A Process for Preserving Hides or Skins for Transport or Manufacturing Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Preserving Hides or Skins for Transport or
Manufacturing Purposes.
I, JOHN WILLIAM SCOTT, of Albionville, Burnett River, in the Colony of
Queensland, Sugar Planter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described und ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to a process for preserving hides or skins for transport, tanning
or manufacture of belting and the like.
In treating hides for transport, instead of salting them, as is usual, I put the
fresh hides (after cleaning them by removing the blood, loose bits of skin &c.) into
pits, or vessels containing a solution of molasses and water.
This mixture may
vary in strength from say one per cent. to thirty per cent. according to the rapidity
with which it is desired to treat the skins. With ten per cent. mixture the bides
are cured in about seven days. While in the liquor the hides are turned over at
least twice a day and kept always under the liquor.
Fermentation begins about the third day, depending on the coudition of the
hides, and continuos for two or three days, at the end of which period the hides
may be removed and hung up to dry; when dry they may be folded up, tied in
bundles and shipped. None of the insects that attack salted hides touch hides
treated by this process.
In the case of fur skins, they may be treated as hides, taking care after removing
them from the mixture of molasses and water to clean the fur by any suitable method.
When the bides are treated for tanning, the tanning process is greatly accelerated and
the consumption of tanning liquor is greatly roduced. In this case the hides are
limed and baited in the usual way, then treated in a suitable mixture of molasses and
water as above described, the time occupied depending on the strength of the mixture
of molasses and water.
When fermentation bas ceased the hides may be removed, and subsequently put in
the tan pits where they readily take the tanning liquor and are completely tanned in a
very short time.
After removal from the tan pits the hides may be dressed and finished in any
known manner.
For manufacturing certain kinds of leather as for belting, laces, or the like, the
hides are first limed and baited in the usual way or may have the hair removed and be
prepared in any suitable known way; they are then treated with a ten per cent.
solution of molasses and water. For the first few days the liquor is kept at a density
of about 19° Baumé ; after two or three days fermentation begins and continues for
two or three days; when it subsides, the density of the liquor may be allowed to go
to 10-5 or 11 and at this stage the bides may be removed and driod.
For use
as belt laces or the like, it is only necessary to rub the hides well with grease or oil.
Throughout this specification the term "molassos" applies to the waste products of
sugar mills or refineries or to synthetically or artificially prepared molasses, or to
mixtures of one, two, three or four of the constituent organic bodies present in
molasses, or any other inverted or invert sugar or sugars which will undergo
lactous or butyrous fermentation in presence of animal membranes such as hides
or skins.

page_text: The chemical action which takes place between the hides, and the molasses solution
is probably a lactous or butyrous fermentation, which eliminates putrescent media,
these being replaced by substances such as
Alcohol, butyric acid, ethyl butyrate, pervading the pores of the hides.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The herein described process for preserving hides or skins by treating them with a
mixture of molasses and water or equivalent saccharine bodies that undergo lactous or
butyrous fermentation in presence of animal membranes.
Daten Wils Out By or March 101.
.ABEL, & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.