IMPROVE- MENTS IN DRESSING LEATHER
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TANNER, of Exeter, Leather Dresser, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of July,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Tanner, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Tanner,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Tanner,
my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DRESSING LEATHER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said William Tanner, should cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Tanner, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of combining the use of blubber with cod liver oil
(in place of using that oil alone), and thereby materially to decrease the cost
of the process of dressing leather when cod liver oil is used.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
In order to combine the fish blubber with cod liver oil preparatory to these
matters being used in dressing leather, I place the blubber in a vessel, and
heat it by the vessel being in a water bath, or by other convenient means,
so as to render the blubber fluid, and I stir in the cod liver oil so as to
intimately blend them; and I have found that this mixing may be conveniently
carried on when the blubber has been heated to about 130° to 140° of
Fahrenheit. I would state that I do not find it necessary to apply heat
when mixing the materials, nor do I find it necessary to heat the cod liver
oil before mixing it with the blubber. I keep the mixture for use in a warm
stove or room heated to about 70° to 80° of Fahrenheit; and when about to
ladle out any quantity for use I first stir the mixture, in order to ensure the
successive quantities being as nearly equal, in regard to the quantity of blubber
and oil therein, as may be. I have found that for most cases equal quantities
or measures of blubber and cod liver oil may be combined, but for thick skins
a less quantity of blubber is desirable, as it is found less easy to cause the thick
leather to absorb the mixture when so large a proportion of blubber is com-
bined with the oil. In thin skins, however, more blubber than a half may
conveniently be employed. And I have found that it is desirable to use
the mixture when operating therewith at a temperature of 70° to 80° of
Fahrenheit. In other respects the employment of the mixture of fish
blubber and cod liver oil is the same as that when using cod liver oil only.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
combining blubber with the cod liver oil, and using them together in dressing
leather.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tanner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three
WILLIAM (L.s.) TANNER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid William Tanner came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand