The Preparation of an Oil or Tar from Birch Tree Bark and the Application of the same for Tanning and Preserving Hides, Skins, and Furs, and for Destroying Moths and Insects.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1888
Specification Accepted, 25th May, 1888
The Preparation of an Oil or Tar from Birch Tree Bark and the
Application of the same for Tanning and Preserving Hides,
Skins, and Furs, and for Destroying Moths and Insects.
I, EGERTON TUTHILL, of 2 Vigo Street, W., in the County of Middlesex Gentleman
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:
My extract of oil or tar from the birch tree bark is intended to be used, in the
process of tanning or preserving hides, skins, and the like, and for destroying moths
and insects in skins, or preventing moths, and insects imbedding themselves in hides,
skins or furs.
The extract is composed of the oil or tar extracted from the birch tree bark.
The bark from the birch tree can be striped off the tree at any time during the
year, for this said purpose, and is packed ready for operating on, the bark is then
placed in a retort, or any vessel employed for distillation, this vessel is usually a kind
of retort, or oven, with a tap or pipe leading into a cask or other vessel, for the oil or
tar to run out into the cask or any other vessel to catch the oil or tar, which is
thereby extracted from the birch tree bark, by supplying sufficient heat to the retort,
by means of a fire under or round the said retort, or a contrivance constructed for
this purpose.
The method of using the said preparation of an oil or tar, is to be rubbed all over
the smooth sides of the hides, three or more times, during the process of tanning, or
after the hides are tanned.
The quantity required to prepare an ordinary size skin (such as a calf skin) would
be half an imperial pint.
Larger quantities would be necessary for skins of larger dimensions, and would
vary from half an imperial pint of the preparation of an oil or tar upwards.
I do not limit myself to the exact quantity of the said preparation to be used as
some skins would soak up more of the preparation than others.
If preferable the oil or tar may be extracted by any other vessel or means, than by
a retort, provided that it is extracted in such a manner, as aforesaid, from the birch
tree bark.

page_text: The method using the aforesaid Birch oil or tar, which is to be rubbed all over the
hides, three or more times, during the process of tanning or after the hides are tanned.
If a little of the extract is placed on skins, it will prevent moths or insects, imbedding
themselves in the skins, or kill any there may be there before the skin was operated
on with the extract.
Having now fully described the nature and object of my invention, and the manner
in which the extract is to be obtained, I claim as new and novel the following:
:-
I claim the herein described extract of oil or tar produced from the bark of the
birch tree, by means of a retort, or by any other method, to be used in the process of
tanning, or preserving hides, skins, and the like, and for destroying moths and
insects, substantially horein described.
.
E. TUTHILL,
Applicant.