A Process for Obtaining Soft and Unshrinkable Wool and Woollen Goods.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1900-Accepted, 17th Mar.,
1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Obtaining Soft and Unshrinkable Wool and Woollen
Goods.
We, JULES AUGUSTE JOSEPH FLORIN, Dyer, and HENRY LOUIS LAGACHE,
Engineer, both of 27, Rue Nationale, Roubaix, in the Republic of France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Wool in any condition treated by chlorine or its derivatives and compounds
loses all its characteristic qualities and notably its capacity for felting. The loss
of this latter quality is absolute if the chlorinating has been sufficiently energetic
to ensure that pure wool materials, after having been treated, are unshrinkable.
Hitherto wool fabrics or woollen goods which have been called unshrinkable
are not possessed of this property. But if the treatment with the chlorine or its
derivatives which is applied to the wool in any of its conditions, that is to say,
raw wool, combed, carded, spun, woven or manufactured wool, etc., before or after
dyeing or bleaching, does render the said wool unshrinkable, it at the same time
makes it dry, rough, hard "papery" (making it similar to paste board to the
touch) and therefore partially useless.
Now our invention has for its object to restore to chlorinated, unfeltable and
unshrinkable wool its other natural properties such as elasticity, suppleness, soft-
ness to the touch, in a word, to soften it and to thus obtain wool analogous both
in appearance and touch to ordinary wool but being in addition unshrinkable.
The processes for chlorinating wools are numerous and generally consist in
treating solutions of calcium hypochlorite with an acid or in directly employing
chlorine gas itself.
According to the proportions of the agents employed the transformation will
be more or less complete and wool becomes absolutely unshrinkable with 12% of
calcium hypochlorite and an equal proportion of acid.
By reason of the more powerful affinities of chlorinated wool the latter is
capable of attracting, when cold, the bases of a number of salts of weak acids,
such for example as the basic mineral salts and organic salts, acetates, oxalates,
tartrates, citrates, sulpho-cyanates, etc., in such a manner as to form new com-
binations which give a touch quite different from that of the chlorinated wool,
the modification depending upon the nature of the base of the salt employed.
In particular the salts of aluminium, zinc, tin, chrome iron, have the property
of considerably softening chlorinated wool so as to render it at least of equal
quality to natural wool.
The salts of the alkalies and alkaline earths from the following acids, that is
to say, aluminates, zincates, stannites, and stannates can be also employed for the
same purpose. The reaction can be effected simply by immersing the materials
treated in a bath of one of the salts above mentioned; for example a bath can be
employed which is obtained from 125 parts by weight of acetate of alumina at
100 Bé. and 2500 parts of water to 100 parts of wool.
The reaction can be quickened by heating the bath to a temperature more or
less high. At the end of a suitable interval, generally quite short, the wool is

page_text: washed. The wool at first preserves its rough touch but after a time, especially
The
when left exposed to the air, its softness gradually completely returns to it.
bath is not exhausted and for another operation can be renewed so as to have
the same richness as at first.
The chlorinated wool energetically retains all substances which it meets and
in particular acids and washing does not eliminate them; this should be taken
note of as the presence of these acids hardens the wool especially in soapy baths
which are often employed before or after finishing or dressing. It is, therefore,
necessary to eliminate these acids by treatment with a suitable weak alkali such
as soda, potash, ammonia, lime, magnesia, etc., caustic, carbonate or bicarbonate.
This treatment can be applied directly after the chlorinating or the softening
process.
For example this neutralisation can be effected with about 50 grammes of
crystallized carbonate of soda per kilogramme of wool.
Dated the 20th day of April 1899
G. F. REDFERN & Co.
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
A Process for Obtaining Soft and Unshrinkable Wool and Woollen
Goods.
We, JULES AUGUSTE JOSEPII FLORIN, Dyer, and HENRY LOUIS LAGACHE,
Engineer, both of 27, Rue Nationale, Roubaix, in the Republic of France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Wool in any condition treated by chlorine or its compounds loses all its char-
acteristic qualities and notably its capacity for felting. The loss of this latter
quality is absolute if the chlorinating has been sufficiently energetic to ensure
that pure wool materials, after having been treated, are unshrinkable.
Hitherto wool fabrics or woollen goods which have been called unshrinkable
are not possessed of this property. But if the treatment with the chlorine or its
compounds which is applied to the wool in any one of its conditions, that is to say,
raw wool, combed, carded, spun, woven or manufactured wool, etc., before or after
dyeing or bleaching, does render the said wool unshrinkable, it at the same time
makes it dry, rough, hard" papery" (making it similar to paste board to the
touch) and therefore partially useless.
Now, our invention has for its object to restore to chlorinated, unfeltable and
unshrinkable wool its other natural properties such as elasticity, suppleness, soft-
ness to the touch, in a word, to soften it and to thus obtain wool analogous both
in appearance and touch to ordinary wool but being in addition unshrinkable.
The processes for chlorinating wools are numerous and generally consist in
treating solutions of calcium hypochlorite with an acid or in directly employing
chlorine gas itself.
According to the proportions of the agents employed the transformation will
be more or less complete and wool becomes absolutely unshrinkable with 12% of
calcium hypochlorite and an equal proportion of acid.
By reason of the more powerful affinities of chlorinated wool the latter is
capable of attracting, when cold, the bases of a number of salts of weak acids,
such for example as the basic mineral salts, organic salts, acetates, oxalates,

page_text: tartrates, citrates, sulpho-cyanates, etc., in such a manner as to form new com-
binations which give a touch quite different from that of the chlorinated wool,
the modification depending upon the nature of the base of the salt employed.
In particular the above named saits of aluminium, zinc, tin, iron and chrome
have the property of considerably softening chlorinated wool so as to render it
at least of equal quality to natural wool.
The salts of the alkalies and alkaline earths from the following acids, that is
to say, aluminates zincates, stannites and stannates can be also employed for the
same purpose. The reaction can be effected simply by immersing the materials
treated in a bath of one of the salts above mentioned; for example a bath can be
employed which is obtained from 125 parts by weight of acetate of alumina at
10 Bé. and 2500 parts of water to 100 parts of wool.
The reaction can be quickened by heating the bath to a temperature more or
less high. At the end of a suitable interval, say about one hour, the wool is
washed and then dried by exposure to air. The wool at first preserves its rough
touch but after a time, especially when left exposed to the air, its softness gradually
completely returns to it. The bath is not exhausted and for another operation
can be renewed so as to have the same richness as at first.
The chlorinated wool energetically retains all substances which it meets and
in particular acids, and washing does not eliminate them; this should be taken
note of as the presence of these acids hardens the wool, especially in soapy baths
which are often employed before or after finishing or dressing. It is, therefore,
necessary to eliminate these acids and prevent the formation of a precipitate
of fatty acid during subsequent washing operations, by treatment with a suitable
weak alkali such as soda, potash, ammonia, lime, magnesia, etc., caustic, carbonate
or bicarbonate. This treatment can be applied directly after the chlorinating
or the softening process.
For example this neutralisation can be effected with about 50 grammes of
crystallized carbonate of soda per kilogramme of wool.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
The described process of softening wool which has been treated with chlorine,
to render it unshrinkable such process consisting--
1. In treating the wool in a bath of salts of weak acids such as mineral salts,
basic salts, etc., or of organic salts such as acetates, oxalates, tartrates, citrates,
sulphocyanates of the following bases, viz., alumina or oxide of aluminium, or
oxides of zinc, tin iron and chrome; or of the following alkaline or alkaline
earthy salts, viz., aluminates, zincafes, stannites and stannates, the said salts
having as a result to transform hard into soft chlorinated wool.
2. In subjecting chlorinated wool after it has been softened in the manner
described in the preceding claiming clause to the action of an alkaline bath for
the purpose of neutralizing, that is to say, eliminating any acid remaining in the
wool for the purpose of avoiding the formation of a precipitate of fatty acid during
the succeeding washing operations.
3. In exposing the chlorinated wool for some hours to the air, after it has been
softened and passed through the alkaline bath, for completing the reactions by
drying.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.