Improvements in Carotting or Preparing Furs intended for the Manufacture of Felts without using Mercury.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th-Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1893-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carotting or Preparing Furs intended for the
Manufacture of Felts without using Mercury.
I, HENRI ALBERT ALEXANDRE LUSSIGNY of 21 Boulevard Poissoniére, Paris
France do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to carotting or preparing furs intended for the manufacture
of felts without using mercury.
In carotting or preparing furs intended for the manufacture of felts, nitrate of
mercury is applied to the fur and according as the liquor containing the nitrate of
mercury is in a less or greater degree of concentration the carotting produced is
pale or yellow. The use of nitrate of mercury is disastrous to the health of the
workmen who have to work upon the fur.
My invention.consists in the application in the process of carotting or preparing
furs for use in the manufacture of felts, of two materials by means of one of which
pale carotting is produced and by the other of which a yellow carotting is produced,
which materials consequently are capable of replacing completely, and with
advantage the nitrate of mercury hitherto usually employed in carotting or
preparing fur for felting.
.
In order to obtain a pale carotting I employ the alkalies, caustic potash and
caustic soda, which possess carotting, properties in a very high degree and give
much more satisfactory results than nitrate of mercury without having its
objectionable qualities.
I may employ caustic potash or caustic soda either separately or together or in
combination or mixture with any other materials and Imay cause the liquors of caustic
potash or caustic soda to be of any degree of concentration which may be necessary
or desirable, according to the degree or violence of felting or fulling property
required by the hatter by whom the fur operated-upon is to be used. In one
manner of carrying out this part of my invention I employ preferably a solution of
caustic potash which is made as concentrated as possible and diluted when it is to be
employed with water so that it shall be of a density corresponding to four or seven
degrees of Beaumé's hydrometer.
In order to obtain yellow carotting 'I employ simultaneously carbon and nitric
acid or the product.of the reaction of these two bodies on one another: I may
employ these bodies or the product of their mutual reaction, in any relative
proportions, either. alone or combined or mixed-with: any other bodies as I may deem
expedient.
In one manner of carrying out this part of my invention I introduce ten parts of
carbon, preferably wood charcoal into one hundred parts of nitric acid warmed to a
temperature of sixty to eighty degrees centigrade. When the product of the
reaction of the nitric acid and carbon is. to be employed it is diluted with water so
as to be made of a density, corresponding to eight or ten degrees of Beaumé's
hydrometer.according to the degree or violence of carotting required by the hatter.
The manufacture of the liquid according to this part of my invention is attended
with danger.
The operations in carotting or preparing furs for use in the manufacture of felts,
by means of thesmaterials provided according to my invention are similar to those
performed when nitrate of mercury is employed in carotting furs. The pelt to be
koperated on is placed con the carotter's bench, and the operator applies the
carotting liquid by means of a brush so that the liquid may be caused to penetrate
as far as the skin, or to the extent which may be necessary or desirable-and the
subsequent drying of the pelt is effected in a stove and at a similar temperature-as in
:

page_text: carotting by means of nitrate of mercury. The other operations to be undergone
by the fur remain the same as in the process hitherto employed.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of October 1892.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.
.
.
'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carotting or Preparing Furs intended for the
Manufacture of Felts without using Mercury.
I, HENRI ALBERT ALEXANDRE LUSSIGNY, of 21 Boulevard, Poissonière, Paris,
France, 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:-
My invention relates to carotting or preparing furs intended for the manufacture
of felts without using mercury.
In carotting or preparing furs intended for the manufacture of felts in the manner
hitherto customary nitrate of mercury is applied to the furs being operated upon
and according as the liquor containing the nitrate of mercury is in a less or greater
degree of concentration the carotting produced is pale or yellow. The use of
nitrate of mercury is disastrous to the health of the workmen who have to work
upon the fur.
My invention consists in the application in the process of carotting or preparing
furs for use in the manufacture of felts of two materials by means of one of which
pale carotting is produced and by the other of which a yellow carotting is
produced, which materials consequently are capable of replacing completely and
with advantage the nitrate of mercury hitherto usually employed in carotting or
preparing fur for use in the manufacture of felts.
In
In order to obtain a pale carotting I employ the alkalies, caustic potash and
caustic soda, which possess carotting properties in a very high degree and give
much more satisfactory results than nitrate of mercury without having its
objectionable qualities. I may employ caustic potash or caustic soda either
separately or together or in combination or mixture with any other materials which
it may be considered desirable to add thereto and I may cause the liquors of
caustic potash or caustic soda to be of any degree of concentration which may be
necessary or desirable according to the degree or violence of felting or fulling
property required by the hatter by whom the fur operated upon is to be used.
one manner of carrying out this part of my invention I employ preferably a
solution of caustic potash which is inade as concentrated as possible and diluted
when it is to be employed, with water, so that it shall be of a density corresponding
to four or seven degrees of Beaumé's hydrometer or a specific gravity of from
1.03 to 1.05, the specific gravity of water being taken as unity. I would. have it
understood that for good results to be obtained in this process it is necessary that
the caustic potash or caustic soda employed shall be pure that is to say not
containing lime, sulphates or other impurities in sensible proportions, and that the
best results are obtained from the employment of pure caustic potash.
In order to obtain yellow carotting I employ simultaneously carbon and nitric
acid or the liquid product of the reaction of carbon and nitric acid on one
another and I employ these bodies or the product of their mutual reaction in any
relative proportions either alone or mixed with any other bodies as. I may deem
expedient.
In one manner of carrying out this part of my invention I treat ten parts of
carbon, preferably wood charcoal, with one hundred parts of nitric acid warmed to
a temperature of from sixty to eighty degrees centigrade. When the product of
the reaction of the nitric acid and carbon is to be employed it is diluted with water

page_text: so as to be made of a density which may according to the degree or violence of
the carotting required, correspond to eight or ten degrees of Beaume's hydrometer
or a specific gravity of about 106 to 107, the specific gravity of water being taken
as unity. The manufacture of the liquid used according to this part of my
invention is attended with danger, and in order to minimise the danger I introduce
the carbon into the required quantity of nitric acid while such nitric acid is in the
cold or at the normal temperature and then warm such nitric acid to the
temperature of from sixty to eighty degrees centigrade.
The operations in carotting or preparing furs for use in the manufacture of felts
by means of the materials provided according to my invention are similar to those
performed when nitrate of mercury is employed in carotting furs. The pelt to be
operated on is placed on the carotter's bench and the operator applies the carotting
liquid by means of a brush so that the liquid may be caused to penetrate as far as
the skin or to the extent which may be necessary or desirable and the subsequent
drying of the pelt is effected in a stove and at a temperature similar to that
employed in carotting by means of nitrate of mercury. The other operations to
which the fur is subjected remain the same as in the process hitherto employed.
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 :-
1. The herein before described improvement in the process of carotting or
preparing furs for use in the manufacture of felts which consists in treating the
furs with caustic potash or caustic soda, when a pale carotting of the furs is
required.
2. The hereinbefore described improvement in the process of carotting or
preparing furs for use in the manufacture of felts which consists in treating the
furs with caustic potash when a pale carotting of the furs is required.
3. The hereinbefore described improvement in the process of carotting or
preparing furs for use in the manufacture of felts, which consists in treating the
furs with the liquid product of the reaction of carbon and nitric acid on one another
either alone or mixed or combined with other bodies when a yellow carotting is
required.
4. The hereinbefore described improvement in the process of carotting or
preparing furs for use in the manufacture of felts which consists in treating the
furs with carbon and nitric acid when a yellow carotting of the furs is required.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of July 1893.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.