AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR WATERPROOFING, STRENGTHENING, AND PRESERVING LEATHER, HIDES, TEXTILE FABRICS, PAPER, OR THE LIKE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR WATERPROOFING, STRENGTHENING,
AND PRESERVING LEATHER, HIDES, TEXTILE FABRICS, PAPER, OR THE LIKE."
A communication from abroad by Jean Ballatschano and Constantin
Ballatschano, both of Bucharest, Roumania, and Heinrich Trenk, of Berlin,
Prussia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th June 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND COMPOSITIONS
FOR WATERPROOFING, STRENGTHENING, AND PRESERVING LEATHER, HIDES,
TEXTILE FABRICS, PAPER, OR THE LIKE." [A communication from abroad by
Jean Ballatschano and Constantin Ballatschano, both of Bucharest, Roumania, and
Heinrich Trenk, of Berlin, Prussia.]
This Invention relates to a process and compositions for waterproofing, pre-
serving, and strengthening hides, leather of all kinds, textile fabrics, wood, paper,
and the like.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I cause a quantity of grease or oil
to be decomposed by the requisite amount of an acid which is capable of effecting
such decomposition. The decomposed grease or oil is then deoxidized by means of
a base, for instance carbonate of soda, carbonate of ammonia, or the like, and is
cleaned by washing with water. The mixture or mass thus obtained is warmed
and mixed with a solution of glue as thick as possible, in which is dissolved a
small quantity of a substance which will make the glue insoluble, such for instance
as oxalic acid; this mass or composition can be kept in large quantities, and a
suitable quantity thereof, as may be required to be used, is diluted by means of
grease, oil, water, alcohol, turpentine, spirit of tar, or the like, to the desired extent.
The above composition I will call mixture A.
I also dissolve in water a quantity of glue or gelatine, and add a small proportion
471

page_text: of some acid which will make the glue insoluble (for instance oxalic acid), but
which will not coagulate it, and to this mixture is added, according to requirement,
a small quantity of glycerine, 2-15°, with acetic alumina dissolved therein. This
solution I will call mixture B.
The leather or other material to be treated is manipulated in the following
manner, that is to say :-
Some of the mass or composition of decomposed grease or oil and glue (mix-
ture A) is lightly rubbed into the leather on the hair-side thereof, and when it has
become dry or nearly dry the leather is immersed in the solution of glue and glycerine
(inixture B), hereinbefore described, and it is left therein until it has become well
saturated therewith; then when the leather is dry some more of the decomposed
grease or oil and glue (mixture A) is rubbed well in, this time on both sides of the
leather, and the latter is tanned in a tan-pit and dried.
By repeating this process the impermeability and durability of the leather may
be increased to the highest degree.
If a quantity of sulphur is dissolved in the oil used for diluting the mixture of
decomposed grease or oil and glue (mixture A), the said mixture will dry more
quickly, and can then only be used in cases where the smell of the leather does not
enter into consideration. The same applies to diluting the said mixture with tur-
pentine, spirit of tar, or the like. Volatile oils or alcohol suitably diluted with
water can only be used for the said mixture when a lesser degree of impermeability
is considered sufficient.
The impermeability of the leather is also considerably increased by leaving it,
after it has been treated in the manner above described and dried, in water of a
very low temperature (ice-water). By this means the mixture which has not been
quite absorbed by the leather will appear on the surface, and can easily be removed
by scraping.
The leather is made completely waterproof by the composition, which is rubbed
in and tanned in it, and is thereby also strengthened as well as made soft and
pliable.
Cloth, linen, or other textile fabrics, paper, wood, and articles made of wood are
in the above described treatment by one saturation or by a repetition of the process
made more or less impermeable, and even with the slightest application their
durability is increased considerably.
The mass or mixture of decomposed grease or oil and glue (mixture A), may also
be used for greasing any leather or leather articles.
Leather which has been prepared by a method of tanning which has the effect of
rendering the same impermeable to a very great extent is made completely imper-
meable or waterproof by one single application of the process to which this
Invention relates. This leather moreover possesses the property or quality of not
being subject to be injured by boiling water. It can consequently be immersed in
the boiling mixtures or solutions (mixtures A and B), after which the manipulation
above described takes place. This can only be effected in the case of the compo-
sition A when it is dissolved in a fluid which allows of the application of heat
without danger of ignition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 11th
December 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND COMPOSITIONS
FOR WATERPROOFING, STRENGTHENING, AND PRESERVING LEATHER, HIDES,
TEXTILE FABRICS, PAPER, OR THE LIKE." A communication from abroad by
Jean Ballatschano and Constantin Ballatschano, both of Bucharest, Roumania, and
Heinrich Trenk, of Berlin, Prussia.
This Invention relates to a process and compositions for waterproofing, pre-
serving, and strongthening hides, leather of all kinds, textile-fabrics, wood, paper,
and the like.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I cause a quantity of grease or oil
to be decomposed by the requisite amount of an acid which is capable of effecting
such decomposition. The acid is then neutralized by means of a base, for instance
carbonate of soda, carbonate of ammonia, or the like, and is cleaned by washing
with water. The mixture or mass thus obtained is warmed and mixed with a
solution of glue as thick as possible, in which is dissolved a small quantity of a sub-
stance which will make the glue insoluble, such for instance as oxalic acid; this
mass or composition can be kept in large quantities, and a suitable quantity thereof,
as may be required to be used, is diluted by means of grease, oil, water, alcohol,
turpentine, spirit of tar, or the like, to the desired extent. The above composition
I will call mixture A.
I also dissolve in water a quantity of glue or gelatine, and add a small proportion
of some acid which will make the glue insoluble (for instance oxalic acid), but
which will not coagulate it, and to this mixture is added, according to requirement,
a small quantity of glycerine, 2-15°/。, with acetate of alumina dissolved therein.
This solution I will call mixture B.
The leather or other material to be treated is manipulated in the following
manner, leather being taken as an example in this description :-
Some of the mass or composition of decomposed grease or oil and glue (mixture A)
is slightly rubbed into the leather on the hair-side thereof, and when it has become
dry or nearly dry the leathor is immersed in the solution of glue and glycerine
(mixture B), herein before described, and it is left therein until it has become well
saturated therewith; then when the leather is dry some more of the decomposed
grease or oil and glue (mixture A) is rubbed well in, this time on both sides of the
leather, and the latter is tanned in a tanning bath and dried.
By repeating this process the impermeability and durability of the leather may
be increased to the highest degree.
If a quantity of sulphur is added to tho oil used for diluting the mixture of
decomposed grease or oil and glue (mixture A), the said mixture will dry more
quickly, and can then only be used in cases where the smell of the leather does
not enter into consideration. The same applies to diluting the said mixture with
turpentine, spirit of tar, or the like. Volatile oils, or alcohol, or water can only be
used for diluting the said mixture when a lesser degree of impermeability is con-
sidered sufficient.
The impermeability of the leather is also considerably increased by leaving it,
after it has been treated in the manner above described and dried, in water of a
very low temperature (ice-water). By this means the mixture which has not been
quite absorbed by the leather will appear on the surface, and can easily be removed
by scraping.
The leather is made completely waterproof by the composition, which is rubbed

page_text: in and tanned in it, and is thereby also strengthened as well as made soft and
pliable.
Cloth, linen, or other textile-fabrics, paper, wood, and articles made of wood paste
are in the above described treatment by one saturation or by a repetition of the
process made more or less impermeable, and even with the slightest application
their durability is increased considerably.
The mass or mixture of decomposed grease or oil and glue (mixture A) may also
be used for greasing any leather or leather articles.
Leather which has been prepared by a method of tanning having the effect of
rendering the same impermeable to a very great extent is made completely imper-
meable or waterproof by one single application of the process to which this
Invention relates. If this leather moreover possesses the property or quality of not
being subject to be injured by boiling water, it can be immersed in the boiling
mixtures or solutions (mixtures A and B), by which means this leather would be
more uniformly acted upon. This can only be effected in the case of the compo-
sition A when it is dissolved in a fluid which allows of the application of heat
without danger of ignition.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The composition or mass described under the letter A, and consisting of
grease or oil decomposed by means of any suitable acid, and afterwards neutralized
by means of a base, and then rinsed or cleansed by washing, in combination with a
thick solution of glue containing a small quantity of oxalic acid or other suitable
substance for making the glue insoluble, for the purposes above described.
Second. The composition or solution described under the letter B, and consisting
of glue or gelatine dissolved in water and mixed with a small quantity of an
acid for rendering the glue insoluble without causing it to coagulate, combined with
a small quantity of glycerine having acetate of alumina dissolved therein, for the
purposes specified.
Third. The use or application, either together or separately, of the compositions
or mixtures forming the subject of the two preceding claims, for the purpose of
waterproofing, strengthening, and preserving hides, leather, textilo fabrics, wood,
paper, or the like, substantially in the manner above described.
Fourth. Subjecting leather treated with the above described compositions to the
operation of tanning for the purpose of tanning the said compositions within the
leather under manipulation.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)