IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UNHAIRING, FLESHING, AND SCUDDING HIDES SKINS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Priestman and Thomas Priestman, trading
under the name of John Priestman and Son, of Preston Brook, in
the County of Ohester, Tanners, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR UNHAIRING, FLESHING, AND SCUDDING HIDES
SKINS."
AND
Scaled the 31st May 1872, and dated the 7th December 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Priestman and
Thomas Priestman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 7th December 1871.
We, JOHN PRIESTMAN and THOMAS PRIESTMAN, trading under the
name of John Priestman and Son, of Preston Brook, in the County of
Chester, Tanners, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR UNHAIRING, FLESHING, AND SCUDDING
HIDES AND SKINS," to be as follows :-

page_text: move by any known means in contrary directions to preserve a flatness
of the hide or skin, which is laid upon a cylinder or drum pressing
against the blades by springs, weights, or other known appliances, so
that on a rotation being given to the cylinder each portion of the hide
or skin is brought under the action of the blades with the same degree
of pressure for the perfect unharing, fleshing, or scudding thereof.
The rollers or pulleys are mounted in frames in sets, which are driven
by mechanism in contrary directions to enable the belts, bands, or chains
upon or to which the blades are fitted to pass preferably from the centre
of the frame to the outer ends, the blades exerting a scraping pressure
upon the hide or skin, which may be upon a cylinder or drum brought
into proximity with the knives by springs, levers, counterweights, or
other known appliances, and to which a rotatory motion is given in a
continuous, or intermittent, or in a reciprocating manner by ordinary
means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Priestman and Thomas Priestman in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th June 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
PRIESTMAN and THOMAS PRIESTMAN, trading under the name of John
Priestman and Son, of Preston Brook, in the County of Chester, Tanners,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Priestman and Thomas Priestman, Her
special licence that we, the said John Priestman and Thomas Priestman,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said John Priestman and Thomas Priestman, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR UNHAIRING, FLESHING, AND SCUDDING HIDES AND SKINS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Priestman and
Thomas Priestman, or one of us, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, 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 we, the said John Priestman and Thomas
Priestman, do hereby declare the nature of our 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,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
say-
These improvements relate to an arrangement of pullies and endless
straps armed with knives or other blades, the straps being caused to
move in contrary directions to preserve a flatness of the hide or skin,
which is laid upon a cylinder or drum pressing against the blades by
springs, weights, or other appliances, so that on a rotation being given
to the cylinder each portion of the hide or skin is brought under the
action of the blades with the same degree of pressure for the perfect
unhairing, fleshing, or scudding thereof.
The rollers or pullies are mounted in frames in sets which are driven,
geared, or otherwise by mechanism in contrary directions to enable the
belts, bands, or chains upon or to which the blades are fitted to pass
preferably from the centre of the frame to the outer ends, the blades
exerting a scraping pressure upon the hide or skin, which may be upon
a cylinder or drum brought into proximity with the knives by springs,
levers, counterweights, or other appliances, and to which a rotary
motion is given in a continuous, or intermittent, or in a reciprocating
manner.
The Invention will be well understood by reference to the accompany.
ing Drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a front view of a frame a, in
which two sets of rollers b, b, are arranged to carry and guide straps c, c,
armed on the outer faces with knife or other blades d, d, each sct

page_text: working in contrary directions from the centre in order that the perfect
unhairing, fleshing, or scudding operation can be accomplished upon the
hide or skin, which is spread out upon the cylinder c. The cylinder is so
arranged in the frame that it is free to rise and fall through the balance
weight f, and the link j in combination with the levers k, k, and the
rods m, m, one of which is joined at each side to the bearings of the
cylinder. The levers k, k, rock upon pins 2, 1, in the standards n, n, the
degree of pressure or action of the blades being regulated by the balance
weight which is moveable as desired. A foot lever may be attached to
any part of the lever appliances which can be operated when a skin as
to be put upon the cylinder.
The supports of the outer roller of each set is adjustable by the screws
o, o, so that the bands or straps can be tightened up when desired, the
supports being held rigid during the working by the nuts p, p, on the
bolts which pass through the supports and the frame, the holes in which
are slotted for the purpose. The mode of driving is by straps or bands,
and supposing the wheel q upon the shaft of the outer roller on the left
of the Figure to be the first motion wheel it will readily be understood
how the motion is given to the worm r, which rises and falls with the
cylinder as also the worm wheel t, which is upon one end of its shaft,
the speed of the cylinder being governed thereby. The arrangement of
the two sets of straps with the knife or other blades upon them is clearly
shewn in Figure 2, cach roller having an independent action upon the
axle & which is placed at or about the central part of the frame.
The sets of rollers are shewn each of the same diameter, but that is
not essential as they can be (in sets) of different diameters, or each set
may be driven at different speeds, so that the hide or skin if it has to be
passed through the machine more than once can first be operated upon
by one set of blades for one-half of its length at a quicker speed than
the other half, which is under the slow driven set, when by replacing it
in the machine reversed the halves become equally operated upon.
There is no limit to the arrangements of appliances that could be
devised for obtaining the action of a series of blades working in contrary
directions as before described in combination with a cylinder which has
an up-and-down as well as a rotatory motion, therefore no claim is made
to what is described and shewn in so far as regards the mechanism, the
main feature in the Invention being that of unhairing, fleshing, or
scudding hides and skins by a series of knife or other blades attached to

page_text: straps or their equivalents caused to move in the contrary direction, sub-
stantially as shewn, and when they are used in combination with a
moving cylinder or its equivalent.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Priestman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.