IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Walton, of Staines, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER."
Sealed the 27th July 1869, and dated the 16th February 1869.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th February 1869.
I, FREDERICK WALTON, of Staines, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER," to be as follows:-
I, FREDERICK WALTON, of Staines, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER," to be as follows:-

page_text: a Patent granted to me on the 4th day of August 1859 (No. 1801), and
having so obtained the required thickness I japan the surface as is now
practised in the manufacture of what is generally known as patent
leather. By thus using two or more layers of woven fabric to give the
required thickness and cementing them together with a cement which
will sustain uninjured the heat of the japanning process and will also
remain flexible for any length of time I obtain an artificial leather
having the pliability of natural leather, and which may be stitched close
to the edge without breaking out, and so may be made up in the same
way as natural leather.
The pre-
In manufacturing imitations of japanned leather it is most important
that the surface on which the japan is put should be perfectly even and
smooth, and any inequality produced by the interlacing of the weft and
warp threads, however fine the cloth may be, will be visible on the
finished japan surface unless a thick layer of composition is used, and a
thick layer is liable to crack at low temperatures. To avoid this
objection I spread the combined fabrics before mentioned with an
adhesive linoleum cement, using but suflicient to attach thereto a fine
cotton fleece which is attached by means of pressing rollers.
paration of this fleece is effected by means of a carding engine, and is
delivered therefrom in the manner usually employed in the manufacture
of cotton, as is well known. When I have attached this fleece I spread
over it one or more layers of linoleum cement coloured black, and then
I japan it, drying the same in a japanner's stove. In some cases I use
other coloured japans. In some cases I unite several fleeces or slivers of
cotton or other fibres by means of linoleum cement, and afterwards japan
them with black or other coloured japans.
When I desire to employ any of the before-mentioned fabrics in
imitation of smooth surfaced unglazed leathers, such as are used for
boots or saddlery, I simply surface the combined fabrics with linoleum
cement colored black or otherwise, and I do not japan them with a
polished surface, so that they may afterwards, where required, be blacked
with shoe or saddlery blacking.
I also make a fabric in imitation of morocco and other coarsely grained
skins in the following manner:-I unite two or more plies of cotton or
other fabric by means of linoleum cement, and then I spread several thin
layers or roll one thick layer of cement thereon; I then place over it a

page_text: very fine cotton or fleece of cotton and finish it with colored japan
cement to a fine surface; I then emboss this with rollers or plates which
have engraved thereon an imitation of the leather grain required. In
place of oxidized oil cement a cement made with kowrie or New Zealand
gum, or gum copal, damma, or sandarac combined with castor oil may
be used, as is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me,
and dated the 8th day of August 1868 (No. 2489).
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Walton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I, FREDERICK
WALTON, of Staines, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Walton, Her special
licence that I, the said Frederick Walton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Walton, 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
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Frederick Walton, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly 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.

page_text: japan, to spread on the compound fabric several coats or layers of the
same composition as is used to unite the cloths, excepting that I employ
with it lamp black or other black pigments sufficient to produce a good
black surface (100 lbs. of lamp black will be a suitable quantity).
When the surface is sufficiently smooth, which ordinarily may be pro-
duced by applying to it 5 or 6 thin layers, each layer being dried off at
a. temperature of about 110 degrees, it is then covered with japan such
as is used in the preparation of "patent leather, and placed on flat
boards in a japanner's stove and submitted to a temperature of about
120 to 150 Fahrenheit. The method of conducting this process is well
known. Sometimes two or three coats of the japan is required, but one
coat suffices for many purposes, especially where the leather is to be
grained afterwards. By thus using two or more layers of woven fabric
to give the required thickness, and cementing them together with a
cement which will sustain uninjured the heat of the japanning process,
and will also remain flexible for any length of time, I obtain an artificial
leather having the pliability of natural leather, and which may be
stitched close to the edge without breaking out, and so may be made up
in the same way as natural leather.
In manufacturing imitations of japanned leather it is, as already
stated, most important that the surface on which the japan is put should
be perfectly even and smooth, and any inequality produced by the inter-
lacing of the weft and warp threads, however fine the cloth may be,
will be visible on the finished japan surface unless a thick layer of
composition is used, and a thick layer is liable to crack at low tem-
peratures. To avoid this objection 1 sometimes spread the combined
fabrics before mentioned with an adhesive linoleum cement, using but
sufficient to attach thereto a fine cotton fleece, which is attached by
means of pressing rollers. The preparation of this fleece is effected by
means of a carding engine, and it is delivered therefrom in the manner
usually employed in the manufacture of cotton, as is well known. When
I have attached the fleece I spread over it one or more layers of
linoleum cement colored black, and then I japan it, drying the same in
a japanner's stove. In some cases I use other colored japans, and then
the color of the cement is varied accordingly. To cause the cotton
fleece to adhere to the fabric the linoleum or oxidized oil cement is
spread upon the compound fabric, and when the cement is still adhesive

page_text: the fleece is laid evenly upon it, and the fabric and fleece together are
passed through the callendering rollers. In some cases I unite several
fleeces or slivers of cotton or other fibres by means of linoleum cement,
and afterwards japan them with black or other colored japans. The
cotton fleece is applied, as above described, to a fabric cemented with
linoleum cement, laying on successive layers of the fleece and the
cement until a sufficient thickness is obtained. The fabric is then stript
off, leaving the accumulation of cemented fibre as a sheet, which is then
further calendered and spread with a layer of linoleum cement mixed
with pigment japanned as already described.
When I desire to employ any of the before-mentioned fabrics in
imitation of smoth surfaced unglazed leathers, such as are used for boots
or saddlery, I simply surface the combined fabrics with linoleum
cement colored black or otherwise, and I do not japan them with a
polished surface, so that they may afterwards, where required, be blacked
with shoe or saddlery blacking.
I also make a fabric in imitation of morocco and other costly
grained skins in the following manner-I unite two or more flies of
cotton or other fabrics by means of linoleum cement, and then I spread
several thin layers, or roll one thick layer of cement thereon; I then
place over it a very fine cotton or fleece of cotton, and finish it with
colored japan cement to a fine surface; I then emboss this with rollers
or plates which have engraved thereon an imitation of the leather grain
required. In place of oxidized oil cement a cement made with kowrie
or New Zealand gum, or gum copal, damma, or sandarac combined with
castor oil may be used, as is described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me, and dated the 8th day of August 1868 (No. 2489).
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what 1
claim is, the manufacture of japanned and other artificial leather with
oxidized oil or linoleum cement, as above described.
***
Also the manufacture of japanned and other artificial leather with a
cement of kowrie or New Zealand gum, gum copal, damma, or sandarac,
combined with castor oil, as above described.
Also the use in the manufacture of japanned leather of a fleece of

page_text: cotton or fibre to prevent the irregularities of the base fabric from
appearing on the japanned surface, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Walton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
FRED WALTON. (L.S.)