US837700A - Artificial leather and process of making the same. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN MEERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARTIFICIAL LEATHER AND PROCESS OF NIAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed March 21, 1906- Serial No. 307,274.

York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aran artificial leather wherein the backing or tificial Leather and Processes of Making the game, of which the following is a specificaion.

The object of my invention is to produce artificial or imitation leather possessing substantially all the physical characteristics of natural leather. Many attempts have been made heretofore to produce such a product, and various substitutes for leather are now found on the market; but, so far as I am aware, these products are open to one or more ob ectionssuch as being inflammable, nonmoisture-proof, easily affected by changes in temperature, or have a tendency to lose flexibility or pliability after a comparatively brief period of use. My new roduct is devoid of these and many other defects inherent in the artificial leathers now on the market and is more durable than natural leather.

In the manufacture of my new product I employ, preferably and generally, a single layer of fabric as the foundation thereof, apply thereto a basic coating which is water and 011 repellent, and superimpose on said basic coating one or more other coatings- The process followed in the production of this novel product is also new.

In practically carrying out my invention I take any suitable sheet material-such as drill, sateen, canvas, duck, or sheeting-and apply thereto a foundation layer or coating of waterproof material, such as a solution of nitrocellulose (soluble cotton) in a suitable solvent, such as amyl acetate, the said nitrocellulose sollution being free, or substantially free from o1 I may add to this basic coating, and preferably do, any suitable pigment ground in castor-oil. About two parts of'any suitable pigment may be ground with one part of oil, and to each gallon of the nitrocellulose solution I add about one pound of the said mixture of oil and pigment. This basic coating, being of an oil and water re ellent character, protects the fabric from t e oil subsequently used as an ingredient in a composition employed as a second coat' This is an im ortant feature of my invention, since it enab es me to roduce an artificial leather product the fafi ric forming the foundation of which is protected by a water andoil proof coatin substantially free from oil, whereas in the imitation leathers as now made from a single layer of fabric the said fabric is more or less saturated with oil, a particularly disadvantageous characteristic.

In the processes now employed to obtain base of cloth is free or substantially free from oil it is customary to use two layers of fabric united by any suitable adhesive or cement, the layer of fabric on which the coatings are. applied and the cement intermediate the fabrics thereby protecting the basic layer of fabric. The economy and other advantages of the artificial leather produced by my process over the product just described are very apparent.

Though enerally unnecessary, I may, if desired, ma e two or more applications of the nitrocellulose solution to the fabric to form the said basic layer or coating. If acetoneoil or fusel-oil is employed as an ingredient in the preparation of t e nitrocellulose solution, then it IS unnecessary to use oil, as stated, with the pigment, though it is generally desirable and advantageous to do so. The singlecoated product, prepared as described, is now calendered by passing it through hot rolls, thereby giving a smooth polished foundation coating without in any way deteriorating the fabric. This operation dispenses with the step of rubbing down with pumice, so commonly employed. If found desirable, however, I mayrub down, as usual. After the application of the basic coating, as described, I apply thereto a second coating of an entirely different character and consisting of a suitable drying-oil,such as linseed-oil, to

which I may add pigments, and also, if desired, a small proportion of a suitable solution of raw or vulcanized rubber for the purpose of increasing the flexibility or pliabllity of such coating. The presence of the pigment in this second coating renders such coating practically non-inflammable. Furthermore, this second coating is much less 'ex pensive than a pyroxylin solution, thereby contributing to the economy of the process. After this second coating has become dry the leather surface thus produced may be embossed or pebbled to imitate grain-leather, after which it may or may not be varnished. If it is desired to produce a smooth patentleather surface, the graining is omitted and the roduct varnished by a suitable patentleat er varnish, such as a mixture of a dry- 4 tificial leather composed of a layer of mateaving applied thereto av foundation coating resultmg from the appli- 1 absorbative, practically non-inflammable,

and is adapted as a substitute for leather for nearly all urposes. It will be apparent also that t e product can be expeditiously and economically manufactured.

While I have specifically referred to a fabric as the basic material to which I apply the coatings described, it will be obvious that other material may also be used, and, further, that the two coatings produced as described may be utilized inde endently of the fabric or basic material.

varied in etails, both as to the ingredients used and the procedure described, without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. I

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent, is A 1. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of a layer of mate? rial in sheet form, aving applied thereto a foundation coating of water roof material substantially free from oil, an on top of said foundation coating, a second coating of material composed of a drying-oil and a suitable pigment.

2. Asa new'a rticle of manufacture, an arrial in sheet form,

cation thereto of a solution of soluble cotton or nitrocellulose, and having applied to said foundation coating, a second coating of a drying-oil and a pigment.

3. s a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of a layer of material in sheet form, ving ap lied thereto a calendered coatingof pyroxy on which is superimposed a second coating containing oxidized linseed-oil.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of a layer of material' in sheetqform, waterproof, composition substantially free from a cioating of a drying-oil and a igment superimposed thereon, and a t 'rd coat' of a suitable varnish.

5. T e herein-described artificial leather composed of a single layer of fabric substanurthermore, it. Wlll be ap arent that'the process may be ving applied thereto a 1 tially free from oil, a coating formed from a nitrocellulose solution substantially free from oil thereon, and an oxidized oil coating superimposed on the nitrocellulose coating.

6. The herein-described product composed of a base of fabric and having two coatings on one side thereof, the first of which is substantially free from oil and is water and oil rproof, said product being flexible, pliable, and substantially non-inflammable.

7. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of a layer of material in sheet form, aving applied thereto a water roof composition, a coating of a drying-oi and a pigment superimposed thereon, and a third coatin of a suitable varnish forming patent-leater dressing for the resulting product.

8. The process of producing artificial leather which consists in applying to a fabric a basic coating of-a waterproof composition substantially free from oil, and then applying 1 to saigl basic coating a coating consisting of a mixture of an oxidizable oil and a pigment.

9. The process of producing artificial leather which consists in applying to a fabric abasic coatin of a waterproof'composition substantially ee from oil, calendering said coating, and then applying to said basic coating a second coating consisting of a mixture of an oxidizable oil and a pigment.

10. The rocess of producing artificial leather whic consists in applying to .a fabric a single layer of basic coating of soluble cotton, and superimposing thereon a second coating of oxidized linseed-oil. containing a pigment.

11. The rocess of producing artificial leather whic consists in applying to a fabric,

a basic coating of soluble cotton, calendering the same, and then ap lying thereto a second coating of a drying-oil containing a igment. 12. The process of producing artificial pat- ;ent-leather' which consists in applying to a fabric a basic coating of waterproof material, polishing and smoothing the same, appllying thereto a mixture containing oxidized o and then a plyinga coating of varnish to of two subscribing witnesses.

- STEPHEN MEERS.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. GRIFFIN,

H. I. BERNHARD.

glve a patenteather finish to the resulting I