IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING SILK, HAIR, WOOL, YARN, AND TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Schischkar, of Halifax, in the County of
York, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING
SILK, HAIR, WOOL, YARN, AND TEXTILE FABRICS."
Sealed the 29th April 1856, and dated the 23rd February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Schischkar at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd February 1856.
I, EDWARD SCHISCHкAR, of Halifax, in the County of York, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLEANSING SILK, HAIR, WOOL, YARN, AND TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in the employment of naptha for the purpose of
removing tar, fatty, oily or other matters from silk, hair, wool, yarn, and textile
fabrics. By immersing such hair, wool, yarn, or textile fabrics in naptha, or
saturating them therewith, I find that the tar, paint, resin, oily, fatty or other
matters usually found in silk, hair, and wool, or surplus colouring matter
left after dyeing and printing, will be dissolved thereby, and by passing such
silk, hair, wool, yarn, or textile fabrics through or between squeezing rollers,"
a great portion of the naptha containing the dissolved tar or other matters'
will be removed or purged therefrom. Afterwards I subject such silk, hair,"

page_text: wool, yarn, or textile fabrics so treated as aforesaid to the action of steam,
whereby the residual, volatile, and other matters will be entirely expelled, and
the appearance of the goods improved.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
.
by the said Edward Schischkar in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th August 1856..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
SCHISCHкAR, of Halifax, in the County of York, Manufacturer.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Schischkar, Her special licence that I, the said Edward
Schischkar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Edward Schischkar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term. therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING SILK, HAIR, WOOL, YARN, AND TEXTILE FABRICS, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Schischkar, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six. calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent. * :
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Schischkar, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what, manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):
"
Having observed that napthas exercise a powerful effect in cleansing, silk,
hair, wool, yarn and textile fabrics, I have discovered the following method of
carrying out this fact in a practical form, so as to remove tarry, fatty, oily,
resinous, or other similar matters from the above-named substances or goods,
and afterwards to take-away the smell of the naptha by steam, and thus

page_text: improve their appearance. Among several methods to effect my object I
prefer the following, although I do not confine myself to that. precise mode of
operation, as 'the methods vary in details with the quantity of tarry, fatty,. oily,
resinous, or other similar matters to be removed from the silk, hair, wool,
yarn, and textile fabrics operated on, and the state in which such goods are.
The methods I use are divided into two distinct series of operations; the
first consists in steeping the substances or goods in naptha, and then express-
ing such naptha out of them again; and the other, in subjecting them, as well
as-any-other substances or goods which have a smell, which it is desirous to
remove, to the action of high-pressure steam. I steep pieces of goods, or silk,
hair, wool, in the raw state; or as yarn, in a bath of naptha, I prefer common
coal naptha from its being cheaper than other kinds of fluid hydrocarbons, but
the latter will answer my purpose as well; and I allow such goods or sub-
stances to remain in such bath until the tarry, fatty, oily, resinous, or other
similar matters are perfectly dissolved; I then take and submit them to
pressure to remove the naptha they contain. For this purpose ordinary
squeezing rollers may be used, or any other suitable pressing apparatus. The
naptha can be purified in the ordinary way by distillation, and the tarry, fatty,
oily, resinous, or other similar matters contained therein obtained therefrom,
so as to fit it for being again employed.
The second part of my Invention consists in submitting the above prepared
goods and substances to the action of high-pressure steam, which I do in
the following methods:-If piece goods are to operated on, I roll them on
hollow perforated cylinders or other convenient perforated apparatus, and
enclose such roll in a stout wrapper. If yarns or raw materials are to be
operated on, I prefer to use a large steam box, of iron or other suitable sub-
stance, admitting the steam above, and having a perforated false bottom to let
off the fluid naptha forced out by the steam. I then take such roll box, or
other apparatus, and fix or connect them on or to a steam tap, or other con-
venient mode of conveying the steam to the goods or materials to be operated
I then apply a current of steam, of about thirty pounds pressure to the
square inch, for the space of about ten to fifteen minutes, when the naptha
remaining in the goods or materials will have been removed, and the operation
finished.
on;
I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not confine myself to any of
the above methods of operating; but what I claim is,―
First, the use and application of naptha for the purpose of cleansing silk, hair,
wool, yarn, and textile fabrics from tarry, fatty, oily, resinous or other similar
matters.

page_text: And, second, the use and application of high-pressure steam for the purpose
of removing the smell of naptha so used, as well as for removing smells
generally from silk, hair, wool, yarn, and textile fabrics.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Schischkar, have heretofore set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
EDWARD SCHISCHKAR. (L.S.)