IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING THE 'HARD GRAIN' ON LEATHER
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Andrew Richards, of 10, Tyers Gateway,
Bermondsey Street, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING THE 'HARD GRAIN' ON LEATHER."
Sealed the 18th January 1856, and dated the 25th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Andrew Richards at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
25th October 1855.
I, JOHN ANDREW RICHARDS, of 10, Tyers Gateway, Bermondsey Street;
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING THE HARD. GRAIN' ON LEATHER" to be
as follows:-
This Invention consists in producing the "hard grain" on leather, by
passing it, when in a state to receive the "hard grain," under a roller, made in
the following manner:-A skin of leather which has been hard-grained in the.
ordinary manner is electrotyped, as is well understood, and the plate thus,
obtained is bent round and mounted on an axis, or, if it is preferred, the roller
for graining the leather may be cast from the electrotype plate.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Andrew Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ANDREW RICHARDS, of 10, Tyers Gateway, Bermondsey Street, in the County
of Surrey, send-greeting.-
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Andrew Richards, Her special licence that I, the said John
Andrew Richards, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Andrew Richards, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING THE HARD GRAIN ON LEATHER," upon
the condition (amongst others) that. I; the said John.. Andrew. Richards, 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 Seal Patent Office
within six calendar, months next, and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Andrew Richards, 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 tlie
following statement thereof, that is to say
4
This Invention consists in producing the hard grain on leather, by passing
it, when in a state to receive' the hard grain, 'under a roller, made in the
following, nianner: A skin of leather which has been hard-grained in the
ordinary manner is electrotyped, as is well understood, and the plate thus
obtained is bént round and mounted on an axis, or, if it is preferred, the roller
for: graining-tlie' leather may be cast from the electrotype plate.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention; I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.

page_text: I take a skin which has been hard-grained in the ordinary manner, I cause
the surface thereof to be coated by a deposition of copper, for which purpose
the leather is held in an even and extended state; the hardened surface thereof
is then made conductive of clectricity by plumbago, and a deposited plate, by pre-
ference of copper, is then obtained by the electrotype process, as is well under-
stood. Such sheet of deposited metal is then bent into the form of a cylinder,
and the same is placed and fixed on a suitable core, to form one of a pair of
rollers. I would state, that in place of obtaining the deposited metal coating on
the leather, a cast may be taken in plaster of paris or other suitable material
from the leather, and then a reverse by a second cast of such material, which
latter cast, being rendered conductive of electricity, may be used to obtain the
desired result. The roller thus produced is used with a second or plain roller,
and the leather is hard-grained by passing the leather between the pair of
pressing rollers, which are mounted in suitable bearings in like manner to
those in which embossing rollers are mounted. I would remark that the
rollers produced as above described may, if desired, be used as patterns for
casting other rollers.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described; but what I claim is, the producing the hard grain
on leather by passing it under a roller, the surface of which is produced by
copying a skin (which has been hard-grained) by the electrotype process.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Andrew Richards, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
JOHN ANDREW RICHARDS. (L.S.)