A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR REFINING JUTE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes of the Firm of Hughos and
Son, Patent Agents, 5 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex for an
Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR REFINING JUTE ”
communicated to him from abroad by Wilhelm Lukacs, of Budapest, Hungary
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd June 1883.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
5 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS
FOR REFINING JUTE A Communication to me from abroad by Wilhelm Lukacs,
of Budapest, Hungary.
נו
The object of the present invention is a new process, by means of which jute-
fibres or jute-fabrics, whether spun or woven, are converted into a material
similar to sheep's-wool, in which state they can be bleached, printed, finished or be
submitted to any other refining operation applied to woven or spun fabrics mado
from wool or cotton. After having been submitted to this proceeding, the jute not
only retains its former strength and density, but on the contrary becomes still
finer, softer, more compact, durable, wearable and resists a great deal better against
moisture; the application of this proceeding makes the jute-fabrics less liable to
dust, which is a characteristic inconvenience of jute tissues; the jute-fibre obtains
inorcover a finer gloss and becomes curled, quite similarly to wool.
The improved process referred to is carried out as follows:-
The jute-fibre, the jute-yarn or the jute-fabric, is put into a lye bath of caustic
potash or caustic soda or of any desired mixture of these caustic substances, or in
some liquid containing caustic soda or caustic potash or a mixture of these
substances as ingredients, substantially necessary for the process referred to; in
this lye bath the jute-fibres yarns or fabrics, are left during some time, then
removed and submitted to a thorough washing in water.

page_text: By means of this simple proceeding we obtain a surprising result; the jute
which till now could only be applied to the manufacture of coarse primitive tissues,
in consequence of the inconveniences indicated above, is converted into a material
of almost the same appearance and qualities as wool or cotton.
The employed lye or caustic liquid can be used over and over again, whereby
the costs of the said proceeding are reduced to a very insignificant rate.
On having been thoroughly washed in water, the jute is dried and then either
directly pressed or previously bleached by chloride of lime.
In applying the said process on a large scale, the subtilizing of the dried juto fibre
or stuff may be obtained by the application of a device siivilar to the squeezers
now in use in the jute-spinning mills.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd December 1883.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents
5 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex-"A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS
FOR REFINING JUTE." A communication to me from abroad by Wilhelm Lukacs,
of Budapest, Hungary.
The object of the present Invention is a new process by incans of which jute-
fibres, jute-yarns or jute-fabrics, whether spun or woven, are converted into a
material similar to sheeps' wool in which state they may be bleached, printed,
finished or be submitted to any other refining operation applied to woven or spun
fabrics made from wool or cotton. On having been submitted to this proceeding
the jute not only retains its former density and strength, but on the contrary
becomes still finer, softer, more compact, durable and wearable and resists a great deal
better against moisture. The application of this proceeding makes the jute-fabrics
less liable to dusting, which has till now been a characteristic inconvenience of
jute. The jute fibre obtains morcover a finer gloss and becomes curled, quite
similarly to sheep's wool. The improved process is carried out in the following
manner:
The jute fibre, tho jute-yarn or the jute-fabric is placed in a vessel filled with a
concentrated solution of caustic so:la or of caustic potash or of a mixture of these
caustic substances or with some other liquid containing caustic soda or caustic
potash or a mixture of these caustic substances or ingredients substantially
necessary for the process referred to. The vessel serving for this purpose may be
nade of clay, porcelain, earthware, [sic] wood lined with lead plates or of any other
convenient substance which is not liable to get corroded by the action of the lye.
For carrying out this proceeding any of the above indicated caustic solutions may
be employed, but I generally give preferonce to soda-lye on account of its being
considerably cheaper.
The concentration of the employed lye is, according to the result that is to be
obtained and to the nature of the treated jute material, from 28° to 40° Baumé, but
not above this last degree. In putting the jute material in this lyc-bath thero
ought to be taken particular care to obtain a thorough impregnation of the jute;
it is therefore advisable not to put new quantitios of dry jute in the lye before
the quantities previously introduced are thoroughly impregnated with the lye-
solution.
As soon as the whole amount of the jute material is introduced in the lye-bath
and thoroughly impregnated with the caustic solution, a surplus of the solution is
added, so that the liquid in the vessel quite covers the jule material contained
therein.
In this cold lye solution the jute-material is left, according to the result that is
to be obtained, for about 40 to 60 hours more or less, whereafter the liquid is
let to run off from the vessel through a discharge-cock or otherwise, the jute-
material, taken out from the vessel and submitted to a thorough washing in water.
The lye or caustic solution on having been once employed for the above described
purpose, obtains a brown color but nevertheless it hardly loses any of its former
strength and may be employed for the same purpose over and over again. Even
that quantity of lye which impregnates the jute may be reɔbtained by wringing out
the jute material and then washing it in water. The jute on being removed from
the lye-bath is passed through a wringing machine of any desired construction.

page_text: and the lye running out of it is made to flow in a collecting vessel placed under-
neath the machine. The lye remaining in the jute after its having been wrung
out is re-obtained by washing the jute in pure water and by subsequently
evaporating the water or by using the same for the preparation of a fresh lye
solution. By this method the effective expenditure of caustic lye is reduced to a
very insignificant quantity so that the costs of the proceeding are very trifling.
As soon as the lye solution is extracted from the jute-material in the above
described manner the jute material is again washed in clean water either by dipping
it repeatedly into the same or preferably by placing it into streaming water. In
each case the dirty water is allowed to run off. This is continued until the jute is
perfectly cleaned. The jute is then removed from the water, wrung out and
beaten with wooden mallets or with some other blunt wooden instrument or in
any mechanical manner. Then the jute is dried either in the open air or in
drying rooms or in a centrifugal drying machine or in any other suitable manner.
The jute when washed and dried in the aforesaid manner feels somewhat hard.
For subtilizing it the jute material is submitted to a swinging, beating or rubbing
operation. When small quantities of jute are submitted to the said process their
subtilizing may be effected by knocking them vigorously upon the flat of a table
or such like object by rubbing them with the hands etc. For applying the
said process on a large scale the dried jute-fibre, yarn or stuff may be subtilized
by passing them through a squeezing machine.
By means of the described simple and cheap proceeding we obtain a surprising
result, the jute which till now could only be applied for the manufacture of coarse
primitive tissues in consequence of the inconveniences indicated above, is converted
into a material of almost the same appearance and qualities as sheep's wool or
cotton. The tissues prepared of such refined jute may be bleached or dyed or
submitted to any other operation to which cotton or woollen tissues can be
submitted, without losing any of its good qualities.
If the jute is intended for spinning coarse yarns by means of a carding-machine,
it is not necessary to tear the jute-fibres before placing them in the lye, i.c. it is
not necessary to have the fibres, which are very long, torn into small pieces.
If however the jute is destined to be worked upon a fine spinning-machine it is
advisable to tear it on a willow or otherwise previously to its being placed in the
lye, because if this tearing or shortening of the fibre would be postponed till the
fibre has been taken out from the lye and dried, it would necessarily lose some of
its beautiful curl, obtained by the above described operation, in consequence of the
enormous strain put upon it when torn in a willow.
The jute fibre being generally coarser on both extremities, i.c. near the root and
in the point, it is advisable to cut off both ends and to use the middle finer part
for finer numbers and the cut-off ends for coarser ones.
The jute fibre prepared as above described may be oiled or greased before
spinning and thus made more suitable for roving. But if the jute-yarn or the
jute-stuff is intended to be dyed, or otherwise, the lyo would not last long upon
the grease.
The method of refining, according to my improved process, woven or spun jute-
fabrics is exacting the same as that applied for refining jute-fibre, with the only
exception that the fabric has to be well pressed or rolled before submitting it to
the described treatment, it is also advisable to singe the fabric slightly over gas
flames before pressing it, whereby the fine hairs of the stuff are destroyed and the
fabric is made to appear quite smooth.
The jute stuff refined as above said may be bleached or dyed. The bleaching of
the same is preferably performed by chlorid of lime. By allowing of the stuff to
remain in the bleaching liquid for a longer or shorter time, the original yellow
color of the juto is made to change into a lighter or darker color.
The described proceedings having reference to the refining of the jute previous
to its being placed into the lye-bath, as well as to the treatment of the same after

page_text: it has been removed therefrom may of course be varied or modified at will, without
the substance of my Invention being altered thereby.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to mo by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent, is :—
1. As a means for refining and improving jute-fibres or jute-yarns or jute-fabrics,
whether spuD, woven or plaited, the application of a concentrated lye of caustic
soda or of caustic potash or of a mixture of the said two lyes, or the application of
concentrated lies or liquids containing caustic soda or caustic potash or a mixture
of these two caustic alkalis, said lyes or liquids being at a normal temperature,
substantially as set forth.
2. The above described process of refining and improving jute-fibres, jute-yarns
or jute-fabrics, whether spun, woven or plaited, which process consists in treating
at a normal temperature, the said jute materials with a concentrated lye of caustic
soda or caustic potash or of a mixture of these two caustic alkalis, or with any
concentrated lyo or liquid containing caustic soda or caustic potash or a mixture of
these substances, the concentration of these caustic lycs or liquids being about
from 28° to 40° Baumé; then in leaving the jute materials in the said lye or
liquid for about from 40 to 60 hours, and finally in washing them thoroughly with
water and drying, substantially as specified.
3. As a new article of manufacture, jute-fibres, jute-yarns, or jute-fubrics,
whether spun, woven or plaited, treated at a normal temperature by a concentrated
lye of caustic soda or of caustic potash or of a mixture of these two caustic alkalis,
or by any liquid containing one or the other or a mixture of both of the named
yes, and thereby refined and concentrated into a material similar to sheep's wool,
substantially as set fortb.
In Witness Whereof I the said Edward Thomas Huglies have hereunto set
my hand and seal this twenty first day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
E. T. HUGHES (LS.)