A Process for Producing Crimping Effects on Fabrics.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1898 -Accepted, 18th Feb., 1899
A Process for Producing Crimping Effects on Fabrics.
I, EDUARD SIEFERT-SCHWAB, of Neunkirchen, Lower Austria, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;―
This invention relates to a novel process for producing crimping effects on
fabrics either of pure wool or wool mixed with silk or cotton by treating such
fabrics in places with substances which, upon the subsequent steaming of the
fabric. cause the woollen fibres to contract upon those portions which have been
impregnated with the said substances.
It has long been known that concentrated sulphuric, phosphoric, hydrochloric
ether and arsenic acids cause woollen fibres to contract. If, for example a woollen
fabric is impressed or impregnated in parts with a reserve which resists the acid
to be employed and then treated with such acid, the fibre contracts at the places
which have not been impregnated with the reserve and a crimping effect is
produced.
Such processes are, however, either impracticable or involve great difficulty in
carrying them into practice, as the fibres are readily attacked by the concentrated
acids, and the reserves only incompletely resist their action.
An impression or impregnation of the material with these acids, such as is
effected with cotton goods, by means of alkalies cannot be practically employed.
The novelty of our process consists in the fact that the contraction of the
woollen fibres is not effected by means of a substance which is instantaneous in
its action, but by means of such substances as only exhibit the crimping effect
after a subsequent steaming. These substances are of very diverse composition,
but their action is but slight and they do not injure the fibres.
Amongst such substances attention may be especially called to: sulphites or
bi-sulphites of the alkalies or alkaline earths, also sulphocyanide salts and some
of the readily soluble chlorides such as zinc and calcium chloride and so forth.
Amongst organic substances may be mentioned; tartaric acid and citric acid
in highly concentrated solutions, and also resorcin. The main feature of our
invention however, resides in the subsequent steaming without stretching the
material.
All the above named substances cause the fibres to contract only upon condition
that absolutely no resistance is offered to such contraction. It should also be
remarked that the steaming, whether under pressure or not, is to be continued
until the desired effect is produced, and no longer.
A bleached woollen material, for example may be impressed or impregnated
with a mixture consisting of one litre of tragacanth water and one kilo-
gramme of sulphocyanide potassium; the goods are then dried and either
lightly laid out one upon the other or steamed in the usual manner for about
a quarter of an hour under a pressure of half an atmosphere, care being invariably
taken that (1) the steam is able to enter freely upon all sides and (2) that the
contraction of the material is not impeded in any way. The fibres will have then

page_text: become strongly contracted upon the impregnated parts, whilst upon those por-
tions of the material which have not been so impregnated, they retain their
natural form, and in this manner the crimping effect is produced. After the
steaming has taken place the material is washed and dried."
It will of course be understood that the same result will likewise be obtained
if the material is first impregnated with either mechanically or chemically acting
reserves and subsequently treated with substances which cause contraction, or if
the material is first impregnated with the substances which cause contraction and
then impressed with such a chemically acting substance as will stop the action
of the first substance.
The said effects may be produced on raw or bleached places or those dyed or
printed in the usual manner and likewise upon half wool materials. Dyeing or
colouring substance may also be added to the substance which causes contraction
such colouring matter being fixed by the steaming, or there may be added such
substances as will attack the shades or nuances previously dyed or printed.
In the same manner colouring matter or corrosive substances may be added to
the mechanically or chemically acting reserves, when this process is employed.
Dated this 19th dure of Wolmiom 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, EDUARD SIEFERT-SCHWAB, of Neunkirchen, Lower Austria, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to a novel process for producing crimping effects on
fabrics either of pure wool or wool mixed with silk or cotton, by treating such
fabrics in places with substances which, upon the subsequent steaming of the
fabric, cause the woollen fibres to contract upon those portions which have been
impregnated with the said substances.
It has long been known that concentrated sulphuric, phosphoric, hydrochloric
ether and arsenic acids cause woollen fibres to contract. If, for example, a woollen
fabric is impressed or impregnated in parts with a reserve which resists the acid
to be employed and then treated with such acid, the fibre contracts at the places
which have not been impregnated with the reserve and a crimping effect is
produced.
Such processes are, however, either impracticable or involve great difficulty in
carrying them into practice, as the fibres are readily attacked by the concentrated
acids and the reserves only incompletely resist their action.
An impression or impregnation of the material with these acids, such as is
effected with cotton goods, by means of alkalies cannot be practically employed.
The novelty of the improved process consists in the fact that the contraction of the
woollen fibres is not effected by means of a substance which is instantaneous in
its action, but by means of such substances as only exhibit the crimping effect
after a subsequent steaming. These substances are of very diverse composition.
but their action is but slight and they do not injure the fibres.
Amongst such substances attention may be especially called to: sulphites or

page_text: bi-sulphites of the alkalies or alkaline earths, also sulphocyanide salts and some
of the readily soluble chlorides such as zinc and calcium chloride and so forth.
Amongst organic substances may be mentioned: tartaric acid and citric acid
in highly concentrated solutions, and also resorcin. The main feature of our
invention, however, resides in the subsequent steaming without stretching the
material.
All the above named substances cause the fibres to contract only upon condition
that absolutely no resistance is offered to such contraction. It should also be
remarked that the steaming, whether under pressure or not, is to be continued
until the desired effect is produced, and no longer.
A bleached woollen material, for example, may be impressed or impregnated
in parts with a mixture consisting of one litre of tragacanth water and one kilo-
gramme of sulphocyanide of potassium; the goods are then dried and either steamed
when lightly laid out one upon the other or steamed in the usual manner for about
a quarter of an hour under a pressure of half an atmosphere, care being invariably
taken that, (1) the steam is able to enter freely upon all sides and (2) that the
contraction of the material is not impeded in any way. The fibres will have then
become strongly contracted upon the impregnated parts, whilst upon those por-
tions of the material which have not been so impregnated, they retain their
natural form, and in this manner the crimping effect is produced. After steaming
has taken place the material is washed and dried.
It will of course be understood that the same result will likewise be obtained
if the material is first impregnated with either mechanically or chemically acting
reserves and subsequently treated with substances which cause contraction, or if
the material is first impregnated as a whole with the substances which cause con-
traction and then impressed in parts with such a chemically acting substance as
will stop the action of the first substance.
The effects mentioned may be produced upon either crude or bleached wool, or
upon wool dyed or printed by the usual process, or on like (or similarly treated)
half-woollens.
To the astringent substance that is to say, a substance which in itself is an
acid as tartaric and citric acid--or a substance capable of liberating acid in the
subsequent steaming process, as the sulphocyanates, zinc and calcium chloride,
or the bisulphites which by this (acid liberating) process will effect the contrac-
tion or shrinkage of the wool fibre,there may be added a dye-stuff which, during
the steaming and shrinking stage, will become fixed. Or a caustic agent, such as
tin-salt, may be added to the above-mentioned astringent substances; when such
caustic agent will, in the process of steaming, destroy certain colouring matters,
such as poppy-colour, wherewith the material which is to be prepared for printing,
may have been previously dyed or printed.
These identical compounds may also be used in conducting operations after
another method; viz. instead of applying the astringent substances direct, by
printing, the textile material may first be printed with a reserve" (or resist"),
which will have the effect of protecting the fabric, at the parts thus printed, from
the contracting action of those substances, wherewith the said fabric or material
may then be safely treated and steamed. The action of these reserves may be
purely mechanical, as in the case of gum or albumen water; or their object may
be to neutralize the acid of the astringent substances, as in the case of chalk or
oxide of zinc (zincite).
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
A process for the production of crimping effects on fabrics either of pure wool
or wool mixed with silk or cotton, characterised by the impregnation in parts of
these materials with sulphites and bi-sulphites of the alkalies and the alkaline
earths, sulphocyanide salts, highly soluble chlorides or concentrated solution of

page_text: tartaric or citric acids, resorcin and the like and by subsequent steaming, whereby
the impressed or impregnated parts of the fabric are caused to contract thus pro-
ducing a crimping effect as compared with the non-impregnated parts.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.