IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING AND PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS AND YARNS, AND IN FIXING MORE PERMANENTLY CERTAIN MORDANTS THEREON
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lightfoot, of Accrington, in the County of
Lancaster, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING AND
PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS AND YARNS, AND IN FIXING MORE PERMANENTLY
CERTAIN MORDANTS THEREON."
Sealed the 23rd September 1864, and dated the 28th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lightfoot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
March 1864.
I, JOHN LIGHTFOOT, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Chemist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DYEING AND PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS AND YARNS, AND IN FIXING MORE PER-
MANENTLY CERTAIN MORDANTS THEREON," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the class of coloring matters derived from aniline
or its analogues, homologues, or isomeric compounds, such as are known in
the trade as mauve, magenta, blue-de-Lyons, and similar colors, and in fixing
more permanently the mordants used in the dyeing and printing operations of
madder, garancine, logwood, bark, peachwood, and similar dyewoods; also, in
fastening colors known as steam colors, and rendering them less fugitive to
light, and in improving certain nitrogenous compounds when applied to
woven fabrics or yarns for coloring matters derived from aniline or basic sub-
stances of a similar nature, and also as an improved mordant for steam colors.

page_text: And for an improved method of fixing the mordant or mordants and coloring
matter of madder or garancine previous to soaping or chemicking. I take a
solution of soap and water of about 1 lb. weight to the gallon made by the
ordinary process of saponifying by means of soda, potash, or ammonia alkalies.
I pad the cloth or yarn in this soap solution dry, and steam either dry or wet
(but I prefer to steam dry) by the ordinary process of steaming steam colors
about one hour, at high or low pressure; I then run through or wince the
goods in a solution of any metallic salt; saline salts, or the alkaline earths may
be used, but I prefer alum or tartro-stannate of soda solution, say about
12 ounces of alum to 1 gallon of water and 1 ounce tartro-stannate of soda to
1 gallon of water. I keep the goods in any of these metallic salts, alkaline
earths, or saline solutions about five minutes, and wash well in water. I then
chemick the cloth so animalized in the following manner :-To every yard of
cloth (or a similar weight of yarn) I use about 1 gallon of water at from 60°
to 80° Fahrenheit, and add of an ounce of hydrochloric or other suitable acid
to about of a pint of a solution of chemick (hypochlorite of lime at 24
ounces per gallon), or the hypochlorite of soda, potash, or ammonia
may be
used. I wince or steep the goods in this chemick solution for 15 to 30
minutes, and wash well in water and dry, and in some cases I pad the goods
in a solution of certain oxydizing agents, such as soluble chlorates or chlorites,
hypochlorates or hypochlorites, perchlorates, nitrates or nitrites, chromates, or
any salt which easily gives up its oxygen in the process of steaming, either
before or after the soap solution is applied, and steam, as before described;
the goods are now ready for dyeing or printing. Or, instead of soap, the
goods may be padded in oil, and then pad in one of the alkalies named, or an
emulsion of oil and alkali of soda, potash, lime, or ammonia, and when
steamed, if the goods are still oily, I pad a second, third, or fourth time in any
of these alkalies until the oil is thoroughly saponified in the cloth by steaming.
And in using oil saponified by means of sulphuric acid, as described by
Frémy in Fowne's chemistry, I take one gallon oil (by preference olive oil,)
and add about 3 to 6 lbs. weight of sulphuric acid, avoiding as much as
possible any rise of temperature. I allow this mixture to stand for two days,
and then add boiling water to the said quantity of oil, say about 8 gallons;
then add about 2 lbs. weight of common salt, or any saline salt, so as to
separate the oil, and repeat the washing with boiling water and salt until the
washings are free from sulphurous acid. This oil is still strongly acid, but
cannot be removed by washing. I add to the gallon of oil so operated upon
three-fourths of a pint of caustic soda at 70° Twaddell's hydrometer, or any
other suitable alkali in an equivalent proportion until it is quite neutral to test

page_text: paper, and in some cases I prefer a slight excess of alkali. I then take about
one pint of the oil so prepared, and mix it with 7 pints of water, hot or cold,
and pad the goods in this preparation, dry steam and chemick as already
described. I also find that resin when saponified by means of alkali will
answer the purpose if used as described, and the proportions I have found
best are about 1600 lbs. of resin to 140 lbs. of soda ash, 140 gallons caustic
soda or potash at 30° Twaddell's; boil two days, add 40 lbs. common
salt, and boil another day; then take of this saponified resin about 1 pint's
in 1 gallon of boiling water; pad the goods in this preparation, and dry,
steam, and chemick as before. The goods are. now ready for the colors and
dyes, as before described.
I do not confine myself to the use of one kind of oil or resin, as the
following list of fixed oils will answer the same purpose (but perhaps not
quite so well as oil or oils saponified by means of sulphuric acid); olive,
linseed, rape, poppy, sperm, neatsfoot, palm, and the fats generally; and
although the oils and fats have been named only, I wish it to be understood
that stearates, margarates, oleates, elaidates of soda, potash, ammonia, lime,
or the alkaline earths generally may be used separately or mixed together.
And when insoluble soaps are made use of I prefer to adopt the following
process: I pad the goods in any of the said soaps which are soluble in water
or by means of chemical agents (or the soluble stearates, margarates, oleates,
and elaidates of soda, potash, or ammonia) dry, and fix in any metallic salt,
alkaline, earth, or saline solutions, and chemick, as before described. The
goods so prepared are then ready for printing, padding, staining, steeping, or
dyeing by the ordinary process of dyeing with aniline colors. I make a
mixture of any one of these colors with water at about 100° Fab.; I then put
the goods into this dye bath, and keep them in about an hour, gradually
raising to boiling heat.
Although I have named only a mixture of coloring matter and water, yet
in some cases I mix an acetic acid solution of tannin in the water and coloring
matter, and sometimes the goods are winced in the tannin solution previous
to entering the dye bath, and when the goods are intended to be printed I
thicken the mauve, magenta, or blue-de-Lyons with starch, gum, gum sub-
stitute, or any suitable thickening matter.
I prefer in some instances, instead of wincing the goods (after being padded
in soap and steamed) in a solution of metallic salt or salts, to add the mor-
dant to the color intended for printing. I priut on these colors, and steam
in the ordinary manner for steam colors, and then wash off in water and dry,
when the colors will be faster than if done by the processes generally adopted,

page_text: and the goods will be thoroughly imbued with the coloring matter similar to
wool; and when I intend the goods for steam colors, I print on the steam
.colors and steam in the ordinary way, and wash off in water and dry, and for
madder or garancine colors I print on the mordant or mordants, age, or hang
three nights; dung off as for madder or garancine goods, and dye in madder,
garancine, munjeet, or alizarine, according to the style required, and soap,
chemick, and finish according to style. For improving certain nitrogenous
compounds when applied to woven fabrics or yarns for coloring matters derived
from aniline or basic substances of a similar nature, and also as an improved
mordant for steam colors, I pad the goods in a solution of milk, albumen,
glue, lactarine, gluten, blood, albumen, or caseine, and in some cases I
thicken the said substances and print; I then steam and fix in a solution of
any one of the metallic salts named, and chemick, as before described. And
in my improved method of fixing the mordant or mordants and coloring matter
of madder or garancine after dyeing, and previous to soaping or chemicking, I
take oil saponified by means of sulphuric acid, and neutralize by means of an
_alkali, as herein-before described. I take of the neutralized oil about 1 pint,
and mix it with 7 pints of water, either hot or cold, and pad the goods in this
mixture dry, and steam either dry or wet (but I prefer to steam dry) for
about one hour either with high or low-pressure steam, and I subsequently
chemick or soap the goods, as is well understood by dyers and printers; and
in some cases I use a solution of olive oil, soap or the soaps generally may be
used for steaming and chemicking after dyeing, previous to the soaping or
chemicking operations of madder or garancine, as herein-before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Lightfoot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LIGHTFOOT, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Lightfoot, Her special license that I the said John
Lightfoot, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,

page_text: the said John Lightfoot, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING AND PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS AND YARNS, AND 'IN
FIXING MORE PERMANENTLY CERTAIN MORDANTS THEREON," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Lightfoot, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
.and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner 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 John Lightfoot, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the class of coloring matters derived from aniline
.or its analogues, homologues, or isomeric compounds, such as are known in
the trade as mauve, magenta, blue-de-Lyons, and similar colors, and in fixing
more permanently the mordants used in the dyeing and printing operations of
madder, garancine, logwood, bark, peachwood, and similar dye woods; also
in fastening colors known as steam colors, and rendering them less fugitive to
light; and in improving certain nitrogenous compounds when applied to
woven fabrics or yarns for coloring matters derived from aniline or basic sub-
stances of a similar nature, and also as an improved mordant for steam colors;
and for an improved method of fixing the mordant or mordants and coloring
matter of madder or garancine previous to soaping or chemicking. I take a
solution of soap and water of about one pound weight to the gallon made by
the ordinary process of saponifying by means of soda, potash, or ammonia
alkalies. I pad the cloth or yarn in this soap solution, dry and steam' either
dry or wet (but I prefer to steam dry) by the ordinary process of steaming
steam colors about one hour at high or low pressure. I then run through or
wince the goods in a solution of any metallic salt; saline salts or the alkaline
earths may be used, but I prefer alum or tartro-stannate of soda solution, say
about twelve ounces of alum to one gallon of water and one ounce tartro-stannate
of soda to one gallon of water. I keep the goods in any of these metallic salts,
-alkaline earths, or saline solutions about five minutes, and wash well in water.
I then chemick the cloth so animalized in the following manner-To every

page_text: yard of cloth (or a similar weight of yarn) I use about one gallon of water
at from 60° to 70° Fahrenheit and one quarter of an ounce of hydrochloric or
other suitable acid to about one-sixteenth of a pint of a solution of chemick
(hypochlorite of lime at twenty-four ounces per gallon), or the hypochlorite of
soda, potash, or ammonia may be used. I wince or steep the goods in this
chemick solution for from fifteen to thirty minutes, and wash well in water,
and dry. And in some cases I pad the goods in a solution of certain oxidizing
agents, such as soluble chlorates or chlorites, bypochlorates or hypochlorites,
perchlorates, nitrates or nitrites, chromates, or any salt which easily gives up
its oxygen in the process of steaming either before or after the soap solution
is applied, and steam, as before described; the goods are now ready for
dyeing or printing. Or, instead of soap, the goods may be padded in
oil, and then pad in one of the alkalies named, or an emulsion of oil and
alkali of soda, potash, lime, or ammonia; and when steamed, if the goods
are still oily, I pad a second, third, or fourth time in any of these alkalies,
until the oil is thoroughly saponified in the cloth by, steaming. And in
using oil saponified by means of sulphuric acid, as described by Frémy
in Foune's chemistry, I take one gallon of oil (by preference olive oil) and
add about three to six pounds weight of sulphuric acid, avoiding as much
as possible any rise of temperature. I allow this mixture to stand for
two days, and then add boiling water to the said quantity of oil, say about
three gallons; then add about two pounds weight of common salt or any
saline salt so as to separate the oil, and repeat the washing with boiling water
and salt until the washings are free from sulphurous acid. This oil is still
strongly acid, but cannot be removed by washing. I add to the gallon of oil
so operated upon three-fourths of a pint of caustic soda at 70° Twaddell's
hydrometer, or any other suitable alkali in an equivalent proportion until it is
quite neutral to test paper, and in some cases I prefer a slight excess of alkali.
I then take about one pint of the oil so prepared, and mix it with seven pints
of water, hot or cold, and pad the goods in this preparation dry, steam and
chemick as already described. I also find that resin, when saponified by
means of alkali, will answer the purpose if used as described, and the pro-
portions I have found best are about one thousand six hundred pounds of
resin to one hundred and forty pounds of soda ash, one hundred and forty
gallons caustic soda or potash at 30° Twaddell; boil two days, add forty pounds
common salt, and boil another day; then take of this saponified resin about
one and a half gills in one gallon of boiling water, pad the goods in this pre-
paration and dry; steam and chemick as before. The goods are now ready
for the colors and dyes, as before described.

page_text: I do not confine myself to the use of one kind of oil or resin, as the follow-
ing list of fixed oils will answer the same purpose, but perhaps not quite so well
as oil or oils saponified by means of sulphuric acid, olive, linseed, rape,
poppy, sperm, neatsfoot, palm, and the fats generally; and although the oils
and fats have been named only, I wish it to be understood that stearates,
margarates, oleates, elaidates of soda, potash, ammonia, lime, or the alkaline
earths generally may be used separately or mixed together, and when inso-
luble soaps are made use of, I prefer to adopt the following process:-I pad
the goods in any of the said soaps which are soluble in water or by means of
chemical agents (or the soluble stearates, margarates, oleates, and elaidates of
soda, potash, or ammonia), dry, and fix in any metallic salt, alkaline earth, or
saline solutions, steam and chemick, as before described. The goods so pre-
pared are then ready for printing, padding, staining, steeping, or dyeing by the
ordinary process of dyeing with aniline colors. I make a mixture of any one
of these colors with water at about 100° Fahrenheit; I then put the goods
into this dye bath, and keep them in about an hour, gradually raising to boiling
heat.
Although I have named only a mixture of coloring matter and water, yet
in some cases I mix an acetic acid solution of tannin in the water and coloring
matter, and sometimes the goods are winced in the tannin solution previous
to entering the dye bath, and when the goods are intended to be printed, I
thicken the mauve, magenta, or blue-de-Lyons with starch, gum, gum sub-
stitute, or any suitable thickening matter.
. I prefer in some instances, instead of wincing the goods (after being
padded in soap and steamed) in a solution of metallic salt or salts, to add the
mordant to the color intended for printing. I print on these colors, and
steam in the ordinary manner for steam colors, and then wash off in water
and dry, when the colors will be faster than if done by the processes generally
adopted, and the goods will be thoroughly imbued with the coloring matter
similar to wool; and when I intend the goods for steam colors, I print on the
steam colors, and steam in the ordinary way, and wash off in water and dry;
and for madder or garancine colors I print on the mordant or mordants, age
or hang three nights, dung off as for madder or garancine goods, and dye in
madder, garancine, munjeet, or alizarine according to the style required, and
soap, chemick, and finish according to style.
For improving certain nitrogenous compounds when applied to woven
fabrics or yarns for coloring matters derived from aniline or basic sub-
stances of a similar nature, and also as an improved mordant for steam colors,
I pad the goods in a solution of milk, albumen, glue, lactarine, gluten, blood,

page_text: albumen, or caseine, and in some cases I thicken the said substances and
print;
I then steam and fix in a solution of any one of the metallic salts
named, steam and chemick as before described.
And in my improved method of fixing more permanently the mordant or
mordants and coloring matter of madder or. garancine after drying, and
previous to soaping or chemicking, I take oil saponified by means of sulphuric
acid, and neutralize by means of any suitable alkali, as herein-before described;
I take of the neutralized oil about one pint, and mix it with seven pints of
water more or less, either hot or cold, and pad the goods in this mixture, and
steam them either dry or wet (but I prefer to steam dry) for about one hour
either with high or low pressure steam, and I subsequently chemick or soap
the goods, as is well understood by dyers and printers. Or, as an improved
modification in the soaping operation of madder or garancine by the use of
oil saponified by means of sulphuric acid when used during the soaping
process, I proceed as follows:-I take for every twenty-eight pieces (nine-
eighths) one gallon of oil saponified by means of sulphuric acid, as before
described, twelve pounds of ordinary soap, and three hundred gallons of
water, and proceed to treat and boil, according to style, as usually practised
by dyers and printers.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim the use of soap and "oil saponified by means of sulphuric acid,"
and also the use of nitrogenous compounds such as glue, albumen, lactarine,
milk, and similar substances, for the purpose and in the manner herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lightfoot, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand night hundred and sixty four
JOHN LIGHTFOOT. (L.S.)