Improvements in the Process of Coloring or Decorating Paper and other Fabrics for Wall-coverings and for other purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Process of Coloring or Decorating Paper and
other Fabrics for Wall-coverings and for other purposes.
I, THOMAS STRAHAN, residing at Number 121 Bellingham Street, in the City of
Chelsea, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Wall-paper Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the samo is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to a novel method of coloring or decorating paper and other
fabrics for covering walls and for other purposes, whereby beautiful and artistic effects
aro produced in a simple and inexpensive manner.
To this end my invention consists in projecting or discharging liquid or liquid
colors in the form of spray or vapor by means of any suitable atomizing device against
the surface of the paper or fabric to be decorated or colored, the paper or fabric to be
treated being either white or colored, wet with water or a coating of color, or dry, and
the liquid ejected being either a liquid color or a liquid which will change by its
chemical action the previous color of the paper or fabric or its coating, or alter the
same by simple dilution, different effects being produced by so manipulating the
atomizer or atomizers employed us to vary the quantity or direction of the discharge,
or by partially or wholly interrupting the flow of the liquid from one or more of said
atomizers, as hereinafter more particularly set forth.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a machine for coloring or decorating paper and
other fabrics in accordance with my improved process.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of the machine.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide an atomizing device consisting of
any suitable number of atomizers a, (one or more) of any well-known construction,
connected by means of flexible pipes 5 with a suitable receptacle or receptacles b,
containing the liquid or liquids or liquid color or colors to be employed, said atomizer
or atomizers being operated in a well-known manner by steam or air, as preferred,
which is introduced into the pipe c, to which the atomizers are attached, by means of
a pipe d, connected therewith and leading to the source of supply. The paper or
fabric A, in rolls or sheets, is then carried or moved along, by means of any suitable
mechanism or otherwise, in front of the downwardly-inclined nozzle or nozzles of the
atomizing device at a suitable distance therefrom, receiving in its passage the liquid
or liquid color discharged in the form of spray or vapor from the said atomizing
device, the said discharge of spray or vapor being made continuous or variable
according to the effect to be produced. This movement of the paper is preferably
accomplished by means of an apron B and roller D, the apron B being that
of an ordinary wall-paper-coating machine, which may be employed to coat the
paper with color or wet the same before it reaches the atomizing device. The
paper or fabric may however be stationary, and the atomizer or atomizers moved
along in front of the same if preferred.
The paper or fabric being treated may be either wet with water or other liquid
or dry, and may be either white or colored or coated with color, and the liquid
discharged from the atomizer or atomizers may be either a liquid color, or it may be
a liquid which will change by its chemical action or by dilution of the color of the
coating, the previous color of the paper or fabric or its coating.
If a uniformly-rainbowed effect is desired, the jets of the nozzles of the atomizers a
are made to play constantly on the paper or fabric as it passes in front of the same,

page_text: the nozzles being so directed and the colors so selected for the different jets as to
give a continuous rainbowed effect. If, however, a clouded effect is to be produced,
it may be obtained by varying or interrupting the flow of the color or liquid onto
the paper from the receptacle or receptacles in which it is contained, which may be
accomplished in any suitable manner, for instance, by means of stop-cocks in the
supply-pipes of the atomizers a, or by raising or lowering, by means of any suitable
mechanism, the supply tanks b, into which the colors or liquids flow through pipes
from the closed receptacles above, which raising or lowering of the tanks b will
increase or diminish the pressure on the liquid supplied to the atomizing device, thus
increasing or diminishing its flow.
Another method of producing a clouded effect which I have found to answer well is
by interrupting the jets by periodically interposing between the same and the paper
or fabric A, a suitable intercepting device, which will catch the color or liquid and
prevent it from reaching the paper or fabric at that particular point. This is accom-
plished by the employment of a series of targets or intercepters, which are mounted
on a frame 7, adapted to slide transversely in suitable bearings m, said frame being
actuated by a cord n, connected with a lover p, which is moved by a cam », Figs. 1
and 3, against the resistance of a weight s, passing over a pulley and connected by
means of a cord 10 to the opposite end of the sliding frame 1. These targets are
placed on the frame 1 at a short distance apart, as seen in Fig. 3, so as to leave spaces
between the same through which the jets from the nozzles of the atomizers a reach
the surface of the paper or fabric A, and thus, as the targets or intercepters kare
reciprocated by the action of the cam and weight above described, the jets will be
periodically interrupted, the spray which impingos on the inner sides of the targets k
running down the surface of the same into a shallow pan or receptacle G beneath,
from which it may be drawn off through a suitable discharge pipe or orifice, and in
this manner the spray from each nozzle is alternately intercepted and allowed to play
onto the surface of the paper or fabric, the targets being arranged in any suitable
manner to intercept one or more of the jets at one time, and permit the remaining jets
to play onto the paper or fabric through the spaces between the said targets. A
similar clouded effect can also be produced by a continuous movement of the
atomizers a during the passage of the paper or fabric in front of the same, which
movement can be produced by continuously reciprocating the pipe c to which the
atomizers are attached. To accomplish this movement of the pipe c, the pipe dis
provided with a swinging joint 15 below the apron B of the machine, and is connected
above said joint 15 by means of a rod 17 with an eccentric 16, which imparts the
desired reciprocating motion to the pipe c and atomizers a connected therewith.
An imitation of granite can be produced by causing the atomizers to throw a
spray so coarse as to produce, instead of a smooth color, a spattered effect which, by
a proper selection of colors, can be made to closely imitate the various kinds of granite
and other stone.
If desired, pulp in the process of being manufactured into paper or other fabric,
or a wall or other surface, may be colored or ornamented in the same manner as
the paper or fabric above described without departing from the spirit of my
invention, as my improved process can be employed to advantage in embellishing any
surface or substance to which it may be applicable, the atomizers being so arranged as
to direct the spray or vapor onto the surface to be ornamented in such manner as to
produce the desired effects.
An infinite variety of novel, beautiful, and striking effects, imitations of marble,
stone, &c., can thus be easily and cheaply produced by the employment of atomizers
as above described, it being merely necessary to vary the colors and manipulate the
atomizers or periodically interrupt one or more of the jets of the same, as taste or
fancy may dictate.
When used for wall-coverings, the decoration produced by my improved process as
above described, may, if desired, form the ground or surface, on which the design is
afterwards printed in the same manner as on ordinary grounded wall-paper.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The herein described process of coloring and decorating paper and other fabrics
which consists in projecting or discharging liquid or liquid colors in the form of spray
or vapor against the surface of the paper or fabric to be treated by means of atomizers,
and varying or changing the effect so produced by alternately interrupting wholly or
partially or moving one or more of the jets of spray at any desired point or points,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of August 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for tho Applicant.