NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS FOR COLORING LEATHER AND VARNISHING THE SAME FOR PRESERVING THE BRIGHTNESS AND LUSTRE OF THE SURFACING THEREOF
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Alfred Barlow, of 6, St. Paul's Churchyard,
in the City of London, Patent Agent and Engineer, for an Invention of
"NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS FOR COLORING LEATHER AND VARNISHING THE
SAME FOR PRESERVING THE BRIGHTNESS AND LUSTRE OF THE SURFACING
THEREOF." A communication from abroad by Edouard Fernbach, of Nancy,
France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Alfred Barlow at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th February 1882.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW of 6 St. Pauls Churchyard in the City of London
Patent Agent and Engineer. "NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS FOR COLORING
LEATHER AND VARNISHING THE SAME FOR PRESERVING THE BRIGHTNESS AND
LUSTRE OF THE SURFACING THEREOF." A communication from abroad by Edouard
Fernbach of Nancy, France.
This Invention relates to new or improved means for coloring leather and
varnishing the same for preserving the brightness and lustre of the surfacing
thereof.
To give a colouring to leather it is merely covered at present with a layer of
lacquer or varnish of the colour required and by this process it is true bright rich
tints may be obtained but unfortunately the said tints bleach very soon especially
when they are applied to leather subjected to a continual wear, neither has there
been known any efficacious and easy means for the reviving of the lost brightness
of the bleached tints; black colour only may be easily renewed by means ordinarily
well known.
The great inconvenience presented by light colors is specially vexatious in the
manufacture and trade of fancy boots for ladies and children, and even for the
kind of boots which like the hunting shoes or boots are made either of leather
called Russian leather or of any kind of leather upon which no color has been
applied, which boots loose quickly the freshness of their appearance and become of
a dirty shade.

page_text: Then it is necessary to blacken them by means of a varnish, or of an ordinary
blacking.
The object of this invention is to obtain by means of a certain mixture of con-
venient materials a fatty compound which when applied upon leathers during
currying will color them with the required shade and also a varnish of the same
shade as that of the leather and which can then be employed for maintaining the
brightness of the colouring of the leather.
The colouring compound is obtained by mixing convenient colouring materials
(either liquid or in powder) with ordinary oil, fish oil or any other fatty substance
used by the curriers. This compound applied to leather in the ordinary way
during its currying penetrates leather and so to speak combines with it and thus
imparts to it the required color.
Upon the leather so prepared a varnish of like colour is applied in the same
manner as it is done with ordinary blacking and use is made of brushes for
obtaining brilliancy.
The manufacture of the colouring varnish differs from that of ordinary blacking
by the choice of materials which have to be used and the necessary coloring
properties for the production of the required colour.
The following method which gives a good result will serve as an example :—
A colouring substance is mixed with a material which like dextrine, gum,
molasses, flour, starch, possess colouring properties and into that mixture a
sufficient quantity of vinegar is added in order to make a thick paste of the required
colour.
A quantity of sulphuric acid equal to in weight of the said paste is added
slowly to the mixture taking care to continually stir up and intermix the paste
during this operation, then a quantity of olive oil is poured in, in order to obtain a
sufficiently fatty compound.
It will be readily understood on account of the different nature of numerous
materials which may be employed for the making of this varnish that it is not
possible to give here, constant and invariable proportions of the quantities of
each material which enter into the aforesaid mixture, but those given are
approximate.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Walter Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1882.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW of 6 St. Paul's Churchyard in the city of London
Patent Agent and Engineer. "NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS FOR COLOURING
LEATHER AND VARNISHING THE SAME FOR PRESERVING THE BRIGHTNESS AND
LUSTRE OF THE SURFACING THEREOF. A communication from abroad by Edouard
Fernbach of Nancy France.
"J
This invention relates to new or improved means for coloring leather and
varnishing the same for preserving the brightness and lustre of the surfacing
thereof. To give a coloring to leather it is merely covered at present with a layer
of lacquer or varnish of the color required and by this process it is true bright and
rich tints may be obtained but unfortunately the said tints bleach very soon
especially when they are applied to leather subjected to continual wear neither has
there been know any efficacious and easy means for the reviving of the lost
brightness of the bleached tints black color only may be easily renewed by means
ordinarily well known. The great inconvenience presented by light colors is
specially vexatious in the manufacture and trade of fancy boots for ladies and
children and even for the kind of boots which like hunting shoes or boots are
made either of leather called Russian leather or of any kind of leather upon
which no color has been applied which boots or shoes loose quickly the freshness
of their appearance and become of a dirty shade; Then it is necessary to blacken
them by means of a varnish or of an ordinary blacking.
The object of this invention is to obtain by means of a certain mixture of con-
venient materials a fatty compound which when applied upon leathers during the
currying will color them with the required shade and also a varnish of the same
shade as that of the leather and which can then be employed for maintaining the
brightness of the coloring of the leather. The coloring compound is obtained by
mixing convenient coloring materials (either liquid or in powder) with ordinary
oil, fish oil, or any other fatty substance used by the curriers. This compound
applied to leather in the ordinary way during its currying penetrates leather
and so to speak combines with it and thus imparts to it the required color.
Upon the leather so prepared a varnish of like color is applied in the same
manner as it is done with ordinary blacking and use is made of brushes for
obtaining brilliancy.
The manufacture of the coloring paste or varnish differs from that of ordinary
blacking by the choice of materials which have to be used and the necessary
coloring properties for the production of the required color.
The following method which gives a good result will serve as an example.
A coloring substance is mixed with a material which like dextrine, gum, molasses,
flour, starch, and so forth possess coloring properties and into that mixture a
sufficient quantity of vinegar is added in order to make a thick paste of the
required color. A quantity of sulphuric acid equal to in weight of the said
paste is added slowly to the mixture taking care to continually stir up and intermix
the paste during this operation then a quantity of olive oil is poured in, in order
to obtain a sufficiently fatty compound.
It will be readily understood on account of the different nature of numerous
materials which may be employed for the making of this varnish, that it is not
possible to give here constant and invariable proportions of the quantities of
each material which enter into the aforesaid mixture but those given are
approximate,

page_text: Having now described the nature and particulars of the said invention as com-
municated to me in such wise that the same may be readily carried into practical
effect, I claim :—
First. The manufacture of colored leathers by means of the special Composition,
obtained by the mixture of fatty matters and coloured substances applied to
leathers during their preparation by tanning as and for the purpose herein set
forth.
Secondly. The process of treatment of the leather prepared as described by the
paste composition or mixture of coloring matters with acids, oils, or coloring
matters as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Walter Alfred Barlow have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Sixteenth day of August in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty two.