Improvements in Apparatus for Tanning, Dressing, or otherwise Treating Hides or Skins and Leather.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Tanning, Dressing, or otherwise
Treating Hides or Skins and Leather.
I, JAMES YOUNG, of Brownhill Bridge Tannery, Dobcross, in the County of York,
Tanner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to provide means for tanning, dressing, scouring
or otherwise treating hides, skins, leather and the like whereby such operations
may be effected more rapidly and as regards dressing more efficiently than has
been possible hitherto.
For these purposes first I make use of a perforated or porous support upon which
the hide skin or leather to be treated is laid and I force the tanning or other
liquid or air through such hide, skin or leather by means of pressure above the
hide or a vacuum below and I employ brushes or scrapers operating under the
perforated support or between such support and the hide to clear away any liquid
or like obstruction which accumulates on the underside of the hide or support. The
said brushes or scrapers are operated in any convenient manner. When the brush or
scraper is operated between the hide and the support it serves also in some measure
to stretch the hide which stretching is beneficial. If desired pressure by means of a
roller or scraper may be applied on the top of the hide to squeeze out any superfluous
liquid in such hide or in a fibrous material which may in some cases be placed between
such hide and the perforated support.
Second. In order to dress, scour, print, or similarly operate on hides or leather,
either whilst on the perforated support above mentioned and subject or not to a
vacuum, or on a separate table I make use of a roller, rotary brush, scraper or other
suitable appliance which is so arranged that it can be brought into contact with
the surface of the hide or leather and moved about so that all parts of such
surface may be subjected to the operation of such roller, brush, or scraper. The
said roller, brush or scraper may be moved to and from and over the said hide by
hand or mechanism as found desirable, and rotary motion; when required, may be
imparted by any convenient means. The said roller or the like may be also made use
of to squeeze the hide or leather as mentioned in the first head.
Dated this Sixteenth day of February 1898
Improvements in Apparatus for Tanning, Dressing, or otherwise
Treating Hides or Skins and Leather.
I, JAMES YOUNG, of Brownhill Bridge Tannery, Dobcross, in the County of York,
Tanner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
Price 1

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings :-
:-
The object of the invention is to provide means for tanning, dressing, scouring or
otherwise treating hides, skins, leather and the like whereby such operations may be
effected more rapidly, and, as regards dressing more efficiently, than has been possible
hitherto.
For these purposes first I make use of a perforated or porous support upon which
the hide, skin, or leather to be treated is laid and I force the tanning or other liquid
or air through such hide, skin or leather by means of pressure above the hide or a
vacuum below, and I employ brushes or scrapers operating under the perforated
support or between such support and the hide to clear away any liquid or like
obstruction which accumulates on the underside of the hide or support. The said
brushes or scrapers are operated in any convenient manner, when the brush or
scraper is operated' between the hide and the support it serves also in some measure
to stretch the hide, which stretching is beneficial. If desired pressure by means of
a roller or scraper may be applied on the top of the hide to squeeze out any super-
fluous liquid in such hide or in a fibrous material which may in some cases be placed
between such hide and the perforated support.
Second. In order to dress, scour, print, or similarly operate on hides or leather
either whilst on the perforated support above mentioned and subject or not to a
vacuum, or on a separate table, I make use of a roller, rotary brush, scraper or other
suitable appliance which is so arranged that it can be brought into contact with the
surface of the hide or leather and moved about so that all parts of such surface may
be subjected to the operation of such roller, brush, or scraper. The said roller,
brush or scraper may be moved to and from and over the said hide by hand or
mechanism as found desirable, and rotary motion, when required, may be imparted
by any convenient ineans. The said roller or the like may be also made use of to
squeeze the hide or leather, as mentioned in the first head.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section illustrative of
apparatus constructed according to my invention, a is a tank or vessel provided at its
upper part with a perforated plate b supported by pieces c at its edges, and by longi-
tudinal pieces d at intervals. d¹are openings through the pieces d to allow passage
of fluid. The plate b, which may be formed of wire gauze if desired, forms a support
upon which a hide e is laid, an air or liquid tight joint being made between the edges
of the hide and the plate 6 by cement or other suitable means. Tanning or other
liquid is poured on the hide and a partial vacuum is then produced in the tank a below
the plate b by means of an air pump or otherwise as desired. The tanning liquid is
thereby drawn through the hide and the tanning rapidly effected. The hide may be
treated with oils or other liquid, in a similar manner the vacuum below the hide
causing the liquids to rapidly penetrate such hide. f is a pipe for connection to the
pump and for conveying away any liquid passing through the hide. g are brushes
or scrapers mounted on rollers h and bearing against the underside of the plate b.
i are rods attached to the brushes g and passing through stuffing boxes j. By means
of the rods to and fro motion can be given to the brushes g so as to clear away any
liquid or mucus which may accumulate below the hide and which might prevent
free passage of the tanning or other liquid. The rods may be operated by power or
by hand in any convenient way.
kis a roller which can be rolled over the surface
of the hide so as to press out any liquid which may remain in the hide before
removing the hide from the plate b.
air
is a rotating brush which is freely movable to any part of the surface of the hide
and is capable of being pressed thereon by means of the handles m so as, when the
brush rotates, to rapidly dress or scour the hide in a most efficient manner. If the
brush is operated whilst a vacuum is maintained in the tank a the passage of liquid

page_text: through the hide is facilitated owing to the clearing away of mucus or other obstruc-
tion from the top surface of the hide. As shewn rotary motion is imparted to the
brush by means of an elastic band n passing round a pulley o on the brush and round
a barrel pulley p carried on an overhead shaft, but any convenient means other than
the above may be used for rotating the brush and also for moving it about. The
said brush or a rotary scraper operated in the same manner may also be used in place
of the roller to press out any liquid in the hide. When the tanning or other
treatment of the hide has been effected air may be drawn through the hide by means
of the vacuum so as to dry such hide.
A rotary brush such as 6 and its operating mechanism may also be used for dressing
or scouring hides when laid on a plain table instead of using the cummbrous appliances
at present employed.
Instead of a vacuum under the hide being used for causing the passage of liquid
therethrough, air or other pressure above the hide may be used but in this case the
tank a must be closed at the top by a cover as shewn in dotted lines at a¹ on Fig. 1,
and the roller k or brush & can not be conveniently used without taking off the cover,
therefore the use of pressure above the hide is not so practicable as the use of' a
vacuum underneath, when it is required to scour the top surface of the hide.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view shewing a roller p having a pattern thereon
and suspended by a swivel joint to the balanced lever q. The lever is carried by a
roller r which can run to and fro on a bar s so that the roller p can be moved about to
any part of the surface of the hide and pressed thereon by the handles p¹ so as to print
a pattern on such hide. During such printing a vacuum may be maintained in the
tank a or not as found desirable. Instead of the pattern being on the roller, such
roller may be plain, and a fretwork pattern be inserted between the hide and the
support b. On pressure being put on the top of the leather by means of the vacuum
and the roller p, the pattern is impressed on the underside. In this view a sheet of
fibrous material t is shewn placed between the hide and the perforated support b. This
prevents any cutting of the hide by the perforated support. The roller p may also
be made use of to press the hide instead of the roller k as described under
Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view shewing a modification of appliances for
clearing the underside of the hide. In this view, instead of the brushes g, as described
under Figs. 1 and 2, a scraper g¹ is used, When it is desired to clear the underside
of the hide the scraper g' is passed under one edge of the hide and passed to and fro
between the hide and the top of the perforated plate b so as to effectually clear away
any liquid or mucus accumulated below the hide or on the perforated plate. ¹ is a
rod for operating the scraper. When not in use the scraper may rest at one end of
the tank as shewn by the dotted lines g².
It will be obvious that the scraper
in this modification cannot be used until the vacuum in the tank has been
destroyed.
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 :-
First. In apparatus for tanning, dressing, or otherwise treating hides, leather, or
the like where pressure or a vacuum is employed for forcing liquids through such
hides, leather, or the like, brushes, scrapers or their equivalents for clearing the
underside of the hide or leather and the perforated support substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
Second. As means for scouring or dressing hides, leather or the like, a rotary
brush or scraper so suspended and driven that it can be moved about to all parts of
the surface of the hide or leather and pressed thereon substantially as described.
Third. As means for printing or pressing leather a roller so suspended that it can
be moved about to all parts of the leather and presssed thereon substantially as
deseribed.

page_text: Fourth. In apparatus for printing leather, the combination of a roller so suspended
that it can be moved about to all parts of the leather and pressed thereon, with a
perforated support underneath the hide, and means for producing a partial vacuum
underneath the hide and perforated support substantially as described.
Fifth. In apparatus for tauning, dressing or otherwise treating hides, leather or
the like the combination of a tank provided with a perforated support or plate, and
in which a partial vacuum may be maintained, movable brushes underneath the per-
forated support and a rotary brush or scraper capable of operating on a hide on the
perforated support as substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Fourteenth day of November 1898.
W. B. JOHNSON,
4, Clayton Square, Liverpool, Agent.