IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IMITATION OR ARTIFICIAL LEATHER
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseline, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IMITATION OR ARTIFICIAL LEATHER."
A communication from abroad by Edward E. Floyd, of the Firm of
Floyd Brothers and Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
Sealed the 19th July 1878, and dated the 20th May 1878.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th May 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IMI-
TATION OR ARTIFICIAL LEATHER." A communication from abroad by Edward E.
Floyd, of the Firm of Floyd Brothers and Company, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of imitation or
artificial leather, especially adapted to supply commercially an article which will be
cheaper and better than real leather for various purposes, and particularly as a
lining for boots and shoes, for bookbinding, for the manufacture of pocket books
and other small articles, in the manufacture of which leather is ordinarily
employed.
The process employed in the manufacture of this article and the ingredients used
in the composition thereof are stated below. Upon a base of closely woven fabric,
preferably cotton cloth, of any desirable width and length, is spread in successive
layers a composition of caoutchouc or india-rubber, shellac, gasoline, or naphtha, zinc,
white clay, or plaster of Paris, suitably compounded, and of sufficient thickness and
body not to spread or run too easily. Each layer is thoroughly dried before the
next coating is applied.
It is found in practice that the best results are obtained by making the coats
thin, and applying them often, say, as many as six or seven times, for the reason

page_text: that a thin coating is more evenly-spread on the fabric, and dries quicker and more
uniformly than a thick coating, so that six or seven successive thin coatings can be
spread, and each one thoroughly dried before the next following coating is applied
in the time that it would take for spreading one thick coat, and in the drying of
the same.
The result of this thin layer process is far superior to the thick coat method, as
the first layer is thoroughly incorporated or knit into the fibrous base before the
others are applied, and each successive layer is thoroughly and firmly attached to
the base previously establised.
After the last coating is wholly dry, a surfacing is applied consisting of aniline
color somewhat stiffened by the addition of French chalk or magnesia; this surfacing
being thoroughly mixed is spread upon the in the same manner as the first-
named composition is applied, excepting that generally but one coat of this finishing
preparation is given. After this last-named manipulation a light coat of varnish
may be given to the material, and it may then be passed through a pebbling
machine to provide it with a surface finish that will resemble the pebbled leathers
in the market.
The product of this series of manipulations possesses a softness of texture or
finish that renders its detection as an artificial substance by the touch alone
almost impossible, while in strength and wearing qualities it is certainly superior to
many qualities of leather in common use for the purposes named, and its cost is
materially less than that of leather.
In preparing the last named composition the caoutchouc or india-rubber is cut or
dissolved with gasoline or naphtha; then to this mixture is added a proper quantity
of shellac, zinc white, clay, or plaster of Paris, in the proportion of one part of
shellac, two parts of zinc white, one part of clay, and one part of plaster of Paris.
These ingredients are thoroughly incorporated with each other before use.
The proportion of the parts of this composition may be varied if desirable, but it
must always be borne in mind that the article to be produced must possess that soft,
flexible, leathery appearance which can be only obtained by using substantially
the ingredients, and proportions, and the processes herein enumerated and
described.
In the surfacing composition enough French chalk or magnesia should be used to
somewhat thicken the anniline color.
In the manufacture of this artificial or imitation product or article, it is desirable
to take about three hundred yards of the fibrous base and wind it on a feed roll,
wheuce it may be fed to a reservoir containing a quantity of the first-named pre-
paration, which may drop therefrom on the fabric immediately in front of a
spreading knife for smoothing and distributing the coating on the cloth. From the
said spreading knife the cloth having one coating is carried over a drying roll, and
it is thence passed under another reservoir, from which a second coat of the com-
position is applied; this cont is spread by a second spreading knife over the first
coating in the same manner as that used in applying the first coating.
The fibrous base now having two coats of the filling composition is drawn over
another drying roll, whence it passes back to a roll in close proximity to the first-
named feed roll, upon which it is wound to be again passed through the manipu-
lations above described in securing additional coatings.
Although other fillings having an aluminous base may be employed in place of
the zinc white, clay, and plaster of Paris, the best results are secured by their
use.
The filling composition as well as the surfacing preparation may be colored by
any suitable pigment other than anniline without departing from the spirit of this
Invention.
In some instances it may be desirable to put the color into the filling composition,
in which case the surfacing preparation may not be used, and the entire coating
would have the same color throughout. It will therefore be seen that the article
herein described is an artificial leather constructed by coating a thin close textured

page_text: cloth with dissolved india-rubber compound, and mineral matter laid on usually in
several very thin coats, so that the cloth has incorporated with it a waterproof
surface exceedingly thin, but well combined with the cloth. That in order to get a
natural leather finish, a surfacing of silicate of magnesia colored with aniline dye is
rolled into the surface to combine with it, and that it is then preferably pebbled;
that the coloring matter is what may be termed a magnesian aniline lake and lies
at the surface, and constitutes the surface of the finished article; that where the
finishing or surfacing coating of magnesia and aniline is not used as a finishing
composition, it may be used with the india-rubber compound, and the same effect
be produced; that the peculiar slippery quality of French chalk thus constitutes the
surface of the article which gives it its leathery feeling, and that the "pebbling"
imitates the appearance of leather.
This peculiar leathery appearance and feeling do not exist in any other material
heretofore made, and the imitation of genuine leather is so accurate that the above
described product forins commercially a new article.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,-
First. An imitation leather consisting of a textile fabric coated with several thin
layers of dissolved india-rubber surfaced with colored silicate of magnesia, and
"pebbled" as above described.
Second. As means for producing upon an india-rubber coated fabric an appearance
and texture-like leather, the use of a surfacing coat of silicate of magnesia, and
"pebbling" the same as above described.
Third. In the manufacture of imitation or artificial leather, the application of
several thin surfacing coats of dissolved india-rubber containing mineral matter,
ench of which coats is dried before the other is applied, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.