IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATIONS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH THE DYRING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS AND FARRICS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Pollock, of the Milton Dye Works, James-
town, in the County of Dumbarton, North Britain, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATIONS AND APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH THE
DYRING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS AND FARRICS"
:
>
Sealed the 9th June 1874, and dated the 10th March 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Pollock at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th March 1874.
I, ROBERT. POLLOCK, of the Milton Dye Works, Jamestown, in the
County of Dumbarton, North Britain, do hereby declare. the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATIONS AND APPARATUS CON
NECTED WITH THE DYEING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS AND FABRICS," to be as
follows, that is to say:―
.
;
This Invention relates to improvements in operations and apparatus
O employed in dyeing textile materials and fabrics, and is applicable to
any of the processes in which the textile materials or fabrics have to be
treated with a liquid, or with dyes, or other substances held in solution
or in suspension in a liquid.

page_text: As applied to the main process of dyeing the Invention consists in
causing the dye liquor to circulate in a systematic and uniform manner
in contact with the textile materials or fabrics, the latter being held or
suspended so as to be stationary or nearly so.
In one modification of apparatus for carrying out the Invention in the
case of yarns, the hanks or skeins are suspended on rods placed hori-
zontally across the upper part of the dye vat, and the dye liquor is
drawn out from the bottom of the vat by means of a centrifugal or
other suitable pump, and is continually returned to the top, so that it
moves downwards in contact with the yarns. Perforated diaphragms are
by preference fitted both above and below the space containing tho
yarns to distribute and equalise the currents of the dyeing liquor. In this
arrangement the currents are parallel with the yarns; but the yarns
may, if preferred, be held so that the currents cross them at any desired
angle.
The dye liquor may be made to flow in other than vertical currents.
It is however preferred to have the currents vertical, or nearly so.
In the case of woven fabrics it may be more convenient to have the
currents horizontal, the fabric being suspended in vertical folds, but in
such a case the liquor must be kept well mixed, so as to act equally at
different heights.
The dye liquor may be made to flow in the desired currents by pumps
or any other suitable means, such as paddles or screws; or when steam
is employed it may be introduced in a jet or jets directed so as to produce
the desired currents.
.
:
The Invention is especially advantageous in the dyeing of Turkey red
yarns, and woven fabrics, as it may be employed not only in dyeing
them, but also in the oiling process, in the galling and mordanting
processes, in the clearing process, and in the various washing operations.
The Invention is however obviously applicable with various dyes and 8
with various kinds of textile materials and fabrics, and in all its
applications is expected to yield improved colors, with diminished
fatigue of the textile materials and fabrics operated upon, with increased
economy in the dye stuffs and substances employed, and with reduced
labor....

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Pollock in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th September 1874.
TO ALL. TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
POLLOCK, of the Milton Dye Works, Jamestown, in the County of
Dumbarton, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Pollock, Her special licence that
I, the said Robert Pollock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Pollock, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATIONS AND APPARATUS CON-
NECTED WITH THE DYEING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS AND FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Pollock, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Pollock, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be.
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the.
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to improvements in operations and apparatus
employed in dyeing textile materials and fabrics, and is applicable to
any of the processes in which the textile materials or fabrics have to be
treated with a liquid, or with dyes or other substances held in solution
or in suspension in a liquid.

page_text: As applied to the main process of dyeing my Invention consists in
causing the dye liquor to circulate in a systematic and uniform manner
in contact with the textile materials or fabrics, the latter being licld or
suspended so as to be stationary or nearly so.
The dye liquor may be made to flow in the desired currents by
centrifugal or other pumps, or by any other suitable means, such as
paddles or screws; or when steam is employed it may be introduced in
a jet or jets directed so as to produce the desired currents.
My Invention is especially advantageous in the dyeing of Turkey red
'yarns and woven fabrics, as it may be employed not only in dyeing
them, but also in the oiling process, in the galling and mordanting
processes, in the clearing process, and in the various washing operations.
My Invention is however obviously applicable with various dyes and
with various kinds of textile materials and fabrics, and in all its
applications will, I expect, yield improved colors, with diminished
fatigue of the textile materials and fabrics operated upon, with increased
economy in the dye stuffs and substances employed, and with reduced
labor.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be hercin-after referred to, and representing a
modification of my improved apparatus as arranged for dyeing Turkey
red yarns. In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a plan, Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical
section, and Figure 3 is a side clevation.
The dye vat is a long rectangular wooden vessel 1, having transverse
vertical partitions 2 near each end, which partitions divide. off com-
partments to contain the current producing apparatus, but do not reach
either the top or bottom of the vat. In each end compartment there are
two partitions 3, between which there is a centrifugal pump 4 fast on a
horizontal shaft 5, passing out through a stuffing box in the end of the
vat, and driven by means of a pulley and belt, or as I prefer by means
of a small direct-acting steam engine, for which a crank pin disc 6. is
fixed on the end of the shaft. The partitions 3 on cach side of the
pump 4 are formed with apertures at the middle to admit the liquid to

page_text: the centre of the pump, and the currents produced are directed by
valves 7 at the tops and bottoms of the three spaces, into-which each
cnd compartment is divided by the partitions 3. The middle valves 7
are shown closed at the top and open at the bottom; with which
positions the pumps will draw the liquid down from the upper part of
the vat and through the side spaces, and will force it out from the
bottom of the middle spaces. This action will produce upward currents
in the main space of the vat between the partitions 2; but downward
currents are produced in this part on changing the positions of the
valves 7, for which purpose these valves are provided with spindles 8
passing out through stuffing boxes in the side of the vat, and having"
levers 9 fixed on their outer ends. These valve levers 9 have slotted
ends, and are all acted on by pins on a horizontal bar 10, moving
horizontally in guides 11, and itself acted on by a hand lever 12, so that
a single movement of this hand lever serves for reversing all the
valves 7. This reversing of the valves 7 can be effected without stopping
the centrifugal pumps 4, and it is in practice advantageous to thus
reverse the currents periodically, as the action on the textile materials or
fabrics is thereby rendered uniform. Covers 13 (not shown in Figure 1)
are fixed over the end compartments to prevent the liquid from being
thrown out of the vat by the pumps, and a curved surface 14 is formed
above the flat bottom of the vat to guide the currents so as to diminish
resistance, and at the same time reduce the capacity of the interior
and lessen the quantity of liquid required. Perforated pipes 15 are laid
along the curved surface 14, for admitting steam to heat the liquid.
When the apparatus is used for dycing or treating yarns, the yarn
hanks may be held or suspended on pairs of transverse horizontal rods
resting in grooves or on projecting ribs formed for the purpose in or on
the sides of the vat. I however prefer to have the rods 16 and hanks
carried by a movable frame, so that the entire quantity of yarn to be
treated at one operation can be placed in or removed from the vat in a
few minutes; or instead of there being a single frame for each vat there
may be two or three, for more convenient handling, and in any case
spare frames should be provided, so that whilst one quantity of yarns-is
being treated in the vat. other frames may be having treated yarns
removed from them and fresh ones put in; or a quantity of yarns may
be kept on one frame whilst being successively submitted to two or more
operations in different vats..
;

page_text: The bank frame shown in the Drawings consists simply of two parallel
vertical sides 17, formed of wooden planks bound together by vertical tie
rods, these sides 17 being connected by transverse horizontal tie rods 18
at the bottom, and by transverse rods 19 at the top. The bottom rods 18
are permanent, but the top rods 19, which are fewer in number, may be
_ removed for convenience in filling in or removing the yarn, being
secured to the vertical tie rods by cutters. The frame sides 17 are
formed with grooves 20 to receive the ends of the transverse horizontal
rods 16 on which the hanks are carried, the rods 16 having enlarged
ends of a size corresponding to the intended spacing of the rods. Only
a few rods 16, some with hanks of yarn on them, are shown in the
Drawing, but it is to be understood that the entire space between the
partitions 2 is in practice occupied with yarn, the hank frame 17 being
constructed to fit into this space, being supported in position by ledges
or ribs 21 fixed to the sides of the vat, and at the middle by the raised:
bottom 14. At one end of the frame sides 17 the grooves 20 are closed
by permanently fixed, metal straps 22, but at the other end movable
bars 23 are provided for closing them after they are entirely filled; these
bars being entered down through staples fixed to the frame sides.
The liank frame 17 is raised from or lowered into the vat by means of
a crane or other convenient hoisting or hoisting and traversing apparatus,
the suspending chains or links being hooked to the upper transverse
bars 18, or to rings fixed to the frame sides 17.
Apparatus of the dimensions shown in the Drawings is suitable for
dyeing about 300 pounds of yarn at one operation, and suitable currents
are produced in the dye liquid by causing the pumps 4 to make about
200 revolutions per minute.
The bank rods 16 are by preference tubes of brass or copper, but the
other metallic parts may be of iron. The vertical distance apart of the
bank rods 16 is made such that the hanks may be loose upon them, and ;
so that the yarn may be carried a slight distance beyond the upper or
lower rods, accordingly as the currents are upwards or downwards, and
thus insure the thorough dyeing of the ends of the hanks.
When dyeing woven fabrics the same rods 16 may be used, the fabric
being interlaced over an upper rod and under a lower rod alternately.
With the arrangements herein-before described it has been found
unnecessary to employ perforated diaphragms for distributing and

page_text: equalising the currents. As described the currents are parallel with the
yarns, but the yarns may be held so that the currents will cross them at
any desired angle.
The dye liquid may also be made to flow in other than vertical
currents. I however prefer to have the currents vertical, or nearly so.
In the case of woven fabrics it may be more convenient to have the
currents horizontal, the fabric being suspended in vertical folds, but in
such case the liquid must be kept well mixed, so as to act equally at
different heights.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to
the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The constructing and working of apparatus for dyeing or otherwise
treating textile materials and fabrics, substantially in the improved
manner herein-before described.
2. The causing of the dye or other liquor to circulate in a systematic
and uniform manner in contact with the textile materials or fabrics, the
latter being held or suspended so as to be stationary or nearly so, and
the action being effected by apparatus, substantially such as is herein.
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Pollock, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of
AH TAY
Witness,
EDMUND. HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ROBERT POLLOCK. (L.S.)