IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CURRYING AND FINISHING OF LEATHER
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CURRYING AND FINISHING OF LEATHER."—A
communication from abroad by Benjamin Head Lightfoot, of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CURRYING AND FINISHING OF LEATHER."-A
communication from abroad by Benjamin Head Lightfoot, of Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 4th December 1863, and dated the 12th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
June 1863.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention; for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CURRYING AND FINISHING OF LEATHER,"
(a communication to me from abroad by Benjamin Head Lightfoot, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,) to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the treatment of tanned leather by applying to
the same petroleum or any oily hydrocarbons, either alone or in combination
with 'tallow, common oils, or other equivalent substances, so as to rapidly
reduce the leather to the desired pliable condition at a much less cost than by

page_text: the application of the usual oily and greasy substances hitherto used for the
same purpose. Although the Inventor has used crude petroleum as obtained
direct from the oil wells with marked success for the above purpose some of
the products of the distillation of petroleum may be employed with the best
results, as, for instance, the heavy oil used for lubricating machinery, the
grease also used for the same purpose and consisting of paraffine with a little
oil, in fact, any hydrocarbons holding more or less paraffine in solution can be
used, whether obtained by the distillation of coal found in a natural state, or
obtained by the distillation of petroleum. The relatively small cost of petro-
leum or oily hydrocarbons compared with that of the usual tanners' oil, and
the penetrating quality of the material, render the above-described process one
of ready accomplishment at a much reduced cost, at the same time the leather
is as good, if not superior, to that treated by the usual dubbing or tanners' oil.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting. -
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twefth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
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 THE
CURRYING AND FINISHING OF LEATHER," being a communication to me from
abroad by Benjamin Head Lightfoot, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
.George Davies, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly

page_text: describe and ascertain the 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 George. Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, that is to say: -
This Invention consists in the treatment of tanned leather by applying to
the same petroleum, or any oily hydrocarbons, either alone or in combination
with tallow, common oils, or other equivalent substances, so as to rapidly
reduce the leather to the desired pliable condition at a much less cost than by
the application of the usual oily and greasy substances hitherto used for the
same purpose. Although the Inventor has used crude petroleum, as obtained
direct from the oil wells, with marked success for the above purpose, some of
the products of the distillation of petroleum may be employed with the best
results, as, for instance, the heavy oil used for lubricating machinery, the
grease also used for the same purpose and consisting of paraffine with a little
oil; in fact, any hydrocarbons holding more or less paraffine in solution can
be used, whether obtained by the distillation of coal found in a natural state
or obtained by the distillation of petroleum.
In carrying this Invention into effect the following process is adopted :-
The tanned hide is first subjected to the usual preliminary soaking operation
adopted in currying leather, and is subsequently dressed, and its inequalities
removed by shaving and scouring processes, so thoroughly understood by those
familiar with the art of currying and finishing leather that a lengthy descrip-
tion is unnecessary. The hide is then allowed to become partially, or as it is
technically termed, half dried, after which it is ready for the application of the
petroleum, or any oily hydrocarbons holding paraffine in solution, either alone
or in combination with tallow or its equivalent. If tallow be used the proper
proportion must be determined by the experience of the currier or finisher,
as more tallow is required in warm than in cold weather.
cation is made in the following manner :-The hide in its half-dried state is
placed on a table or slab and rubbed down by a suitable instrument. until
perfectly level, it is then coated over on one side with the compound, care
being taken that the entire surface is evenly covered. The hide or skin is
then hung up and allowed to remain untouched for forty-eight hours, or there-
abouts, according to the thickness of the skin. On removal it will be found
that the leather has been effectually penetrated by the petroleum, and that its
The appli-

page_text: fibrous tissues have become thoroughly impregnated with the oily hydrocarbon,
and the paraffine held in solution by the same, and that the leather has been
reduced to the desired state of pliability. After the superfluous portion of the
compound has been removed from the leather, and the latter has been sub-
jected to processes generally adopted after the application of the usual
dubbing, the leather may be blackened, if desired, and is then ready for the
market. The compound may be applied to both sides of the leather, if
desired, its application to one side only, however, will in most instances suffice.
The relatively small cost of petroleum or oily hydrocarbons compared with
that of the usual tanners' oil, and the penetrating quality of the material
under the above-described process one of ready accomplishment at a much
reduced cost, at the same time the leather is as good as, if not superior, to
that treated by the usual dubbing or tanners? oil.
.
.i
The common.or inferior whale oil may be mixed with the beavy petroleuni
or coal oil, and with tallow or its equivalent, so as to form dubbing to be used.
in the currying of leather. The whale oil which I use is a cheap oil, well known
as containing what the curriers term a gummy matter, which retards the
absorption of the oil by the leather, and is therefore deemed objectionable.
By mixing this common cheap oil with mineral oil the latter neutralizes or
dissolves the gummy matter in the former, so that the mixture becomes
available as a valuable medium for currying or finishing leather. Both oils
are placed in a suitable cauldron and gradually heated, at the same time
thoroughly stirred and agitated; after they have reached a temperature of
about one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit the composition may be
allowed to cool; it is then ready for use. In some cases I make use of the
heavy residuum of coal oil after distillation, the said residuum being treated in
the following manner :-I place it in a suitable vessel, and by injecting steam
into it raise its temperature to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I then treat it
with about two per cent. of sulphuric acid, which causes the crude and heavy
matter to settle at the bottom, whence it is drawn off, the purer material
rising to the top. To this material I then add 10 per cent. each of carbonate
of soda and chloride of lime and three per cent. of caustic soda. This mixture'
neutralizes the acid and cleanses the material, which is a fatty oil, and which
I use either by itself in the currying or finishing of leather, or mix with
tallow or its equivalent so as to form dubbing.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
Improvements in the Currying and Finishing of Leather," together with the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into prac-
tical effect, I would remark in conclusion, that I claim as the Invention

page_text: (communicated to me by the said Benjamin Head Lightfoot, the treatment
of tanned leather by the application to the same of petroleum, or any oily
hydrocarbons, with or without tallow or its equivalent.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)