IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING HIDES AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED. THEREIN.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hamlyn, of Shalford, in the County of
Surrey, Tanner, and Henry Laurence Farrer, of Gosden Tannery,
near Guildford, in the County of Surrey, Tanner, for the Invention
of “IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING HIDES AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED.
THEREIN.
"
Sealed the 29th January 1875, and dated the 22nd August 1874.
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hamlyn and
'
Henry Laurence Farrer at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd August 1874.
We, RICHARD HAMLYN, of Shalford, in the County of Surrey, Tanner,
and HENRY LAURENCE FARRER, of Gosden Tannery, near Guildford, in
the County of Surrey, Tanner, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TANNING HIDES AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its obiect improvements in tanning hides and

page_text: oblong tank or pit with ledges at the sides to support frames in which
the hides are hung. The frames extend across the pit and the hides
hang down parallel the one to the other and to the sides of the pit.
The tanning liquor is admitted into the pit at one end; it enters
continuously by a perforated pipe, and the partially spent liquor over-
flows from the pit by a lip at the other end, so that a regular although
very slow flow of the liquor through the pit is maintained.
The hides are first introduced at the overflow end of the pit, and they
are moved on from time to time towards the inlet end. Thus, supposing
the pit to be full every day, or at longer intervals, a frame is removed
from the inlet end and the butts or tanned or partially tanned hides are
removed from this frame for further treatment. All the frames
remaining in the pit are then moved forward a stage towards the inlet
end. A space is thus left at the overflow end of the pit, and it receives
a frame containing green hides or butts in a less advanced stage; these
it will be seen meet the tanning liquor after it has become partially
spent by the absorption of tannin from it by the hides or butts nearer to
the inlet end, but as the frame is moved on at each advance the hides
or butts meet stronger liquor, until when the frame arrives at the end of
the pit liquor of the full strength at which it is admitted comes in
contact with the hides or butts. The frames are shifted along the pit
by connecting the frame by links to a hand lever suspended from an
overhead pulley running upon an horizontal bar or guide rail fixed over
the pit and extending from end to end.
The same apparatus serves to agitate the hides or butts from time to
time in the tan liquor by moving the frames up and down. Thus the
tanning is effected by causing the liquor to continuously flow slowly past
the hides or butts, which are held suspended in regular order, so that the
liquor comes first upon the more advanced hides or butts, and as it
becomes more and more spent it meets with hides or butts in earlier and
earlier stages of the tanning process.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Hamlyn and Henry Laurence Farrer in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
HAMLYN, of Shalford, in the County of Surrey, Tanner, and HENRY
LAURENCE FARRER, of Gosden Tannery, near Guildford, in the County
of Surrey, Tanner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
givo and grant unto us, the said Richard Hamlyn and Henry Laurence
Farrer, Her special license that we, the said Richard Hamlyn and Henry
Laurence Farrer, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Richard Hamlyn and Henry Laurence Farrer, our
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-
IN TANNING HIDES AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Richard Hamlyn
and Henry Laurence Farrer, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them 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.
PROVEMENTS
"
:
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Richard Hamlyn and Henry
Laurence Farrer, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in tanning hides and
in apparatus employed therein. For this purpose we employ a long

page_text: oblong tank or pit with ledges at the sides to support frames in which
the hides are hung. The frames extend across the pit and the hides
hang down parallel the one to the other and to the sides of the pit.
The tanning liquor is admitted into the pit at one end; it enters
continuously by a perforated pipe and the partially spent liquor over-
flows from the pit by a lip at the other end, so that a regular although
very slow flow of the liquor through the pit is maintained.
The hides are first introduced at the overflow end of the pit, and they
are moved on from time to time towards the inlet end. Thus, supposing
the pit to be full every day, or at longer intervals, a frame is removed
from the inlet end and the butts or tanned or partially tanned hides are
removed from this frame for further treatment. All the frames
remaining in the pit are then moved forward a stage towards the inlet
end. A space is thus left at the overflow end of the pit and it receives
a frame containing green hides or butts in a less advanced stage; these
it will be seen meet the tanning liquor after it has become partially
spent by the absorption of tannin from it by the hides or butts nearer to
the inlet end, but as the frame is moved on at each advance the hides
or butts meet stronger liquor, until when the frame arrives at the end of
the pit liquor of the full strength at which it is admitted comes in
contact with the hides or butts. The frames are shifted along the pit
by connecting the frame by links to a hand lever suspended from an
overhead pulley running upon an horizontal bar or guide rail fixed over
the pit and extending from end to end.
The same apparatus serves to agitate the hides or butts from time to
time in the tan liquor by moving the frames up and down. Thus the
tanning is effected by causing the liquor to continuously flow slowly.
past the hides or butts, which are held suspended in regular order, so
that the liquor comes first upon the more advanced hides or butts, and
as it becomes more and more spent it meets with hides or butts in earlier
and earlier stages of the tanning process.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed to describe the Drawings here-

page_text: a, a, is the oblong tank or pit; it has ledges a¹, a', along its sides;
b, b, arc frames extending across the pit and resting on these ledges.. Each
of these frames carries about 125.hides. The upper corners of the hides
are tied to the side bars of the frame, so that the hides hang at¨short
distances apart, parallel to each other and to the sides of the tank.
The frames are each provided at their four corners with suspending
rods 6', 6', passing to an eye 6º. This eye is adapted to receive the
hook dat the end of a hand lever d, which is suspended from a
pulley capable of running along the overhead rail e. The pit is
kept constantly full whilst at work and a small quantity of tanning
liquor is kept constantly running in at one end from the cistern f. The
liquor enters through the perforated rose pipe f¹, and the quantity is
regulated by the cock f³. At the other end of the pit an overflow takes
place into the receiving tank or cistern g, in the bottom of which is a
plug g', by drawing which the liquor can be run off into the trunk,
which leads it away either to be strengthened for reuse or to be other-
wise employed, as may be most convenient. There is a similar plug a³,
by drawing which the tank a can be emptied when the quantity of
deposit accumulated in it renders this necessary.
•
As before indicated the process of working is as follows:-Each day
or at other intervals, one of the frames 6, namely, that next the rose
pipe f¹, is taken away with the butts upon it, and the butts are passed
on to be finished for the market, or to be further tanned in a pit where
stronger liquor is used as the case may require. All the other frames b
in the pit are then lifted and moved forward in succession until a space
is left at the end of the pit next the receiving tank or cistern g, and into
this space a frame is placed, having suspended upon it either green hides,
or it may be butts already partially tanned; but whichever it be, all tho
hides should be in the same state, or nearly so, when brought to the
pit.
The pit shewn in the Drawing is adapted to receive seven frames, so
that if the shifts be made daily the hides would remain a week in the
pit, but in practice we should not usually transfer the hides into and
from the pits so frequently; we should either shift them less frequently,
or what would be preferable, we should employ a pit of greater length.
By these arrangements a large percentage of labour is saved over the
usual plan of tanning, and there is also a great saving of time in the
manufacture of the leather,

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim the means of and apparatus for tanning hides, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Hamlyn and Henry
Laurence Farrer, have hereunto set hand and seal, this
Twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.
RICHARD HAMLYN. (L.S.)
H. L. FARRER.
(L.S.)
RICHARD HAMLYN. (L.S.)
H. L. FARRER.
(L.8.)