424 L E AT 
block with two Aiding pieces gg upon it, which can be 
fixed at any diftance from each other by fcrews; thefe 
are fet to the width of the (trap, to keep it parallel in 
paffing through the rollers B and D; it enters in between 
them, pairing under the knife A, and over the inclined 
part h, fig. 6. the end which is juft through is faftened to 
the work-bench, and the workman takes the machine by 
its handles FF, and draws it back from the bench; this 
pulls the ftrap through between the rollers, and the knife 
removes all the leather which projects above its edge, 
leaving the ftrap of a perfeflly-equal thicknefs through¬ 
out ; this thicknefs is, as above mentioned, regulated by 
the diftance ; the knife-edge is placed above the roller D: 
in cutting the ftrap, the fmootheft fide is placed down¬ 
wards upon the lower roller. 
Figs. 8 and 9 are elevations of the other machine, for 
cutting the flrap to an equal width throughout. A A is a 
brafs bar made hollow, for lightnefs ; B B an iron frame 
fcrewed to it, and fupporting a frame D, containing a 
roller E. The frame D fiides up and down in the frame 
B by a fcrew and nut a ; but it has a conftant tendency 
towards the bar A by means of a fpring b, which fur- 
rounds the fcrew, and counteradfs thepreffure of the nut a. 
F is a piece of the brafs Hiding upon the bar A, and can 
be fixed at any part of it by the fcrew C ; it has a femi- 
circular gap cut in it to admit the roller E, as Ihown in 
fig. 9. g is a fmall and thin (harp-edged knife, put through 
the end of the bar A, and held in its place by a fcrew d\ 
this knife is placed exactly at the end of the roller, as 
feen in fig. 8. The ftrap to be cut is pafled through the 
opening e, fig. 8. and the roller buffered to defcend by its 
nut a until the fpring prefi'es the roller down upon the 
ftrap with fufficient force to keep it fteady; the piece F 
is fixed along the bar, at the fame diftance from the knife 
as the ftrap is intended to be wide; and this is (liown by 
the diviiions on the bar, the ftrap being then drawn 
\ through under the roller, the knife cuts away all parts 
which are beyond its edge, and reduces the ftrap to the 
proper breadth. 
Dx'ing of Leather. Blue is given by fteeping the 
lubjeft a day in urine and indigo, then boiling it wdth 
alum : or it may be given by tempering the indigo with 
red wine, and waffling the fkins therewith. Red is given 
by waffling the fkins, and laying them two hours in galls, 
then wringing them out, dipping them in a liquor made 
with liguftrum, alum, and verdigris, in water; and, laftly, 
in a dye made of Brafil-wood boiled with ley. ’ Purple is 
given by wetting the fkins with a folution of roche-alum 
in warm water; and, w'hen dry again, rubbing them with 
the hand with a decotlion of logwood in colder. Green 
is given by fmearing the fkin with fap-green and alum- 
water boiled. Dark green is alfo given with fteel-filings 
and fal ammoniac fteeped in urine till loft, then fmeared 
over the (kin ; which is to be dried in the (hade. Sky- 
colour is given with indigo fteeped in boiling water, and 
the next morning warmed and fmeared over the fkin. 
Yellow, by fmearing the fkin over with aloes and linfeed- 
oil diffolved and ftrained; or by infufing it in weld. 
Orange-colour is given by fmearing with fuftic-berries 
boiled in alum-water; or, for a deep orange, with tur¬ 
meric. 
The following are the procefles for dying leather red 
and yellow as praftifed in Turkey, with direftions for 
preparing and tanning the fkins; as communicated by 
Mr. Philippo, a native of Armenia, who received from 
the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, See. one hun¬ 
dred pounds, and the gold medal, as a reward for difco- 
vering this fecret. 
Firjl Preparation of the Skins, both for Red and Yellow 
Leather, by drejjing them in Lime. Let the fkins, dried with 
the. hair on, be fir ft raid to foalc in clean water for three 
days; let them then be broken over the fleffi-fide, put 
into fre!h water for two days longer, and afterwards hung 
up to drain half an hour. Let them now be broken on 
the flefh-fide, limed in cold lime on the fame fide, and 
3 
'HER. 
doubled together with the grain-fide outward. In this 
ftate they muff: be hung up within doors over a frame for 
five or fix days, till the hair be loofe; which mult then 
be taken oft', and the fkins returned into the lime-pit for 
about three weeks. Take them out, and let them be well 
worked, fleffi and grain, every fixth or feventh day during 
that time; after which, let-them be waffled ten times in 
clear water, changing the water at each waffling. They 
are next to be prepared in drench, as below mentioned. 
Second Preparation of the Skins, for both the Red and Yellow 
Dyes , by drenching. After fqueezing the water out of the 
fkins, put them into a mixture of bran and water, warm 
as new milk, in the following proportions; viz. about 
three pounds of bran for five fkins, and water fufficient 
to make the mixture moderately fluid, which will be 
about a gallon to each pound of bran. In this drench 
let the. fkins lie three days; at the end of which time they 
muft be well worked, and afterwards returned into the 
drench two days longer. They muft then be taken out, 
and rubbed between the hands; the water fqueezed from 
them, and the bran feraped off clear from both fides of 
the fkins. After this they muft be again waftied ten times 
in clear water, and the water fqueezed out of them. 
Thus far the preparatory procefs of all the fkins, whe¬ 
ther intended to be dyed red or yellow, is the fame ; but 
afterwards thofe which are to be dyed red muft be treated 
as follows. 
Preparation in Honey and Bran, of Skins that are to be dyed 
Red. Mix one pound of honey with three pints of luke¬ 
warm water, and ftir them together till the honey is dif¬ 
folved. Then add two double handfuls of bran ; and, 
taking four (kins, (for which the above quantity of the 
mixture will be fufficient,) work them well in it one after 
another. Afterwards fold up each fkin feparately into a 
round form, with the fleffi-fide inwards; and lay them in 
an earthen pan, or other proper veffel; if in the fummer, 
by the fide of each other; but, in the winter, on the top 
of each other. Place the veffel in a doping pofition, fo 
that fuch part of the fluid as may fpontaneoufly drain 
from the fkins may pafs from them. An acid fermenta¬ 
tion will then rife in the liquor, and the fkins will fwell 
confiderably. In this ftate they muft continue for feven 
or eight days; but the moifture that drains from them 
muft be poured off once or twice a-day, as occafion may 
require. 
Let them be taken out of the mixture on the eighth or 
ninth day, and well rubbed with dry common fea fait, in 
the proportion of about half a pound to each fkin ; the 
fait muft be well rubbed and worked with them. This 
will make them contraft: again, and part with a further 
confiderable quantity of moifture, which muft be fqueezed 
out by drawing each fkin feparately through the hands. 
They muft next be feraped clean on both fides from the 
bran, fuperfluous fait, and moifture, that may adhere to 
them ; after which, dry fait muft be flrewed over the 
grain-fide, and well rubbed in with the hand. They are 
then to be doubled with the fleffi-fide outwards, length- 
wife from neck to tail, and a little more dry fait muft be 
thinly ftrewed over the fleffi-fide, and rubbed in ; for the 
two laft operations, about a pound and a half of fait will 
be fufficient for each fkin. They muft then be put, thus 
folded on each other, between two clean boards, placed 
floping, breadthwife; and a heavy weight laid on the up¬ 
per board, in order gradually to prefs out what moifture 
they will thus part with. In this ftate of preffure they 
muft be continued two days or longer, till it is convenient 
to dye them, for which they will then be duly prepared. 
Preparation of the Red Dye, in a proper proportion for four 
Skins. Put eight gallons of water into a copper, with fe¬ 
ven ounces of fhenan tied up in a linen bag. [Shenan is 
a drug much ufed by dyers in the eaft; and may eafily be 
procured at any of the ports of Syria and Africa, in the 
Levant. It is the eaftern jointed-kali, called by botanifts 
Salicornia; and grows in great plenty in thofe and other 
parts of the eaft. There is a fpecies of the Salicornia on 
our 
