A NEW MODE OF MAKING LEATHER
Year: 1815

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ASHMORE, now or lately resident at Portland Hotel, Portland Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of September last past, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Ashmore, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Thomas Ashmore, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and every
of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Thomas Ashmore, my exors,
adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of
His Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all
His Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A NEW MODE OF
MAKING LEATHER;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Thomas Ashmore, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and cause the
same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six

page_text: calendar months next immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Ashmore, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by the following
description thereof; that is to say-
The substances employed by me in preparing leather, and for the applica-
tion of which to this purpose I claim an exclusive right during the continuance
of this my Patent, are, first, all kinds of soot, whether produced by the com-
bustion of bones or of any other animal matters, by the combustion of wood, of
peat, or of any other vegetable matters, or by the combustion of coals, of coal
tar, of petroleum, or of any other bituminous matters. Secondly, the oils and
other empyreumatic liquors (excepting pyroligneous acid), whether produced
by the distillation of bones or of any other animal matters, or by the distillation
of wood, of peat,
of resins, or of any other vegetable matters, or by the distilla-
tion of coal, of coal tar, of petroleum, or of any other bituminous matters.
Thirdly, all kinds of empyreumatic gasses produced by the combustion or dis-
tillation of animal, or vegetable, or of bituminous matters. Fourthly, all kinds
of liquors in which the above empyreumatic gasses have either been washed, or
with which they have in any other way been kept in contact.
Not to attempt to enumerate the various ways in which the above-mentioned
substances may be employed to the same end, I shall describe these processes
which I prefer and make use of in preparing liquors from soot and from tar,
with which I convert skin into leather.
Of soot liquor, the soot of coal, taking into consideration its greater. abun-
dance, is upon the whole to be preferred to the soot of wood or of any other
substances. That which collects near the top of the chimney is the best, and
that which is deposited nearest to the fire is the worst, being, indeed, some-
times wholly useless. With every hundred pounds weight of soot of medium
quality I mix three pounds and a quarter of good quick lime; I put the mix-
ture into a vat furnished with a cock and a false bottom, and moisten it with
cold water; then I pour upon it boiling water in such quantity that the whole
of the water, hot and cold, shall amount to sixty-two gallons, & let the whole
remain for twenty-four hours; after which I open the cock, and receive in any
proper vessel all the liquor that will run; I then pass the residue till I have
obtained as much more liquor as I conveniently can. The soot is again mixed
with a fresh portion of lime, and hot water, either alone, or holding in solution
four pounds weight of sal-ammoniac, is added to it. After standing for twenty-
four hours the liquor is drawn off as before, and this process is repeated till the

page_text: soot will no longer give a liquor of sufficient value to. pay for the expence.
The liquors thus obtained may be either mixed together, or the weaker ones
may be used instead of water with fresh parcels of soot and lime, according to
the required strength of the liquor, and the first or the strongest liquor may in
the same manner be rendered still stronger if required.
Of tar liquor. To every ten pounds weight of quick lime I add as much
water as will make it fall into powder, and then add twenty pounds of common
or wood tar, stirring the mixture till the ingredients appear to be well incor-
porated. I then add one hundred and forty gallons of boiling water, having
previously dissolved in it twenty pounds of coarse sal-ammoniac. The mixture
is then well stirred several times, and, after standing for twenty-four hours, is
separated from the sediment, and forms tar liquor.
Soot liquor and tar liquor may be made by mere infusion of soot and of tar in
hot water; and these liquors will convert skin into leather, but are too weak for
most purposes.
A stronger liquor may be made by using quick lime together
with the water, but the best liquor is made in the manner already particularly
described.
In order to make leather by means of the above-mentioned liquors, I
separate the hair from the skin, and work it on the beam in the usual manner;
after which, instead of putting the skin into the tan pit, I place it in a vat or
other vessel, and cover it with soot liquor or with tar liquor, care being taken
that the liquors are first rendered clear by filtering through sand or by any
other convenient method. I allow the skin to remain in the liquor for twenty-
four hours, more or less, and then transfer it to a vat of lime and water, where
it remains for twelve hours. After this I again remove it to the soot or tar
liquor, and continue this alternation till the skin is completely tinged through
of a bluish brown colour, the time required for this depending on the thickness
of the skin, the strength and temperature of the liquor, and other variable
circumstances. The skin being advanced to this state, I remove it from the
liquor, and expose it to a current of air in order to dry it. I then immerse it
for forty-eight hours or more in the soot or tar liquor, and immediately after,
for an hour or two, in lime water; then again dry it, and thus give it alternate
dippings and dryings until the skin is completely converted into leather. It is
then finished in the usual way.
In witness whereof, I have set my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixteen.
THOMAS (L.S.) ASHMORE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1816, the aforesaid Thomas Ashmore came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixteen.