Improvements in the Process of Producing and Fixing Colored Figures in Cotton Material in Conjunction with Grounds of Contrasting Color.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1593-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Process of Producing and Fixing Colored
Figures in Cotton Material in Conjunction with Grounds of
Contrasting Color.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 & 56 Chancery Lane in the County
of London, Chartered Patent Agent (the same being a communication to me from
abroad by The Arnold Print Works, a corporation, located at North Adams
in the County of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, in the United States of
America,) hereby declare the nature of this invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and set forth in the following
statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in the process by which figures in the
basic aniline colors can be produced and fixed upon cotton material by a mordant
of one of the metallic tannates, in conjunction with a ground of contrasting color
of alizarine or other dye which has chemical affinity for a metallic morlant such
as hereinafter mentioned.
Heretofore, imperfect and unsatisfactory results have been obtained in printing
colored figures upon or in conjunction with grounds of contrasting color by the
pigment method, and also in various instances by printing with aniline colors; for
by these prior methods, either the colors have lacked clearness and brilliancy or
permanency and durability, which two latter characteristics are the distinguishing
features of the calicoes produced by this improved process, by which also an almost
endless variety of figures containing many different colors or shades of color may be
produced upon dark as well as upon light grounds.
This invention consists in producing upon cotton material any desired figures by
what are known as basic aniline colors, or those which are fixed by a metallic
tannate, in conjunction with or upon "grounds" of contrasting colors, dyed with
madder, alizarine, or other suitable coloring matter, by applying to the material
a suitable mordant for the aniline color, such as tannate of antimony, or other
suitable metallic tannate, and a suitable mordant for the alizarine or other dye
used, such as acetate of alumina, chromium, iron, or other suitable metallic salt, or
the sulphocyanides, or basic sulphates of the said metals, or combinations of them,
according to the color or shade of color desired, as is well known; then printing
upon this mordanted material with the aniline color mixed with a discharge for the
metallic dye-mordant, such as citric, tartaric or other organic acid, or an alkaline
salt of said acids, for example, citrate of soda, potash, or ammonia, may be
employed as the discharge in place of the acid, and after steaming, dunging and
washing the material, dye it with the alizarine or other coloring matter to produce
the "ground" and finally cleansing in the usual manner.
A specific, concrete description of this improved process is as follows:
First, treat the fabric or other cotton material with an astringent solution
containing from one and half to two ounces of tannic acid to each gallon of water,
then dry.
Second, pass the material through a solution containing about two ounces of a salt
of antimony to each gallon of water, wash and dry.
Third, for a red ground, pad with acetate of alumina, (strength according to
shade desired), dry-preferably at a low temperature.
Fourth, print in the figures desired, with a mixture composed of one quarter of
a gallon of an aniline color solution, consisting, for example, of 1 pound of methylene
blue, dissolved in 1 gallon of acetic acid, and 1 gallon of a standard discharge,
consisting of 1 gallon of water, 4 pounds of gum-substitute, 1 pound of starch and
4 pounds of citric acid. Then steam, dung and cleanse.

page_text: Fifth, dye with alizarine, then wash, cleanse and finish in the usual manner.
The most desirable mode of procedure in the practice of this process, is to apply
the mordants, for the aniline colors and the dyes, to the material before the colors
are a plied, but the ingredients of the mordant for the aniline colors must be
applied successively, although their sequence and order of application in the
several steps of the process may be varied, except in the present process both
should be applied before the dyeing operation.
But the result may be obtained with a greater or less degree of success by
varying the order of the steps in the mode of procedure and the time when the
mordants or the ingredients which form the aniline mordant are applied to the
cotton material.
For example, the following modified modes of procedure may be employed:
Pad with tannic acid, dry; pad with acetate of alumina, dry; print with aniline
color, discharge for dye mordant, and salt of antimony; steam, dung, &c., then
dye; or,
Pad with tannic acid and acetate of alumina, with a solvent for the tannate of
alumina which will be formed, dry; pad with salt of antimony, dry; print with
aniline color and alumina discharge; steam, dung, then dye; or again,
Pad with tannic acid and acetate of alumina or other metallic salt, with a solvent
for the tannate formed; print with aniline color, organic acid and salt of antimony;
steam, dung, &c., then dye.
Substantially the same proportions of ingredients may be used in these modified
modes as in the concrete illustration hereinabove given and about four ounces of
acetic acid may be used as a solvent for the tannate of alumina, or other tannate
formed, in the last two modes.
It will be observed that in these modified modes the mordants are applied to the
material either before the colors which they are intended to fix, or in two instances
one of the ingredients to form the mordant for the aniline color is applied
simultaneously with the color, but as the other ingredient has previously been
applied to the material, the chemical reaction takes place there and will thus fix the
aniline color.
It will be understood by the calico printer that the ingredients and proportions
of ingredients which are used must be varied according to the color, the depth
of shade of color desired to be produced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The process of producing and fixing in cotton material, figures in colors which
are fixed by metallic tannate mordants, such as basic aniline colors, in conjunction
with dyed grounds of contrasting color; which consists in applying to the material
a metallic tannate and a mordant for the dye; printing upon the material so
mordanted, the desired figures with the color to be fixed by the metallic tannate,
mixed with a discharge for the dye mordant; steaming and cleansing and then
dyeing to produce the ground in the color desired, substantially as described.
Dated the 13th day of February 1893.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.