Improvements in the Treatment of Leather.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 19th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Leather.
We, HANS LEBL, Senior of 11 Kandlgasse, Vienna VII, Austria, Metal
Stamper, and ERASMUS ATLASS, of 3 Herrmanngasse, Vienna VII aforesaid,
Manufacturer of Leather Goods, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The velvet leather at present employed in the manufacture of fancy goods, is
produced by treating the flesh side of leather of various kinds. For this reason
such leather can only be dyed in one tone; it cannot be shaded or have any design
produced upon it, and what is of particular importance, it cannot possess that
characteristic texture which many kinds of leather have owing to their natural or
artificially produced grain. Furthermore, the fibres on the flesh side forming the
nap or down are always coarse, so that there is a considerable difference between
the feel of such leather and that of real velvet.
Now the present invention relates to a method of treating leather whereby we
are enabled to produce leather of the above mentioned kind hereinafter termed
velvet-leather, of essentially different texture and in a variety of shades and
ornamented with various designs the natural or artificially imitated grain being
caused to appear. The down of leather made according to this invention is similar
to that of the peach; it is extremely fine and is soft and velvety, the leather
having the appearance of closely clipped silk velvet of the best kind, and the down
can be caused to lie in different directions for the purpose of giving to the leather
the appearance of being of different shades of color.
To this end according to this invention the velvety surface instead of being
imparted to the flesh side of the leather as heretofore, is imparted to the grain
side thereof. Consequently when unglazed raw leather is treated, the natural or
artificial grain of the leather comes into prominence. Leather pressed or
embossed with designs can also be successfully treated according to this invention
and the most varied patterns can be produced according to the kind of raw material
employed and the subsequent treatment of the wholly or partially opened grain
side of the leather.
The treatment consists in grinding or roughening either the entire surface of the
grain side of the leather or only certain portions thereof until the desired fluffy
fibres appear. The leather can then be smoothed, the said fibres raised and either
left in such condition or caused to lie in one or in different directions over the entire
surface or only on portions thereof, and fixed in such position, the fibres lying in
different directions appearing of various shades of color. By employing straight
or curved rulers and templets of any desired shape the surface can be covered with
patterns formed of fibres lying in different directions, as will be easily understood
so that innumerable varieties of velvet leather can be produced.
The means for grinding or roughening the raw leather vary according to the
texture of the leather according to whether the leather is to be treated by hand or
by machinery, according to whether the entire surface of the leather is to be treated
or only parts thereof, and whether it is to be treated in pieces previously cut to
shape, or in whole skins.
For grinding pieces of leather cut to shape, or for grinding single predetermined
parts of surfaces such as strips, corners, figures according to templets, or previously
impressed designs, there can advantageously be employed a grinding mass similar to
erasing-rubber and consisting of india-rubber mixed with flour of emery, pumice
stone and glass. For treating larger surfaces known grinding agents for example
emery paper or glass paper, emery cloth or glass cloth or fish-skin can be employed.

page_text: The surface of the leather may also be strewn with a grinding powder and then be
rubbed with soft cloths or blocks of cork until the desired effect is obtained.
Grinding wheels of known kind may also be employed for this purpose.
In the case of naturally or artificially grained leather, or leather that has been
previously embossed with a design, only the projecting portions of the surface are
opened or rendered fibrous by such treatment, the recessed portions of the grained
leather, or the ground of the previously embossed leather remaining untouched, and
so that the leather obtained has a velvety raised surface on a smooth ground. If
the recessed portions of the grained leather or the ground of pressed leather are to
be rendered velvety then it is advisable to employ wire brushes for the roughening
treatment because their wire will penetrate or extend into the natural or artificial
recesses of the surface of the leather.
In treating leather by machinery, there may be employed for the last mentioned
case, a cylindrical wire brush roller, and for the first mentioned case, a smooth roller
covered with rubber, felt or cloth, which is dusted or sprinkled with a powdered
grinding agent or the powdered grinding agent may be dusted or sprinkled upon the
leather, or upon both the roller and the surface of the leather. The piece of leather
or it may be the skin, is drawn under these rollers on a soft foundation. If by one
passage under the roller a sufficiently velvety surface is not imparted to the leather,
the leather is passed under the roller again but in the opposite direction and so on.
Any depressed wrinkled or very thin parts of the leather, which may not have been
sufficiently roughened notwithstanding the employment of an elastic foundation,
may then be finished by hand. A specially suitable means for roughening the grain
side of leather is the sand blast, but care must be taken when such is used, that the
sand jet shall not strike the surface of the leather in a direction perpendicular
thereto, as is the case when frosting glass, or the surface of the leather instead of
being rendered velvety would have a dull or dead and unpolished surface imparted
to it. On the contrary the sand jet should be caused to strike the grained surface
of the leather at as acute an angle as possible, so that the grained surface may be
opened out into fine fibres as intended.
Whichever of the means mentioned is used, it is important that the leather to be
treated should be supported upon a perfectly smooth, elastic and soft foundation.
Want of smoothness in the foundation would have the result that the leather at
those places which rest on projecting portions of the foundation, would be furrowed
or even torn open or ground into a hole. A want of elasticity in the foundation
would cause an uneven treatment of the projecting and recessed portions of the
leather. Smooth soft caoutchouc plates form a suitable foundation. It will be
readily understood that care should be taken in all cases that the leather shall not
be furrowed by grinding too deeply. Particular care in this respect should be
taken in the case of leather which has a very coarse or prominent grain or is
embossed in very high relief.
By the process described leather is obtained which is either covered with down
over its entire surface, that is to say, both on the naturally or artificially raised
places and also in the recessed places-(the recesses of the grain, or the ground)-
or which has velvety raised surfaces on a smooth ground, which will consist of the
variously entwined lines of the recesses of the grain in the case of grained leather.
It is obvious that by heating leather pressed in bass-relief smooth designs on a
velvety ground can also be obtained.
Leather the entire surface of which has been treated in the manner described
can be utilized without further treatment, but leather which is not roughened all over
may be subjected with advantage to a further treatment consisting in smoothing
and then subsequently raising the down which has been pressed down in this
process, and which can then be caused to lie again in one or in different directions
over the whole surface or only in certain portions thereof, and be fixed in such
position.
For smoothing the leather there may be employed cold or hot smooth irons,
rollers or metallic pressing plates, according to the texture and softness of the

page_text: leather treated. In all cases the leather which is moistened, must rest with its
flesh side on a soft and elastic foundation. In treating entire skins à pair of rollers
may with advantage be employed, one of which has a hard perfectly smooth surface
the other having an elastic surface. Leather the grain side of which has
roughened projecting portions and non-roughened recessed portions, becomes smooth
by the smoothing operation, owing to the recessed portions being pressed by the
elastic roller or foundation as the case may be, against the smooth metal surface of
the smoothing roller or device.
In treating leather to which a design in relief or in intaglio has been imparted
before its grain surface was roughened, the down on the design or on the ground
and which was pressed down by the smoothing operation, is raised or brushed up
over the entire surface by brushes or by rubbing with a rough cloth so as to
produce leather having velvety designs on a smooth ground, or a smooth design on
a velvety ground.
Smoothed leather can be advantageously. subjected to further treatment by
brushing or stroking fibres on the entire surface of the leather or only on parts
thereof, in one or more directions. Since down that lies in various directions
appears of various shades of colour according to the direction in which it lies and
surfaces with raised or upright fibres appear of another colour or brilliancy it will
be readily understood that with the aid of rulers and templets a great variety of
designs may be produced on such leather, by brushing or stroking the fibres of
different parts of the surface of the leather in different directions or by leaving
them raised here and there.
.
A further decoration of the leather may be effected by leaving the down fibres
raised in certain places, and coating the other parts of the surfaces with leaf metal
by impression. By this means leather can be produced having more or less the
appearance of brocade.
By employing leather dyed in one or more colours and it may be in a number of
graduated shades; or leather having a smooth, grained, figured, or pressed surface;
by roughening the entire grain side or merely portions thereof; by smoothing the
downy recesses or prominences; by laying down and fixing the raised down over
the whole surface or merely on portions thereof in one or more directions ;-apart
from further means of decoration by stamping, painting, printing with colour, or
applying leaf metal-velvet-leather of the most varied kind and appearance can be
produced.
Dated this 10th den of Tan 1902
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Leather.
We, HANS LEBL, Senior, of 11 Kandlgasse, Vienna, VII Austria, Metal
Stamper, and ERASMUS ATLASS, of 3 Herrmanngasse, Vienna, VII aforesaid,
Manufacturer of Leather Goods, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The velvet-leather at present employed in the manufacture of fancy goods, is
produced by treating the flesh side of leather of various kinds: For this reason
such leather can only be dyed in one tone; it cannot be shaded or have any design
produced upon it, and, what is of particular importance, it cannot possess that
characteristic texture which many kinds of leather have owing to their natural or
artificially produced grain. Furthermore, the fibres on the flesh side forming the

page_text: nap or down are always coarse, so that there is a considerable difference between-
the feel of such leather and that of real velvet.
Now the present invention relates to a method of treating leather whereby we
are enabled to produce leather of the above mentioned kind hereinafter termed
velvet-leather, of essentially different texture and in a variety of shades and
ornamented with various designs the natural or artificially imitated grain being
caused to appear. The down of leather made according to this invention is similar
to that of the peach; it is extremely fine and is soft and velvety, the leather
having the appearance of closely clipped silk velvet of the best kind, and the
down can be caused to lie in different directions for the purpose of giving to the
leather the appearance of being of different shades of color.
To this end, according to this invention the velvety surface instead of being
imparted to the flesh side of the leather as heretofore, is imparted to the grain side
thereof. Consequently when unglazed raw leather is treated, the natural or
artificial grain of the leather comes into prominence. Leather pressed or embossed
with designs can also be successfully treated according to this invention and the
most varied patterns can be produced according to the kind of raw material
employed and the subsequent treatment of the wholly or partially opened grain
side of the leather.
The treatment consists in grinding or roughening either the entire surface of the
grain side of the leather, or only certain portions thereof until the desired fluffy
fibres appear.
The leather can then be smoothed, the said fibres raised and either
left in such condition or caused to lie in one or in different directions over the entire
surface or only on portions thereof, and fixed in such position, the fibres lying in
different directions appearing of various shades of color. By employing straight
or curved rulers and-templets of any desired shape the surface can be covered with
patterns formed of fibres lying in different directions, as will be easily understood,
so that innumerable varieties of velvet-leather can be produced.
The means for grinding or roughening the raw leather vary according to the
texture of the leather to whether the leather is to be treated by hand or by
machinery, to whether the entire surface of the leather is to be treated or only
parts thereof, and to whether it is to be treated in pieces previously cut to shape,
or in whole skins.
For grinding pieces of leather cut to shape, or for grinding single predetermined
parts of surfaces--such as stripes or borders, corners, figures according to templets
or previously impressed designs, there can advantageously be employed a grinding
mass similar to erasing-rubber and consisting of india rubber mixed with flour of
emery, pumice stone and glass. For treating larger surfaces known grinding
agents, for example emery paper or glass paper, emery cloth or glass cloth, or fish-
skin can be employed. The surface of the leather may also be strewn with a
grinding powder and then be rubbed with soft cloths or blocks of cork until the
desired effect is obtained. Grinding wheels of known kind may also be employed
for this purpose.
In the case of naturally or artificially grained leather, or leather that has been
previously embossed with a design, only the projecting portions of the surface are
opened or rendered fibrous by such treatment, the recessed portions of the grained
leather, or the ground of the previously embossed leather remaining untouched and
so that the leather obtained has a velvety raised surface on a smooth ground. If
the recessed portions of the grained leather or the ground of pressed leather are to
be rendered velvety then it is advisable to employ wire brushes for the roughening
treatment because their wire will penetrate or extend into the natural or artificial
recesses of the surface of the leather.
In treating leather by machinery, there may be employed for the last mentioned
case, a cylindrical wire brush roller, and for the first mentioned case, a smooth
roller covered with rubber, felt or cloth, which is dusted or sprinkled with a
powdered grinding agent or the powdered grinding agent may be dusted or
sprinkled upon the leather, or upon both the roller and the surface of the leather.

page_text: The piece of leather or it may be the skin, is drawn under these rollers on a soft
foundation. If by one passage under the roller a sufficiently velvety surface is not
imparted to the leather, the latter is passed under the roller again but in the opposite
direction and so on. Any depressed wrinkled or very thin parts of the leather,
which may not have been sufficiently roughened notwithstanding the employment
of an elastic foundation, may then be finished by hand. A specially suitable
means for roughening the grain side of leather is the sand blast, but when such is
used care must be taken that the sand jet shall not strike the surface of the leather
in a direction perpendicular thereto, as is the case when frosting glass, or the surface
of the leather instead of being rendered velvety would have a dull or dead
and unpolished surface imparted to it. On the contrary the sand jet should be
caused to strike the grained surface of the leather at as acute an angle as
possible, so that the grained surface may be opened out into fine fibres as
intended.
Whichever of the means mentioned is used, it is important that the leather to be
treated should be supported upon a perfectly smooth, elastic and soft foundation.
Want of smoothness in the foundation would result in the leather at those places
which rest on projecting portions of the foundation being furrowed or even torn open
or ground into a hole. A want of elasticity in the foundation would cause an
uneven treatment of the projecting and recessed portions of the leather. Smooth
soft caoutchouc plates form a suitable foundation. It will be readily understood
that care should be taken in all cases that the leather shall not be furrowed
by grinding too deeply. Particular care in this respect should be taken in the
case of leather which has a very coarse or prominent grain or is embossed in .very
high relief.
By the process described leather is obtained which is either covered with down
over its entire surface, that is to say, both on the naturally or artificially raised
places and also in the recessed places (the recesses of the grain, or the ground), or
which has velvety raised surfaces on a smooth ground, which will consist of the
variously entwined lines of the recesses of the grain in the case of grained leather.
It is obvious that by treating leather pressed in bass-relief smooth designs on a
velvety ground can also be obtained.
Leather the entire surface of which has been treated in the manner described can
be utilized without further treatment, but leather which is not roughened all over,
may be subjected with advantage to a further treatment consisting in smoothing
and then subsequently raising the down which has been pressed down in this
process, and which can then be caused to lie again in one or in different
directions over the whole surface or only in certain portions thereof, and be fixed
in such position.
1
For smoothing the leather there may be employed cold or hot smooth irons,
rollers or metallic pressing plates, according to the texture and softness of the
leather treated. In all cases the leather which is moistened, must rest with its
flesh side on a soft and elastic foundation. In treating entire skins a pair of rollers
may with advantage be employed, one of which has a hard perfectly smooth surface
the other having an elastic surface. Leather, the grain side of which has roughened
projecting portions and non-roughened recessed portions, becomes smooth by the
smoothing operation, owing to the recessed portions being pressed by the elastic
roller or foundation as the case may be, against the smooth metal surface of the
smoothing roller or device.
In treating leather to which a design in relief or in intaglio has been imparted
before its grain surface was roughened, the down on the design or on the ground
and which was pressed down by the smoothing operation, is raised or brushed up
over the entire surface by brushes or by rubbing with a rough cloth so as to produce
leather having velvety designs on a smooth ground, or a smooth design on a velvety
ground.
Smoothed leather can be advantageously subjected to further treatment by
brushing or stroking the fibres on the entire surface of the leather or only on parts

page_text: thereof, in one or more directions. Since down that lies in various directions
appears of various shades of color according to the direction in which it lies and
surfaces with raised or upright fibres appear of another color or brilliancy, it will
be readily understood that with the aid of rulers and templets a great variety of
designs may be produced on such leather, by brushing or stroking the fibres of
different parts of the surface of the leather in different directions or by leaving
them raised here and there.
A further decoration of the leather may be effected by leaving the down fibres
raised in certain places, and coating the other parts of the surface with leaf metal
by impression. By this means leather can be produced having more or less the
appearance of brocade.
By employing leather dyed in one or more colors and it may be in a number of
graduated shades; or leather having a smooth, grained, figured, or pressed
surface; by roughening the entire grain side or merely portions thereof; by
smoothing the downy recesses or prominences; by laying down and fixing the
raised down over the whole surface or merely on portions thereof in one or more
directions; apart from further means of decoration by stamping, painting, printing
with color, or applying leaf metal, velvet-leather of the most varied kind and
appearance can be produced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of treating or dressing leather for the purpose of
producing therefrom velvet-leather having a fine and short nap or down, by
grinding or roughening the leather on the grain side until the desired nap or down
is produced at the required part or parts thereof as set forth.
2. Smoothing leather the grain side of which has been provided with a nap or
down in the manner specified in the preceding claim by ironing or pressing the
treated grain side of the leather with irons, rollers or plates whilst the leather is
supported on a smooth and elastic foundation as set forth.
Dated this 19th day of October 1893.
HANS LEBL,
By L. W., per F. B.
E. ATLASS,
By L. W., per F. B.