IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO TANNING, DYEING, AND OBTAINING EXTRACTS FROM VEGETABLE, ANIMAL, AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Eason, of Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE
TO TANNING, DYEING, AND OBTAINING EXTRACTS FROM VEGETABLE, ANIMAL, AND
MINERAL SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 19th April 1859, and dated the 16th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Eason at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with. his Petition, on the
16th February 1859.
I, JOHN. EASON, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
APPLICABLE TO TANNING, DYEING, AND OBTAINING EXTRACTS FROM VEGETABLE;
ANIMAL, AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention has for its object the tanning of skins, hides...
leather, and the like, by exhaustion and repletion, caused by. hydraulic and
hydrostatic pressure, as follows:-The vessels or tanks I propose using are to
be made of iron, wood, or other suitable material, either. square, oval, or
cylindrical, the former in most cases being preferable, and of sufficient strength
to bear a pressure of from 100 lbs. to 1000 lbs. to the square inch, and lined
with suitable material; the tanks are to have air-tight covers fitted and
securely fixed thereto. The interior of the tanks are fitted with frames
or sashes, which run in grooves on each side of the tank; these frames are to:

page_text: have the skins or hides stretched and laced over them, or merely hung over
as required, and when in their places, and the lid or cover secured, the
tanning liquor is to be forced in by hydraulic power up to the required
pressure.
For coloring the hides by atmospheric influence, the frames are to be
lifted out, either together or separately, by attaching chains to the corners,
and raising them by a crain or other available means.
For the purpose of obtaining extracts from various substances, I place a
perforated metallic plate about one-third distance from the bottom of the tank,
on which is laid a layer of sponge or other suitable filtering material, above
which is another perforated plate, and upon this plate rests the substance
to be operated on, being first reduced or ground fine; hot or cold liquor is
then forced into the upper part by hydraulic pressure, while at the same
time an air pump exhausts the air in the lower chamber, into which pass
the extracts, the same being returned into the tank from a cistern above the
tank when found not to have acquired a sufficient strength.
For the purpose of dyeing, the articles are to be carefully folded or stretched
upon frames standing edgewise in the tanks, and the dye liquor allowed to
cscape through a tap at bottom as it is forced through the filter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John' Eason in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th August 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
EASON, of Oxford Street, in the County. of,Middlesex, send greeting.
⚫ WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of. February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year.
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Hér heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Eason, Her special licence that I; the said John
Eason, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,. the
said John Eason, my executors; administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO TANNING, DYEING, AND OBTAINING EXTRACTS,

page_text: .
FROM VEGETABLE, ANIMAL, AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Eason, 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 Eason, 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 :-
My Invention consists of suitable machinery for the tanning of skins,
hides, &c., by exhaustion and repletion, caused by hydraulic and hydrostatic
pressure. The vessels or tanks I use for this purpose being composed of iron,
wood, or other suitable material, either square or cylindrical, the former in
ordinary cases being preferable, if of sufficient strength to bear a pressure of
from 100 lbs. to 1000 lbs. to the square inch, and are lined with marine glue,
gutta percha, lead, copper, or wood, as may be required, as the liquor used
for tauning in coming into contact with the iron would tend to destroy
its tanning properties.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same
into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively, as follows:—
The interior of the tank is fitted up with a frame of grooved wood a, a,
Figure 4, one on the opposite side to the other, running from top to bottom or
thereabouts of the tank, into which frames or sashes b, Figures 4 and 6, are
made to move freely up and down; whereon are laced or stretched the hides
or skins to be tanned, the edges of the sliding frames having holes or
perforations therein for that purpose, as shewn at Figure 6; the frames with
the hides attached thereto being inserted in the tank. Figure 1, the cover, is
placed on and secured thereto air-tight, the tank is then filled with water,
and the air is exhausted; the object of this being to extract the lime which
is left in solution, or the lime may be extracted in the following manner :-
First exhaust the vessel, then let in the water; by this means the lime
(being an extraneous matter) will be brought to the surface of the skins, and
the water being suddenly let in will wash them thoroughly, thus dispensing
with the ordinary disagreeable method of "graining," "bateing," · and.

page_text: "pureing," by the means of pigeons' and dogs' dung. I also prevent the
destruction of the first liquor applied to the hides, as the lime is entirely
extracted by exhaustion first and washing after. When the lime is thus
extracted, I commence the tanning operation with weak liquor, increasing its
strength daily, and forcing it into the tank up to the required pressure until
the hides or skins are thoroughly tanned; before again applying fresh liquor,
I slightly exhaust the hides or skins, so as to extract the spent liquor
'therefrom. By this arrangement I also dispense with the ordinary method of
coloring and handling the hides throughout the whole process of tanning, as
all sediment will settle at the bottom of the tank and not upon the hides to
discolor them; by this means one even color is obtained in a few hours. The
tanks at present in use may be fitted with my internal fittings, which will much
facilitate the process of tanning, especially if bydrostatic pressure is applied.
For the purpose of extraction and dyeing, I employ a vessel described at
Figure 2, where will be seen a tank A is formed, either cylindrical or square,
as required, the same being made air-tight with a cover affixed, said cover
having an opening or man-hole B, wherein to place the drugs or dyes
or other material, either vegetable, mineral, or animal, from which the color
or virtue is to be extracted; being first dried well and ground fine, the
material is placed into the tank upon the perforated plate of zinc C, beneath
which is a layer of sponge or other suitable filtering material D, having
a second perforated plate C¹ of galvanized iron immediately beneath it;
between this second plate and the bottom of the tank is an air-tight chamber
E, for the dye to fall into when acted upon as follows:-The ground dye, after
passing in at the opening or man-hole B, is pressed downwards by a rammer
or other such instrument, or moistened before insertion; either cold or
boiling water is then applied, as may be required, from the supply pipes
F and F', and the whole allowed to soak until it has become well saturated.
An air pump is then applied to the opening or pipe G at the bottom of the
tank, which exhausts the air in the chamber E, at the same time drawing the
liquid from the dye materials through the plates C, C', and filter D; should
the extract not be sufficiently deep in color or strength, the liquor is to be
returned to the liquor tank, and continued to be drawn through the filter from
the tank above through the pipe H until it has attained the requisite degree
of color or strength, when the residue can be removed through a manhole I,
Figure 2.
For the purpose of dyeing I place the materials in either of the tanks,
Figure 2 or 3, carefully folded or stretched upon wooden frames stand-
ing edgewise in the tank, so that the pressure can be equally applied to

page_text: the material to be dyed. To use the same tank as an hydrostatic pressure
filture, turn on the tap connected with a water tank placed at sufficient height
to give the pressure required. First prepare the same as if using the
exhausting principle, being sure to leave open the tap for the liquor to escape
as it is filtered through the material. The tanks may lined, if required, with
marine glue, gutta percha, lead, copper, or wood, suiting the lining to
the material to be dyed.
Having now fully described the nature and object of my said Invention of
"Improvements in Apparatus applicable to Tanning, Dyeing, and Obtain
Extracts from Vegetable, Animal, and Mineral Substances," together with the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark, in conclusion,
that I do not claim hydraulic or hydrostatic pressure as applied to tanning
(except in combination with my herein described arrangements), as I am
aware the same has before been used for that purpose; but what I claim as
my Invention is,—
Firstly, the internal arrangement of tanks in the process of tanning hides
and skins; also the method of extracting the lime therefrom, and the self-
coloring of the same in the tanks in the process of tanning; also the means of
dispensing with the handling of the hides and skins throughout the whole
process of tanning, as respectively herein particularly described.
And, secondly, the machinery for the extraction of dyes and other products
from animal, vegetable, or mineral substances, as exhibited in the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and for the purposes herein fully described and
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Eason, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE, Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross.
JOHN EASON. (L.S.) ·