A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL PARCHMENT, AND TISSUE RESEMBLING BLADDER SKIN, WHICH PROCESS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER AND OF FLOOR CLOTH."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Weygang, of 31 Cowper Road, South Hornsey,
in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturers' Agent for an Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL
PARCHMENT, AND TISSUE RESEMBLING BLADDER SKIN, WHICH PROCESS IS
ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER AND OF
FLOOR CLOTH."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Weygang at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th January 1882.
CHARLES WEYGANG of 31 Cowper Road, South Hornsey, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturers' Agent, A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL PARCHMENT, AND TISSUE RESEMBLING BLADDER
SKIN, WHICH PROCESS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL
LEATHER, AND OF FLOOR-CLOTH."
This Invention relates to the treatment of various fibrous fabrics (which I prefer
should be specially prepared for the purpose in the manner hereinafter described)
with animal glue so as to cause the fibres to adhere closely to each other, and then
rendering the glue insoluble by treatment with some of the chromic compounds
such as chromate, or bichromate of potash, in combination with alum or other
salts or acids which liberate the chromic acid, or by treatment with chrome alum
alone.
In carrying out this Invention I prefer to use strong vegetable fibres such as
flax, hemp, cotton, jute, the fibres from the paper mulberry tree, or others, choosing
the fibre according to the color and nature of the article I wish to produce, and I
may use them either as new material in the form of raw fibres, waste cuttings
from spun fabrics, mill waste &c., or as old material in the form of ropes,
rags, &c.
The fibres are treated nearly in the same manner as in paper making, that is
they are cut up into short pieces, boiled if they are too hard, washed, beaten, and
run out on paper or mill-board machines into sheets or rolls, or made in mould s

page_text: Sometimes I employ a crushing mill in which I squeeze the fibres apart before
beating them.
Sometimes I employ a long fibred paper or felt made in any of the well known
ways or an elastic textile fabric.
I may combine the glue or gelatine in any convenient form direct with the
fibres in the beating engine, or I may add the glue or gelatine when the fibrous
sheet is finished and dry, that is, I saturate the sheet with a solution of glue or
gelatine. The sheets are then treated either in a damp or dry state with a solution
of the before named salts, i. e. bichromate or chromate of potash in combination
with alum or with any other salt or acid which will liberate the chromic acid, or
with chrome alum alone.
In some cases some of the salts may be added direct to the glue, instead of
subjecting the gelatinized fabric to a separate treatment with the fixing solution.
In some cases the one or the other of the salts may be added direct to the glue,
and the fabric then subjected to the action of the other salt. Thus if chrome alum
is added direct to the glue no other treatment will be necessary, if bichromate or
chromate of potash is added direct to the glue the fabric must receive a subsequent
treatment with alum or other salt or acid. These methods however are not so
advisable as subjecting the gelatinized fabric to the action of the fixing salts and
not mixing any of the chemicals with the glue.
In most cases I subject the fabric to the action of a cold solution of the fixing
agents but in some cases a hot solution is employed.
For some purposes the fibrous fabric after having been treated with glue or
gelatine and a fixing solution is put while still warm and in a soft state, into a
press.
When chromate or bichromate of potash is used the fabric after having passed
the glue and fixing baths, and in some cases the press, may be washed, and up to
this operation the processes should be carried on in a dark room or one lighted
with nonactinic light.
The fabric may be dyed, enamelled or grained like leather, or embossed, or
calendered.
When the fabric is required to be soft it may be treated with glycerine or with
any salt which contracts or retains moisture, or sometimes treacle may be employed
for this purpose.
When the material is required to be quite impervious to water a little white
soap may be added to the glue but for this purpose the fixing solution must
contain a salt in excess which will neutralize the akali in the soap, thus I would
employ chromate or bichromate of potash in combination with alum for this
purpose. In some cases chalk or china clay may be added to the glue.
I make the material either in sheets, or in great lengths for which purpose
I arrange a series of tanks containing the various solutions and in some cases with
a clean water bath, also with guiding and pressing rollers, and I pass the material
out through rollers which I may prefer to heat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Weygang in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th July 1882.
sc
CHARLES WEYGANG, of 31 Cowper Road, South Hornsey, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturers Agent. A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL PARCHMENT AND TISSUE RESEMBLING BLADDER
SKIN WHICH PROCESS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL
LEATHER AND OF FLOOR CLOTII,"
This Invention relates to the treatment of various fibrous fabrics (which aro
prepared for the purpose in the manner hereinafter described) with animal glue so
as to cause the fibres to adhere closely to each other and then rendering the glue
insoluble by treatment with some of the chromic compounds such as chromate or
bichromate of potash in combination with alum or other salts or acids which
liberate the chromic acid or by treatment with chrome or iron alum
According to my Invention such fibrous fabrics are treated with animal glue so
as to cause the fibres to adhere firmly to each other
The glue is then rendered insoluble by treatment with chromate or bichromate
of potash in combination with any alum such as potash, ammonia, iron or chrome
alum, or in combination with any acid, or acid salt, which will liberate the chromic
acid, such as sulphuric acid, sulphate of alumina sulphate of iron etcetera, or by
treatment with chrome alum or iron alum alone, and I choose for this purpose
fabrics made as hereinafter described of a strong vegetable fibre such as flax, hemp,
manilla, cotton, jute etcetera also the fibres from the paper mulberry tree, and I
may use almost any felted fibrous fabric the fibres of which are considerably
longer than those commonly used in the manufacture of paper and for mill bands
I employ a combination of layers of textile fabrics or of felted fabrics or of both
treated as above mentioned, but it should be understood that for the purpose of
my Invention it is essential to prepare a special fabric with long fibres made on a
paper or millboard machine, that is to say a kind of paper or millboard, inasmuch
as a fabric composed of short fibres after treatment according to the process herein
described has not the coherence or strength which is the essential characteristic of
the material made according to my Invention.
These fibrous materials are treated in the same manner as in paper making, and
are run out in sheets or in rolls on the paper or millboard machine, or the fibrous
stuff is made into sheets in moulds as hand made paper in the usual manner.
The fibres should however be kept of considerable length in the beating engine.
The longer the fibres are the better the fabric will suit the purpose.
I have found
that a inaterial, commonly sold in this country and known as Japanese paper,
wherein the fibres are of considerable length, may be employed with advantage.
The fibrous stuff must not be sized as is usually done in paper making, also the
same must come as little as possible in contact with chemicals, such as bleaching
materials alums etcetera
The boiling with alkalies can be done in the usual manner, but the weaker the
alkaline solution and the shorter the time the stuff is boiled the better the same
will be for the purpose.
For this purpose, fibrous materials are chosen according to the nature, that is to
say, the colour, strength, and fineness, of the article which is to be made. For
instance for an ordinary parchment paper the fibre from old white sailcloth suits
very well. For a stronger parchment paper the fibre from new white flax cutting,

page_text: suits best. But also other white fibrous material of qualities according to the
strength of the articles to be made, can be used, also any fibrous materials which
bleach easily.
.
For an article which shall resemble bladderskin almost any strong unbleached
fibrous materials such as those before named, free from woody particles, are suitable.
For coarse strong purposes hemp, flax, or manilla ropes, or the same quality of
fibrous material in any other form may be used.
Where strength is no object, such as for floorcloth purposes, jute answers very
well. For this purpose old rags of various colors are sometimes employed in
order to give a mottled appearance to the article.
As a rule, since bleaching agents may have an injurious action, I choose for
articles which are to be white, white raw material, or raw material which bleaches
casily.
Where color is no object the raw material is chosen according to the strength
and fineness of the article to be made.
In special cases of course also other fibrous materials may be used, and very
good results may, as already stated, also be obtained with some of the unsized
kinds of Japanese paper.
The above described fibrous fabric is to be treated with glue, and for this
purpose is to be drawn in sheets, or from rolls, or otherwise immersed in dissolved
animal glue until saturated.
It is then passed through rollers or scrapers to press out or scrape from the
surface the superfluous glue.
The glued fabric is then dried over heated cylinders, which by preference are
covered with cloth or wire web, or the fabric is dried by hanging up.
When dry
the fabric is subjected to the action of either of the following chemical solutions
hereinafter particularly set forth, videlicit, a bath of chromate or bichromate of
potash in combination with any alum, or in combination with an acid or an acid
salt which will liberate the chromic acid, or a bath of chrome alum alone, or of iron
alum alone. Or the fabric may be taken direct from the glue bath, that is whilst
the glue is still wet, into either of the above chemical solutions.
The time for which the fabric is subjected to the chemical bath depends upon its
thickness and the degree of insolubility required, also in some cases upon the
color and upon whether it is, or is not dried before being led into the bath, and
whether it is afterwards to be left moist as hereinafter described, or dried
immediately.
For most purposes it is sufficient if the fabric is subjected to the chemical bath
until the solution has thoroughly penetrated which generally takes from ten
minutes to several hours according to the thickness. But if the fabric is to be
very hard against water it is subjected accordingly, from a few hours to several
days, to the bath.
With very thin fabrics, say up to fifty or sixty pounds per ream of four hundred
and eighty sheets in size of twenty inches by thirty inches I prefer to proceed in the
following manner. The fabric is led from a roll between guiding bands, or wire
webs, and over guiding rollers through the glue bath, then passed at the end of
the bath through a pair of press rollers which press out the superfluous glue.
It is then passed direct through a solution of either of the before mentioned
chemicals or chemical combinations.
The chemical bath is furnished with guiding rollers which pass the fabric
backwards and forwards in the solution.
The fabric is then passed direct from the solution over heated cylinders, which
are by preference covered with cloth or wire web to dry.
I find it most advantageous that the fabric should not be perfectly dried over
these cylinders, but a little moisture should be left in the same so as to allow the
chemical substances to continue their action upon the glue whilst the material is
packed close, or instead of passing the fabric over heated cylinders it may be hung

page_text: up to dry, in which case it need not be packed away damp as the chemicals will
have continued their action while the fabric was slowly drying.
When it is desired that a material made as above shall be subjected to the full
action of the chemicals for a longer time, the same is placed wet, as it comes from
the chemical bath, in piles or rolled up, and left for the time required, after which
it is dried in any manner.
The chemical baths are used of very varied power, from very weak solutions to
complete saturation of the water with the chemicals.
The strength of the bath will depend upon the extent the fabric is to be made
hard against water, and upon the intended color of the fabric and the length of
time it is to be subjected to the bath. I have found that where a white fabric
which is to retain a good white color is dried after coming out of the glue bath,
and is consequently to be subjected to the chemical solution for any considerable
length of time, say from half an hour to one hour for thin fabrics and from an
hour to four hours for thick fabrics, the following chemicals answer well, and the
solutions of them should be rather weak, the following proportions will be found
to act sufficiently for most purposes; about one quarter of an ounce of bichromate
of potash in combination with about three quarters of an ounce of potash or
ammonia alum to one quart of water or about one quarter of an ounce of chromo
alum alone to one gallon of water.
In the case of thin white fabrics drawn from a roll as previously described and
passed quickly through the bath, the solution may be considerably stronger, even
to complete saturation of the water with the chemicals above named.
From the above illustrations of the strength of the bath in relation to the time of
immersion, the operator will be able to proportion the one of them to the other, for
intermediate circumstances.
Where colour is of no importance the fabric may be left in the bath for a
considerable length of time, even for some days, and if the fabric is to be very hard
against water the above nained chemical solutions are used very strong, mostly to
complete saturation of the water with these chemicals. And further where colour
is of no importance, or where it is desired that the fabric should have a brown
colour, a solution consisting of bichromate of potash and iron alum in the
following proportions may be used, that is to say one ounce of bichromate of
potash and two ounces of iron alum, by preference ammonia, iron alum, to one
quart of water.
By ammonia iron alum I mean the double salt composed of sulphate of iron and
sulphate of ammonia. Or there may be substituted for the alum in this com-
bination, any acid, or acid salt, which is capable of liberating the chromic acid,
such as sulphuric acid, sulphate of alumina, sulphate of iron etcetera but as these
substitutes for an alum do not produce such good results as an alum does the
latter is to be decidedly preferred or I may use chrome alum alone as before
mentioned, or iron alum alone in a saturated solution, or nearly so.
I do not confine myself to any particular proportion of the chemical solutions.
Although the proportions given are according to any experience, the most
advantageous, I have found that very different proportions may give good results.
When bichromate of potash in combination with any alum, acid salt, or acid is
used to fix the glue it is better to perform the operation and the drying by
artificial light, or in rooms with windows of yellow or red glass, and when the
fabric is dry, to wash the same thoroughly in clean water. These precautions are
not so very necessary when iron alum is used in combination with the bichromate
of potash, but it is specially necessary to shield the fabric from the sun light and
to wash the same again when dry in clean water, when potash or ammonia alum
has been used in combination with the bichromate of potash.
No such precautions are however necessary when using iron alum or chrome
alum alone. Only when the latter salt has been used and the fabric has absorbed
more of the dark color than is desirable it is passed through a bath of clean water

page_text: as it leaves the chrome alum solution, whereby the salt is partly dissolved again
from the surface of the fabric.
For glue I prefer to use that made from hide pieces, parchment, and vellum
cuttings. For fine purposes such as for white parchment paper I prefer the glue
from white parchment and vellum cuttings for other purposes the glue from any
other hide pieces is usually used. The glue from coarse hide pieces if well cleaned
may also be used for white parchment paper. The glue is used of very varied
strength according to the nature of the article and the treatment of the same.
As a rule, if the glue is pressed out of the material, a very strong solution is used,
say for instance about ten ounces of dry glue to one quart of water.
If the glue
however is only to be taken off the surface of the material, a very weak solution
is usually employed, as for instance 4 to 6 oz of dry glue to 1 quart of water.
If I wish to make a material which shall have adhesive and antiseptic properties,
such for instance as would be useful for covering jars and bottles with preserves, I
pass the fabric after it has been treated with the glue and the fixing solutions as
described above, once again through a weak solution of animal glue in which a
small quantity of boracic or salicylic acid has been dissolved, or I subject the
material to a separate bath of a weak solution of either of these acids in order to
impart the antiseptic properties
Such a material adheres when wetted to the rim of the jar thereby thoroughly
excluding all air and preventing leakage if the jar should be placed on the head.
The antiseptic properties tending also to prevent mildew.
Sometimes in order that the articlo produced may be kept softer, I subject the
fabric previous to its treatment with glue, to treatment with a thin solution of fat,
the effect of this is to close the pores of each fibre so as to exclude the glue from
them, so that although the glue will surround each fibre it does not penetrate the
fibres themselves as it does when the fat solution is not used
The fat solution may consist of any volatile fat solvent as for instance petroleum
spirit in which any kind of solid fat, but by preference paraffin or spermacetti wax,
has been dissolved. About 1 oz. of solid fat to about 1%, pint of the spirit being
sufficient for most purposes.
The fibrous fabric is subjected to the solution until saturated, it is then dried in
any convenient manner, but by preference with the aid of heat, and when dry it is
treated as described with the glue and the chemical solutions.
If a material is to be made which shall stand great tension, and which may be
used as a substitute for leather for many purposes, as for instance for machine
bands, a combination of several layers of a woven fabric, or of felted fabric made as
above described, or made on a carding machine, are joined together. I prefer
however to employ for this purpose a coarse fibrous fabric made on a paper or
mill-board machine as described before, or a woven fabric of strong unbleached
fibres and of close texture. Or I employ these two kinds of fabrics together, i.e. in
alternate layers, or otherwise combined.
For the purpose of this operation I prefer to proceed in the following manner :—
I lead the fibrous fabric from as many rolls as the thickness requires, together,
but each layer separated by rollers or other contrivances through the glue bath,
so that each layer is thoroughly subjected to the glue. The layers are gradually
brought together at the end of the bath and pass between two rollers which press
them together. The combined fabric then passes direct through three or more pairs of
rollers, of which the first pair give a slight pressure and the others a gradual
increased pressure. It is best to pass the fabric between endless wire webs through
the rollers to prevent the layers slipping. The fabric is then carefully dried,
being kept as flat as possible during the time, and when it is dry it is subjected to
the one or the other chemical solution, but by preference a very strong or saturated
solution of bichromate of potash in combination with ammonia-iron-alum, or to a
strong or saturated solution of chrome alum. It is best to subject the fabric to
the chemical bath for a considerable time, say from 3 to 8 days, according to the

page_text: thickness, in order to make the glue very hard against water. Such a long
immersion is however not absolutely necessary, as the glue is rendered insoluable
as soon as the solution has penetrated the fabric, but increased length of immersion
renders the glue harder
When I desire to make a very firm and dense material, the fibrous fabric, after
it has been treated with the glue and one of the chemical solutions, is subjected to
a strong pressure whilst the glue is still in a yielding state
For this purpose the fibrous fabric is placed direct from the glue bath into the
chemical bath for the requisite time and then between felts and into a press, the
pressure of which is very gradually brought to bear upon the material.
Or, the glued fibrous fabric can be dried first, then subjected to a cold chemical
bath in the usual manner, and then to a like but hot cheinical solution for from 5
to 15 minutes, and then to the pressure as before.
According to the requirements the material is made soft and clastic by treatment
with glycerine.
For this purpose the glycerine is diluted with from 2 to 6 time its bulk of
water, and the material is then subjected to this bath until saturated. The time
occupied in this varies very much, as for instance, fabrics up to 50-60 lbs. per
reain of 450 sheets in size of 20 x 30 inches are sufliciently done in about 15
minutes and so on up to several hours for thick fabrics.
Instead of subjecting the fabric to a separate bath of glycerine, the glycerine
may be added to the chemical baths, and under certain circumstances also to the
glue bath. These methods are however not so good, and it is only advisable to
add the glycerine to the glue bath when the fabric is only subjected for short times
to any subsequent baths.
According to the nature of the article to be produced the fibrous fabric is glazed
by rollers, embossed, colored or painted, or printed with patterns.
The painting and printing for floorcloth purposes is best done with soluble
colors previous to treating the fabric with the glue. The colors penetrate the
porous fabric and are fixed by the subsequent treatment.
With reference to the felted fibrous fabric made on a paper or millboard
machine, although I consider it more advantageous to subject such a fabric, that
is to say, the paper or the millboard, to a special treatment with animal glue, good
results may be obtained by congealing or thickening the glue in the first instance
by treatment with a cold or hot, solution of bichromate of potash in combination
with any alum, or by chrome alum, and then adding this thickened or congealed
glue to the fibrous stuff in the beating engine of the paper machinery and mixing
the same well-a good proportion for general purposes being 12 parts of thickened
glue to 100 parts of fibre, more or less and from that proportion up to 25 parts.
The glue attaches itself to the fibres or is very finely divided in the fibrous stuff
and runs out with the same on the paper machine.
In this case I prefer to pass hot steam underneath the web of the paper machine
to heat the layer of fibrous stuff as it passes along, or I pass the fibrous layer
through heated couch rollers, or between other heated rollers-the heat facilitating
the adhesion of fibre to fibre.
desire it to be understood
Having now described the nature of my Invention
that I am aware that the chemical and hardening action of alums and chromic
compounds upon glue has been well known for many years, but I claim as my
Invention
1stly The manufacture of a fibrous fabric composed of long fibres prepared and
treated substantially as herein described wherein such fibres are united with animal
glue which is hardened and rendered insoluble or partially insoluble by treatment
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and
set forth
2ndly The combination of several layers of felted, woven or carded fibrous
fabric, each layer of which is saturated with animal glue, which is rendered

page_text: insoluble with the above described chemicals substantially as hereinbefore
described and set forth
In witness whereof I the said Charles Weygang have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Fifth day of July 1882.
Signed and sealed by the above named
Charles Weygang in the presence of
NEWNHAM BROWNE
Patent Agent
91 Queen Street
Cheapside
London, E.C.
CHARLES WEYGANG. (L.S.)