IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND PREPARATION OF MADDER AND MUNJEET FOR DYEING AND PRINTING
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edwards Staite, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TREATMENT AND PREPARATION OF MADDER AND MUNJEET FOR DYEING AND
PRINTING"
Sealed the 28th July 1854, and dated the 25th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edwards Staite
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th February 1854.
I, WILLIAM EDWARDS STAITE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND PREPARATION OF MADDER AND MUNJEET FOR DYEING
AND PRINTING" to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, firstly, in submitting ground madder to the follow-
ing process or processes:-I take, for example, say, by weight one hundred
parts of the said madder, and I place the same in a bath consisting of water
and acetic acid (preferring distilled water) in the proportion of 1600 parts of
water to 7 parts of acetic acid of the strength of 50° by acetometer; but I do
not confine myself to these exact proportions, because particular parcels of
madder, the produce of different countries, will be found to require some varia-

page_text: tions in the proportions of the water and acetic acid employed. The madder
so treated is allowed to remain in the acidulated liquor bath until the liquor in
the first place acquires a gummy consistency, and subsequently becomes clear
and comparatively colourless; this will generally occur in ordinary temperatures
after the madder has been in process, say, from 30 to 40 hours. The madder
is then taken from the bath and well washed in cold water; I then place it in
a filter and allow it to drain. It may subsequently be dried and ground into
a fine powder. To accelerate the process, I use in the washing of the madder a
weak alkaline solution, preferring ammonia.
Secondly, my improvements have especial reference to the treatment and
preparation of a new-ground madder, or madder which, technically speaking,
has not been "aged." I place, say, 100 parts of such madder in an ammoniacal
bath, consisting, say, of 7 parts of ammonia of specific gravity of 880, and 1600
parts of water, but I do not confine myself to these exact proportions, for the
reasons before stated. The madder is allowed to remain in the said bath, say,
for 24 hours, or until such matters as are soluble at the ordinary temperature
of cold water are dissolved out of the madder. The madder is then taken from
the bath, and treated as described in the first part of this my Specification.
Munjeet I prepare and treat in similar ways. That of the best quality I prefer
treating and preparing in the first part of the process with acetic acid, as firstly
described; inferior qualities with ammoniacal liquor, as secondly described. In
either case subsequently completing the process or processes in the manner
described as applicable to ground madders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edwards Staite in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARDS STAITE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edwards Staite, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edwards Staite, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edwards Staite, my executors; administrators, and assigns,

page_text: 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND PREPARATION OF MADDER AND MUNJEET FOR
DYEING AND PRINTING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edwards Staite, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what inanner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edwards Staite, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements consist, firstly, in submitting ground madder to the follow-
ing process or processes for the purpose of preparing the same for dyeing and
printing. The manner in which I perform the said process or processes is as
follows: I take, for example, say, by weight one hundred parts of the said
madder, and I place the same in a bath consisting of water and acetic acid
(preferring distilled water) in the proportion of 1600 parts of water to 7 parts
of acetic acid of the strength of 50 by ordinary acetometer; but I do not
confine myself to these exact proportions, because particular parcels of
madder, the product of different countries, will be found to require some varia-
tions in the proportion of the water and acetic acid employed, according as they
contain more or less soluble vegetable matter which it is desirable to remove.
The madder so treated is allowed to remain in the acidulated liquor bath until
the liquor in the first place acquires a gummy consistency, and subsequently
becomes clear and comparatively colourless. This will generally occur in
ordinary temperatures after the madder has been in process, say, from 30 to
40 hours. The madder is then taken from the bath and well washed in
It is
cold water, after which it is placed in a filter and allowed to drain.
subsequently dried and ground into a fine powder. In order to accelerate
the process I use in the washing of the madder a weak alkaline solution,
preferring ammonia.
Secondly, my improvements have reference to the treatment and preparation
of new-ground madder, or madder which, technically speaking, has not been
aged." The process which I adopt in treating such madder is as follows:-
I place, say, 100 parts of the madder in an ammoniacal bath consisting of, say,
66

page_text: 7 parts of ammonia of specific gravity of 880, and 1600 parts of water; but I
do not confine myself to these exact proportions, for the reasons before stated.
The madder is allowed to remain in the said bath, say, for 24 hours, or until
such matters as are soluble at the ordinary temperature of cold water are
dissolved out of the madder. The madder is then taken from the bath, and
treated as described in the first part of this my Specification.
Munjeet I prepare and treat in similar ways. That of the best quality I
prefer treating and preparing in the first part of the process with acetic acid, as
firstly described; inferior qualities I treat and prepare with ammoniacal liquor,
as secondly described; in either case subsequently completing the process or
processes in the manner described as applicable to ground madder under the
first head of this my Specification.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my
Invention is,-
First, the use of an acetic acid bath in the treatment and preparation of
madder and munjeet, combined with subsequent washing of the madder and
munjeet in water and ammoniacal solutions preparatory to drying and grinding
the same, as herein-before described.
And, second, the employment of an ammoniacal bath for the purpose of
"ageing" new madder and munjeet, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edwards Staite, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
W. E. STATIE. (L.S.)