AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& C° Patent Agents Southampton Buildings London for an Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DYEING
TEXTILE FABRICS communicated to me from abroad by La Société Anonyme
des Teintures et Apprêts de Tarare of Tarare, France
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th June 1883.
<<
11
HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF AND
APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS [a communication to me from
abroad by La Société Anonyme des Teintures et Apprêts de Tarare of Tarare,
France]
This invention relates to an improved process of, and apparatus for, dyeing
fabrics in pieces
After a fabric in pieces has been subjected to a preparatory treatment such as
mordanting or the like, in order to enable it to retain the color: it may be dyed
in two different ways, that is to say, either by steeping gradually the piece
required to be dyed, in a coloring bath or by plunging it at once into the said
bath. Neither of these two methods produces an uniform dye; in the first case
the bath is impoverished as the first portions of the piece are being steeped, and
consequently the color is not uniformly distributed from one end to the other of
the piece; when on the contrary the stuff is plunged suddenly in the coloring bath
the color is unequally fixed according as it penetrates more or less the different
folds of the fabric.
According to the said invention, and in order to avoid such unevenness in the
deposit of the colour a quantity of coloring fluid is caused to run continuously
upon the fabric as the same is being moved, in such a manner that this quantity
corresponds exactly to the amount which the fabric is capable of absorbing.
this way the fabric being always in contact with fresh portions of the coloring
D77
In

page_text: fluid the dye is uniformly deposited from one end to the other, of the piece which
is being dyed, without regard to length
In constructing apparatus according to this invention I provide a timber or cast
iron frame and a vessel containing the coloring liquid, to which vessel is attached a
ball cock for conveying the coloring liquid to a trough. The quantity of the coloring
liquid in this trough is regulated by means of the said ball cock and an overflow
pipe. A piece of linen acting as a syphon conveys the liquid from the said trough
onto a roller whereby any impurity which may be present in the liquid is retained
in the tank or vessel; a board is arranged to support the said piece of linen
A suitable roller is provided for distributing the coloring liquid and other rollers
are arranged over which the fabric which is to be dyed passes., I also provide a.
roller upon which the tissue is placed previous to being dyed and a roller around
which the dyed fabric is wound. The vessel containing the dye and the trough
into which it runs are made with double sides so that the liquid contained therein
may be heated by means of steam.
The rollers over which the fabric passes are hollow and each is provided with
two pipes one for the admission of steam and the other for the escape of the
condensed water thus allowing the heating of these rollers whereby the tint of the
fabric is greatly enhanced. The said rollers and the distributing roller are covered
with india-rubber in order to prevent the metal of which the said rollers are made
from soiling the fabric
The said machine is set in motion by means of suitable gearing and a belt
passing over a pulley. The quantity of liquid which passes through the syphon
may be regulated either by altering the height of the trough and the inclination of
the board which supports it, or by altering the length of the bar carrying the ball
of the cock and consequently the height of the constant level in the trough. In
some cases the fabric may be heated before being subjected to the coloring
liquid
This machine may also be utilized for the dyeing of fabrics with shaded or
graduated tints. The alteration required in this case being that of the flow of the
color into the trough. To this end a series of small reservoirs full of colored
liquids is arranged above the trough, each of these reservoirs containing a colored
liquid of different tint thus causing the graduation required. From the troughs
the liquid is conveyed to the roller by means of pipes acting in the same manner
as the piece of linen above mentioned, and the color is distributed over the fabric
in the same order as arranged in the small reservoirs

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Harris Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1883.
"
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS OF, AND
APPARATUS FOR, DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS A communication to me from
abroad by La Société Anonyme des Teintures et Apprêts de Tarare, of Tarare,
France
This invention relates to an improved process of, and apparatus for, dyeing
fabrics in pieces.
After a fabric has been subjected to a preparatory treatment such as mordanting
and the like, in order to enable it to assimilate the coloring matter; it may bo
dyed in two different ways, that is to say either by steeping gradually the piece
required to be dyed, in a coloring bath, or by plnnging it at once into the said
bath. Neither of these two processes produces an uniform dye; in the first case
the bath is gradually impoverished as the fabric is being impregnated with the
coloring matter, and consequently the color is not uniformly distributed from one
end to the other of the piece; when, on the contrary, the piece is plunged suddenly
in the coloring bath the color is unequally fixed according as it penetrates more or
less easily the different folds of the fabric.
According to the said invention, and in order to avoid such unevenness in the
deposit of the color, when fabrics are dyed in pieces, a quantity of coloring fluid is
caused to run continuously upon the fabric, as the same is being moved, in such a
manner that this quantity shall correspond exactly to the amount which the fabric
is capable of absorbing or carrying away. In this manner, the fabric being always
in contact with fresh portions of the coloring fluid, the dye is uniformly deposited
from one end to the other, of the piece which is being dyod, without regard to its
length.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of apparatus constructed according to this
invention
Figure 2 is a front view of the same, and
Figure 3 is a plan
A indicates a timber or cast iron frame and B a vessel containing the coloring
liquid, C indicates a cock for conveying the coloring liquid to the trough D, the
said cock-being provided with a ball or float for closing the same.
The quantity of coloring liquid in this trough D is regulated by means of the
said ball-cock Ċ and an overflow pipe
E indicates a piece of linen acting as a syphon for conveying the liquid from
the trough D onto a roller G whereby any impurity which may be present in that
liquid is retained in the tank D. A board F is arranged to support the said piece
of linen E
The roller G is provided for distributing the coloring liquid, and rollers H and I
are provided, over which the fabric which is to be dyed passes
Jindicates a roller upon which the fabric is placed previous to being dyed, and
Ka roller around which the dyed fabric is wound.
The vessel B containing the dye, and the trough D into which the dye runs, are
made with double sides to form a jacket so that the liquid contained in the said
vessel and trough may be maintained at a high temperature by means of steam.
The rollers H and I are hollow, and are each provided with two pipes, one for the
admission of steam and the other for the escape of condensed water, thus allowing

page_text: the said rollers to be intensely heated whereby the tint of the fabric is greatly
enhanced. The said rollers H and I, and the distributing roller G, are covered
with india-rubber in order to prevent the metal of which the said rollers are made
from soiling the fabric
The operation of the improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say :-
It is set in motion by means of a belt passing over a pulley L which drives
suitable gearing attached to the shafts of the rollers. The fabric which is to be
dyed passes from the roller J upon which it is wound, under the roller H, and
between the latter and the roller I, to the roller K upon which it is rewound after
being dyed. The passage of the fabric over the rollers may be differently effected
according to the nature of the said fabric and the result which it is desired to
obtain. The dye or coloring liquid is placed in the vessel B and is conveyed
through the ball-cock C into the trough D where it is maintained at a constant
level. From the trough 1 the liquid runs through the piece of linen E onto the
distributing roller G. The quantity of liquid which thus passes through the
syphon E may be regulated either by altering the height of the trough D and
the inclination of the board F, or by altering the length of the bar carrying the
float of the cock C and consequently the height of the level of the liquid in the
trough D. Whatever may be the quantity of liquid required, the same may be
kept constant as long as desired. The fabric is moved onwards by the rollers at
an uniform speed, the movement being regulated in such a manner that the liquid
applies itself with the same regularity upon all parts of the fabric, the latter
absorbing the same and carrying it away.
The vessel B must be constantly provided with dye of uniform color, to ensure
the fabric being regularly dyed.
In some cases the fabric may be heated before being subjected to the coloring
liquid.
The apparatus hereinbefore described may also be utilized for dyeing fabrics
with shaded or graduated tints. To this end a series of small reservoirs is
arranged so that the liquid therein may flow into the trough D, each of these
reservoirs containing a colored liquid of different tint thus causing the graduation
required. From the trough D the liquid is conveyed to the roller by means of
syphons acting in the same manner as the piece of linen above mentioned; the
color is distributed over the fabric, in the same order as arranged in the small
upper reservoirs.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim.
First. The process herein before described of dyeing pieces of fabric, the said
process consisting in conveying in a continuous manner to the said fabric, which
is caused to move continuously, the exact quantity of coloring liquid which can be
absorbed by the said fabric.
Second. The apparatus constructed substantially as herein before described and
shewn in the accompanying drawing and provided with means for regulating the
flow of dye or coloring liquid to the fabric and maintaining a constant level of the
said liquid in the trough D according to the nature of the fabric and the results
which it is desired to obtain
In witness whereof I the said Henry Harris Lake have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Tenth day of December in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
HENRY. H. LAKE (L.S.)