PROCESS FOR BLEACHING COTTON YARNS AND FABRICS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM MATHER of Salford, in the county of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "PROCESS FOR BLEACHING COTTON YARNS
AND FABRICS and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
In ny Specification No 1912 of 1885 I have described means of steaming textile
materials by loading them in open framed or lattice trucks which are run into a
vessel like a horizontal boiler having its ends closed tightly against leakage by
sluice doors, and therein exposing the materials to the action of steam admitted to
the vessel while they are kept moist by liquor distributed over them. I have
found that by the use of apparatus of this kind, in conjunction with other known
apparatus, the bleaching of cotton yarn and fabrics can be very thoroughly effected
with great economy of time, labor, chemicals and heat, simplification and cheapness
of the apparatus, reduction of the space required, and with advantageous results in
respect of the weight and width of the materials treated. My present invention
relates to a complete process for this purpose, which consists of the following
successive steps of operation.
Taking cotton yarns or fabrics in the greyish brown state in which they are
spun or woven, whether washed or not,-
Firstly, I pass them through a boiling solution of caustic soda having a strength
of from 3° to 6° Twaddell, taking care that they are thoroughly soaked with the
solution, which is ensured by their being passed several times continuously
through the vessel containing the solution, and squeezing rollers.
Secondly, The soaked materials, as they come from the solution, are piled in
lattice trucks such as are described in my Specification above referred to, and the
charged trucks are run into the vessel described in the said Specification. In the
case of woven fabrics, they may be placed in the trucks spread out to their full
width either piled in folds or wound on rollers.
Within the steaming vessel the materials in the trucks are exposed for 1 to
5 hours to the action of steam admitted to the vessel, while they are moistened
occasionally with the soda liquor discharged over them by the distributing nozzles
in the upper part of the steaming vessel.
Thirdly, after this steaming, the trucks are run out of the steaming vessel and
are emptied, their contents being passed through an ordinary washer.

page_text: For heavy goods it is generally advisable to repeat the three steps above described,
and, after washing, the materials may be soured in the usual way, but I do not
consider souring to be essential at this stage of the
process.
Fourthly, The washed materials, whether soured or not, are passed through
chlorine liquor in the usual way.
Fifthly, Again the materials are washed.
Sixthly, The materials are soured.
Seventhly, The materials are again washed, and are now sufficiently bleached
and ready for drying in the usual way.
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
The berein described process for bleaching Cotton Yarns and fabrics.