Method of contamination free ironing of wet state substances on selected areas

A method of drying a substance applied in a wet condition on a selected area comprising engaging a nonstick pressing sheet on said area, and by means of a heated pressing and drying surface applying drying heat and pressure to said area through said sheet and thereby drying said substance. The substance may be a nonbonding material, a bonding material or a combination of the bonding material and a nonbonding material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a new and improved manner of drying wet 
materials in absorbent areas, such as may exist on fabrics or like areas 
for the purpose of accelerating drying, and heat setting of such 
materials, and is more particularly concerned with avoiding contamination 
of an ironing means surface, such as the sole plate of a hand operated 
flat iron, or a pressing machine, or a mangle-type ironer without 
resulting damage to the liquid applied areas. In fact, substantial 
improvements to such surfaces are possible. 
Fabrics and like porous areas may have applied thereto numerous and varied 
liquid substances, such as paints, dyes, inks, various treating fluids, 
starches, and even water which may contain a considerable mineral content, 
and all of which to at least some degree may tend to contaminate a drying 
and pressure applying surface means such as the sole plate of a flat iron, 
or the two rollers of a mangle-type iron, or the two platens of a pressing 
machine. In fact, certain wet materials cannot be dried by means of such a 
drying and pressure applying surface applied directly thereto because of 
extreme contamination of such surface of and smearing of the face area of 
the material to which such surface is applied. 
Wet paints, dyes and inks are with some frequency placed on selected areas 
of garment fabrics, especially for ornamental purposes, such as to print 
or paint slogans, decorative designs and the like, for example on 
t-shirts, skirts, sweatshirts, and the like. Heretofore, drying procedures 
have involved expedients such as air streams from hair dryers, hanging the 
articles up to dry, drying in an oven or in a conventional clothes dryer. 
Those expedients may take anywhere from hours to several days before the 
treated area is completely dry and can be safely handled. 
There are situations were artists prefer to apply wet paints to canvas or 
Chino Vino fabric to produce better quality paintings, with greater 
detail. Such paintings, on separate sections of fabric, are then bonded to 
garments, or even framed for wall-hanging. Drying is a problem. 
Silk screening is a popular way in which various and sundry designs and 
ornamentations are applied to fabric or other porous articles. The drying 
of silk screened articles has entailed considerable time, especially where 
it is not practical to use a highly volatile solvent. Where such solvent 
is used, the pigment viscosity must be carefully controlled to avoid a 
lumpy appearance of the imprint where a flat appearance is desired. 
Regardless of whether the fast volatilization or slow drying process is 
used, there is often less than desirable fiber penetration and coating of 
the imprinted material for washfast purposes. 
If an attempt is made to effect quick drying of a wet substance such as 
printed or decorative means on an area, or even where an area is 
impregnated with a solids containing fluid substance, by direct 
application of a pressing and drying surface means, such as a flat iron, 
it can be expected that the drying surface means may become intolerably 
befouled or contaminated by adherence thereto of contaminants from the 
substance on the area to be dried. 
As a matter of fact, where an area is wet or wetted with water, other than 
distilled water, there is often such a volume of mineral matter in the 
water as to cause contamination of an iron used to iron and dry the wet 
area. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
An important object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved method of pressing and drying wet substances absorbed in selected 
areas without contamination of a pressing and drying surface means. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of 
applying drying heat and pressure to porous areas having wet substance 
absorbed thereon, while protecting such areas and any decorative patterns 
formed by the wet substance against damage, and protecting the heating and 
pressing means against contamination. 
A further object of the invention is to effect improved drying and fiber 
impregnation of wet paint, dye or ink on absorbent areas to which applied, 
thereby improving wear and washability. 
Yet another object of the invention is to effect bonding of a porous 
article to a substrate by means of a wet substance, having bonding 
facility, applied onto an exposed area of the article and against which 
area heat and pressure are applied through a protective sheet, such a 
sheet having non-stick, high releasing qualities. 
Still another object of the invention is to improve the appearance of 
painted, dyed or ink decorated absorbent areas, while avoiding any damage 
or negative changes that may be caused by normal drying methods. 
Pursuant to the present invention, there is provided a method of drying a 
wet substance applied in a liquid state on a selected area by means of a 
heated pressing and drying surface, comprising engaging the area with a 
nonstick pressing sheet such as TFE or similar release material overlying 
the wet substance, and by means of the surface applying drying heat and 
pressure to the area through the release sheet and thereby drying the 
substance while, by means of the sheet intervening between the surface and 
the area, avoiding contamination of the surface by any contaminants which 
might otherwise by picked up from the area and adhere to the surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, an upwardly facing absorbent area 5 on a 
member 7 has applied thereto a wet substance 8 which may be dye, 
non-dimensional paint, ink, or other substance applied in a liquid state 
absorbed within the area 5, and shown, by way of example, in the form of 
an imprinted or otherwise applied design although it may cover and be 
absorbed in the entire area. The member 7 is mounted removably on a base 
9. Protectively applied in covering relation on the area 5 and the wet 
substance 8 is a protective, nonstick, release pressing sheet 10. This 
sheet should be highly releasable, temperature resistant, thermally 
conductive, reusable, long lasting, and inert such as TFE. Drying and 
setting of the substance 8 is effected by applying heat and pressure 
thereto through the release sheet 10 as by means of a heated pressing and 
drying surface such as a pressing machine, mangle type ironer, or the sole 
plate of an electrically or otherwise heated hand operated flat iron 11 
functioning in ironing fashion over the pressing sheet. 
By way of example, the member 7 may be an applique piece fashioned from any 
suitable fabric. The wet substance 8 may be applied to the area 5 of the 
member 7 in any preferred manner, such as by brushing, printing, surface 
transfer, wiping on, roller application, by a hand painting air gun 
application, immersion of the member 7, partial or all-over wetting 
liquid, and the like. 
Silk screening is considered printing because it is adapted for repetitive 
application of the same design, text or slogan to a member by means of wet 
coloring material. Stencil painting is similarly categorized as printing. 
Free-hand or ruler assisted or air brush drawing or painting, or partial 
or total coating or saturation of the wet substances on the member may be 
practiced. Sometimes a whole piece may be dyed in a single color or 
multiple colors, or in any event, by whatever technique the wet substance 
is applied, or whatever its purpose, it will require drying and setting 
and which can be effected simply, efficiently and advantageously by the 
method of the present invention. 
In one best mode of the present invention where the member 7 may be 
relatively thin fabric so that the wet substance 8 may bleed through the 
fabric, and especially where the substance 8 may have some sticky or 
adhesive characteristic, and it is desired to avoid sticking not only to 
the release sheet 10 but also to the base 9, the base 9 may be a TFE 
polytetrafluoroethylene underlay sheet or nonstick coated means. Of 
course, if the substance 8 is totally nonadhesive, the base 9 may be a 
piece of paper or cardboard or any other supporting surface which may not 
be objectionably discolored if the substance 8 bleeds through the member 
7. The TFE pressing sheet 10 is ideally used in the practice of the 
present invention because it has the desirable quality of nonadherence of 
any material that may be employed for the substance 8 on the member 7. 
Further, the sheet 10 may comprise a TFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) film of 
thin, light weight, such as from approximately 0.001" to 0.005" thickness. 
This TFE material is free from deterioration when subject to temperatures 
well above pressing iron temperatures and which may be as high as up to 
500.degree. F. when rapid drying action is desired. 
After the member 7 with the substance 8 absorbed therein is placed on the 
base 9 with the area 5 facing away from the base, the nonstick release 
pressing sheet 10 is applied over the assembly and the sole plate of the 
heated iron 11, or other pressing and heating means is maneuvered on the 
sheet 10 over the area 5 and the heat of the iron transmitted through the 
sheet 10 effects drying, and the pressure of the iron improves fiber 
penetration and coating and thus thorough adherence of the substance 8 on 
and into the fabric of the member 7. 
When the rapid drying and setting has been completed, the assembly is 
separated and the member 7 may be used for whatever purpose desired. 
Although the member 7 has been shown as a rectangular piece in FIG. 1, it 
may be of any peripheral shape desired for the particular purpose intended 
whether to serve as an applique to be sewed on or adhesively attached, or 
whatever. 
Furthermore, where the design provided by the substance 8 is to be applied 
directly to a garment, such as a sweatshirt or the like, it will be 
apparent that the present method is ideally suited for drying and setting 
of the design on the garment. 
Where it is desired to apply the member 7 as an applique, attachment of the 
member 7 may be effected by the same heat as used to dry and set the 
substance 8, by applying a heat fusible or settable adhesive on the back 
or lower face area of the member 7. 
Certain additional advantages of using the TFE pressing sheet 10 for drying 
and/or setting of wet substance on a fabric may be mentioned. Sheen is 
avoided on materials which may be susceptible to undesired sheen when only 
an iron is used. Materials such as silks, lame, plastic spangle or sequin 
equipped materials, woolen knits, nylons or any other delicate or 
synthetic materials which ordinarily may be damaged by a heated iron are 
to some extent protected from such damage by the TFE pressing sheet. After 
drying and setting of the substance 8 by the intervention of the TFE 
pressing sheet 10, the dyed, inked or painted substance 8 has a uniform 
finished surface without voids or aberrations where careful application of 
the substance has been effected. Where the substance 8 is paint 
incorporating glittering particles, such particles sparkle more and more 
of the glitter particles are forced to the paint surface, and that taken 
together with the smoothness of the finished dried paint surface provides 
an enhanced glittering appearance. 
For some purposes, it may be desirable to attain adhesion of the piece of 
fabric carrying the wet substance to a substrate and form a laminate. 
While, as mentioned, this may, if desired, be effected by simultaneously 
applying a heat settable or fusion type of adhesive between the fabric 
piece and the substrate, where the wet substance applied to the upwardly 
facing area of the fabric piece has bonding qualities, that substance 
itself may serve as a bonding agent for the laminate. To this end, the 
fabric piece member 7' (FIGS. 4 and 5) may have applied to its upwardly 
facing face area 5' wet substance 8' in any preferred pattern and 
embodying sufficient adhesive bonding quality such that when the member 7' 
is applied to a substrate 12, which because of its surface porosity is 
susceptible to adhesive bonding, and the pressing sheet 10 is applied over 
the assembly and heat and pressure applied as by means of the flat iron 
11, the substance 8' will be caused to penetrate through the porous fabric 
of the member 7' and bleed into the porous surface of the substrate 12 so 
that upon drying the substance 8' not only provides on the surface of the 
member 7' the desired dried design or pattern but also will be thoroughly 
bonded to the substrate by the dried and set material 8'. If desirable, of 
course, the protective underlay sheet or panel 9 may be applied under the 
substrate if deemed desirable. 
For some purposes, it may not be desired to use in the wet substance 8' a 
material which has inherent bonding properties suitable for effecting 
bonding of the member 7' to the substrate 12. In such instance, the 
pattern or design may be provided by the substance 8' which meets the 
criteria desired without the bonding capability, and supplemental thereto 
a liquid substance 8" particularly selected for its bonding performance 
upon drying and setting may be applied at a desired place on the area 5'. 
This may be effected along one or more edges of the member 7' either at 
the same time as the substance 8' is applied or after the substance 8' has 
been dried and set. Upon penetration of the substance 8" through the 
fabric of the member 7' and into adhesive bonding with the substrate 12 
there will be attained thorough attachment of the member 7' to the 
substrate 12. 
As a matter of fact, if it is desired to effect bonding of the piece 7 of 
FIG. 1, where that piece is a porous fabric, to a substrate such as the 
substrate 12, the technique of applying a bonding substance 8" to the area 
5, such as along one or more margins, may be effected and heat drying and 
bonding as described for FIGS. 4 and 5 may be effected. 
Regardless of which mode of the present invention is employed, after the 
drying and pressing procedure has been carried out, the nonstick pressing 
sheet 10 is readily removed from the finished surface without distrubing 
the finished surface of the member 7 or 7' as the case may be, as 
indicated by the peel-away showing in FIGS. 3 and 5. Further, where, as in 
FIG. 3, the member 7 is underlain by a nonstick (e.g. TFE) base 9, after 
the drying and setting has been completed, the member 7 can be readily 
removed from the base 9, as seen in the peel-away showing in FIGS. 3 and 
5. 
Where there is no bonding proclivity of the substance 8, the base 9 may, of 
course, be any desired underlay, even a piece of paper, cardboard or shirt 
board, and which will not be damaged by the pressing heat. 
It will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the 
present invention.