Improvements in or relating to the Treatment of Vegetable Parchment and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 21st Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Treatment of Vegetable
Parchment and the like.
I, AMÉDÉE WILBAUX, of St. Gilles, Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Merchant, 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 :-
use.
Vegetable parchment is a hygrometric material, that is to say, that it varies
according to the degree of dampness of the ambient air. This defect and also its
want of adhesiveness have hitherto precluded it from coming into more general
By providing means for making this article non-hygrometric and adhesive a
result is obtained which practically amounts to the creation of a new product
of manufacture capable of industrial application in many ways not before
contemplated.
This invention consists in applying to either one or both sides of the sheets of
vegetable parchment of suitable thickness (which may or may not be previously
made flexible) one or more layers of oil or oil colour of a uniform consistency and
softness, or of varnish and the like which will combine with the vegetable parch-
ment so as to form a product susceptible neither to humidity nor drought or in
other words, non-hygrometric. When the said layer or layers are dry, the surface
or surfaces may be ornamented by printing, embossing stamping, or otherwise
producing decorative designs thereon, and the vegetable parchment may then be
varnished with "English" or other varnish and glazed in an oven; or it may after
drying be pounced with pumice stone and then if necessary varnished and pounced
again and finally treated by encaustic. If only one side of the vegetable parchment
be provided with a layer of colour or paint the other side if left in its natural state
will not be adhesive, but it may be made so by spreading over it a thin layer of oil
colour which will enable the parchment, whether coated externally or not to be
pasted by means of any paste or size and thus impart to it'a property which it did
not possess hitherto.
For the purpose of giving this article the exact appearance and smell of leather a
mordant or varnish, capable of retaining powdered leather spread over it may be
applied to one of its surfaces. This powder is previously placed in tanners' ooze or
scented with the sap of birch.
It will be understood that other materials may be used instead of leather so that
the effect of the "grain" may be varied in accordance with the purpose for which
the vegetable parchment is intended to be used.
This imitation leather retains all the desirable qualities of the vegetable skin
forming its basis especially in its being absolutely proof against the action of fatty
substances, while at the same time it removes the hygrometric properties of
vegetable parchment which frequently constitute an impediment to its use, the
article obtained being water-proof and besides owing to the glazing of the varnish
in the oven capable of resisting the action of light acids.
A remarkable feature of vegetable parchment is that when used as a vehicle or
support of oil colour and varnish it offers an important advantage over cloth plush
and the like these substances being impervious prevent the coating from drying,
hardening and scaling off as generally happens in the case of oil-cloth, mole-skin
and similar articles. This vegetable leather can be dyed any colour. Scratches
on its surface will never become strikingly visible as they do in the case of other
products of a similar description.
It will be understood that I do not confine myself to the powdered leather
coating mentioned and that this improved vegetable leather may equally well be

page_text: coated with india-rubber powdered metal emery or any other substance in use in
the trade.
Parchment treated in this manner may with advantage be used in the leather,
shoe-making, carriage-building, harnessing, and hat manufactures, book-binding
and other trades, or for packing goods and natural produce of any description it
being capable of forming light and flexible boxes for preserves and the like, forms
for hats, clectrical insulators, cases for fireworks, and for many other purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The treatment of vegetable parchment with one or more layers of oil, varnish
or the like for the purpose of rendering it non-hygrometric substantially as
specified.
2. The ornamentation of vegetable parchment rendered non-hygrometric, by
printing, embossing stamping or otherwise producing decorative designs and sub-
sequently varnishing and glazing substantially as specified.
3. Imparting to vegetable parchment an appearance of leather by coating one or
both sides with a morilant or varnish and powdered leather or the like substantially
as specified.
4. The complete process for ornamenting vegetable parchment and the like and
rendering it non-hygrometric and adhesive substantially as specified.
Dated this 98th day of October 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.