IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING HIDES AND SKINS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Turney and John Turney, of the Trent
Bridge Works, Sneinton, in the County of Nottingham, carrying on
business as Leather Dressers under the Firm of "Turney.Brothers,"
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING HIDES
AND SKINS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER."
aled the 20th July 1866, and dated the 24th January 186
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Turney and
John Turney at the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 24th January 1866.
We, EDWARD TURNEY and JOHN TURNEY, of the Trent Bridge Works,'
Sneinton, in the County of Nottingham, carrying on business as Leather
Dressers under the Firm of "Turney Brothers," do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING
HIDES AND SKINS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in preparing and treating hides and skins in the manufacture
of leather, preparatory to cobbing, and fleshing, they have required a pre-
paration of from seven to fourteen days; hence the process has involved
considerable time, labour, and expense. Whereas our Invention consists
in the following improved method of preparation and treatment, whereby
we are enabled to prepare hides and skins in from 24 to 30 hours, and
thus effect a considerable saving of time, labour, and expense in fitting the

page_text: skins and hides for cobbing and fleshing. We first place in a vessel lime
and water, or other liquid, or semi-fluid agent, ordinarily used in unhairing
skins and hides or in preparing them for fleshing. This vessel may be of
any required shape and size. In this vessel we employ a wheel which is so
mounted as to be capable of revolving, and is provided with paddles,
pallets, or dashboards, which as the wheel revolves work or pass through
the liquid or agent contained in the vessel. The wheel may be of any
desired circumference. We place the hides or skins in the vessel, and then
communicate rotary motion to the wheel by hand or by steam, or by other
power; the wheel acting on the liquor in the vessel causes it to act on the
hides or skins and loosen the hair and epidermis rapidly. The hides or
skins remain in the vessel until they are ready for cobbing and fleshing.
The quantity of lime or equivalent agent we sometimes employ in a vessel,
of say 15 feet in length by 7 feet in width and 6 feet in depth, is from
6 to 9 strikes; and we work the lime until it is spent. But the quantity
of lime necessary to be used will vary according to the nature, quality, and
condition of the hides and skins operated on.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Turney and John Turney in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
TURNEY and JOHN TURNEY, of the Trent Bridge Works, Sneinton, in the
County of Nottingham, carrying on business as Leather Dressers under
the Firm of "Turney Brothers," send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Edward Turney and John Turney, Her special
licence that we, the said Edward Turney and John Turney, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Turney
and John Turney, our executors, 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

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND TREATING HIDES AND SKINS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF LEATHER," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Edward Turney and John Turney, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and-seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edward Turney and John Turney,
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:
Heretofore in preparing and treating hides and skins in the manufacture
of leather, preparatory to cobbing and fleshing, they have required a pre-
paration of from seven to fourteen days; hence the process has involved
considerable time, labour, and expense. Whereas our Invention consists
in the following improved method of preparation and treatment, whereby
we are enabled to prepare hides and skins in from twenty-four to thirty
hours, and thus effect a considerable saving of time, labour, and expense
in fitting the skins and hides for cobbing and fleshing. We first place in
a vessel lime and water, or other liquid, or semi-fluid agent ordinarily
used in unhairing skins and hides or in preparing them for fleshing. This
vessel may be of any required shape and size. In this vessel we employ a
wheel which is mounted so as to be capable of revolving, and is provided
with paddles, pallets, or dashboards, which as the wheel revolves work
or pass through the liquid or agent contained in the vessel. The wheel
may be of any desired circumference. We place the hides or skins in
the vessel, and then communicate rotary motion to the wheel by hand or
by steam, or by other power the wheel acting on the liquor in the vessel
causes it to act on the hides or skins and loosen the hair and epidermis
rapidly. The hides or skins remain in the vessel until they are ready for
cobbing and fleshing. The quantity of lime or equivalent agent we some-
times employ in a vessel, of say fifteen feet in length by seven feet in width
and six feet in depth, is from six to nine strikes; and we work the lime
until it is spent. But the quantity of lime necessary to be used will
vary according to the nature, quality, and condition of the hides and skins
operated on.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
-manner the same may be performed, we declare that we claim the im-
proved method of preparing and treating hides and skins in which a wheel
is used, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward Turney and John Turney,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
EDWP. TURNEY. (L.S.)
JOHN TURNEY. (L.S.)