Boyden perfected the process for making patent leather, created malleable iron, invented a nail-making machine, and built his own steamboat.

[1] He was born in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on November 17, 1788,[2] the son of Seth Boyden and Susannah Atherton.

[6] Using a formula that was based on a series of treatments using layers of linseed oil-based coats, the new shiny leather began commercial production on September 20, 1819.

Boyden's efforts resulted in the production of glossy leather that quickly caught on as a complement for formal dress.

4") from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia two years later, who noted that Boyden's annealed cast iron specimen No.

[13] Boyden rarely patented his inventions, preferring instead to take individual contracts and to build and sell off businesses.