Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-07-12
ARTIFICIAL SILK.
Its Production Becoming An Important
Industry.

Its Production Becoming An Important
Industry.
The industry Of artificial silk is rel
atively recent, writes Hilary S. Bruno
1t dates from 1884, when a French
engineer, Count Henri de Chardonnet
took out the first patent, and at the
Paris exposition of 1889 the first re-
suits of his invention were seen.
The beginning was not such as to
excite much enthusiasm, as (although
the product obtained by the de Char
donnet process had all the appearance
of natural silk 1t was constituted OF
nitro-cellulose, and consequently very
highly inf1ammable, thus rendering Its
applications very limited. In 1890 dc
Chardonnet modified his process by
adding a special manipulation by
which the cellulose was obtained in
the pure state and uninflammable
From that moment the industry Of ar
tificial silk was soundly established
and the profits of the commencement
induced others to initiate and further
perfect the process.
De Chardonnet employs pure cellu-
lose as raw material, obtained from
carded cotton preferably to that OF
wood, which contains certain amount
Of mineral substance rendering the
product friable. This carded cotton Is
treated by a mixture Of nitric and sui
phuric acids, becoming thus gun cot
ton, which in its turn is dissolved IN
a mixture Of alcohol and ether to Oh
tain collodion. The collodion is COM
pressed into steel tubes possessing q
resistance to pressure of 100 atmos-
pheres, and having on their sides
small glass tubes connected by COM
manding cock. When this Is opened
the collodion escapes through an In
dries almost Immediately, and pre-
sents the aspect and touch Of natural
silk. But this thread. constituted
purely Of gun cotton, Is extremely in
fiammable. To render 1t as incom-
bustible as natural silk 1t Is treated
with a solution of alkaline sulphur OF
Of ferrous salt. 1t Is then wound on
spools or reeled into skeins.
This silk is much more resisting
than natural silk. 1t is even more
brilliant and takes the dye more
quickly But 1t suffers from prolong-
ed washing, a grave defect. Never
theless mixed with animal silk 1t Is
utilized in the manufacture Of those
stuffs which do not require washing
such as ribbons. re
In 1900 Brennert patented another
method Of treating the cellulose. II
consists in dissolving carded cotton in
cupro-ammoniacal liquor known al
Schweitzer's solution and by passing
the viscous liquid through the gage
plate. The thread formed is treated
by sulphuric acid, which dissolves the
copper, neutralizes the ammonia
leaving behind pure cellulose.
The silk obtained by the Brennert
process presents some advantages
over the preceding. 1t Is cheaper
less dangerous to manipulate, and IL
less injured by water. 1t has only one
drawback-it Is less brilliant, and con-
sequently less attractive and less en-
ployed.
There exists a third method, placed
on the market quite recently, which
seems to have a good future, as its
application extends further than the
ordinary limits of artificial silk. 1t Is
the process termed "viscose." Here
the cellulose is dissolved in soda lye;
the product obtained treated with sui
phide of carbon becomes viscous,
hence the name. This visclose, after
having passed through the pinholes,
is slightly heated, by which the cellr-
lose is freed from the sulphide anu
alkaline matter. The thread Of this
process Is more brilliant, more supple
and more elastic than the de Char
donnet thread. Moreover, 1t Is insol-
uble in water, and the cost price IS
only one-third Of the de Chardonnet
silk, 81 per kilo (two and one-hfth
pounds). This same viscose, when In
the mass and decomposed by heat,
can be converted into transparent ami
hard cellulose capable Of being run
into molds, and is thereby q serious
competitor Of celluloid, which Is much
dearer.
Artificial silk, in an industrial point
to be in every way equal to the natur-
al product.