US1115182A - Method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather. - Google Patents

Description

H. E. ENSLIN. METHOD OF PRODUCING AN ORNAMENTAL SURFACE UPON LEATHER. APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 3, 1913.

1, 1 1 5,1 82. Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. ENSLIN, F MALDEN. MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON. NEW JERSEY. A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF PRODUCING AN ORNAMIENTAL SURFACE UPON LEATHER.

To H ll 1mm it only concern lie it known that l. lltzanea'r IQ. ExsLIN. a citizen of the I'nited States. residing at illalden. in the county of,.\liddlesex and State of l\lassachusetts. have invented certain Improvements in Methods of Producing an ()rinimental Surface ITpon Leather. of which the following description. in connection with the accompanying drawings. is

a specification. like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several ligures.

This invention relates to the ornamentation of the surface of leather. the purpose being to enhance its value. as for example by producing from an inexpensive leather imitations of the more expensive varieties. lleretofore such ornamentation has been produced by methods such as embossing. which require both expensive apparatus and a good grade of leather to be carried out successfully.

Ordinarily leather which is used for ornamental purposes comprises a flesh side and a grain side. the grain side being the display side; and iii order to promote clearness the method of the present invention will be described in connection with these two sides. the flesh and the grain. I have found that by shrinking the. flesh side of a piece of leather without shrinking the grain side. or by shrinking the flesh side more than the grain side. a product can be obtained of eonsiderable less area than the original piece which is smooth on the flesh side but is wrinkled or puckered on the grain side. and that this wrinkling 01' puckering of the grain side can be so produced as to present the appearance of expensive leathers.

It is desirable that the shrinking be confined as nearly as possible to the Ilesh side and that it be produced uniformly so that in the finished piece of leather said flesh side will be smooth and have approximately the same appearance that it had before being shrunk. the wrinkling or puckering being confined to the grain side. In carrying out the method. the piece of leather should be held taut during the shrinking operation so that the natural tendency of leather to curl when a selected spot is shrunk will be resisted. and I have found that if the leather is so held it will pass through the shrinking operation referred to above without having Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 3, 19 3.

Patented Oct. 27, 191 4. Serial No. 787,943.

imparted to it any considerable curling or warping. the finished product being substantially as flat as the original except, of course, for the wrinkling of the grain side. These and other features of the invention will be described in connection with an illustrative apparatus whereby an exemplary method may be carried out and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing: Figures 1 and 2 show,respectively, the grain and the flesh side of a iecc of leather before having been treate in accordance with the method of the invention; Fig. 3 shows an apparatus by which the method may be carried out; Figs. 4 and 5 show. respectively, the grain and the flesh side of the same piece of leather shown in Figs. 1 and :2 after said piece has been treated in accordance with the method of the invention.

In the illustrative apparatus two uprights 1 a re. fastened to a base 3 which may be the top of a bench. Ilpon these uprights is supported an expansible frame comprising four rods 5, 7, 9 and 11. said frame being held in place by weights in a manner presently to be described. The skin or similar piece of leather 13 is fastened to these rods in any suitable manner which will permit the leather to shrink along the directions in which the rods extend, as for example by pins 15. Two studs 17, carried by the up rights 1, serve to support the upper rod 5, two weights 19 being attached by cords or wires 21 to the lower rod 9 in order to exert a tension on the leather in a vertical direction. Tension in a horizontal direction is produced by weights 23, 25, 27 and 29 attached to cords or wires which run over pulleys 31 carried by the uprights 1, said cords being attached to the upright rods 11 and T in the manner shown. .It will thus be clear that the piece of leather is yieldingly held so as to permit it to shrink but is maintained taut at all times.

The shrinking may be accomplished in any suitable manner, and in the illustrative apparatus a blast lamp 33 of the ordinary type is made use of. The operator seizes the blast lamp and causes the tip of the flame to travel over the flesh side of the leather. He may use the. to and fro movement indicated by the arrows, or any -other movement which he finds desirable.

Care should be taken, however, not to allow the flame to remain for any appreciable length of time in one spot since, aside from the danger of spoiling the leather by burning it which is obviously liable to occur, if the heat is allowed to strike through into the grain side, said side will be shrunk equally with the flesh side and the finished product will be smooth on both sides and have the same appearance as the original except as to size. Consequently the heat should be applied only momentarily to the surface of the leather and then immediately withdrawn, a result which may be accomplished by moving the flame across the surface of the leather so as to make the application of the heat progressive. The blast lamp illustrated is typical of anything which will give oif an intense heat since it is desirable, when-the shrinking is accomplished by heat, that an intense heat be available so that its application may be made to cause the flesh side to shrink instantly before the heat has penetrated the grain sideto any considerable extent.

In the illustrative apparatus the weights have been shown as all of the same size and the movement of the flame as a to and fro movement; but the sizes of the weights and the direction of movement of the flame may, of course, be varied to vary the pattern of the wrinkles which are produced on the grain side.

In Fig. 4 is shown the grain side of a. piece of leather which has een treated on the apparatus shown in Fig. 3; and it will be noted that the shrinkage has taken place approximatetliy equally in all directions. By using a di erent set of weights, however, for example by usin heavy weights in place of the weights 19, t e wrinkles can be made to take the form of ridges extending approximately parallel to one another, and by using other combinations and manipulating the flame in a suitable manner a great variety of patterns may be produced. The shrinkage which results from carrying out the method ordinarily amounts to from 16% to 25% of the extent of the original piece, as is indicated by the relative size of the piece of leather in Figs.- 1 and 2 compared with that of the same piece in Figs. 4 and 5.

It should be particular-lg noted that the appearance of t e flesh si e remains practically unchanged. With firm,'heavy, close fibered leather this is most nearly true; with soft, light, loose fibered leather the flesh side after treatment may show 'to some extent the reverse of the pattern which has been imparted to the grain side. In any event, however, the effect has been produced by shrinking the flesh side more than the grain side so that the grain side is wrinkled because of the contraction of the flesh side.

It will be understood that the apparatus shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes only and that the terms flesh side and grain side have been used rather than the terms one side and other side or treated side and display side merely to promote brevity and clearness since either side of the leather, as desired, may be subjected to shrinkage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises shrinking the flesh side of the leather more than the grain side and thereby causing the grain side to become wrinkled.

2. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises shrinking the entire flesh side of a piece of leather without correspondingly shrinking the grain side whereby the area of the flesh side isdecreased and the grain side is wrinkled by the shrinking of the flesh side.

3. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises contracting the flesh side of a piece of leather throughout its entire extent and thereby wrinkling the grain side.

4. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises puckering the grain side of a piece of leather while maintaining the flesh side smooth.

5. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises holding a piece of leather yieldingly so as to permit it to shrink, and then shrinking the flesh side more than the grain side whereby the flesh side remains smooth and the grain side is wrinkled.

6. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises holding a piece of leather yieldingly so as to permit it to shrink and then applying heat to the flesh side suflicient to shrink said flesh side more than the ain side.

7. The method of pro ucing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises holding a piece of leather yieldingly so as to permit it to shrink and then app ying intense heat progressively to the flesh side sufficient to shrink said flesh side to a given extent but insufiicient to shrink the grain side to an equal extent.

8. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises holding a piece of leather taut, exposing the flesh side to a source of heat and then immediately withdrawing said source before the heat penetrates the grain side, whereby the flesh side is shrunk uniformly and the grain side is wrinkled.

9. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises shrinking one side of the leather more than the other and thereby causing said other side to become wrinkled.

10. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather which comprises holding a piece of leather yieldingly so as to permit it to shrink and then treating one side so as to shrink it more than the other and thereby causing an ornamental pattern of wrinkles to appear on said other s1de.

11. The method of producing an ornamental surface upon leather whlch comprises holding a piece of leather taut and treating one side so as to shrink it whereb the treated side remains smooth and the isplay side is imparted an ornamental pattern in raised 15 HERBERT E. ENSLIN.

\Vitnesses:

FRED W. GUIIJORD, HERBERT W1 KENWAY.

to permit it to shrink and then treating one side so as to shrink 1t more than the other and thereby causing an ornamental patternof wrinkles to appear on said other side.

Correct Letters Patent No., 1,1 15,182.

, 11. The method of producing anornamental surface upon leather which comprises holding a piece of leather taut and treating of the case in the Patent Ofiiee.

Ion in [SEAL] one side so as to shrink it whereby the treated side remains smooth and the display side is imparted an ornamental pattern in raised 15 figures.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT E. ENSLIN.

Witnesses:

FRED W. GUILoRn, HERBERT W; KENWAY.

.It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,115 182, granted October 27 1914:,up0i1 the application of Herbert E. Enslin, of Malden, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Methods of Producing an Ornamental Surface upon Leather, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 1.4, after the word and insert the word to; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record Signed and sealed this 19th day of January, A. D., 1915.

R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Uommz'samer of Patents.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,115,182, granted October 27, 1914, upon the application of Herbert E. llnslin, of Malden, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Methods of Producing an Ornamental Surface upon Leather, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 14, after the word and insert the word to, and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of January, A. D., 1915.

[SEALJ R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commisswner of Patents.

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