IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRE- PARING AND TANNING OF SKINS, HIDES, OR PELTS OF ANIMALS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Garrett, of No. 16, Taunton Place,
Crimscott Street, Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the County of
Surrey, Currier, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRE-
PARING AND TANNING OF SKINS, HIDES, OR PELTS OF ANIMALS."
Scaled the 11th November 1853, and dated the 14th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Garrett at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th May 1858.
I, STEPHEN GARRETT, of No. 16, Taunton Place, Crimscott Street,
Grange Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, Currier, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PREPARING AND TANNING OF SKINS, HIDES, OR PELTS OF ANIMALS" to be as
follows:-
My said Invention consists of a mode or modes of subjecting skins,
hides, or pelts of animals to the action of any solutions or liquids by
which they are intended to be operated upon for the purpose of con-
verting them into leather of any description.

page_text: For this purpose I suspend the skins, hides, or pelts upon the poles
or bars of a frame, which can be easily introduced into the pit or tank
containing the lime water, the solution of tan, or other liquid, to the
actions of which the skins, hides, or pelts are to be subjected; the
skins, hides, or pelts being suspended in such a manner that they shall
not touch each other.
The pit or tank being sufficiently charged with the liquid which is to
operate upon the skins, hides, or pelts, I cause the frame, with the skins,
hides, or pelts upon it, to be immersed in the liquid contained in the
pit or tank; and after being so immersed for some time, I draw the
frame, with all the skins, hides, orpe Its upon it, entirely out of the pit or
tank, and then again proceed to immerse the frame, with all the skins,
hides, or pelts upon it, in the liquid contained in the pit or tank, and
again withdraw it, as before; and I continue alternately to immerse the
skins, hides, or pelts, and to withdraw them from the pit or tank, as
already mentioned, during the process to which they are subjected, for
the purpose of subjecting the skins, hides, or pelts more effectually to
the action of the liquid by which they are to be operated upon, and also
for the purpose of causing such action to be accellerated or increased.
This mode of treating skins, hides, or pelts is applicable to the
ordinary liming and tanning processes, and also to other processes for
converting skins, hides, or pelts into leather, or otherwise treating them.
My said Invention also consists of machinery for causing skins, hides,
or pelts, during the process of tanning or otherwise preparing them, to
be alternately immersed in and withdrawn from the liquid to the action
of which they are to be subjected.
This machinery or apparatus consists of a series of levers, beams, or
arms, by means of which the frames holding the skins, hides, or pelts
may be immersed in and withdrawn from a solution from time to time
for the purpose above mentioned. The frame coutaining the skins,
hides, or pelts to be operated upon in one pit or tank acting as a
counterbalance weight to the skins, hides, or pelts to be operated upon
in another pit or tank.
The levers, beams, or arms which produce these effects have notion
given to them by machinery actuated by steam, animal, or other
motive power.

page_text: Instead of alternately immersing and withdrawing skins, hides, or
pelts from liquor by which they are intended to be operated upon
in manner herein-before described, I sometimes cause them to be
moved backwards and forwards in an horizontal direction within the
tank or vessel, and in the liquor in which they are suspended, preferring
to apply the motion in such a direction that the skins, hides, or pelts
will move edgeways through the liquor, and the liquor be thus caused
to pass through between the skins, hides, or pelts, and against their
surfaces.
Machinery which will give an alternating motion to the frame upon
which the skins, hides, or pelts are suspended is applied to the frame,
so that motion may be applied at such intervals and at such speed as
may be desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Garrett in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 14th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
STEPHEN GARRETT, of No. 16, Taunton Place, Crimscott Street, Grange
Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, Currier, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Stephen Garrett, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her special licence that I, the said Stephen
Garrett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Stephen Garrett, 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
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARING AND
TANNING OF SKINS, HIDES, OR PELTS OF ANIMALS," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that I, the said Stephen Garrett, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and scal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Stephen Garrett, 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, that is to say :-
My said Invention consists of a mode or modes of subjecting skins,
hides, or pelts of annimals to the action of any solutions or liquids by
which they are intended to be operated upon for converting them into
leather of any description, or otherwise preserving them, by using or
applying mechanical action, in manner herein-after described, for the
purpose of subjecting the skins, hides, or pelts more effectually to the
action of the liquid by which they are to be operated upon, and also for
the purpose of causing such action to be accellerated or increased.
For this purpose I suspend the skins, hides, or pelts upon the poles
or bars of a frame, which can be easily introduced into the pit or tank
containing the line water, the solution of tan, or other liquid, to the
action of which the skins, hides, or pelts are to be subjected; the skins,
hides, or pelts being suspended in such a manner that their surfaces
shall not touch each other.
The pit or tank being sufficiently charged with the liquid which is
to operate upon the skins, hides, or pelts, I cause the frame with the
skins, hides, or pelts upon it, to be immersed in the liquid contained
in the pit or tank, and after being so immersed for some time, I draw
the frame, with all the skins, hides, or pelts upon it, entirely out of the
pit or tank, and then again proceed to immerse the frame, with all the
skins, hides, or pelts upon it, in the liquid contained in the pit or tank,
and again withdraw it as before. And I continue alternately to
immerse the skins, hides, or pelts, and to withdraw them from the
pit or tank, as already mentioned; and I keep up this mechanical
action continuously, or nearly so, during the process, for the purpose of

page_text: subjecting the skins, hides, or pelts more effectually to the action of
the liquid, and also causing such action to be accellerated or increased.
This mode of treating skins, hides, or pelts is applicable to the ordi-
nary liming and tanning processes, and also to other processes for
converting the skins, hides, or pelts into leather, or otherwise treating
them.
I do not, however, intend to claim the alternately immersing and
withdrawing skins, hides, and pelts into and from solutions, unless the
same shall be effected by the means herein-after described.
For the purpose of producing and keeping up this mechanical action
with greater facility, I use machinery or apparatus by means of which
the skins, hides, or pelts, during the process of tanning or otherwise
preparing them, are alternately immersed in and withdrawn from the
liquid to the action of which they are to be subjecte.
This machinery or apparatus consists of a series of levers, beams, or
arms, by means of which the frames holding the skins, hides, or pelts
may be immersed in and withdrawn from a solution from time to time
for the purposes above mentioned, the frame containing the skins,
hides, or pelts to be operated upon in one pit or tank acting as a
counterbalance weight to the skins, hides, or pelts to be operated upon
in another pit or tank.
The levers, beams, or arms which produce these effects are mounted
centres or pins at or near to the middle parts thereof, and they have
motion given to them by machinery actuated by steam, animal, or
other motive power, so that the opposite ends of each lever, bean, or
arm shall be alternately depressed and raised for the purpose of alter-
nately immersing and withdrawing the skins, hides, or pelts from the
pits, the frame containing the skins, hides, or pelts in one pit being
suspended to the end of one lever or beam, or to one end of each of a
series of levers or beams; the frame containing the skins, hides, or
pelts in another and nearly adjoining pit being suspended to the other
end or ends of the lever or beam, levers or beams.
By reason of one frame acting as a counterbalance to the other,
the amount of machanical power necessary for the purpose of alter-
nately depressing and raising the levers or beams will be considerably
diminished.

page_text: Any convenient means of communicating motion to the levers or
arms may be adopted, the precise arrangement of mechanism used
being immaterial.
Instead of alternately immersing and withdrawing the skins, hides,
or pelts into and from any liquor by which they are intended to be
operated upon in manner herein-before described, I sometimes cause
them to be moved backwards and forwards in a horizontal direction
within the tank or vessel, & in the liquor in which they are suspended,
preferring to apply the motion in such a direction that the skins,
hides, or pelts will move edgeways through the liquor, and the liquor
be thus caused to pass through between the skins and against their
surfaces.
Any convenient machinery which will give alternating horizontal
motions to the frame upon which the said skins, hides, or pelts are sus-
pended may be applied to the frame, so as to cause such alternating
motions to be applied continuously, or at such intervals and at such speed
as may be desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Garrett, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the
year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
STEPHEN GARRETT. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
before-named Stephen Garrett in
the presence of
FREDERICK MORRIS,
Clerk to R. D. Ward, Esqre,
13, King's Bench Walk,
Temple.