IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING HIDES AND SKINS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
NOSSITER, of Lindon End, near Birmingham, Tanner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of July, in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Nossiter, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Charles Nossiter, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles Nossiter, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING HIDES AND SKINS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Charles Nossiter,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by tho
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at largo appear.

page_text: Charles Nossiter, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention has for its objects,-
First, to employ frames or partitions to keep the hides or skins separate in
the pits, and not pressed on by the hides or skins above.
And, secondly, my Invention consists in pressing several bides or skins piled
together in a press in order to remove the spent liquor before again immersing
them in fresh liquor.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.!
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
In tanning hides or skins in pits it is usual to pile them one on the other so
that the lower ones are much pressed on, and the tanning liquor cannot pass to
the two surfaces of each skin or hide, as it is desirable it should. The nature
of each view of the Drawing being written thereon, it will not be necessary to
repeat the same here; and in cach Figure of the Drawings the same letters are
used to refer to the same parts. a, a, is a pit of the ordinary construction; and
in place of having the hides or skins placed on each other in the liquor, I
keep the hides separate by means of frames b, b, which are shewn to be of
wood, and each frame simply consists of a quadrangular frame with cross bars,
there being blocks b', to keep the frame separate, so that a skin or hide placed
between any two frames b will not press on a skin or hide below, nor will it be
pressed on by the skins or hides above, thus leaving each hide free to be acted
on by the tanning liquor in every part of its surfaces, which will be found of
great benefit in tanning hides and skins, and the process of tanning may be
greatly quickened; and although a pit will contain less hides or skins by these
means than when tanning in a pit in the ordinary manuer, yet more hides and
skins may be tanned in a pit in a given time than heretofore. In using this
part of my Invention the workman will withdraw the hides or skins from the
pit from time to time, and will submit them to fresh liquors, according to his
judgment, as heretofore. The hides or skins with the frames are first placed s
in a pit, and the liquor is then run or pumped into the pit. I would remark,
that although I have only shewn the description of frame employed by me, I
do not confine myself thereto, as the same may be varied, so long as the frames

page_text: or partitions are such as to separate the hides or skins, and relieve them from
pressure, as herein described.
I claim the privilege of making the frames or partitions of copper or any
other material, as well as of wood, and of separating the hides or skins by means
of wire work or net work, of twine or twigs, and also by bars of any other
material, as well as wood, and by any other means to which the principle of
my Invention can be applied. Although I consider that it is better that cach
hide or skin should be by itself, yet there may be two or more placed between
cach pair of frames or partitions; but I believe there will be proportionally less
beneficial effect from the use of this part of my Invention; and although I
prefer that the skins or hides with the frames should be in a horizontal posi-
tion, yet the system of keeping the hides separate may be carried out by using
frames such as c, c, and fastening or lacing the hides or skins thereto by lacing
threads, d, d, as shewn, the frames c having block c to keep them separate.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which has for its
object the pressing the spent liquor out of hides or skins before again sub-
mitting them to tanning liquor, and consists of using a suitable press, between
the surfaces of which a number of hides or skins are piled, and then pressure
is exerted to bring the pressing surfaces e, f, of a suitable press to approach
each other, and thus to express the liquor therefrom. The Drawings show
two descriptions of press; a screw press, where the pressure is obtained by
means of a screw g, acting on the surface e; and the other press is worked by
means of a roller h, and cords i, i, as will readily be traced on examining
the Drawings. And I make no claim to the construction of these presses, and
others may be employed, this part of the Invention consisting of piling a
number of skins or hides between two suitable pressing surfaces, and applying
pressure thereto, so that the spent liquer therein may be expressed, and the
skins or hides rendered better capable of imbibing fresh tanning liquor when
they are again immersed in pits. I would remark that I am aware that it is
not new to press hides or skins to remove the liquor therefrom, various means
having been before resorted to for that purpose. In such cases only small
portions of the hides or skins have been subjected to pressure at the same time
as the hides or skins have been progressively moved between pressing rollers.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,
First, the application of frames or partitions in tan pits, so as to keep tho
hides or skins separate, and relieved from presssure, and thus allow the
tanning liquor to act more freely thereon, as described.

page_text: And secondly, I claim the pressing many hides piled together, in order to
express the spent liquor therefrom, as herein described.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Second day of January, One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
CHARLES (L.S.) NOSSITER.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named Charles Nossiter, in
the presence of
THOMAS P. DAY,
HEN C. OGDEN,
Clerks to Mess Whateley, Solicitors,
Enrolled the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.