Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER FROM THE WASTE CUTTINGS, CLIPPINGS, ROUNDINGS, AND OTHER PIECES OF SKINS, AND ALSO THE WASTE OF COTTON, WOOLLEN, HEMP, AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES IN COMBINATION WITH CERTAIN CHEMICALS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Brown, of Abbey Mills, Romsey, in the
County of Hampshire, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER FROM THE WASTE CUTTINGS,
CLIPPINGS, ROUNDINGS, AND OTHER PIECES OF SKINS, AND ALSO THE WASTE
OF COTTON, WOOLLEN, HEMP, AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES IN COMBINATION
WITH CERTAIN CHEMICALS."
Sealed the 26th February 1872, and dated the 27th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th October 1871.
I, WALTER BROWN, of Abbey Mills, in the County of Hampshire,
Manufacturer, do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER FROM THE WASTE CUTTINGS,
CLIPPINGS, ROUNDINGS, AND OTHER PIECES OF SKINS, AND ALSO THE WASTE OP

page_text: COTTON, WOOLLEN, HEMP, AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES IN COMBINATION WITH
CERTAIN CHEMICALS," to be as follows:
I take the waste cuttings and clippings of all sorts of animal skins
possessing fibres, and which are convertible into leather, by the various
processes of tanning, such as ox, cow, buffalo, goat, kid, buck, and doc, f
calf, sheep, lamb, and similar animals, and having cleansed them from
dirt, hair, wool, and the grain and epidermis by means of soaking them
in a solution of soda or other alkaline matter, 3 lbs. to every one hundred
gallons of water, which should never be under 60 degrees Fahrenheit or
more than 70 degrees temperature, must be regulated by the age and 1
nature of the skin to be operated upon; from two to three hours will be
sufficient to free them from the dirt and other impurities; they are
then sorted into classes of coarse, middling, and fine.
The coarse comprise the cuttings and shavings of the ox, cow, and
buffalo. I prefer to take one hundredweight or 112 lbs., combined or
separately, but I prefer the combination, and add thereto 14 lbs. of calf
skin cuttings. To this 126 lbs. of skins I add 42 lbs. of strong Manilla
rope prepared by cutting and boiling in a weak solution of alkali until
soft and pliable. These are now placed in a rag breaking engine or
other known suitable machine with as much water as will cause them to
float and pass under the roll, which, being set with knives reduces the
material into a filimentuous mass or pulp of suitable lengths to form a
homogenous compound. To every hundredweight of this combination of
animal and vegetable matters I add a quarter of a pound of oil of vitriol,
one ounce of nitric acid, one pound of linseed oil, or the same quantity of
known suitable hydrocarbon, two pounds of yellow soap, one pound
of soda or other alkaline crystals, with three pounds of alum. When
these are reduced to the proper consistency, a quantity sufficient to form
the sheet of the required thickness is poured into a mould made of wood
and wire, called and known by the makers of millboards a millboard
mould, it is then pressed into the form and substance required by
presses employed for the purpose; it is then dried in the air or heat
in a drying house, but I prefer air drying.
any
In preparing the middling class, I take of buck, doe, or sheep cuttings,
generally called chamois or wash leather, the same weight, 112 lbs. In
this case I prefer the sheep or chamois alone, although the buck and doe
may be combined with the sheep when a harder leather is to be pro-
C

page_text: These
duced. These chamois cuttings are freed from dirt or dust by means of
a rag duster well known to paper makers, or any other known suitable
machine; they are then cut into picces as rags are for the manufacture
of paper. To these I add 42 pounds of vegetable fibres made from hemp,
rope, or canvas, known as half stuff in the paper making trade.
are placed in the beating rag engine or other known suitable machine, to
which is added a sufficient quantity of water to float the mass as before
described. While these materials are being reduced to a filimentuous
condition I incorporate with them 3 pounds of soda to every 112 lbs. of
the mass, ½ lb. of oil of vitriol, 1 lb. of sweet oil, 1lb. of curd soap,
and 3, lbs. of alum. When this is sufficiently reduced it is made
into sheets by means of moulds and pressure, as before described.
The fine class is composed of calf, kid, goat, and lamḥ cuttings in
equal proportions, 28 lbs. of cach, freed from dirt and foreign matter by
dusting or washing in a weak livivium of soft soap, 1 lb. to 100 gallons
in cold water. This should be accomplished in the beating or rag
washing engine or other known suitable machine. To every 112 lbs. of
this combination I add 35 lbs. of fine cotton waste and 10 lbs. of fine
clean short wool. These are beat together with water enough to float
them, to which is added %, a pint of sweet oil or lindseed oil, 2 lbs. of
soda or other alkaline matter, 1 lb. of chloride of lime, 1 lb. of oil of
vitriol, 1 lb. of white soap, and 5 lbs. of alum. When these are reduced
as required they are to be treated as before described, and made into
sheets by means of moulds and pressure, and when dried they may be,
if desired, as also those before described, finished by passing them
through glazing or ordinary press roller.
It is to be observed that in all the three classes herein described, the
sheets after the first pressing in the wire mould are to be removed and
placed between woollen felts or other known suitable media and pressed
in piles as dry as possible. This process interlaces the fibrous particles
and gives strength and durability to the leather fabric.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Walter Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
BROWN, of Abbey Mills, Romsey, in the County of Hampshire, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Walter Brown, Her special licence that
I, the said Walter Brown, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Walter Brown, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF LEATHER FROM THE WASTE CUTTINGS, CLIPPINGS, ROUNDINGS, And
OTHER PIECES OF SKINS, AND ALSO THE WASTE OF COTTON, WOOLLEN, HEMP, AND
OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES IN COMBINATION WITH CERTAIN CHEMICALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Walter Brown, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Walter Brown, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The object of this Invention consists in the production of leather and
articles representing leather from the waste cuttings, clippings, round-
ings, and other pieces or refuse of skins, and also the waste of cotton,

page_text: woollen, hemp, and other suitable vegetable fibres in combination with
the said skins, and also with certain chemicals, to be as follows:-I take
the waste cuttings, and clippings, and other refuse pieces of all sorts
of animal skins possessing fibres, and which are convertible into leather
by the various processes of tanning, such as ox, cow, buffalo, goat, kid,
buck, doc, calf, sheep, lamb, and such like animals; I then clean them
from dirt, hair, wool, and the grain or epidermis by means of soaking
and washing in a solution of soda or other alkaline matter, about three
pounds to every hundred gallons of water, which should never be under
sixty nor over seventy degrees of Fahrenheit; the temperature must be
regulated by the age and quality of the skin to be operated upon, which
a skilled workman will discover by practice. From two to three hours
will generally be found sufficient to cleanse them. They are then sorted
into classes of coarse, middling, and fine; the ox, cow, and buffalo
when combined form the strongest leather and are the coarse class;
the calf, sheep, and lamb separately or in combination form the
middling class; the kid, buck, and doe, and similar animal skins
combine to form the fine class.
Of the coarse class I prefer to take 100 cwt. combined or separately,
but I prefer the combination as it produces the best and strongest
article; I add to this 14 lbs. of the calf cuttings, to this 126 lbs. I add
42 lbs. Manilla rope, which I prefer, although hemp or other rope will
answer the purpose; whichever may be employed must first be prepared
by being cut into pieces and boiled in solution of alkali, about 10 or 12
lbs. to the ton of rope, until it is soft and pliable. This is effected in
about 1 hours. The skin and rope, 168 lbs., are now placed in a
paper maker's rag beating or other suitable machine with as much water
as will cause the mass to float and pass under the roll, which is set with
knives working on a plate similarly contrived for reducing the materials
into filaments of such a length and pulpy consistency as is required to
form the homogeneous sheet. To every hundredweight of this combi-
nation of animal and vegetable compound I add, when it is half beat or
reduced, 1 lb. of oil of vitriol of the ordinary strength, 1 oz. of
nitric acid, 1 lb. of linseed oil or the same quantity of any hydro-
carbon, 2 lbs. of yellow soap, 1 lb. of soda or other alkaline crystal,
together with 3 lbs. of alum. When these materials are sufficiently
reduced to the required consistency, a quantity to produce a sheet of the
size and substance desired is poured into a mould known to millboard

page_text: makers and pressed until the water leaves it; it is then removed from
the mould and placed between woollen felts, and when a pile of them,
thirty, forty, or more are ready, they are again pressed until they
assume a strong adhesive consistency to be handled and laid upon
frames of wire or other suitable means, either in a heated room or
in the air; the latter I prefer.
In the production of the middling class I take of buck, doe, or sheep
cuttings, called chamois or wash leather, 112 lbs. I prefer the sheep
alone, although the buck and doe may be combined when a harder
leather is required. These cuttings are freed from dirt and dust as rags
are when required to make paper, by means of a rag duster or other
contrivance; they are then cut into pieces as rags are for paper
making; to these I add 42 lbs. of vegetable fibres made from hemp,
rope, or strong canvas, known in the trade as half stuff. These aro
placed in the beating rag engine or other similar machine, to which
I add water sufficient to float the mass, as before described. When
these are washed and partially reduced I add 3lbs. of soda to every
112 lbs. lb. of oil of vitriol, 1 lb. of sweet oil, 1 lb. of white curd soap,
and 3 lbs. of alum. When these are sufficiently reduced and incorporated
it is made into sheets and dried by the process before described.
The fine class is composed of calf, kid, goat, and lamb cuttings in
equal proportions of 28 lbs. each, freed from dirt and foreign matter by
dusting and washing in a lixivium of soft soap and 1lb. to 100 gallons
of cold water. The washing should be in the beating engine, as rags for
paper are treated. To every 112 lbs. of this combination and 35 lbs. of
fine cotton waste and 10 lbs. of fine clean short wool, beat them with
water sufficient to move them under the roll; when half reduced add
pint of sweet or linseed oil, 2½ lbs. soda, 1 lb. of chloride of lime, 1 lb.
oil of vitriol, 1lb. of white curd soap, and 5 lbs. of alum. When these
are of the required consistency they are made into sheets and heated as
before described.
It is to be particularly observed, that in all the three classes, the
sheets after being pressed in the millboard moulds are to be removed
and placed between woollen or cotton felts and pressed in piles as dry as
possible and dried by air or artificial means, and if desired, passed
through glazing or plain rollers, hot or cold, according to the finish
required.

page_text: What I claim is the manufacture of artificial leather and articles of
the same by the employment of the materials herein described, but I do
not confine myself to the exact quantities or combinations of the said
materials, as they may be varied according to the articles required by the
trade, but I do claim the materials and the process therein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Brown, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Seventeenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
WALTER BROWN. (L.S.)