US948383A

US948383A - Artificial leather.

Info

Publication number: US948383A
Application number: US50348609A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J C Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1909-06-21
Filing date: 1909-06-21
Publication date: 1910-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 1927-02-08

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIUE.

JOHN J. C. SMITH, 0F PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.

Ho Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 8, 1910, Application filed June 21, 1909. Serial No. 503,486. I

To all whom 'it-ma'y concern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN J. C. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Passaic, county of Passaic, and State of N ew' J ersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Leather; and in order that those skilled in the art may understand and practice my invention I give the following specification.

My invention relates to the production of a material to be used as a substitute for leather, and its object is to obtain a product resembling leather not only in appearance and as regards texture, surface or grain, but also having the pliability, softness, 'feel, strength and tenacity and other characteristics of good leather, and which may be employed instead of natural leather, particularly such varieties as sealskin, walrus, alligator skin and the like, and at much less expense.

In order to carry out my invention, I employ as a basis thereof any sheet fibrous material, whether woven or otherwise formed, preferably of a loose texture, and of any desired thickness, having in mind the kind of product to be produced. For general purposes I prefer to use, for this material, loosely woven cotton cloth such as is generally known as cotton flannel or padding cloth. Several grades of such material may be found upon the market. The cloth or fibrous material should be of the color of the leather substitute intended to be produced. The first step is to prepare the binding material to unite the fibers of the sheet or fabric material into a cohesive material. For this binding material I employ a composition consisting of glue, glycerin and saccharine material. For the saccharine material I prefer to use molasses. The proportions of the ingredients which I prefer to use are as follows: good glue, two parts; glycerin, one part; and molasses, one part, by weight. In preparing the compositlon the glue should be thoroughly melted and the other ingredients then added thereto .and intermixed therewith by thorough stirring. This binding material, when cooled, solidifies and retains its properties and consistency indefinitely. A sufficient quantity may be made up to form a stock to be used as required.

- As an example of carrying out my invention, I give the following: I take a sheet of fibrous material, such as described, say of one square yard in area, and of the thickness of an average sheep skin. This fibrous sheet is saturated with the glue composition. To effect this I provide a sheet iron'pan somewhat larger than the sheet to be treated. I take from six to eight pounds of the glue composition and melt the same, thereby forming a heavy thick fluid mass. I dilute I this with hot water to the-consistency of a thm cream. The fiat iron pan, with the diluted glue composition therein, is placed on a steam heated table and is brought to a temperature of about 200 F. I immerse the fibrous sheet in the glue composition and well saturate and impregnate the same therein. When the fibrous sheet'has been .Well saturated it is removed quickly from the bath so as not to lose its temperature and while hot is pressed between suitable rollers under a moderate pressure sufficient to press out the superfluous composition, leaving enough still in the fibrous sheet to well cover every thread and fiber therewith. After the fibrous sheet has been saturated'as described, it is hung up to dry and to eva orate all the water present in the compoun This will take about two days, more or less, according to circumstances.

When the sheet is dry it has the appearance, softness, pliability and strength of tanned animal skin, except as regards the socalled grain or characteristic surface of the fur or hair side of a tanned skin. It is well known that the-tanned skins or hides of different animals each have their distinct design, appearance or grain, "and this is especlally so of the higher priced leathers such as sealskin, walrus, morocco, alligator and the like. In order to obtain the grain or appearance of the natural skins or leather,

I proceed as follows: I take a quantity of the above described glue composition, melt the scribed heated mixture and even the same thereon b means of a straight edge or bar,

so as to orm athin layer of the hot comosition on the sheet. The thickness of this ayer may be from one sixty-fourth to one sixteenth of an inch, as desired. Forthe must be very thin, while for the coarser or higher figured grains such as walrus or alligator a thicker layer will be required. In some cases for a fine grained leather, such as young seal, morocco, sheep skin or the like, this extra layer of composition will not be has been impregnated with the composition in the manner first described, and before the same has been allowed to dry. The prepared sheet with the layer spread on one side thereof is now ready to receive the impression of the grain. This I accomplish in the following manner. I obtain an electrotype plate whichis a true negative copy of the natural leather which it is desired to imitate, and apply to such electrotype plate a film or coating of oil, the plate being heated to about 212 F. on a steam table. I then place the sheet coated with the layer of composition on this pattern plate. Then 1 place a smooth metal sheet at the back of the prepared fibrous sheet and place the whole together under a strong press and subject the same to a pressure of about twenty pounds per square inch. When the metal sheets are cool, the whole is removed from the press and the sheet separated from the pattern plate. It will be found that the sheet has received an accurate and perfect impression and reproduction of the grain of the natural leather on one side and is smooth and even on the other side.

The next operation is to render the material insoluble and impervious to the action of Water and other fluids. This is done in the following manner. I take one pound of formalin and dilute the same with twenty-five pounds of water. With this mixture I saturate sheets of heavy cotton cloth of approximately the size of my prepared sheets. I then spread a sheet of the saturated cotton cloth on a sheet of my artificial leather, then spread another artificial leather sheet thereupon, then place on this another saturated sheet of cotton cloth, and so on, until a stack of eight or ten sheets is formed, the artificial leather sheets alternating with the saturated sheets of cotton cloth. The whole is then pressed under a suitable press and subjected to a moderate pressure, say of about two ounds per square inch. The pressure shou d be applied to the sheets slightly warmed but not above a temperature of 90 F. By this means the wet or saturated sheets of cotton cloth are pressed into close contact at all points with the artificial leather sheets. The sheets are allowed to remain under pressure for about ten minutes, and after this treatment the artificial leather sheets will be found im ervious and insoluble to water or other fluids, and also unalfected by heat-to a temperature of 200 F. A stronger solution of formalin and water than what is given above should not be employed, nor the time during which the sheets are sub ected to the action of the formalin be longer than as above stated,

1 otherwise the artificial leather loses in plirequired, but the sheets as first described may be pressed upon the pattern plate, as hereinafter described, after the fibrous sheet 2 ability and softness. It will be understood that the composition with which the fibrous sheets are saturated and also which is spread thereupon as above described, should be colored or dyed to resemble the particular kind of leather to be imitated.

lVhile I have specified formalin as the material preferably to be used for the purpose of rendering the prepared sheets insoluble, other materials, such as tannin or tannic acid, alum, chromic acid or the like, may be employed for the purpose; but the treatment with such agents should be such as not to impair the softness and pliability of the product and this result, so far as I am aware, may be secured with greater facility by the use of formalin in the manner described.

By the above described invention 1 am enabled to produce a fabric not readily distinguishable in appearance, texture, pliability, strength and tenacity from the natural leather. and which retains its pliability and softness indefinitely.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. An artificial leather product compris ing a fibrous sheet impregnated with a composition of glue, glycerin and molasses, said product insoluble in Water and other liquids, and having the softness, pliability and appearance of natural leather.

2. An artificial leather product comprising a fibrous sheet impregnated with a glue, glycerin and molasses composition, a superposed layer of said composition and a filler, said layer having on its surface a reproduction of the natural marking or grain of a given leather or hide, said product insoluble in water and other liquids, and having the softness, pliability and appearance of natural leather.

8. The process of producing an artificial leather which consists in saturating fibrous sheet material with. a heated composition of glue, glycerin, molasses and Water, drying said saturated sheet and treating the dried sheet with diluted formalin.

4. The process of producing an artificial leather which consists in saturating fibrous sheet material with a composition of glue, glycerin, molasses and water, subjecting the saturated sheet to ressure, evaporating the water from said s eet, and subjecting said sheet to a gradual application of dilute formalin.

5. The process of producing artificial leather which consists in saturating fibrous sheet material in a composition of glue, glycceases erin, molasses and water, evaporating the water, superposing upon said sheet a composition of glue, glycerin, molasses and a fibrous filler, impressing said layer with a reproduction of the grain of any leather, and treating the product with dilute formalin.

6. The process of producing artificial leather which consists in saturating fibrous material with a. composition of glue, glycerin, molasses and water, evaporating the water, applying to said product an absorbent sheet saturated with diluted formalin, and afterward removing the absorbent sheet.

7. The process of producing artificial leather which consists in saturating fibrous sheet material with a composition of glue, glycerin, molasses and water, evaporating the water, impressing upon said sheet a reproduction of the grain or marl iing of naturalleather, and applying to said sheet a solution of dilute formalin.

8. The rocess of producing artificial leather whlch consists in saturating fibrous sheet-material with a composition of glue,

\ glycerin, molasess and water, evaporating the water, superposin upon said sheet a composition of glue, g ycerin, molasses and. wood fiber, impressing upon said layer a reproduction of the grain of natural leather,

applying to the product an absorbent sheet saturated with diluted formalin, subjecting said sheets to pressure and removmg the absorbent sheet.

JOHN ac. SMITH.

"Witnesses HENRY C. JVORKMAN, LAURA E. MONK.