IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER FOR MILL BANDS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Moss, of Winchester House, Old Broad
Street, in the City of London, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER FOR MILL BANDS." -A
communication from abroad by Henry Klemm and Charles Klemm,
of Pfullingen, near Reutlingen, in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg,
Tanners and Curriers.
Sealed the 29th November 1870, and dated the 8th June 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Moss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th June 1870.
I, EDWARD Moss, of Winchester House, Old Broad Street, in the City
of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER FOR MILL BANDS,"
communicated to me from abroad by Henry Klemm and Charles
Klemm, of Pfullingen, near Reutlingen, in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg,
Tanners and Curriers, to be as follows:-
The said Invention consists of improvements in the currying and
dressing of hides and leather when manufactured or tanned by employing
sugar of grapes, commonly used in the manufacture of artificial wines, in
combination with glue, water, train oil, olein, stearine, glycerine, tallow,

page_text: linseed oil, neatsfoot oil, or any other fatty or greasy substance, and
generally in the following proportions, namely, for every five hundred
pounds weight of mixture are used twenty pounds of glue, three hundred
pounds of sugar of grapes, one hundred and fifty pounds of water, and
thirty pounds of train oil or any other fatty or greasy substance,
according to circumstances, and are mixed in the following manner, that
is to say-The twenty pounds of glue is put into the one hundred and
fifty pounds of water to soften, and should so remain for twenty-four
hours, after which the glue is boiled in the water and kept boiling, and
whilst boiling the three hundred pounds of sugar of grapes is added from
time to time, the sugar of grapes having been previously cut into small
pieces to assist in its dissolving, after which the thirty pounds of train oil
or of any other fatty or greasy substance is added. This boiling mixture
is kept continually stirred until it is reduced to a temperature of from
twenty-four to thirty degrees Reaumer, and the leather when manu-
factured as aforesaid is treated with this composition. The quantities or
proportions of the above ingredients are varied according to the nature,
quality, color, firmness, and solidity of the leather to be curried and
dressed.
By this Invention the hides after being manufactured into leather in
the usual way by means of tan or other substances containing tannin are
curried and dressed by employing the above mixture, which gives the
leather an increase in weight, effects a saving of expense on the ordinary
methods, and improves the leather in color, firmness, & solidity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Moss in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
Moss, of Winchester House, Old Broad Street, in the City of London,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Edward Moss, Her special licence that I, the said

page_text: Edward Moss, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Edward Moss, my 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 Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER
FOR MILL BANDS," a communication to me from abroad by Henry Klemm
and Charles Klemm, of Pfullingen, near Reutlingen, in the Kingdom
of Wurtemberg, Tanners and Curriers, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Moss, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Moss, 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 and accompanying Sheet of Drawings:-
The said Invention consists of improvements in the currying, and
dressing of hides and leather when manufactured or tanned by em-
ploying sugar of grapes, commonly used in the manufacture of artificial
wines, in combination with glue, water, train oil, olien, stearine,
glycerine, tallow, linseed oil, neatsfoot oil, or any other fatty or greasy
substance, and generally in the following proportions, namely:-For
every five hundred pounds weight of composition are used, twenty
pounds of glue, three hundred pounds of sugar of grapes, one hundred
and fifty pounds of water, and thirty pounds of train oil, or any other
fatty or greasy substance, according to circumstances, and are mixed in
the following manner, that is to say :-The twenty pounds of glue is put
into the one hundred and fifty pounds of water to soften, and should
so remain for twenty-four hours, after which the glue is boiled in the
water and kept boiling, and whilst boiling the three hundred pounds of
sugar of grapes is added from time to time, the sugar of grapes having
been previously cut into small pieces to assist in its dissolving, and when
dissolved the thirty pounds of train oil or any other fatty or greasy.

page_text: substance, as aforesaid is added. This boiling mixture is kept continually
stirred until it is reduced to a temperature of from twenty four to thirty
degrees Reaumur, and the leather when manufactured as aforesaid is
treated with this composition. The quantities or proportions of the above
ingredients are varied, according to the nature, quality, color, firmness,
and solidity of the leather to be curried and dressed.
The leather by this process acquires an increase in weight, and is
improved in color, firmness, and solidity, and a saving in expense is
effected on the ordinary methods in use for currying and dressing leather
for millbands.
Having thus described the nature of the said Envention, the following
is the best manner in which it may be carried into effect:-
The hides having been manufactured into leather in the usual manner
by means of tan or other substance containing tannin, and ready for
currying and dressing are hung up in the hanging room or in the open
air until the flesh and hair sides of the hides are dried up. The leather
is then placed in a currier's or tanner's fulling tube and treated according
to the ordinary methods in use for equally distributing the moisture
remaining in it and fulled for half an hour. It is then removed from
the fulling tube and smeared over or brushed up upon both sides with
the above-mentioned composition in a fluid or melted state until the
requisite quantity of the said composition is equally distributed over each
side of the leather and placed in a fulling tube together with a further
quantity of the said composition, both of which must be regulated by
the quality of the leather and the desired increase in weight to be pro-
duced, the fulling tube being previously heated to such a temperature
by means of heated air as will keep the said composition in a fluid or
melted state to better enable the said composition to penetrate the
leather during the rotation of the fulling tube. A temperature of from
twenty-four to thirty degrees Reaumer is sufficient for this purpose.
The leather should be kept in the fulling tube from three to, four
hours, until the said composition has penetrated or become absorbed
by it. It is then dried in the drying room or in warm weather in the
open air until it is sufficiently dry to receive an application of fat or
grease, such as train oil, tallow, &c., as used in the ordinary methods
to render the leather pliable and elastic, when it is again placed in the
fulling tube, heated as aforesaid until the fat or grease has thoroughly

page_text: penetrated. It is then removed from the fulling tube and dressed,
prepared, and curried in the ordinary manner.
The fulling tube used for this process consists of a wooden tub or
cylinder closed at both ends, revolving on hollow axles, the interior of
such tub or cylinder being armed with wooden pegs to prevent the
leather touching the sides, as is particularly shown in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a front view of the
tub or cylinder; Fig. 2, a sectional view; and Fig. 3, the exact size
of the wooden pegs. a and b represent the hollow axles, through which
the heated air enters at a and escapes with the steam arising from the
process at b; c is a drum for connecting the tube or cylinder with the
steam engine, or for otherwise causing the tub or cylinder to rotate;
d is a double wheel on the same axle as the drum c, and in the inner
wheel teeth are cut corresponding with the teeth cut in the wheel e
connected with the hollow axle b; f is a tub or cylinder; g are iron
bands in two parts for strengthening the tub or cylinder, which are
connected by means of the screw h for loosening or tightening the
staves of the tub or cylinder f, the interior of which is armed with
wooden pegs of the shape and size of Fig. 3, and placed at the respective
distances as shown by the circles in Fig. 2; i is a moveable door
secured by a bar turning on a pivot, through which the leather and
composition are placed in the tub or cylinder.
This fulling tube is not claimed as part of this Invention, and the
Invention is not limited to the special composition before described,
which may be varied as aforesaid, but the use of sugar of grapes (here-
tofore used in the manufacture of artificial wines) in combination with
glue, water, and fat, or grease, or substances containing fatty stuffs, such
as train oil, tallow, neatsfoot oil, olein, glycerine, stearine, linseed oil, &c.,
and especially the use of sugar of grapes in the manufacture of leather
for mill bands is claimed as new and novel.
In witness whercof, I, the said Edward Moss, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.