IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SKINS FOR DRIVING BANDS AND HARNESS TRACES."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Constantine Jennings, of Great Tower
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PREPARATION OF SKINS FOR DRIVING BANDS AND HARNESS TRACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Constantine Jennings
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th June 1862.
I, HENRY CONSTANTINE JENNINGS, of Great Tower Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SKINS FOR DRIVING BANDS AND HARNESS TRACES,"
to be as follows:-
The hides or skins are to be deprived of hair by the usual means employed
by tanners, or by solutions of caustic soda or potassa. The pelts or dehaired
skins are now to be pared and rendered even and smooth upon the flesh side,
so as to make every part of equal thickness, and are now to be steeped for two
days in a solution of soda ashes, or of crystals of soda of commerce, or of
pearl ashes, the solutions to be saturated with the above-named carbonated
alkalies at the ordinary atmospheric temperature, and must remain in the
solution until perfectly impregnated and swelled to the maximum thickness,
after which the skins must be drained for a few hours, and then immersed
in a saturated solution of iron with about 2 or 3 per cent. of sulphuric acid.
When the iron liquid has penetrated' completely into the skins, they are to be

page_text: soaked in a solution of carbonated alkali until the sulphuric acid of the iron
solution is decomposed, and again to be returned to the solutions of iron, so
on alternately changing the skins from the alkaline solution to the ferruginous
solution, until the skin becomes firm and solid, and the whole of gelatine is
transformed into an insoluble substance. This object attained, the skins are to
be wetted with the alkaline solution, and then steeped in a mixture of rosin
oil, rock oil, paraffine oil, or naptha, or any liquid hydrocarbonate, and in
which has been dissolved 15 lbs. per centum of gum thus, or colophane, or
rosin, frequently turning and moving the skins to ensure the penetration of
the oily composition. When a perfect combination has been effected, which will
depend upon the thickness of the skins or hides, the skins are to be dried in
the air, and when dry are to be rubbed or pressed with a mixture composed
of equal parts of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. The skins are now to
be cut into strips or bands of the desired breadth, and again rolled or pressed
to condense and equalize the substance. Before the bands are sewn or rivetted
into lengtbs, it will be advantageous to rub into the surfaces a mixture of soft
soap and cod or neat's foot oil, to give the bands the proper degree of supple-
ness, without, however, producing too great elasticity by employing too much of
the mixture. For very thick skins a weak solution of caustic soda or potassa
may be used with advantage instead of carbonated alkalies.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Constantine Jennings in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CONSTANTINE. JENNINGS, of Great Tower Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of our. Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign;
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Constantine Jennings, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Con;
stantine Jennings, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henry Constantine Jennings, 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend; within the United Kingdom of

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SKINS FOR DRIVING BANDS AND
HARNESS TRACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Constantine Jennings, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Henry Constantine Jennings, 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:
.
The hides or sķins are to be deprived of hair by the usual means employed"
by tanners, or by solutions of caustic soda or potassa. The pelts or dehaired
skins are now to be pared and rendered even and smooth upon the flesh side,
so as to make every part of equal thickness, and are now to be steeped for
two days in a solution of soda ashes, or of crystals of soda of commerce, or of
pearl' ashes, the solutions to be saturated with the above-named carbonated
alkalies at the ordinary atmospheric temperature, and must reinain in the
solution until perfectly impregnated and swelled to the maximum thickness;
after which the skins must be drained for a few hours, and then immersed
in a saturated solution of sulphate of iron, with about two or three per cent..of
sulphuric acid. When the iron liquid has penetrated completely into the skins,
they are to be soaked in a solution of carbonated alkali until the sulphuric acid
of the iron solution is decomposed, and again to be returned to the solutions t
of iron, so on alternately changing the skins from the alkaline solution to the
ferruginous solution, until the skin' becomes firm and solid, and the whole of
the gelatine is transformed into an insolube substance. This object attained, the
skins are to be wetted with the alkaline solution, and then steeped in a mixture
of rosin oil, rock oil, paraffine oil, or naptha, or any liquid.hydrocarbonate, and
in which has been dissolved 15 lbs. per centum of gum thus, or colophane,
or resin, frequently turning and moving the skins to ensure the penetration of
the oily composition. When a perfect combination has been effected, which
will depend upon the thickness of the skins or hides, the skins are to be
dried in the air, and when dry are to be rubbed or pressed with a mixture
composed of equal parts of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. The skins are
now to be cut into strips or bands of the desired breadth, and rolled or pressed
to condense and equalize the substance: Before the bands are sewn or rivetted

page_text: into lengths, it will be advantageous to rub into the surfaces a mixture of soft
soap and cod or neat's foot oil, to give the bands the proper degree of sup
pleness, without, however, producing too great elasticity by employing too
much of the mixture. For very thick skins a weak solution of caustic.
soda or potassa may be used with advantage instead of carbonated alkalies..
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully:
to describe the manner of performing the same...
The skins, especially ox hides, or such as have great thickness, are to be
perfectly freed from the lime. which has previously been used to. remove the
hair and oil; this is, as is well known, very effectually done by giving the skins
the action of rotatory motion in a revolving barrel mounted upon a centre axis,
and having boards fixed in the inside about a foot apart, so that as the barrel is'
slowly revolved on its axis, the hides may be struck by the projecting boards..
The barrel is filled with soft water, which is to be frequently changed until
it runs off clear and, bright. The skins are now to be drained,, and then
rendered even on the flesh side, as is well understood. After this the pelts or
skins are to be immersed in a saturated solution of soda ashes, or a solution of
crystallized soda of commerce, saturated at the temperature of the atmosphere;.
after a few days, in the case of very stout skins, the utmost swelling will have
been obtained by the saturation of the skins, they are then to be drained and
afterwards immersed in a solution of iron, and the solution preferred, by reason
of its cheapness, is sulphate of iron, commonly called green vitriol, into which
has been added and well mixed about 2 or 3 per cent. of sulphuric acid.
If a better color is desired for finer skins, a solution of carbonate of iron
dissolved in acetic acid or wood vinegar may be used. When the pelts
are impregnated with the iron solution they are to be put into a solution
of carbonate of soda to remove the acid, which will cause the skins to become
solid and firm, which effect will be facilitated by agitation from time to time.
The skins when dry or nearly so are to be steeped in rock oil, rosin oil,
paraffine oil, or naptha, or other fluid bydrocarbonate, in which previously has
been dissolved 15 lbs. (to every 100 lbs. of oil) gum thus, or colophane, or
American rosin, and frequently turned. The skins are to be rubbed with a
mixture of equal parts of boiled linseed oil and spirit of turpentine and pressed
between rollers or otherwise to render them compact and their surfaces
even either before or after cutting them into strips of the desired width.
In order to render the driving bands supple, their surfaces are to be rubbed
with a mixture of soft soap and cod or neat's foot oil in equal parts. For
preparing very stout and thick hides a solution of caustic potassa or soda may
be used with advantage in place of the carbonated alkali.

page_text: If dried, salted, limed, or alumed skins from foreign countries are to be
used, they should be steeped in soft water for a few days, turning them at least
twice in each day, and renewing the water, after that operation; the skins
are next to be put into water containing ten per cent. by weight of bran,
pea meal, and molasses mixed in equal parts, and allowed to ferment until the
acetous fermentation has taken place; this will remove all the above earths and
salts; the skins are now to be prepared according to my Invention, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Constantine Jennings, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
H. C. JENNINGS. (L.S.)