Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Woven and Knitted Fabrics.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 19th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Woven and Knitted
Fabrics.
I, LOUIS CHAUX, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg Paris in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of woven and knitted fabrics and has for
its subject a method enabling the hair of animals, especially the hair of rabbits (wild
rabbits and domestic rabbits) to be, spun into strong thread of any fineness, which
hair could not heretofore be employed for the manufacture of woven and knitted
fabrics because the spinning of this material has been impossible.
The final result obtained by my method is a woven or knitted fabric of pure
animal materials constituted by threads of any fineness, giving a product of a soft-
ness and flexibility superior to the most beautiful fabrics of wool or other animal
material which have heretofore been produced.
Before explaining my method I may observe that when in this Specification [
mention cotton it must be understood that this material can be replaced by any
other textile vegetable material, such as ramie, flax, jute, aloe or the like; or by a
mixture of these vegetable materials. In like manner it is also understood that
when I mention solely the hair of animals I mean any qualities of hair, especially
rabbit's hair of any quality and of any origin.
I realize my method in the following manner.
In the combing or carding I intimately mix rabbit's hair
(1) with a large quantity of cotton, for obtaining a fabric of rabbit's hair ;-
(2) or with a certain quantity of cotton and a certain quantity of silk, for
obtaining an unshrinkable fabric of rabbit's hair and silk.
(3) or with a certain quantity of cotton and a certain quantity of wool, for
obtaining a very strong fabric of rabbit's hair and wool.
Of each of these intimate mixtures I form threads which can be of great fineness
by reason of the presence of cotton which serves as a connection and imparts to
them great strength so as to resist breakage.
Of these threads I manufacture my woven or knitted fabrics. When my woven
or knitted fabrics are made I subject them to a chemical bath which incinerates the
cotton without changing the hair, wool and silk.
After the expulsion of the ashes of the vegetable material the fabric is exclusively
composed of animal materials and is perfectly even and close without showing the
place which the cotton occupied during the spinning and manufacturing operations,
because after the removal of the cotton the fibres of animal materials are entangled
with each other across the space first occupied by the cotton. From this results
a great cohesion between the fibres, the strength of the fabric as well as great
softness.
The composition of the chemical bath is the same as when it is required to remove
from ordinary fabrics vegetable materials, such as straw, thistles, and the like, which
they contain accidentally; these baths are well known in the industry.
I make use of a certain quantity of silk, because experience has shown me
that unshrinkable woven or knitted fabrics are thus obtained, the silk becoming
inert after the washing.
I make use of a certain quantity of wool, because the fibres of rabbit's hair being
short and smooth the wool mixed intimately with this rabbit's hair maintains the
strength of the threads in the woven or knitted fabrics after the expulsion of the

page_text: cotton which served as a connection and temporarily sustained them during
the spinning and manufacturing operations.
It is easy to understand that after the disappearance of the cotton the place
which it occupied in the thread becomes free and that the rabbit's hair is freely
developed, whence the remarkable qualities of softness and porosity of my fabrics.
Moreover in the case of knitted fabrics the loop is freed by the disappearance of
the cotton and an incomparable elasticity is obtained.
Proportions which give excellent results are:
(1) 40 per cent. of rabbit's hair
40 per cent. of wool
20 per cent. of cotton.
(2) 60 per cent. of rabbit's hair
20
per cent. of silk
20 per cent. of cotton.
(3) 70 per cent. of rabbit's hair
30 per cent. of cotton.
But it may be useful to vary these proportions according to the object to be
attained.
I employ at will the above-described combinations either for the warp and weft,
or I employ pure wool for the warp and take for the weft my threads combined
with rabbit's hair and vice versa.
I also employ my threads combined with rabbit's hair for pure woollen fancy fabrics,
using pure wool for part of the warp and rabbit's hair for another part and repeating
these effects in the weft for forming squares or stripes as distinguished from materials
producing different effects.
I also produce knitted fabrics either consisting entirely of my threads combined
with rabbit's hair or their front consisting of wool and their back of rabbit's hair of
any fineness and any combinations.
Whatever may be the kind of woven or knitted fabric thus manufactured
according to my method I obtain a product which does not present the serious
inconveniences of the fabrics of rabbit's hair which have hitherto been made or
proposed. The latter fabrics are deficient in cohesion, become disaggregated, the
hair does not hold, and is detached by the slightest friction. The fabrics made of
my combined threads present on the contrary great strength, whatever may be the
fineness of the numbers of threads employed.
Dated this 18th day of February 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Woven and
Knitted Fabrics.
I, LOUIS CHAUX, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
m and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of woven and knitted fabrics and has
for its object a method enabling the hair of animals, especially the hair of rabbits,
either wild or tame rabbits, to be spur. into strong threads of any fineness, which
hair could not heretofore be employed for the manufacture of woven and knitted
fabrics because the spinning of this material has been impossible.
The final result obtained by my method is a woven or knitted fabric of pure
animal materials constituted by threads of any fineness, giving a product of a

page_text: softness and flexibility superior to the most beautiful fabrics of wool or other
animal material which have heretofore been produced.
Before explaining my method I may observe that when in this Specification
I mention cotton it must be understood that this material can be replaced by any
other textile vegetable material, such as ramie, flax, jute, aloe or the like; or by
a mixture of these vegetable materials. In like manner it is also understood
that when I mention solely the hair of animals I mean any hair, especially
rabbits hair.
My improved method is carried into practice as follows:
In the combing or carding I intimately mix rabbits hair (1) with a large
quantity of cotton, for obtaining a fabric of rabbits hair, or (2) with a certain
quantity of cotton and a certain quantity of silk, for obtaining an unshrinkable
fabric of rabbits hair and silk; or (3) with a certain quantity of cotton and a
certain quantity of wool, for obtaining a very strong fabric of rabbits hair
and wool.
From each of these intimate mixtures I form threads which can be of great
fineness by reason of the presence of cotton which serves as a connection and
imparts to them great strength so as to resist breakage.
From these threads I manufacture my woven or knitted fabrics. When my
woven or knitted fabrics are made I subject them to a chemical bath which
incinerates the cotton without changing the hair, wool and silk.
After the expulsion of the ashes of the vegetable material the fabric is
exclusively composed of animal materials and is perfectly even and close, without
showing the place which the cotton occupied during the spinning and manufacturing
operations, because after the removal of the cotton the fibres of animal materials
are entangled with each other across the space first occupied by the cotton.
From
this results a great cohesion between the fibres, and strength of the fabric as well
as great softness.
The composition of the chemical bath is the same as when it is required to
remove from ordinary fabrics vegetable materials, such as straw, thistles, and
the like, which they contain accidentally; these baths are well known in the
industry.
I make use of a certain quantity of silk, because experience has shown me that
unshrinkable woven or knitted fabrics are thus obtained, the silk becoming inert
after the washing.
I make use of a certain quantity of wool, because the fibres of rabbits hair being
short and smooth the wool mixed intimately with this rabbit's hair maintains the
strength of the threads in the woven or knitted fabrics after the expulsion of the
cotton which served as a connection and temporarily sustained them during the
spinning and manufacturing operations.
It is easy to understand that after the disappearance of the cotton the place
which it occupied in the thread becomes free and that the rabbits.hair is freely
developed, whence the remarkable qualities of softness and porosity of my
fabrics.
Moreover in the case of knitted fabrics the loop is freed by the disappearance of
the cotton and an incomparable elasticity is obtained.
Proportions which give excellent results are:
(1) 30 per cent. of rabbits hair
50 per cent. of wool
20
per cent. of cotton.
(2) 30 per cent. of hair
55 per cent. of silk
15 per cent. of cotton.
(3) 50 per cent. of hair
40 per cent. of wool
10 per cent. of cotton.

page_text: But it may be useful to vary these proportions according to the object to be
attained.
I employ at will the above-described combinations either for the warp and weft,
or I employ pure wool for the warp and take for the weft my threads combined
with rabbits hair and vice versa.
I also employ my threads combined with rabbit's hair for pure woollen fancy
fabrics, using pure wool for part of the warp and rabbits hair for another part and
repeating these effects in the weft for forming squares or stripes as distinguished
from materials producing different effects.
I also produce knitted fabrics either consisting entirely of my threads combined
with rabbits hair, or their front consisting of wool and their back of rabbits hair of
any fineness and any combinations.
Whatever may be the kind of woven or knitted fabric thus manufactured
according to my method I obtain a product which does not present the serious
inconveniences of the fabrics of rabbits hair which have hitherto been made or
proposed. The latter fabrics are deficient in cohesion, becomes disaggregated the
hair does not hold, and is detached by the slightest friction. The fabrics made of
my combined threads present on the contrary great strength, whatever may be the
fineness of the numbers of threads employed.
For preventing the volatility of the rabbits hair by reason of its lightness and
its tenuity, it is expedient before its being mixed with the filaments of wool tó
impregnate it with oil or other fatty substance in the proportion of 5 to 15 per cent.
either during the operation of the combing or during that of the carding.
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:-
-
First. The manufacture of fabrics, warp and weft or knitted from animal hair
especially rabbits hair either pure or mixed with wool or silk, as hereinbefore
described, by the use of threads formed of the said animal materials and of cotton
or other textile vegetable material such as ramie, aloes, flax, jute or the like, cotton
or vegetable, which serves only as a temporary support in the threads during the
weaving or knitting, being subsequently removed by a chemical bath.
Second. The improved woven and knitted fabrics of pure animal material
obtained by the above described process and which possess in a high degree the
qualities of porosity, softness elasticity and if desired unshrinkability.
Dated this 18th day of November 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, Agents for the Applicant.