IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUPAC- TURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harcourt Brown, of Arthurs Seat,
Aberdeen, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUPAC-
TURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS."
Sealed the 17th May 1854, and dated the 18th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harcourt
Brown at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 18th November 1853..
I, JOHN HARCOURT BROWN, of Arthurs Seat, Aberdeen, do hereby
5. declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to produce artificial skins for the
manufacture of parchment or such like articles, and leather, and
consists in employing the cuttings or other parts of hides and skins by
reducing the same to pulp, and then by rollers or pressure to produce
sheets. For this purpose the parts of skins or hides, which it is preferred
should have the outer surfaces removed, are soaked in water, having

page_text: dissolved therein, by preference, barilla and caustic lime, though other
matters may be used. The parts of skins or hides are then well washed
and subjected to a bath of water, having therein alum and sulphuric
acid. The parts of hides are then, after being washed, pulped and
subjected to pressure between rollers or other presses, some of which
are coated with felt, and others are smooth. The sheets thus made
are used in the manufacture of parchment or such like articles, and
leather. ISL UNG
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
GIAU HOLL
filed by the said John Harcourt Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN HARCOURT BROWN, of Arthur's Seat, Aberdeen, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign; did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Harcourt Brown, Her
special licence that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Harcourt
Brown, my exécutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SKINS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Harcourt Brown,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say) :-
.
This Invention has for its object to produce artificial skins for the
manufacture of parchment or such like articles, and leather, and
consists in employing the cuttings or other parts of hides and skins by
reducing the same to pulp, and then by rollers or pressure to produce
sheets. For this purpose the parts of skins or hides, which it is preferred
should have the outer surfaces removed, are soaked in water, having
dissolved therein, by preference, barilla and caustic lime, though other
matters may be used. The parts of skins or hides are then well washed
and subjected to a bath of water, having therein alum and sulphuric
acid. The parts of hides are then, after being washed, pulped and
subjected to pressure between rollers or other presses, some of which
are coated with felt and others are smooth. The sheets thus maile
are used in the manufacture of parchment or such like articles, and
leather.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will
proceed to explain the manner of performing the same.
The cuttings or other parts of hides or skins' are soaked in cold soft
water for about three days, they are then submitted to a solution of
caustic barilla and caustic lime, in the proportions of three lbs. of the
former to one lb. of the latter, in about one hundred pints of water,
and they are allowed to remain in this solution for about twenty-four
hours, or until they are soft enough to allow the fibre to break down
with the blow of a hammer of about three lbs. weight. The cuttings or
parts of hides or skins are next to be washed-clean in cold soft water,
and they are then to be ground, which I prefer to do with edge stones,
or they may be passed between rollers, or be well hammered or
beaten in place of grinding till they are formed into a thin tissue. I
next subject the cuttings or parts of skins or hides to an acidulated
bath, composed of one part, by measure, of sulphuric acid of commerce
to one hundred parts, by measure, of soft water, until the fibre or
matters separate and assume a flocky appearance, and this will generally

page_text: result in from twelve to twenty-four hours, depending on the nature of
the skins or hides, and care is to be observed not to make the acidulated
bath too strong, as it injures the texture. I then add bleaching materials,
and for this purpose I prefer to employ byposulphate of soda, muriate
of soda (common salt), and alum, and I use them at the rate of eight
ounces of hyposulphate of soda, three ounces of muriate of soda, and
one ounce of alum for each bath of one hundred and one gallons, by
measure, of water and acid, and as much cuttings as such a bath will
contain submerged; and I allow the matters to remain for about six or
eight hours, stirring them frequently. I would, however, remark that
the bleaching of the fibre is not resorted to in all cases, particularly
when the fabric produced is to be subjected to processes for making
leather therefrom. The fibres are then to be washed free of acid in
cold soft water, and they are then to be subjected to a paper or rag
engine to reduce the same to pulp of the degree of fineness desired, and
the pulp may then be made into sheets, in like manner to what vegetable
pulp is made into paper; but I have found it desirable to use a fine
woven fabric of cotton, linen, or other fibre over the wire cloth of the
paper machine or sieves used, and when passing between the couching
rollers, there should also be a similar fabric above, and when desired it
may be made into articles on moulds, in like manner to what was
described in the Specification of a former Patent, granted to me and
John Mackintosh, for making articles of paper. The fabrics thus made
of animal pulp are then dried, either by warmed cylinders or otherwise,
which should be covered with felt or other fabric, taking care to keep
the artificial heat down to as low a degree as may be. I prefer not to
use a temperature greater than from 95° to 100° of Falirenheit, but
.I believe that atmospheric drying is preferable when such drying can
be resorted to, the sheets in all cases being kept extended when drying;
or in place of making the pulp into sheets, as above explained, the
water may be strained out and the plastic pulp rolled into sheets.
When sheets or other forms of articles made of animal pulp, as above
rexplained, are to be converted into leather, I prefer to proceed to act
Ton the sheets or articles just before they are dry, and they are to be
treated, when making leather thereof, in like manner to what hides or

page_text: skins have heretofore been treated. I would state that when making
the finer classes of manufacture, such as imitations of good parchment,
I prefer to have the outer skin or hair side removed from the cuttings
or other parts of hides or skins before using them, as herein described.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the details herein described; but what I claim is,
the manufacture of artificial skins, herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harcourt Brown, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
four.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
J. H. BROWNE. (L.S.)