Preparatory to Unwinding or Carding the Silk therefrom.
Year: 1886

page_text: Preparatory to Unwinding or Carding the Silk therefrom.
We ERNEST DONNER of Brussels (Belgium) Gentleman and EUGÈNE CORSEL
of Paris (France) Gentleman 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:-
Our Invention has for its object to provide means whereby the gum of Cocoons
of Silk Worms (notably Tusser and other bard species) is so acted upon as to
soften the said Cocoons sufficiently (but no more than is necessary) for rendering.
them fit to be unwound or carded-The said means consist in the composition and
use as hereinafter described of a solvent to act as a dissolving and disintegrating
agent by itself or in conjunction with other chemicals or with secondary or accessory,
elements for the purpose of softening the Cocoons preparatory to unwinding or
carding the silk therefrom. The strength of the solvent and the time required for
obtaining the desired effect can be regulated in accordance with the hardness of
the cocoons to be treated.
By the action of the said solvent and the manner of applying it to the Cocoons
the gum of the same is partly dissolved and partly disintegrated the disintegrated
part of the gum retaining only such consistency as is sufficient to prevent the
fibres of the Cocoons from sliding and becoming entangled. Treatment according.
to our Invention affects only the gum of the Cocoons and does not impair or
diminish the natural strength brilliancy and elasticity of the silk which result we
believe bas never before been realized by means of a chemical process.
After treatment according to our Invention not the slightest difficulty is.
experienced in reeling off singly the Cocoons whereby the great advantage is
secured in the case of operating on Tusser Cocoons of obtaining Tusser Silk of the
finest description the value of which considerably exceeds that of the coarser
Tusser Silk as it is now obtained.
The cost of the solvent and of the method of applying the same are trifling
when compared with the greater value which the Silk acquires when treated
according to our Invention.
The aforesaid solvent is composed of or contains Borax and Ammonia which act
so as to soften the Cocoons and have a dissolving and reducing or disintegrating
effect on the gum of the Cocoons but have no injurious action on the Silk. The
other materials which we may use in conjunction with the Borax and Ammonia
are more especially calculated to scour the Silk and impart softness to the same
and there are many such materials suitable for this purpose as for instance soap,
emulsions of non drying oils (Olive Oil, ground nut oil and the like) and vegetable
saponifyers (obtained from the bark of Quillaja Saponaria the root of Gypsophylla

page_text: Struthium the stem of Lychiris Dioica the nut of Sapindus emarginatus the seed
of Acacia concinna and the like) but Borax and Ammonia constitute the essential
part of our solvent and a great variety of materials may be associated with them
for the secondary but nevertheless important object of scouring and softening
the silk.
From among the hereinbefore enumerated materials which may be associated
with Borax and "Ammonia in the preparation of our solvent we give as a rule the
preference to soap as being more easily and readily procurable and most economical.
We give the following as the best means with which we are acquainted for carrying
our Invention into practical effect.
We take twenty five parts by weight of Borax eighteen and three quarter parts
by weight of Ammonia of 16° Baumé and six and a quarter parts by weight of soap
or thereabout and we dissolve these ingredients in a larger or smaller quantity of
water according to the hardness of the Cocoons on which we have to operate and
this may vary with Cocoons of the same species which may present great variety
as regards hardness.
For Tusser Cocoons the quantity of water for the quantity of the ingredients
aforesaid varies from one thousand to fifteen hundred parts by weight a thousand
parts being the quantity suitable for the quality called Boruras and fifteen hundred
parts for the thinnest called Larias or Bogius whilst for Assam Mugas, Chinese
Tusser Yama Mai Selene, Arindia, Eria, and other similar species from fifteen
hundred to two thousand parts of water are required and for Mulberry worm
Cocoons and similar delicate species from three thousand to five thousand part
of water may be used.
To the solvent prepared as hereinbefore stated I may add when it is required
to impart additional softness to the silk from five to ten parts by weight of Olive
oil or ground nut oil, or any other non drying oil capable of forming an emulsion
when brought into contact with a solution of Borax:
Taking that one part of the solvent or mixture in all instances means a weight
of one pound, one thousand parts of the more or less diluted chemical solution or
mixture as hereinbefore specified will suffice for softening ten thousand to eighteen
thousand Tusser Cocoons according to their size or eighteen to twenty thousand
Assam Mugas Chinese Tusser or other Cocoons of the same size or about sixty
thousand Cocoons of the Mulberry worms and other similar species.
The solvent having been prepared as hereinbefore stated in a suitable boiler
vessel or apparatus capable of being heated by any suitable means such as by an
ordinary fire or by steam. We raise the temperature of the said solvent to that
of boiling water or thereabouts and we immerse the cocoons therein (or we pour
the boiling solvent over the cocoons after having placed them in a suitable boiler
vessel or apparatus) and we keep them immersed for say 18 to 24 hours allowing
the temperature of the solvent to decline naturally, watching the process during
about the last 6 hours and stopping further action when the desired effect is
obtained that is to say when we find that the outer coat of silk of the cocoons can
be raised by a gentle action of the finger. We then either let the exhausted
solvent run out of the boiler vessel or apparatus (or we remove the cocoons to
another vessel or apparatus) and we then allow the cocoons to drain. exposing them
at the same time to a heat originally raised to about 212° Fahrenheit which we
allow to lower naturally. About twenty four hours after this last operation we
steam the cocoons in the same vessel or apparatus or in an apparatus especially
made for that purpose during a sufficient time say between one and three hours for
expelling out of them any of the solvent which they may still contain or have
retained. They are then fit for being unwound and reeled or carded.
We treat in the herein before stated manner the Tusser, Assam Muga, Chinese
Tusser and other similar cocoons. Mulberry worm cocoons and other similar
delicate kinds are treated by dipping the same from two to five minutes (according
to their hardness) into the weakest solvent and then steaming them for a few
minutes,

page_text: The boilers vessels or apparatus employed may be of any suitable size shape or
form without affecting the final result or efficiency of the process provided that
such boilers vessels or apparatus be so constructed and erected that they can be
properly heated and are fitted with cocks or other means for the inlet and outlet of
liquids and for the inlet of steam. The essential feature of our invention consists
in the use of Borax and Ammonia in conjunction if necessary with other secondary
or accessory materials for the purpose of dissolving and desintegrating the gum of
the cocoons and scouring or cleansing the silk thereof preparatory to unwinding
and reeling or carding the silk therefrom.
By the treatment as hereinbefore described the solvent is applied hottest when
the cocoons are hard and best capable of resisting its action without bursting; the
action of the solvent decreasing gradually as the temperature thereof declines and
as the cocoons become softer and more liable to burst and when the cocoons are
afterwards allowed to drain under exposure to heat the solvent which they have
retained continues to act on the gum of the cocoons but in a still lesser degree, and
finally when the cocoons are steamed for expelling out of them the last remnants
of the solvent any further action of the solvent is stopped.
The cocoons thus treated can be unwound or carded moist (or as this is generally
termed "dry") and yield silk as clean, brilliant, elastic, and crisp, as if they had
been unwound in the pan.
We do not restrict ourselves to the hereinbefore stated proportions of the
materials employed as hereinbefore mentioned to form the solvent as the said
proportions may be varied to suit the kinds or species of cocoons to be treated.
Nor do we restrict ourselves to using soap and non drying oil in conjunction
with Borax and Ammonia for preparing our solvent as other saponifyers in con-
junction with Borax and Ammonia may be used.
Neither do we restrict ourselves to the exact times hereinbefore stated for the
different stages of the process as these times may vary more or less with varying
circumstances.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of this Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1st. The treatment of cocoons of silk preparatory to unwinding or carding the
silk therefrom by means of a solution or solvent consisting of or containing Borax
and Ammonia substantially as hereinbefore explained.
2nd. The use of a solution or solvent consisting of Borax and Ammonia and some
saponifyer be it solid or liquid soap or a decoction of saponine yielding vegetables
or plants for scouring and cleansing the silk or of Borax and Ammonia or Borax,
Ammonia and a saponifyer and an emulsion of non drying oils for softening the silk
all substantially as herein before described.
3rd. The herein before described process of preparing cocoons of silk preparatory
to unwinding or carding the silk therefrom of which process the essential features
are scalding the cocoons with the hot solvent and macerating them therein under
gradually decreasing temperature draining under exposure to heat and then
steaming whereby a properly graduated effect of the solvent on the cocoons is
obtained all substantially as hereinbefore described.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
Agent for the said Ernest Donner and
Eugène Corsel.