APPARATUS TO BE USED IN DYEING ALL KINDS OF DESIGNS AND ORNEMENTS IN ALL COLORS UPON ALL KINDS OF SKINS AND LEATHER, TO BE USED FOR GLOVES, FANCY SHOES, AND MORROCO LEATHER IN GENERAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Lepine, Son, and Pierre Henry Roelants, both of
Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, doing business under the Firm Joseph
Lepine, Fils, & Co., Manufacturers, for an Invention of "APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN DYEING ALL KINDS OF DESIGNS AND ORNEMENTS IN ALL COLORS
UPON ALL KINDS OF SKINS AND LEATHER, TO BE USED FOR GLOVES,
FANCY SHOES, AND MORROCO LEATHER IN GENERAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Lepine, Son, & Pierre
Henry Roelants at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th
October 1880.
JOSEPH LEPINE, SON, and PIERRE HENRY ROELANTS, both of Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, doing business under the Firm Joseph Lepine, Fils, & Co.,
Manufacturers. "APPARATUS TO BE USED IN DYEING ALL KINDS OF DESIGNS
AND ORNEMENTS IN ALL COLORS, UPON ALL KINDS OF SKINS AND LEATHER, TO
BE USED FOR GLOVES, FANCY SHOES, AND MORROCO LEATHER IN GENERAL, AND
OTHER MATERIALS."
Our Invention has for its object to afford improved means of stretching and
firmly holding leather and other goods while coloring or ornamenting the same,
and in the means of so doing.
We construct a strong wooden stand with a semicylindrical top, the surface of
such semicylinder being larger than the skins or other material to be dyed. This
semicylinder (herein after for the sake of brevity called the "saddle") is covered
with woollen cloth and a thin plate of metal, and upon this a thin sheet of the
material commonly known as sticking plaster, or other analogous substance. The
adhesiveness of the latter assists in preventing the material from shifting while
under operation.
When the skin or other material to be dyed (herein after called the "stuff") is
laid out upon the saddle, it is held thereupon partly by the adhesiveness before
referred to, but principally by a series of wires which are arranged so as to forcibly
hold down upon the stuff suitably formed stencil plates, which are cut to the

page_text: desired pattern, and which stencil plates are preferably made of metal. In some
cases the holding wires are hooked to the sides of the stencil plates. In other
cases the wires are carried right over the stencil plates. An axle is fitted on each
side of the frame, and below the greatest diameter of the saddle, round which axles
the copper wires are partially wound, and to which their ends are hooked. At one
end of the frame these axles are fitted with pullies or riggers to afford means of
making the wires taut with considerable leverage. A chain is attached to and
carried partially round each of these pullies, the free ends of which chains are
attached to a central lever common to both, this lever having a ratchet wheel
and pawl in order to hold the wires in tension. Weights are also sometimes
attached to the central lever to further the same object.
The following is the manner of using our said Invention -The stuff is stretched
on the saddle. The metallic stencil plates with suitable attachments to the holding
down wires are then placed in position upon the stuff, the wires are then pulled
taut as before explained. The stuff is then dyed with the requisite colors, and with
any of the usual coloring matter by means of brushes. The ground work of the
skin is generally dyed before the design, but when a dark groundwork is required
with light figures, the latter are dyed first, and they are afterwards protected from
further coloring by suitable plates carefully placed over them while the rest is
being dyed. This operation being completed the lever is released, whereby the
tension is removed from the wires, which are then unhooked, and the stencil plates
removed. The stuff can then be taken away from the saddle to be worked up into
goods or otherwise dealt with.
In some cases the tension wires are not required to be used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Lepine, Son, & Pierre Henry Roelants in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th April 1881.
JOSEPH LEPINE, SON, and PIERRE HENRY ROELANTS," all of Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, doing business under the Firm "Joseph Lepine, Fils, & Co.,"
Manufacturers. "APPARATUS TO BE USED IN DYEING ALL KINDS OF DESIGNS
AND ORNAMENTS IN ALL COLORS, UPON ALL KINDS OF SKINS AND LEATHER, TO
BE USED FOR GLOVES, FANCY SHOES, AND MORROCO LEATHER IN GENERAL, AND
OTHER MATERIALS."
Our Invention has for its object to afford improved means of stretching and
firmly holding leather and other goods while coloring or ornamenting the same, and
in the means of so doing. We construct a strong wooden stand with a semi-
cylindrical top, the surface of such semi-cylinder being larger than the skins or
other material to be dyed. This semi-cylinder (hereinafter for the sake of brevity
called the "saddle") is covered with woollen cloth and a thin plate of metal, and
upon this a thin sheet of material commonly known as sticking plaster or other
analogous substance. The adhesiveness of the latter assists in preventing the
material from shifting while under operation.
When the skin or other material to be dyed (hereinafter called the "stuff") is
laid out upon the saddle, it is held thereupon partly by the adhesiveness before
referred to, but principally by a series of wires which are arranged so as to forcibly
hold down upon the stuff suitably formed stencil plates, which are cut to the desired
pattern, and which stencil plates are preferably made of metal. In some cases the
holding wires are hooked to the sides of the stencil plates; in other cases the wires
are carried right over the stencil plates. An axle is fitted on each side of the
frame, and below the greatest diameter of the saddle, round which axles the copper
wires are partially wound, and to which their ends are hooked. At one end of the
frame these axles are fitted with pulleys or riggers, to afford means of making the
wires taut with considerable leverage. A chain is attached to and carried partially
round each of these pulleys, the free ends of which chains are attached to a central
lever common to both, this lever having a ratchet wheel and pawl in order to hold
the wires in tension. Weights are also sometimes attached to the central lever to
further the same object.
The following is the manner of using our said Invention:-The stuff is stretched
on the saddle; the metallic stencil plates with suitable attachments to the holding
down wires are then placed in position upon the stuff; the wires are then pulled
taut as before explained. The stuff is then dyed with the requisite colors, and
with any of the usual coloring matter by means of brushes. The ground work of
the skin is generally dyed before the design, but when a dark ground work is
required with light figures the latter are dyed first, and they are afterwards
protected from further coloring by suitable plates carefully placed over them while
the rest is being dyed. This operation being completed the lever is released,
whereby the tension is removed from the wires, which are then unhooked and the
stencil plates removed. The stuff can then be taken away from the saddle to be
worked up into goods or otherwise dealt with. In some cases the tension wires
are not required to be used.
And in order that our said Invention may be more fully understood, reference is
made to the Drawings hereunto annexed. Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, an
end view; Fig. 3, a plan or top view; and Fig. 4 represents a skin after the
operation of dyeing and ornamenting has been performed, and the skin removed
from the saddle.
Similar letters in the several Figures refer to similar parts.
is the wooden stand or frome sunnarting and attached to the saddle ben

page_text: are the wires stretched over the stencil plates as shewn. The ends of these wires
are attached to hooks upon the shafts d, d, the ends of the two shafts d, d, are
fitted with iron pulley wheels e, e. In the centre of the frame another shaft or
axle fis fitted, having at one end thereof the ratchet wheel g and pawl h; this
axle is also fitted with the lever or handle i. At the fixed points j, j, upon the
lever i two chains are attached which pass partially round the wheels e, e, one of
the ends of each chain being attached to a hook or other provision in the periphery
of the pulley wheels e, e. From this description it will be obvious that the leverage
which can be brought to bear upon the wires c, c, by means of the lever, chains,
wheels, and axles, is in proportion to the respective diameters, and such leverage
can be made equal to any reasonable requirements.
k
A weight may be attached to the lever as shewn, to assist the leverage.
The skin to be dyed is first stretched on the saddle. The metallic or other
stencil plates, with the designs to be produced cut therein, are then laid upon the
skin or skins. The wires c, c, are then adapted to the hooks upon the horizontal
shafts, and placed over the stencil plates; the wires are then drawn taut by means
of the lever i, and any required amount of tension may be imparted to such wires,
the pawl h retaining the necessary tensile strain.
The skin is then dyed with the requisite colours (the ordinary ingredients being
used) by means of a brush or brushes. The groundwork of the skin is usually
dyed before the design, but when the groundwork of the pattern is required to be
of a dark colour with light coloured designs or figures, then the latter are dyed
first, and the figuring or pattern is protected by a metallic plate or stencil pattern
carefully placed over it to prevent any confusion of colors, and the skin is then
dyed.
The operation of dying being completed, the lever is released from the pawl, the
tension is taken off the wires, the wires are unhooked or released, and the skin is
then removed. The skin is then finished by being smoothed or by being made into
morocco leather, or by any other of the usual processes.
Fig. 4 represents a skin after it has been dyed by the above process, but the
colours are omitted, as these may be varied.
Our said Invention may be used for producing all kinds of designs, arms,
emblems, ornaments, imitation of lace, and other articles, in all colours and shades,
and on all kinds of leather to be used in the manufacture of gloves, fancy boots,
and morocco leather in general to be used for fancy articles, furniture, decorative
dyeing, and other industrial purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be
understood that what we claim and desire to be secured to us by the herein before
in part recited Letters Patent is,—
The combination, construction, and arrangement of apparatus and the several
parts thereof, substantially as and for the purposes herein before particularly
described and shewn in the Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Lepine, on behalf of myself and Son,
and I, the said Pierre Henry Roelants, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one.
P. H. ROELANTS.
(Ls.)
J. LEPINE & FILS. (L.S.)