IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF THE YARNS EXPRESSLY INTENDED TO BE USED AS WEFT IN THE OPERATION OF WEAVING FABRICS HAVING WHEN FINISHED A CRIMPED OR CRINKLED SURFACE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Eaton of 41 Corporation Street in the City of
Manchester in the County of Lancaster Commission Merchant for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF THE YARNS
EXPRESSLY INTENDED TO BE USED AS WEFT IN THE OPERATION OF WEAVING
FABRICS HAVING WHEN FINISHED A CRIMPED OR CRINKLED SURFACE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Eaton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th January 1883.
GEORGE EATON of 41 Corporation Street in the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster Commission Merchant IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION
OF THE YARNS EXPRESSLY INTENDED TO BE USED AS WEFT IN THE OPERATION
OF WEAVING FABRICS HAVING WHEN FINISHED A CRIMPED OR CRINKLED SURFACE
My invention relates to the preparation during the doubling process or
afterwards of the yarns expressly intended to be used as weft in the operation of
weaving either by power looms or by hand looms, fabrics having when finished a
crimped or crinkled surface in imitation of those foreign made fabrics known as
Canton or China crape, such as are made in Japan where I have resided many
years and obtained much insight into the arts and manufactures of that Country.
When these fabrics are woven by power, the looms employed are furnished with
drop shuttle boxes, and when they are woven by hand looms as in Japan, two or
more shuttles are required, and in both cases all the weft is hard or highly
twisted in the doubling process, the weft contained in one or more of the shuttles
being twisted in one direction (say from left to right) and the weft contained in
another or others of the shuttles being twisted in the contrary direction or from
right to left, and very much more than the ordinary amount of twist is given to
both kinds.
These highly twisted wefts however (unless some means be employed to prevent
it) have a tendency to kink and snarl whilst being woven especially during the

page_text: time they are freed from tension when left loosely in the shed by the shuttles, and
consequently the cloth is imperfectly made, having many unsightly knots and
lumps on its surface, which lessens its value and in fact renders it unsaleable.
Now the object of my invention is to prevent this tendency in the highly
twisted weft to kink and snarl whilst it is being woven into the cloth, and in
order to effect it, I apply size to the weft either during or after the doubling
process, taking most especial care that the full tension be maintained on the doubled
weft until the size is quite dry. The size agglutinates the fibres of the yarn,
and entirely prevents its contraction lengthwise, so that no kinking or snarling of
the weft can possibly occur during the time it is being woven into the cloth.
Therefore the chief feature of my invention consists in sizing such yarns and
threads as are doubled and are highly twisted in contrary directions, and
especially intended to be used as weft in the process of weaving crape fabrics only
for the purpose of preventing the self kinking or snarling of the weft whilst
being woven into the cloth.
When the woven cloth is removed from the loom it has the appearance of an
ordinary smooth fabric, and it does not crimp or crinkle until the size is either
washed out in the subsequent processes to which the cloth may be subjected, or in
the case of light fancy fabrics, is softened by steam; or otherwise, and then the weft
being no longer held extended by the size shrinks in the cloth, and being highly
twisted in contrary directions, it draws the surface of the cloth into permanent
crimps or puckers resembling the crape fabrics of foreign make.
The size I employ to effect the object of my invention is preferably made from
vegetable products, the most favorable results having been obtained from the use
of seaweed such as (for ordinary purposes) "Carngeen” or Irish moss, which
dissolves easily when steeped in fresh or rain water either warm or cold, but for
fine wool or silk fabrics either mixed or otherwise, I prefer to use size made from
the "Gracillaria Tennx" or gum weed, which is found on the coast of both China
and Japan.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Eaton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th July
1883.
GEORGE EATON of No 41 Corporation Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster-Commission Mercbant " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF THE
YARNS EXPRESSLY INTENDED TO BE USED AS WEFT IN THE OPERATION OF
WEAVING FABRICS HAVING WHEN FINISHED A CRIMPED OR CRINKLED SURFACE
"
The description of fabrics in the weaving of which, yarns prepared according to
my invention are expressly intended to be used, are known as Canton or China
crapes. They are largely manufactured in China and Japan in hand looms of
native construction. Silk, cotton and wool are all used in the manufacture of these
fabrics both separately and mixed or interwoven one with the other according to
the quality and style of fabric required.
The warps used whether of silk; wool or cotton, are of the ordinary kind
ind may be prepared in the ordinary way; my invention being confined entirely
to the preparation of the yarns intended expressly for the weft, which yarns in
order to obtain the crimped or crinkled surface necessary in the manufacture of
these crapes, must be hard or highly twisted. .
In the higher or finer class of crape fabrics, the yarn is usually doubled, that is,
two or more threads are twisted together, but in the lower qualities, only a single
thread of coarser yarn is used, and in both cases some threads are twisted from
right to left, and others from left to right, and these yarns are woven into the
piece alternately, that is to say, one or more picks of weft (say) twisted from left
to right are put into the piece first, and then one or more picks of weft twisted from
right to left, and so on. This, when weaving by power, makes it necessary to use
a drop box loom, that is, a loom capable of weaving with two or more shuttles at
once, according to the number of sorts of weft required.
These highly twisted yarns however, whether they be double or single, unless
proper means be applied to prevent it, have in consequence of the high amount
of twist they have received for the purpose of crimping the crape cloth, a constant
tendency to kink and snarl whilst being woven, especially that portion of the
weft between the selvage of the cloth and the shuttles, which portion is momentarily
without tension and looped at the commencement of the successive pick of each
shuttle respectively, and then it is that the kinks and snarls form in the loop of
the weft and are drawn into the shed, causing lumps and unsightly places on the
surface of the crape fabric which lessen its value.
The manufacture of these crape fabrics with highly twisted weft has already
been attempted in England, but has failed in every caso up to the present time.
The secret of these failures is, as I think, to be found in the fact that the Japanese
and Chinese size the weft before weaving, a process which has not heretofore been
known or tried in this Country.
Now the main feature of my invention consists in the means I employ to prevent
the constant tendency in the highly twisted weft to kink and snarl during the.
weaving process, and this I effect by means of size, preferably made from vegetable
products, which in the preparation of the weft, may be put into doubled yarns
before or during the doubling process, and in single yarns before the extra twist
is put in or in either case during the spinning of the yarn. It may also be found
practicable to size both the double and single weft yarn after it has been highly
twisted, in which case it will have to be stretched or held in tension till the size
dries otherwise it will kink and snarl and make thick places in the piece when
woven.

page_text: The size which I employ to effect the object of my invention is preferably made
from vegetable products the most favorable results being obtained from the use
of Sea weed, such as is soluble in water. The species of Sea weed however that
I specially prefer is the "Gracillaria Tenax" or Gumweed, which is found in largo
quantities on the coasts of both China and Japan-This size when dry possesses
a certain amount of flexibility, so that although it sufficiently agglutinates the
fibres of the weft yarn to set the twist and prevent all tendency to kink and snarl,
yet still allows the weft yarn to run freely from the shuttle.
When the crape cloth is woven, it has the appearance of a smooth faced fabric
and remains so until the size is washed out of the weft either in the bleaching,
dyeing or other process to which it may subsequently be subjected, or in order to
liberate the twist in the weft from the effects of the sizo, such fabrics are exposed
to moisture either in the shape of water or steam until the size is partially or
entirely dissolved, and then the twist in the weft yarn being relaxed by this
means, has a natural tendency to untwist again, but as each thread is held firmly
by the warp and weft threads which surround it, it can only kink or snarl to
a slight degree between each thread of the warp, and so by drawing the warp
ends closer together cause the piece to become narrower, and the cloth to assume
the desired crimped or crinkled appearance peculiar to Canton or China crapes.
Having now in compliance with the conditions of the Letters Patent, fully
described the nature, object, and advantages of my invention and explained the
way in which it is applied for the purpose of preventing tho kinking or snarling
of the yarns employed as weft in the manufacture of crape fabrics and the effect
thoroby produced, that which I now claim as my invention consists in as follows:—
that is to say-
First-I claim the use and application of size and especially vegetable size made
from the Gum weed (Gracillaria Tenax) or other soluble sea-weed, to the hard
or highly twisted yarns employed expressly as weft in the manufacture of China
or Canton crape, or such other similar fabrics as when woven and finished have a
crimped or crinkled surface produced by the same means.
Second I claim for the purpose of preventing the self kinking or snarling of
the hard or highly twisted yarns employed as weft in the weaving of Canton or
China crape and such like fabrics, the application of size to such weft in order
that such self kinking or snarling of such weft during the weaving process may be
entirely avoided.
In witness whereof I the said George Eaton have hereunto set my hand and
seal this nineteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.