof material, substantially as
set forth.
3rd An article formed in one piece, of leather scraps pasted together into the
desired form, and combined with a lining or facing of elastic material, as and
for the purpose set forth.