IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPLYING COLOR TO THE EDGES OF LEATHER GLOVES
Year: 1855

page_text: Sealed the 27th March 1855, and dated the 19th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Irwin Clarke at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th January 1855.
I, JOHN IRWIN CLARKE, of Windsor Court, Monkwell Street, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPLYING COLOR TO THE EDGES OF LEATHER GLOVES" to be as follows:-
.Heretofore in the manufacture of leather gloves it has been usual to color
the edges after they have been sewn together, by which means the coloring of
such edges is defective, and the materials used for sewing are injured by the
application of the wet coloring matter or dye. Now, the improvements consist
of causing the edges of leather gloves to be colored before they are sewn, and
to sew them after the coloring has been effected, by which the coloring can be

page_text: more effectually and advantageously performed; and in applying the coloring
matter to the edges of the leather, the edges of several pieces are laid together
and pressed by instruments on either side in such manner that only a small
quantity of each protrudes; the coloring matter is then to be applied by a spong
or brush to these edges.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Irwin Clarke in the Great, Seal Patent Office on the
18th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
IRWIN CLARKE, of Windsor Court, Monkwell Street, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in-the-eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Irwin Clarke, Her special licence that I, the said John Irwin
Clarke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Irwin Clarke, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPLYING COLOR TO THE EDGES OF LEATHER GLOVES," a commu-
nication from Francis Moat, of Grenoble, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Irwin Clarke, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Irwin Clarke, 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) :-
Heretofore in the manufacture of leather gloves it has been usual to color
the edges after they have been sewn together, by which means the coloring of

page_text: such edges is defective, and the materials used for sewing are injured by the
application of the wet coloring matter or dye. Now, the improvements consist
of causing the edges of leather gloves to be colored before they are sewn, and
to sew them after the coloring has been effected, by which the coloring can be
more effectually and advantageously performed; and in applying the coloring
matter to the edges of the leather, the edges of several pieces are laid together
and pressed by instruments on either side in such manner that only a small
quantity of each protrudes; the coloring matter is then to be applied by a
sponge or brush to these edges.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same.
In preparing to dye the edges of the cut out parts of leather gloves before
sewing them, they are held between two pressing surfaces, so that the edges of
the pieces of leather may protrude slightly beyond the edges of the, pressing
surfaces. The pressing surfaces have each an outline corresponding with the
outline of the cut out pieces of leather which are to have their edges dyed, and
therefore the pressing surfaces used for these purposes will vary, according to
the cut of the glove and the different sizes thereof. It is preferred that the
pressing surfaces between which the parts of gloves are held during the time
of applying dye to the edges of the leather should be arranged in the forms of
spring forceps, but the manner of holding the requisite pressing surfaces
together may be varied.
The Drawing shows a plan of a pair of forceps such as are used for carrying
out the Invention. On the two limbs a, a, are fixed or formed the two pressing
surfaces b, b, which consist of two, flat plates, and, according to the outline of
the pieces of leather, so are the edges of the pressing plates or surfaces b, b,
formed; hence, when several parts of leather gloves (cut to a similar outline)
are pressed between the surfaces b, b, with a slight portion of the edges pro-
truding, those edges may be treated or acted on whilst the surfaces of the
leather are pressed together between the plates b. It will be understood that
in order to carry out this Invention a glove maker will require to be possessed
of pressing surfaces b, b, suitable for the various forms and sizes of the parts of
gloves, and in dyeing the edges of pieces of leather he will shut several simi-
larly formed pieces between a pair of pressing surfaces, and then, by means of
a bit of sponge or other convenient material, or by a brush, he will apply the
dye to the protruding edges of the pieces of leather.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the

page_text: mode herein described of applying dye or colour to the edges of pieces of gloves
before they are sewn or made up into gloves.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Irwin Clarke, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN IRWIN CLARKE. (L.S.)
EDWARD HIBBERT, of No. 3, Windsor Court,
Monkwell Street, on the Seventeenth day
of July, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.