IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Emile Victor Felix
Lemaire at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th December 1858.
I, EMILE VICTOR FELIX LEMAIRE, of, 2, Rue Drouot, Paris, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TANNING" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in submitting skins (while hung up in a dark
and heated room) to showers of an alkaline solution, and afterwards of
water only. Also in coloring skins by means of the material known as
"bablak" or "neb-nab," and afterwards fixing the color by means of a
mordaunt. Also, the preparation of tanning liquor by the use of a series-
of vessels, in each of which is placed some of the tanning material to
be exhausted. The water enters at the commencement of the series;-

page_text: and is drawn off at the end, so that the tanning material in the vessels
is exhausted in succession. The tanning liquor after it leaves these
vessels is filtered. Also in a system of tanning by commencing with a
weak tanning fluid, which is kept at its original strength until the
skins are saturated; the strength of the fluid is then augmented and
maintained as augmented, until saturation again takes place, when the
strength is again increased until complete saturation is obtained. The
vessels which I employ in this operation are arranged with a stirrer to
keep the tanning fluid well mixed, and have a tap at the bottom for
drawing off the liquid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Emile Victor Felix Lemaire in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 19th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
EMILE VICTOR FELIX LEMAIRE, of 2, Rue Drouot, Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Emile Victor Felix Lemaire,
Her special licence that I, the said Emile Victor Felix Lemaire, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Emile Victor Felix Lemaire, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Emile Victor Felix Lemaire, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: in the Great Seal Office, within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Emile Victor Felix Lemaire
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 first part of my Invention consists in the following process, which
I employ in place of treating the skins with lime, for the purpose of.
removing the hair :-
The skins, from which the flesh has been carefully removed, are first
soaked and rinsed in water, and are then hung up on suitable hooks in
a-darki chamber, heated to about 72°. Fahrenheit, by steam pipes so
arranged as to distribute the heat equally in the chamber. At the
upper part of the chamber are placed a series of perforated pipes.com-
municating with a reservoir, and these tubes are arranged so as to
distribute the liquid contained in the reservoir in small streams over
the skins. After the skins have remained in the chamber for about
thirty minutes, they have distributed over them, by means of the per-
forated tubes before mentioned, a dilute alkaline solution of potash
or soda, marking from one-fourth to one sixth of a degree Beaumé,
and this operation is twice repeated at intervals of thirty minutes
afterwards; at the same intervals of time streams of water are caused
to fall on the skins until they are reduced to the state required, as
will be well understood by the tanner, and this is usually the case at
the end of twenty-four hours. The dark chamber in which these ope-
rations are carried on is arranged so that the air may be changed
with facility, and when working.I consider it desirable to do this three
times a day. The bottom of the chamber is provided with gutters to
carry away the liquids which fall from the skins. The second part of
my Invention consists in the following process for coloring skins :-
I. pour boiling water upon the substance known in commerce as
"bablah" or "neb-nab".reduced to powder, then I decant the liquid
and dilute it with cold water until it marks one tenth of a degree of
Beaumé. In this liquid, the skins are soaked for twelve hours, then the
strength of the bath is brought up to two tenths of a degree, and-the-

page_text: soaking is continued for twenty-four hours more; lastly, the. strength:
of this bath is brought up to four tenths of a degree,, and at the
end of twenty-four hours the skins are .withdrawn and washed with
water. The color thus obtained is fixed by a bath marking. 2° Beaumé,
of pyrolignite of alumina or other suitable mordant may be employed,
and when the color is fixed, the skins are well washed. with water...
The third part of my Invention consists in the following method of
preparing tanning liquor:-
.
A series of vessels of suitable dimensions, and connected together.
so as to permit, when required, the free circulation of the. liquid from
one vessel to another, are arranged in an enclosed room, with their
mouths on a level with the floor.. Boxes pierced with holes, and con-
taining a suitable quantity, of tanning material, are. plunged into the
liquid contained in these vessels, which circulates from the first. to. the
last of the vessels, so as to completely exhaust the tanning matters,
and to yield a concentrated tanning liquid. From the pans the tanning
liquid passes to a purifyer, and from there into a reservoir, which is
divided into compartments. to keep separate the different sorts or
strengths of tanning liquid. From the reservoir the. purified liquid is
distributed to the tan pits.
: I would remark that the boxes should be so arranged that they may
be easily removed from the vessels, for the purpose of supplying them
with fresh tanning material. Also that it is desirable to cover all vessels
containing tanning liquid to prevent the action of the air, and, further,
that it is preferable to keep the chamber in which the tanning liquid
is prepared at a temperature of about 65° Fahrenheit.
The purification of the tanning liquid, of which I have spoken above,
consists only in passing them through a suitable filter.
· Fourthly, my Invention consists in the following method of tanning
skins:-
The skins are fixed upon frames of a suitable form, and are placed
vertically in the pits, and are fixed there so as to allow the tanning
liquor, to act on every part of the surface.
The pits are then filled with tanning liquor prepared as above de-
scribed, and marking six tenths of a degree Beaumé. This strength

page_text: is maintained during three or four days, adding every day concentrated
tanning liquid. When the absorption at this degree of strength has
almost ceased, the strength is raised to eight tenths of a degree, where
it is maintained for three or four days more, until the absorption again
censes; and in this way the strength is increased two tenths of a
degree each time the absorption ceases, until the skin is completely
tanned at from 2 to 3 degrees, according to the nature of the leather.
I would remark that I find it advantageous to arrange the tan pits
so that they can be emptied by a tube at the bottom, and also to employ
agitating apparatus in the pits, to prevent the liquor from separating
into layers of different densities.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not con-
fine myself to the exact details described. But what I claim is,-
Firstly, the manner of preparing skins, as described under the first
head of my Invention.
Secondly, the use of the material known as "bablah" or "neb-nab,"
for coloring skins, as before described..
Thirdly, the arrangement of apparatus for and manner of preparing
tanning liquor before described.
Lastly, the manner of tanning skins before described under the fourth
head of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Emile Victor Felix Lemaire,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of
June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four
Witness,
T. BASSET.
E. V. FELIX LEMAIRE. (L.S.)