Improvements in Treating and Preparing Tussur and other Wild Silk Cocoons and in the Application of the Silk obtained therefrom to the Manufacture of Lace, Knitted Warp, and other Fabrics.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 17th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 18th Jan., 1887.
Improvements in Treating and Preparing Tussur and other Wild Silk
Cocoons and in the Application of the Silk obtained therefrom
to the Manufacture of Lace, Knitted Warp, and other Fabrics.
.
I HENRY BIRKBECK of 34 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex
Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:—
This invention relates to the use and application of the silk obtained from Tussur
(Tussah) and other wild silk cocoons after being treated prepared and spun in the
manner hereinafter described to the manufacture of lace knitted warp and other
fabrics.
According to my improvements Tussur and other wild silk cocoons are treated as
follows.
Each cocoon is tied up or covered with cloth-paper, wire gauze or other suitable
material separately or they are placed in separate divisions in such manner as to admit
of their being boiled or prepared for reeling separately so that the operator can wash
them thoroughly in several changes of water to prepare them to the required degree
of softness without opening or removing the coverings or disarranging the outer
filaments thus avoiding loss and waste so that the cocoons may yield the maximum
amount of reeled silk.
The solutions found to be most advantageous for the preparation of the cocoons of
Tussur and other cocoons are composed of carbonate of soda and glycerine boiled in
an ordinary digester (or other vessel admitting of pressure being applied during
boiling in which case a smaller quantity of carbonate of soda and glycerine may be
used if the pressure is high) until the cocoons are rendered quite soft.
The vessel must be opened from time to time and the cocoons found to be soft are
taken out. In this way the cocoons in their separate coverings can be prepared to any
desired degree of softness without loss of reelable silk.

page_text: After the cocoons have been softened and thoroughly rinsed in water for some
purposes they are impregnated with solutions of various kinds to subject them to treat-
ment by chemicals dyes and other reagents before recling and while the cocoons are
still in their coverings.
The arrangement for throwing the silk direct from the cocoons is as follows.
The threads from the cocoons are carried up from basins or receptacles to glass
hooks kept moistened with water they may then be passed through hot water if
required and then conducted over glass or other suitable rods to the pliers of a
spinning frame from which the threads pass to the bobbins on to which they are wound
and distributed on the bobbins by the action of the slow motion communicated from a
small pulley to a large wheel which actuates a heart shaped cam which cam moves
suitable rails and thus distributes the silk in even layers the amount of twist being
regulated by the tension.
The same machine can be used for throwing silk previously reeled by substituting
bobbins on which silk has been wound in place of cocoons.
By the above process and means Tussur silk can be made so fine as to render it
suitable for making lace of the finest description and yarn for knitting purposes can
be made of any desired degree of fineness.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Treating and Preparing Tussur and other Wild Silk
Cocoons and in the Application of the Silk obtained therefrom
to the Manufacture of Lace, Knitted Warp, and other Fabrics..
1 HENRY BIRKBECK of 34 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex
Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me
from Thomas Fraser Peppe, Opium Agent of Shahabad, Bengal, India) 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 the treatment and the use and application of the silk
obtained from India Tussur (Tussah) silk cocoons after being treated, prepared, reeled
or spun in the manner hereinafter described, to the manufacture of lace knitted warp
and other fabrics, and for other purposes.
According to my improvements Tussur silk cocoons are treated as follows :-
Each cocoon is tied up or covered separately with cloth, paper, wire gauze, or other
suitable material or they are placed in separate divisions or otherwise kept separate in
such manner as to admit of their being boiled or prepared for reeling separately
so that the operator can wash them thoroughly in several changes of water to prepare
them to the required degree of softness without opening or removing the coverings or
disarranging the outer filaments of the cocoons thus avoiding loss and waste so that
the cocoons may yield the maximum amount of reeled silk.
When the cocoons are tied up separately each one is covered and tied up inside either
a piece of thin cotton cloth of a rather fine texture, paper known in India as "Nepaul
paper," wire gauze, or with other suitable material."
When not tied up as above described they are each placed in separate divisions or
otherwise kept separate in the receptacle in which they are boiled or prepared in either
case either with or without the chemical solutions hereafter described.
The solutions found to be most advantageous for the preparation of these cocoons
are composed of carbonate of soda and glycerine boiled in an ordinary digester (or
other vessel admitting of pressure being applied during boiling in which case a smaller
quantity of carbonate of soda and glycerine may be used if the pressure is high) until
the cocoons are rendered quite soft.
The vessel must be opened from time to time and the cocoons found to be soft are
taken out. In this way, the cocoons separately or in their separate coverings can be
prepared to any desired degree of softness without loss of reelable silk.
After the cocoons have been softened and thoroughly rinsed in water, for some
purposes they are impregnated with solutions of various kinds or subjected to treat-
ment by chemicals, dyes and other reagents before reeling and while the cocoons are
still in their coverings.
The following description of the apparatus for throwing the silk direct from the
cocoons is given in order to show the whole process of obtaining the improved silk
herein described and claimed; but this apparatus which I find advantageous to use
need not therefore be more particularly described or illustrated. Other suitable

page_text: machines could also be used with advantage for twisting and reeling Indian Tussur
silk cocoons treated and prepared in accordance with this improved method.
The arrangement of the apparatus is as follows:-
The threads from the cocoons are carried up from basins or receptacles to glass
hooks kept moistened with water; they are then passed through hot water if required
(to remove some or all of the gum &c.) and then conducted over glass or other
suitable rods to the fliers of a spinning frame from which the threads pass to the
bobbins on to which they are wound and distributed by the action of the slow motion
communicated from a small pulley to a large wheel which actuates a heart shaped
cam which cam moves suitable rails and thus distributes the silk in even layers, and
the required amount of twist can be given, being regulated by the tension.
By the above process and means Tussur silk can be made so fine as to render it
suitable for making lace of the finest description, and yarn for knitting purposes can
be made of almost any desired degree of fineness.
Tussur silk treated and prepared in accordance with this improved process is of
better quality and of greater softness and lustre than hitherto, and with the greater
evenness of the thread obtained by careful reeling a silk is produced capable of being
used for many useful purposes.
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 :—
1. The improved process of preparing Indian Tussur silk cocoons by tying up each
cocoon in a separate cover or placing them in separate cells or divisions and afterwards
subjecting them to the treatment hereinbefore described all substantially in the manner
and for the purpose herein before set forth.
2. The use and application of the silk obtained from Indian Tussur silk cocoons
treated and prepared in the manner and for the purpose herein before described to the
manufacture of lace, warp, knitted, woven and other fabrics.
3. The improved treatment and preparation of Indian Tussur silk cocoons as herein-
before described and the general application of the silk obtained thereby.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.