Improvements in or relating to the Dyeing of Textiles and the like, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in or relating to the Dyeing of Textiles and the like,
and Apparatus therefor.
I, JACQUES CADGÈNE, of the Stück fürberei, Zurich, in the Republic of Switzer-
land, Dye Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
0
The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for the manifold or
variegated dyeing of textile materials and the like.
Hitherto variegated or "spectral" colourings in textiles have been obtained by
more or less complicated and expensive dyeing or printing methods, and the results
obtained have mostly been only imperfect so that the products did not find any
great demand.
As against these previous inventions, the present process for variegated or mani-
fold colouring of textiles possesses important advantages, namely:
1. Uniform production of the variegated colouring from one end of the textile
to the other.
2. Quickness of production.
3. Small cost of the dyeing.
These advantages are obtainable by my process and apparatus, in which a series
of steam jet apparatuses is combined with a series of dye vats in such a manner
that the contents of the said vats are aspirated by means of the said jets, and
discharged against the material which is being drawn past one or more of the
said apparatuses, by means of which the varied colours are shaded off into one
another in the material in the manner of the spectrum.
The process for the dyeing in variegated colours is preferably as follows:-
The steam escaping from the tube of the steam jet apparatus sucks up the
dye contained in the vat and delivers the same in the condition of spray against
the material which is being drawn past the front of the apparatus. Upon this
material the rows of colours are spread passing one into the other in the same
manner as the colours of the spectrum. After the material has received the dye
it is passed partly over a hollow roller heated by steam and dried by the heat
arising from a suitable heater, and is then wound upon a roller by any suitable
means.
In addition to ordinary textile materials knitted or other goods can be treated
according to this process.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to the Dyeing of Textiles and the like,
and Apparatus therefor.
I, JACQUES CADGENE, of the Stückfärberei, Zurich, in the Republic of Switzer-
land, Dye works Manager, 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 invention forming the object of this application is an improved process
for the variegated or spectral dyeing of textile fabrics and the like.
It consists essentially of the following steps:-
By means of a series of steam jets various fluid dyes are injected from open
transparent vessels, finely divided, heated, and finally discharged upon a travelling
fabric; in which the neighbouring ejection cones intersect on their respective
fields of delivery, and consequently the colouring matters distributed by them
are intermingled at these places.
Variegated or spectral colouring of textile materials has hitherto been effected
by means of hand or roller pressure or by the dipping of the materials in dye
baths, but in these processes the possible combinations of colour are very limited,
and moreover the process becomes so slow, complicated and expensive that the
products could not successfully be placed upon the market. On the other hand
the process forming the subject of the present application, possesses the advantage
of a rapid production at comparatively trifling expense.
The process of distributing one or more colours by means of suction and jet
propulsion, whether with or without a stencil, has been applied in equal intensity,
that is to say, without the gradual transfusion of one colour into another, in like
manner to the transfusion of the colours of the spectrum. As a means of separat-
ing and propelling the colour, compressed air has been used and afterwards steam,
and this latter has been divided into two parts one of which exerts pressure upon
the fluid colour and the other effects the distribution thereof. This process,
however, suffers from the drawback that it is impossible by means thereof to
obtain a uniform tone of colour from one end of the fabric to the other, because
the water of condensation formed by the steam, mingles in the receptacles with
the dye, and thus continuously diminishes the intensity thereof. Moreover, this
process requires metallic steam-tight closed vessels, which do not admit of the
inspection of their contents from the outside, whereby it is very easy to refill with
the wrong colours. In contra-distinction to the foregoing, the present process
causes no contact between the steam and the surfaces of the fluid dye in the reser-
voir, and consequently no progressive dilution of the colour strength can take place.
Moreover, as the dye vats are transparent and open, mistakes in filling them up
are rendered hardly possible and the filling can take place during the operation
which would not be possible in the case of reservoirs under steam pressure.
In order more clearly to set forth the process and apparatus, reference is
made to the accompanying drawing in which:
Figure 1 shows a view of the apparatus partly in elevation and partly in
section.
Figure 2 shows a partial elevation, and
Figure 3 shows a plan of the discharging nozzles.
The open dye vats A are preferably of glass and are placed in a frame in an
iron frame B provided with the hinged-bar b, and rest upon the table C, which
can be raised or lowered by means of the worm shafts D connected together by
means of the chain gearing d. Of these shafts the one possesses a driving crank

page_text: k
and can by means of the worm and tooth gearing d³ and the racks d' attached
to the travelling frame E, be moved along the vertical bars e and adjusted higher
or lower. From the square tube F supported upon the pieces e¹ and provided
with cylindrical ends f f¹, there branch off a number of horizontal spraying
tubes G corresponding in number to the number of dye vats. Each spraying
tube is provided with a shut off cock g and has at its free end a vertical
suction tube H. Each suction tube H dips in the dye vat A, the steam tube I
connects to the condensation water trap I By means of the tubes I² I³ I* con-
nected adjustably together the tube is in connection with the steam trap I¹.
The fabric L as it unrolls from the roller K passes over the bars M, the guide
rollers N N N2 N3, the drying roller 0 and is wound off upon the roller l'. By
means of a weight & hanging from the roller K the material is kept continuously
stretched. Q represents a band preferably of cotton cloth which is being
unwound from the roller K and passes over the rollers N N¹ N2 N³, O, and then
winding itself upon the geared roller S. This band takes up the surplus colour
from the material L, and can be replaced by another as soon as it is rendered
dirty. The weight k suspended from the roller K keeps the band Q constantly
stretched. The second endless band T, preferably of felt, passing over the
rollers N N N³ O acts as a stiff support and backing for the fabric L, and
the aforesaid band Q. By adjusting the roller N¹ higher or lower by means of the
screws n the felt band T can be stretched more or less. The hollow roller filled
with steam commences the drying of the fabric L which has been treated with the
dye. This drying is then continued by means of the small flames arising
from the hollow bars U supplied with gas and air under pressure. By means of
the protecting plate V adjustable upon the frame E any direct action of the
flames u upon the fabric can be prevented, which is desirable in the case of thin
fabrics, such as muslin, or whilst the height of the flame is being regulated.
In order to obtain wavy effects the tubes F may have an alternating motion
imparted to them by means of an eccentric W and lever W. X represents a
counter balanced plate moving vertically for catching any impurities ejected
at the commencement of the operation.
The process is carried out in the following manner:
The steam escaping from the tubes G aspirates the dye liquid contained in the
receptacles A, breaks up or divides the same, heats it, and propels it upon the
fabric L which is passing in front of it. The fields of discharge of each pair of
adjacent cones intersect somewhat, in the manner shewn in Figure 3, and con-
sequently at these points of intersection a certain mixture of the colours dis-
charged by the said cones or nozzles takes place. In consequence of this admix-
ture a transition of one colour to the next takes place similar to that in a spectrum,
that is to say there is a gradual shading off of one colour into the next. If on
the other hand all the dye vats contain the same colour then there will be pro-
duced upon the material a shading of more or less deep colour of similar appear-
ance to the spectrum-like bands above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. Process for the variegated, shaded, or spectrum-like colouring of fabrics,
consisting essentially in causing by means of a series of steam jets a number of
fluid colours to be aspirated from open transparent vessels, to be finely divided,
heated, and finally sprinkled upon a fabric travelling in front thereof, the nozzles
of said jets being so arranged that the adjacent nozzles cause their respective
fields of discharge to intersect, and thus cause the colours discharged thereby
to intermingle at these points, substantially as described.
2. The improved apparatus for the carrying into effect of the process set forth
in Claim 1, consisting essentially in the combination of a series of steam jets
with a corresponding series of dye reservoirs.

page_text: 3. The improved apparatus for carrying into effect the process set forth in
Claim 1, constructed and operating substantially as described and illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.