IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRESSED LEATHER, AND IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LEATHER INTO VARIOUS FORMS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick John Bugg, of Ipswich, in the County
of Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF PRESSED LEATHER, AND IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LEATHER INTO
VARIOUS FORMS."
Sealed the 24th January 1871, and dated the 12th October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick John Bugg
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th October 1870.
I, FREDERICK JOHN BUGG, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF PRESSED LEATHER, AND IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LEATHER.
INTO VARIOUS FORMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to use up any description of waste
leather pieces which are of very small value, such as the cuttings that
are made in punching or cutting out the soles, insoles, or any other
parts of leather for boots and shoes; also saddlers' waste or any
description of waste leather pieces that are made.

page_text: According to my Invention I cut up the pieces with knives or cutters
into squares, triangles, diamonds, or other suitable shape, the edges of
each piece of leather being cut to a bevil. The pieces so cut into suitable
shapes with bevilled edges are put into separate compartments so that
the several sizes or shapes are kept separate. I then take a sheet or
plate of metal, say of zinc or iron slightly oiled and cover it with any
sort of leather or leather pieces, first putting them into some adhesive
material such as flour, paste, or solution of gelatine, or waterproof
solution, or other suitable adhesive substance. I then take the small
pieces which have been punched or cut out, first putting them into one
of the adhesive materials already named, and lay them bevil on bevil until
the sheet is formed. I then lay a covering of leather or leather pieces
over the top of the sheet, and over these another sheet of zinc or iron is
placed. The whole is then put into a press and subjected to hydraulic
pressure.
In order to cut leather into various forms, in place of cutting leather
as heretofore usual by forcing down a hollow knife or punch on to a soft
metal bed on which the leather to be cut is laid, I employ in conjunction
with each punch a corresponding plunger. The knives or punches may
be fixed edge upwards on a suitable bed and the plunger be caused to
move up and down by a suitable press, or the knife may be carried by
the moving part of the press and the plunger be fixed. The interior of
the knives or punches may be flush or in the same plane with the
cutting edge, and if the pieces are to be cut with a bevil edge the
plungers may be smaller than the interior of the knives or punches, or
the head of the plungers may be chamfered off to produce the bevil
required; the leather will thus be bent over the head of the plunger
at the time of being cut. If the pieces are to be cut with square edges
the head of the plunger is made to fit within the knives or plungers.
For cutting pieces with bevil edges the knives or punches may also be
bevilled on the inside. When the pieces to be cut out are small a
number of plungers acting with a corresponding number of punches or
knives may be worked simultaneously in one press.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent,
filed by the said Frederick John Bugg in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
JOHN BUGG, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Frederick John Bugg, Her special license
that I, the said Frederick John Bugg, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick John Bugg, 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 PRESSED LEATHER AND IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LEATHER
INTO VARIOUS FORMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Frederick John Bugg, 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 Frederick John Bugg, 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 has for its object to use up any description of waste
leather pieces which are of very small value, such as the cuttings which
are made in punching or cutting out the soles, insoles, or other parts
of boots or shoes or saddlers' waste, or any other waste leather pieces.
According to my Invention I cut the pieces into squares, triangles,
diamonds, or other suitable shapes which will fit closely the one to the
other (by preference these regular forms are cut with bevilled edges,
so that when they are placed together the one may overlap the other),

page_text: and when suitably cemented I arrange them to form a sheet, and submit
them to heavy pressure to obtain perfect adhesion. Usually I cover the
squares, triangles, diamonds, or other shapes with thin leather or leather
pieces. In order to cut the squares, triangles, or other shapes, I employ
dies with plungers adapted to them and worked by suitable apparatus,
and that the edges of the pieces may be bevilled, I cause the leather to
be submitted to the die obliquely, and when it is bulged or bent over
the head of the plunger which presses it on to the die.
· In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe more in detail the
manner in which I prefer to conduct the manufacture.
The annexed Drawing shows the apparatus which I employ to cut
the leather pieces of triangular, square, or other regular form.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section; and Figure 2 a transverse section
thereof.
a, a, are the end frames or legs supporting a table 6, which is seen in
plan at Figure 3, the frames a also carry the bearings of an axis c.
This axis is driven by a driving belt passing around a pulley at its end,
and it has upon it a fly wheel d; e, e, are eccentrics on the axis c from
which by the eccentric rods f motion is given to the vertical slides f¹.
The slides f¹ are connected by a beam 9 which carries the plungers h,
as is shewn. The beam g is seen in plan at Figure 3. The dies are
fixed upon the table b, which is perforated to let the pieces of leather
cut out by the dies fall through.
Figure 4 shews, full size, a plunger and die for cutting pieces with
bevilled edges, and the position of the leather as it is presented to be
cut is also indicated; Figure 5 shows a die and plunger to cut pieces
with straight edges, but I prefer the bevilled edges. I use dies and
punches of different sizes and shapes, and the pieces so cut into suitable
shapes are put into separate compartments so that the several sizes and
shapes are kept separate; I then take a sheet or plate of metal, say of
zinc or iron slightly oiled, and cover it with any sort of leather or leather
pieces, first putting, them into some adhesive material, such as flour paste
or solution of gelatine or waterproof solution, as when making pressed
leather from curriers' shavings, a manufacture which is well known and
understood. I then take the pieces which have been punched or cut
out, first putting them into the adhesive material and lay them bevel on
bevel until the sheet is formed, I then lay a covering of leather or leather

page_text: pieces, which have been dipped in the cement, over the top of the sheet,
and then another sheet of zinc or iron. The sheet is then put under
hydraulic or other suitable and heavy pressure, the heavier the better,
and is so consolidated and the adhesion is thus rendered complete. The
sheets of pressed leather when removed from the press are allowed to
dry in the air and are then ready for the market. Although I prefer
to cut the pieces with bevilled edges they may be cut with square edges,
and the sheet is then formed by laying the pieces edge to edge. The
sheet may also be made with the triangular or other shaped pieces
without the leather covering. In some cases I make very stout sheets
and afterwards cut or split them into several thinner ones by means of
leather splitting machinery.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim as my improvements in the manufacture of pressed leather, and
in apparatus for cutting leather into various forms, is,-
First. The use of pieces of leather cut to a square, triangular, diamond,
or regular form, fitting them closely together to form a sheet, cementing
them and causing them to adhere by heavy pressure, substantially as
described.
Second. The use of pieces of leather cut to a regular form and with
bevilled edges, and arranging such edges to overlap and uniting them.
by the aid of cement and heavy pressure, substantially as described.
Third. The arrangement of apparatus for cutting pieces of leather to
regular forms and with bevilled edges substantially as described, the
cutting being effected whilst the leather is bulged over the face of a
suitably formed plunger, and so presented obliquely to the knife.
Fourth. The general arrangement of apparatus for cutting leather
into various forms, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick John Bugg, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
T
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