IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OR PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE TEXTILE FIBRES, IN THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF SILK OR SILK WASTE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF YARNS OR THREADS, AND IN FINISHING AND DYEING THE SAME
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TREATMENT OR PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE TEXTILE FIBRES, IN THE
COMBINATION THEREWITH OF SILK OR SILK WASTE FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF YARNS OR THREADS, AND IN FINISHING AND DYEING THE SAME." A
communication from abroad by Jules Joseph Imbs, of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th August 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OR PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE
TEXTILE FIBRES, IN THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF SILK OR SILK WASTE FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF YARNS OR THREADS, AND IN FINISHING AND DYEING THE
SAME."
[A communication from abroad by Jules Joseph Imbs, of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates to a methodical series of treatments of long stapled
vegetable fibres, such as flax, hemp, china grass, and others, with a view to render
the fibres at once finer, more supple, more suited for spinning high numbers, better
adapted to receive the coloring matters by dyeing or printing, and if desired
suitable to be mixed after hackling or combing with silk waste. In this manner
yarns may be produced of a superior quality to those at present obtained.
The several treatments, the combined application of which constitutes the novel
method of the present Invention, are divided into two parts, viz., the treatments
before spinning and the treatments during the spinning operation, all of which
conduce to one and the same result.
TREATMENTS BEFORE SPINNING.
1st. Scouring Long Stapled Vegetable Textile Fibres.-The raw fibres are
ungummed in boiling water and soap in exactly the same way as silk after having
if necessary undergone a preliminary hackling or combing, the fibres being still
however considered merely as raw material. The ungumming process, which may
be dispensed with if the matters are to be dyed of a dark color, both bleaches and

page_text: 2nd. Mordanting.-The vegetable textile fibres are mordanted while in a raw
state, that is to say, before spinning. This mordanting of the raw fibres is a highly
important feature, as it permits of dyeing threads composed of vegetable and silky
fibres mixed in spinning without variegation of color. An ordinary mordant such
as acetate of alumina or tannic acid is used, the raw vegetable fibres being immersed
therein and afterwards dried.
3rd. Molecular Lubrication.-To facilitate the spinning operation and ulteriorly
the dyeing of vegetable textile fibres the matters are steeped in an emulsion of
water and a small quantity of olive oil. I then allow to dry thoroughly and oxidise
by exposure to the air.
4th. Silky Varnishes.-The fibres are dipped in a silk varnish solution, preferably
that obtained by dissolving silk waste in pure water at about 190° C. in closed
vessels. The silky varnish is fixed by subjecting it to the action of steam for
about an hour. As it is important that the whole of the fibres should be pene-
trated to an equal extent while undergoing the series of treatments above described,
and that they should also be readily agitated in the several baths, they are for this
purpose formed into stricks or bundles, as shown at C, Figure 1 of the accom-
panying Drawings, tied together at one end C¹ by a cord A, secured by a knot at B.
In this manner the raw fibres are operated on in a similar manner to hanks of
thread, this being an indispensable condition.
TREATMENT DURING SPINNING.
5th. Mechanical Separation of the Fibres.-It would be impossible to spin high
numbers or to mix the fibres, as hereinafter mentioned, without having previously
brought the textile fibres to their ultimate state of division by subjecting them to
a thorough beating and to the action of a powerful blower.
Figure 2 shows one of the different arrangements which may be employed for
the purpose. In this machine the stricks or bunches of fibres B are attached to a
drum A, which is driven at a high speed so as to cause them to strike against a
block C whereby they are softened.
6th. Hackling or Dressing.-The essential feature of this part of the process is
that it is graduated, beginning with coarse teeth followed by teeth of gradually
increasing fineness, or the operation may if requisite be performed by successive
stages.
Figure 3 shows one arrangement which may be employed. The fibres are to be
held by means of rods or holders upon the drum A, by the rotation of which the
fibres are drawn successively through bent teeth on the three pairs of rollers B, B¹,
C, C, D, D¹, each pair having teeth of increasing fineness set closer together, and
being also driven at increasing speeds. In this manner the fibres become more
and more finely divided as the operation progresses without being weakened.
7th. Supplementary Carding-In some cases the last operation may be followed
by a carding in order to still more perfectly divide the fibres.
8th. Mixing Dressed Flax and Combed Silk Waste.-Mixed fabrics composed of
threads of silk or silk waste and threads of vegetable textile fibres possess great
advantages both as regards economy as well as in other respects, but the dyeing of
these mixed fabrics is attended with much difficulty and inconvenience.
According to the present Invention it is proposed, instead of producing fabrics
composed of these two kinds of threads, to make the threads themselves of these
different materials, viz., of silk waste and vegetable textile fibres, intimately mixed
fibre with fibre, by which means a superior product will be obtained, as the
intermixture of these different fibres when properly effected may be made to
combine the qualities of each or neutralize their defects, facilitate dyeing to be
suited for the uses of linen, and constitute a new and cheap thread, is produced.
In order however to insure the obtention of this result it is necessary to make a
proper selection of the materials to be mixed, and to subject them to such treatment
as will ensure the production of good yarns. As regards the materials it has been

page_text: found that it is absolutely imperative with silk waste that the filaments to be
mixed therewith should be of an almost equal degree of fineness. It is well known
that silk waste is of extreme fineness with which no other material can compare,
but (and this is an essential feature of the Invention) by carrying the division of
certain fibres, flax for example, to an extreme point, it has been found that a
satisfactory result may be attained. To this end I employ the means herein before
described for preparing and effecting the mechanical separation of the filaments,
which are obtained of a minimum length of 8 to 10 centimetres (3 to 4 inches).
Below this length may be used, in exceptional cases, long stapled Georgia cotton,
but this is the extreme limit.
After having selected the vegetable matters suited for effecting the desired
mixture, the following are the special means employed in addition to those ordi-
niarly in use-1. Separate Hackling or Combing.-Each of the materials to be
spun together is dressed separately, those of a vegetable nature having if necessary
been previously mordanted, glazed, or varnished, lubricated, or otherwise treated
in order to facilitate the spinning and dyeing.
2. Mixing by Superposition of the Webs or Slivers of Dressed Material.—The
webs or slivers of the two materials are superposed and supplied to a spreader.
3. Repetition of the Lapping and Preparatory Treatments.-The lapping,
spreading, and passing of the fibres through the preparing machines of all kinds up
to the spinning operations should be considerably augmented and repeated as long
as the matters will bear it, in order that an intimate and absolutely uniform
mixture of the two matters may be effected.
4. Mode of Drawing.-The drawing is in all cases effected, even when a
mixture of cotton is employed, with the aid of gills or porcupines and drawing
rollers.
The above treatments, which when combined at least for the most part enable
threads of superior quality to be obtained, may be completed after spinning in
either of the two following ways, viz., (a) by coating the thread with a silk
varnish and then fixing it, or (b) by the application of color, previously thickened,
upon the thread for the purpose of dyeing the same, the coloring matter being
fixed by steam and washed. The object of this mode of coloring is to prevent the
silky matters absorbing too much of the coloring matter, for which they have a great
affinity, to the detriment of the vegetable fibres. The color may be applied by any
suitable mechanical means, or by simply steeping in the bath of thickened coloring
matter. The coloring matter will adhere mechanically before being chemically
combined.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th February 1880.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OR PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE
TEXTILE FIBRES, IN THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF SILK OR SILK WASTE FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF YARNS OR THREADS, AND IN FINISHING AND DYEING THE
SAME." A communication from abroad by Jules Joseph Imbs, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to a methodical series of treatments of long stapled
vegetable fibres, and more especially flax, with a view to render the fibres at once
finer, more supple, more suited for spinning high numbers, better adapted to
receive the coloring matters by dyeing or printing, and if desired, suitable to be
mixed after hackling or combing with silk waste, thus producing yarns and fabrics
of novel appearance and great utility.
The several treatments, the combined application of which constitutes the novel
method of the present Invention, are divided into three parts, viz., the treatments
before spinning, the treatments during spinning, and the treatments after spinning,
all of which conduce to one and the same result.
TREATMENTS BEFORE SPINNING.
1st. Scouring Long Stapled Vegetable Textile Fibres.-The raw fibres are
generally ungummed in boiling water with soda and soap, or other saponified fatty
matter, after being, if necessary, subjected to preliminary separating and beetling,
as hereinafter described, as well as a rough hackling or combing.
Mordanting. The vegetable textile materials are mordanted while in a raw
state, that is to say before spinning. This mordanting of the raw material is a
highly important feature, as it permits of dyeing threads composed of vegetable
and silky fibres mixed in spinning of a uniform color. An ordinary mordant such
as acetate of alumina or tannic acid is used, the raw vegetable fibres being immersed
therein and afterwards dried.
Molecular Oiling.-To facilitate ulteriorly the dyeing of vegetable textile fibres,
the matters are steeped in an emulsion of water and a small quantity of Gallipoli
oil, as used in Turkey red dyeing (huile tournante), or of sulpholeate. The matters
are then dried and oxidised by placing them in a stove, where they are allowed to
remain some considerable time. This oiling may serve instead of mordanting.
Silky Varnishes.-The fibres are dipped into a silk varnish solution, which may
be added if desired to the Gallipoli oil or sulpholeate, the solution preferred being
that obtained by dissolving silk waste in pure water at about 190° C. in closed
vessels. These treatments either wholly or in part might follow the operation of
spinning, or even of weaving according to circumstances instead of preceding the
spinning operation. As it is important that the whole of the fibres should be
penetrated to an equal extent while undergoing the series of treatments above
described, and that they should also be readily agitated in the several baths, they
are for this purpose formed into stricks or bundles, as shown at C Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings, tied together at one end C' by a cord A, secured by a
knot at B. In this manner the Bax fibres are operated on, similarly to hanks of
thread: this is indispensable.

page_text: state of sub-division. This is done by subjecting them to a thorough beating, and
to the action of a powerful blower, and to the other operations hereafter described.
Figure 2 shows one of the different arrangements which may be employed for the
purpose. In this machine the stricks or bunches of fibres B are attached to a drum
A which is driven at a bigh speed so as to cause them to strike against a block C
whereby they are softened, the block being capable of adjustment so as to strike at
different points of the fibres. The fibres may also be subjected with advantage to
the action of beetles or hammers for the purpose of softening them. The peculiar
features of this treatment consist,-(1.) In applying it to webs or slivers of a certain
regular thickness; (2.) In applying an elastic cushion beneath the web or sliver to
receive the blow of the beetles or hammers; (3.) In employing rollers or other
means to prevent the intermixture of the fibres and maintain their parrellelism.
This operation is first of all performed upon the raw material, but it may also
when possible be applied to the scoured fibres immediately before they are spun,
so that nothing shall afterwards impair the lustre and softening effect produced by
the beetling operation.
The mechanical separation of the fibres is effected in a machine, such as that
represented in Figure 4 or its equivalent, in which the sliver is caused to pass over
or around a series of fine toothed rollers or porcupines. The sliver passes between
the fluted drawing rollers A, A, whereby it is drawn and the fibre penetrated and
separated by the teeth of the porcupine rollers.
Sufficient space is left between the porcupine rollers to allow of the boon, knots,
and other refuse falling down. The operation is then repeated thereby forming
webs or slivers, which are then either scoured and treated in the manuer before
described, or submitted to the operation of beetling, to render which effectual the
webs should be well opened out and of uniform thickness.
The process of separating the fibres may be effected with advantage both before
and after the beetling or hammering, or alternately therewith.
By these repeated treatments hackling may in some cases be dispensed with for
certain kinds of flax which may be passed on at once to the spinner.
Hackling or Dressing-The essential feature of this part of the process is that it
is graduated and performed at a high speed beginning with coarse teeth followed by
teeth of gradually increasing fineness and with a gradually increasing speed. The
hackling may if requisite be performed by successive operations.
Figure 3 shows one arrangement which may be employed. The fibres are to be
held by means of rods or holders upon the drum A by the rotation of which the
fibres are drawn snccessively through flexible bent teeth in the three pairs of
rollers BB¹, CC, DD', each pair having teeth of increasing fineness set close
together, and being also driven at increasing speeds. In this manner the fibres
become more and more finely divided as the operation progresses without being
weakened. The essential feature of novelty in this method of hackling flax consists
in the employment of flexible bent teeth set in shuts or fillets, which do not injure
the fibres although travelling at a high speed, instead of using rigid straight teeth
as hitherto.
According to the present Invention it is proposed to make yarns or threads of silk
waste and flax, intimately mixed fibre with fibre, by which means a superior product
will be obtained, as the intermixture of these different fibres when properly effected
may be made to combine the qualities of each or neutralize their defects, and con-
stitute a new kind of yarn or thread. In order however to ensure the obtainment
of this result it is necessary that the filaments to be mixed should be of an almost
equal degree of fineness. The filaments of silk waste are however extremely fine,
but by carrying the division of flax fibres to an extreme point (which is an essential
feature of the Invention), it has been found that a satisfactory result may be
attained. To this end I employ the means hereinbefore described for preparing
and effecting the mechanical separation of the fibres, the operations being repeated
if necessary. The following are the special means employed in addition to those
ordinarily in use.

page_text: Separate Hackling or Combing.-Each of the materials to be spun together is
dressed separately, those of a vegetable nature having, if necessary, been previously
mordanted, varnished, oiled, or otherwise treated in order to increase their affinity
for the dye.
Mixing by Superposition of the Webs or Slivers of Dressed Material.-The webs
or slivers of the two materials are superposed and supplied to a spreader.
Repetition of the Preparatory Treatment.-The spreading and passing of the
fibres through the preparing machines of all kinds up to the spinning operations
should be considerably augmented and repeated as long as the matters will bear it, in
order that an intimate and absolutely uniform mixture of the two matters may be
effected, and the flax fibres be brought to a still finer condition.
These repeated
treatments form a very important feature of the Invention.
Supplemental Division of the Fibres.-In order to obtain a still more thorough
separation of the fibres, as well as a more intimate mixture of the two materials,
the following means are employed which resembles that represented in Figure 4.
Figure 5 shows the arrangement in which the web B, B, of flax, either alone or
mixed with silky fibres, is drawn between a series of fluted rollers A, A, and is held
by the pressure of rollers C, C, in contact with the fine toothed rollers I, I. This
operation is repeated as often as necessary. The machine may also be otherwise
arranged, its object being to produce a still finer product than that obtained by the
machine before described.
III. TREATMENT AFTER SPINNING.
These treatments are those indicated in Section 1, and consist in scouring,
mordanting, oiling, and varnishing, and may be applied to the material either before
or after spinning, or after weaving. With yarns thus prepared and a warp of raw
silk a new kind of fabric may be obtained of any thickness, which can be dyed in
the piece, the fibres not being liable to break in weaving, and which may be
rendered of any stiffness by dressing, This system has only hitherto been
practicable with very thin fabrics such as foulards, crapes, &c., whereas it can be
practised with great advantage by using weft formed of yarns prepared according
to this Invention. I reserve the right of employing the whole or a portion only of
the means herein before described, as well as of varying the order of the several
operations if found desirable. I may also use either flax or tow.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is the improved processes herein described,
and the yarns or fabrics manufactured by the said processes, and particularly the
following treatment of flax.
1st. Scouring operations performed either before or after a preliminary beetling
or hammering, separating or hackling, as described.
2nd. Mordanting, oiling, or varnishing the flax in one or several operations before
or after spinning, or applied to the fabrics before dyeing.
3rd. The beating operations described.
4th. The beetling or hammering process described, consisting in forming a web or
sliver, placing it upon an elastic cushion maintaining the parallelism of the fibres
by rollers or their equivalents placed before and behind the beetles, the said
treatment being applied if necessary to the flax after it has been scoured, mordanted,
oiled and varnished.
5th. The system of separating the fibres by passing the web of filaments between
rollers and in contact with fine toothed cylinders, as specified.
6th. The system of hackling at graduated speeds, and also the employment in
hackling flax of bent flexible teeth fixed in sheets or fillets in the manner of cards.
7th. The intermixture in spinning of dressed silk waste and flax by repeated
lapping and spreading operations, and the employment of machines for dividing the
fibres, as described.

page_text: 8th. The combination in weaving of weft (or velvet pile) formed of the threads
lustred by a warp or raw silk, the whole forming a fabric which may be of any
thickness, capable of being dyed in the piece and of being dressed to any degree of
stiffness.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)