Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Artificial Chamois-leather.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Artificial
Chamois-leather.
I, LÉON THIRY of 43 Rue de Liverpool, Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium;
Leather-dresser, 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 improved process enables sheep-skins to be converted into chamois-leather
in a few days. The whole of the work is performed indoors, without the assistance
of any lines or strings, or of a hot room. It requires practically no supervision,
takes place as it were automatically, and never results in damaging the skins or
hides. It requires less oil, while at the same time it enables oils obtained from any
kind of fish, even of the lowest quality, to be made use of.
In carrying out this process I employ a drying and fermentation chamber formed
by a partition or by an ordinary wall, preferably double, so that between the two
walls of brick or other non-conducting material, there is left a space filled with a
volume of air at rest, whereby any loss of heat is avoided.
This drying and fermenting chamber is tightly closed and provided with an
arrangement for permanently heating it, which may consist of a series of pipes with
wings, placed underneath a double floor of lattice-work, through which the steam
circulates.
The steam may be admitted on one side of the chamber and issue on the other
side, or it may be admitted at the four corners when large-sized pieces are to be
dealt with.
Instead of steam-heating, other methods of heating usual in industry may be
adopted, provided the temperature thereby produced within the chamber is uniform
(for example an ordinary fire might be used).
The shape and size of this chamber may vary, the preferred form in practice
being rectangular.
The hides or skins are suspended in the chamber singly from hooks, and the
chamber is then tightly closed. After leaving them in this position for a certain
space
of time, they are removed and spread out on the floor of the factory, for
them to absorb moisture. Being thus freshened up, the skins are rolled, placed in a
fulling machine, treated with oil, and again placed into the fermentation chamber.
This series of operations is repeated several times over.
It will be found that in 6 or 7 days the toughest sheep-skin will have thoroughly
acquired the nature of chamois-leather, a result which hitherto could not be attained
in less than one month in summer, or in less than 3 or 4 months in winter.
This speedy change is owing to the fact that fermentation sets in from the first
day in the drying chamber. The essential requirement therefore is, that there
should be no opening or interstice anywhere in the chamber permitting an escape of
vapours. If the chamber is tightly closed throughout, fermentation will commence
immediately.
As the skins in this process are hung up, one by one, with a space for the passage
of air left between each, they are not liable to be burnt as in the old process which
consisted in heaping them up on wooden or iron bars.
Thus it will be seen that this chamoising process is practically automatic. The
required degree of heat is adjusted by means of a thermometer and thereby absolute
certainty is secured beforehand as to the result.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved process of rapidly converting hides or skins into chamois-leather
based upon the employment of a drying chamber formed by a double wall, the
space between which is filled with a column of air at rest; the said chamber being
hermetically closed and provided with a permanent heating arrangement, which, if
the heating medium be steam preferably consists of a series of winged pipes placed
underneath a double lattice floor, the skins being suspended from hooks all sub-
stantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this h
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.