Improvements in, and in the Manufacture or Production of, Riding Saddles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in, and in the Manufacture or Production of,
Riding Saddles.
I, SAMUEL ARTHUR COOPER, of the Firm of Cooper, Webb Jones and Company,
of Stockwell Works, Littleton Street East, Walsall, in the County of Stafford,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in, and in the manufacture of, riding
saddles and consists in making the seat in one piece with the skirts, and in block-
ing the whole of the leather parts of the saddle by dies and pressure.
Thus, in carrying out my invention, I take leather skins suitable to form the
combined seat and skirts, and separate parts of skins to form each of the flaps,
and I soak the same in water for periods varying according to their thickness,
in order to soften the same. Each skin is then placed between a pair of dies, of a
figure corresponding to the shape of the part to be blocked or shaped. Thus, in
shaping the seat and skirts, I take a pair of dies with their acting faces of a shape
corresponding to that of the combined skirts and seat, and place between them,
when separated, a soaked and softened skin of leather and screw, hydraulic or other
pressure is applied. The edges of the leather thus blocked or shaped are then
clipped or trimmed, although this clipping or trimming may be performed prior
to the blocking.
All the requisite shapes or patterns are embossed or fetched up upon the skin,
and the edges finished, rounded, beaded or thickened either by one operation,
or by being submitted to successive pressures between the same or different pairs
of dies.
The right and left hand flaps are also made in the same way, a protuberance
being left on one of the dies for the formation of what are technically known as
the roll and leg guard.
By the aforesaid processes, the shells of the saddle are formed, which are then
padded and fitted with the usual accessories.

page_text: Improvements in, and in the Manufacture or Production of,
Riding Saddles.
I, SAMUEL ARTHUR COOPER, of the Firm of Cooper, Webb Jones and Company,
of Stockwell Works, Littleton Street East, Walsall, in the County of Stafford,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in, and in the manufacture of, riding
saddles, and consists in making the seat in one piece with the skirts, and in
blocking the whole of the leather parts of the saddle by dies and pressure.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents, in plan, the acting face of
the top die of the pair of striking-up dies by which the combined seat and skirts
is made or blocked from one piece of leather.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of Figure 1, upon the dotted line z.
Figure 3 is a plan of the bottom die, showing the acting face of the same.
Figure 4 a longitudinal vertical section thereof on the dotted line ¹, Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a plan showing the acting face of the bottom die of the pair of dies
by which one of the flaps of a saddle is made.
Figure 6 represents in side elevation the said pair of top and bottom dies, with
a part of the bottom die in section.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
According to my invention in connection with the production of a combined seat
and skirts, I take a skin of leather of sufficient size to form the said combined
seat and skirts and I soak the same in water for a period varying according to its
thickness, in order to soften the same. This skin is then placed between a pair
of top and bottom he and she dies, the opposed or acting faces of which are of a
figure or contour corresponding to the shape of the parts to be produced by the
blocking or shaping process. Thus, in shaping the said seat and skirts, I take the
said pair of dies Figures 1 to 4 and place between them, when separated, a soaked
and softened skin of leather and then apply screw, hydraulic or other pressure,
thus giving the desired figure to the said skin, the edges of which are then clipped
or trimmed, although this clipping or trimming may be performed prior to
the blocking.
All the requisite shapes or patterns are embossed or fetched up upon the skin,
and the edges finished, rounded beaded or thickened either required by the same
dies which give the general shape to the skin or by submitting the skin to
successive pressures between the different pairs of dies.
The right and left hand flaps are also made in the same way by pairs of dies
such as shown in Figure 5 protuberances a, a, being left on the one die, and
corresponding sinkings b, 61, in the other, for the formation of what are technicaly
known as the roll and leg guard, or knee and thigh pads.
The shells of the saddle thus formed by the blocking processes described, are
subsequently padded and fitted with the usual accessories.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First. Making or producing the combined seat and skirts of a riding saddle,
with or without any required patterns or embossings, by blocking the whole, at

page_text: one operation, from leather, or from a single skin of leather, between he and
she dies, substantially as described and set forth.
Secondly. Making or producing the flap of a riding saddle, and fashioning the
knee and thigh pads, or roll and knee guard in one, by blocking the whole, at one
operation, from leather, or from a single skin of leather, between he and she
dies, substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly. The improvements in the manufacture of riding saddles, or parts of
the same, substantially as described and set forth.
SAMUEL ARTHUR COOPER,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.