A Process of Fixing the Finish on Cotton Piece Goods.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1898-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process of Fixing the Finish on Cotton Piece Goods.
I, MILTON SHERIDAN SHARP, of Orchard Dye Works, Heckmondwike, in the
County of York, Dyer and Finisher, 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:-
The object of my invention is to finish cotton goods of the class called "Italians "
such as are generally used for the lining of coats in such a manner that, the
lustre is more uniformly brilliant, having a silk-like appearance, and of a more
permanent character, than is the case with fabrics treated in the ordinary manner.
In carrying out my invention, the cotton goods are in the first instance finished
as hitherto in any of the well known ways of pressing, callendering or embossing,
but as is well known, the finish so produced is not permanent, as the lustre is
destroyed when the fabric is by any means damped in the "making up" of
garments.
In order that the lustre produced by any of the ordinary methods may be
permanently fixed and of uniform brilliancy, free from spots throughout the
entire length and breadth of the fabric, I damp the fabric uniformly, preferably
by subjecting the fabric to steam at a low temperature, that is to say, by what
is known as wet or saturated steam, this I find can be readily done during the
time the fabric is passing through a stretching machine of the ordinary construc-
tion such as is used in one of the stages of finishing, but modified to suit the
new requirements.
In a stretching machine such as described I form a shallow trough between
the side frames of the machine under the fabric for the length and width of the
machine, and into this trough I place a series of steam jets regulated by taps,
on the opening of which the wet or saturated steam is injected into the trough,
the steam on rising and escaping from the trough passes through the fabric,
thereby thoroughly and uniformly damping the same.
The damped fabric finished by any of the ordinary processes hitherto in use.
is then folded along with damped press papers, the finished or lustrous side of
the fabric in contact with the damped press paper, and subjected to great pressure
in the ordinary hydraulic press, to which heat may be applied in the ordinary
manner as may be required to obtain the amount of lustre or brilliancy in the
fixed finish, after which the damped press papers are taken out and the piece
wrapped in a thick fold of dry cotton cloth, preferably in the condition in which
it is, as it leaves the loom, known as "in the grey," the whole is then placed
into a steam heated hvdraulic press of the ordinary construction and subjected
to heat and pressure for a period varying according to the weight and quality
of the fabric on which the lustre is to be permanently fixed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
The fixing of the lustre on cotton goods by first obtaining the lustre in any

page_text: of the ordinary methods and afterwards damping and folding the fabric along
with damped press papers, then wrapping the fabric in a fold of dry cotton cloth
and subjecting them to heat and pressure in the manner substantially as herein
described.