IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART OR PROCESS OF DYEING COTTON OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS, OR COTTON OR OTHER YARNS, WHEN PRINTED OR MORDANTED, WITH THE COLORING : MATTER OF MADDER, OR OF DYEWOODS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Campbell Duncan, of Glasgow,
Calico Printer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART
OR PROCESS OF DYEING COTTON OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS, OR COTTON
OR OTHER YARNS, WHEN PRINTED OR MORDANTED, WITH THE COLORING
: MATTER OF MADDER, OR OF DYEWOODS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 24th December 1852, and dated the 2nd October 1852..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Camp-
bell Duncan at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 2nd October 1852.
I, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL DUNCAN, of Glasgow, Calico Printer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for ".IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE ART OR PROCESS OF DYEING COTTON OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS, OR
COTTON OR OTHER YARNS, WHEN PRINTED OR MORDANTED, WITH THE COLORING
MATTER OF MADDER, OR OF DYEWOODS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows, and is to facilitate the process
referred to by reducing the time and the quantity of coloring matter

page_text: required to effect the above purposes; and there is involved in the
Invention three principles:-
First: The bringing together of the printed or mordanted article and
the coloring matter of the dye in a higher state of affinity or attraction
towards each other.
Second: A mechanical contrivance to effect a more rapid and uniform
contact of the printed or mordanted article with the coloring matter of
the dye.
Third: An arrangement for, the saving.of dye stuff or stuff's employed
in the process.
And I propose to carry the above into effect as follows:-Having
discovered that by immersing madder in water which may be acidulated
for a given time it yields its coloring matter much more freely than
it does by any process now in use; by this means, by the immersion of
dye stuffs in the liquid previous to putting it into the dye vessel along
with the article to be dyed, I am enabled to effect the dyeing operation
with a smaller quantity of dye stuff, in less time, and more simply. I am
also enabled to dispense with the usual slow method of bringing up the
temperature of the dye bath from cold water to boiling in two hours
and a half. By my method the dyeing operation is effected in 20
minutes at the boiling point of water. In addition to this a new
arrangement of dye vessel is to be introduced, by means of winches or
rollers to dye many hundreds of picces of cloth continuously, without
stopping, instead of the present method of intermittent dyeing, that is,
dyeing 20 or 30 pieces of cloth in a dye vessel, then stopping, taking
the pieces out of the vessel, running off the surplus dye stuff, and com-
mencing anew with another set of 20 or 30 pieces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said Alexander Campbell Duncan, in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 29th March 1853.

page_text: of
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, and in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Campbell Duncan, Her
special license that I, the said Alexander Campbell Duncan, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said.
Alexander Campbell Duncan, 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, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ART OR PROCESS.
OF DYEING COTTON OR OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS, OR COTTON OR OTHER YARNS,
WHEN PRINTED OR MORDANTED, WITH THE COLORING MATTER OF MADDER, OR OF
DYEWOODS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Campbell Duncan,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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, as reference being
thereunto had will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Campbell Duncan,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
It consists of an improved method or process of dyeing printed or
mordanted goods or yarns with the coloring matter of madder or other
dye stuffs, whereby time, labor, and fuel are saved. In order to shew
clearly the principle of this my Invention, it is advisable to state the
process, of dyeing printed or mordanted goods as practised at the
present time. It is as follows:-A certain quantity of goods to be dyed
are put into a dye vessel with. cold or tepid water and the necessary.

page_text: quantity of dye stuff; the goods are then set in motion by means of a
wince; heat is applied, slowly at first, gradually increasing to from 180°
Fahrenheit to 212° Fahrenheit, the time occupied in this dyeing. opera-
tion being from two to three hours. The goods are then taken out of
the vessel, the residuary liquor run off or emptied out, and the vessel
made ready for dyeing another quantity of goods; or it may be that in
some cases the residuary liquor is not altogether run off, but partly or
wholly used in aid of a second quantity of goods; still each set or vessel
full of goods formis a distinct and separate dyeing operation, requiring
usually from two to three hours for its accomplishment. Instead of
this tedious process, my Invention is to dye continuously, progressively,
or in chain, as it is technically called, any convenient quantity of goods,
which are fastened together, and, by means of winces, rollers, and pulleys,
or other appliances, are made to pass through a large vessel containing
water and the dyestuff, kept at a high temperature, say from 180° to
212° Fahrenheit, in such a way that the goods entering the vessel at
one part undyed come out of it dyed at another; the time occupied in
effecting the operation, as regards any one portion of the goods, being
probably from twenty minutes to half an hour, fresh dyestuff being
added from time to time to replace the coloring matter absorbed by the
goods in the operation. The principle of the Invention claimed to be
patented is, continuous or progressive dyeing, by which the goods are
dyed in their progress from one part of the dye vessel to another, and
the dyeing at once in a liquor at a high temperature instead of by
gradations of heat. Some of the dyestuff's applicable to this Invention
are flowers of madder, garancine, and various dye-woods. The size of
the vessel required will vary according to the wants of cach manufacturer.
One capable of holding twenty of the ordinary pieces of calico will
probably suit many, for which I recommend the following dimensions
and arrangements: A. vessel of wood, ten feet six inches long, three
feet six inches wide, and three feet three inches deep, divided into three
water-tight compartments, the first of two feet long, the second of six
feet long, the third of two feet long. The first compartment has one
wince, with pulleys for drawing in the goods to be dyed; the second

page_text: compartment has three winces, the last of which has pulleys; and
between these winces there are gratings to prevent the goods from
mixing and becoming entangled in their passage from one to the
other; the third compartment has one wince, with pulleys. From
this last compartment there is a pipe or open trough communi-
cating with the first compartment, so that the overflow from the former
will run into the latter. Steam pipes are laid conveniently in the
vessel for heating the water, which before beginning the dyeing
operation is brought up to 190° or 212° Fahrenheit; the dyestuff is'
then put into the first two compartments only, the third being full of
the heated water. The quantity of dyestuff required will. depend upon
the speed at which it is wanted to dye the goods. Six ounces of flowers
of madder per gallon of water will give give a speed' of nearly a piece
of twenty-eight yards per minute. The goods are made to enter the first
compartment at one end of the wince, over which they pass spirally six.
or seven times, so that in this compartment there are at one time six
or seven pieces of cloth; they then pass in succession over each of the
other winces in the same manner. The last compartiment containing
only water is to remove the loose dyestuff from the goods, so that it
may not be carried away and lost. A small supply of water is kept
constantly running into one end of it, and from the other end the
increase of liquor flows into the first compartment, into which, after the
first charge of dyestuff, no fresh stuff is put. The object of this
arrangement is to bring the undyed goods into contact with the partially
exhausted liquor, from which they will pick up with avidity the greater
part of the remaining dyestuff'; the overflow from this compartment is
collected, and the coloring matter precipitated as usual, to be converted
into garancine.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said
Invention, I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not claim the
exclusive use of any machinery or apparatus herein referred to, as I am
aware the same has been or may have been used, for other purposes.
Neither do I confine myself to the exact quantities or proportions of
materials, nor to the precise details herein described, as such may be

page_text: varied or modified without departing from the principle of this my said
Invention. But I claim the method or process of continuous or pro-
gressive dyeing, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Campbell Duncan, haye
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of March,
. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL DUNCAN. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered in
the presence of
JAS. STEVENSON, of No. 52, George Square,.
Glasgow, Solicitor.
ARCH. CAMPBELL, of No. 52, George Square,