Improvements in the Treatment of Vegetable Fibres.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th. A r., 1896-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
Improvements in the Treatment of Vegetable Fibres.
I, CHARLES EFROS, Chemist, of 281, West 118th Street in the City County
and State of New York, United States of America, 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 :-
My invention relates to treating vegetable fibre, more particularly that used
in the manufacture of ropes or cords and known as hard fibre such as hemp,
linen, or jute, but which treatment is applicable nevertheless to all vegetable
fibres.
My invention consists mainly in chemical mixtures for treating fibres such for
instance as the mixtures and solutions hereinafter specified, although other and
analogous substances and mixtures may be used with like effect. By my invention
the fibre treated becomes more useful and valuable in consequence of its greatly
enhanced qualities, chief among which are its improved appearance and greater
adaptability for spinning or otherwise working, due to its greatly improved
flexibility, elasticity, freedom from lumps or unevenness, higher degree of gloss,
greater body, lighter colour, and the general superiority of the manufactured
product.
My composition is capable of great variation, both as to the substances employed
for treating the fibre,. their proportions, and the manner of applying them to the
fibre.
In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will state in detail the
ingredients of one composition employed by me, the manner of making it and
one mode of applying it to the fibre, it. being, of course, understood that I do not
mean to thereby limit myself to the precise ingredients, proportions and manipu-
lations described, but merely state this as a single definite process.
I proceed as
follows:
I take 480 lbs. silicate of magnesia;
وو
glucose;
wheat flour;
paraffine;
alkali soap;
.640
280
"3
48
"
36
"
20
"
8
"
5
"
1000
"
refined paraffine oil';
neutral soap;
creosote ;
phosphate of soda;
25 tallow; and
32
300"
water.
As I have before stated, these ingredients and proportions may be greatly
varied, for instance; the water and paraffine oil may be used interchangeably
as vehicles for the remainder of the ingredients, and either or both may be used.
The silicate of magnesia serves to impart softuess, and I may say, a lubricating
effect to the fibre and may be replaced by analogous substances, such as
steatite; silicate of aluminum (china clay); silicate of potassium; silicate of
soda (water glass); or the carbonates of barium or magnesia, or the acetate or
oxide of lead.

page_text: The glucose of the above described mixture being used to impart gloss to the
fibre and also as a binding substance to hold the remaining ingredients properly
together, may be replaced by its analogues, such as sugar syrup or molasses.
Similarly, the wheat flour which, in the above described mixture, is used as a
binder and as a dressing, may be replaced by any suitable form of starch or by
albumen, casein or dextrine.
The paraffine in the mixture, in addition to serving to soften and lubricate the
fibre, also adds gloss to the fibre and may be replaced by stearine, beeswax ;
mineral wax; vegetable wax and the like.
The creosote of the mixture being used as a preservative of the fibre and of the
composition, may be replaced by other analogous preservatives, such as carbolic
acid; salicylic acid, strychnine; acetic acid and the like.
The phosphate of soda in the mixture is used as a softener for the fibre, iu that
it combines with the cellulose of the fibre to render it sufficiently soft to permit of
its being more easily stretched in spinning, makes an emulsion with the oil, and
is a highly important ingredient of the mixture. The phosphate of soda may be
replaced by an attenuated solution of caustic alkali or of a solution or a combination
of alkali with a weak acid. The phosphate of soda solution may also be used alone,
if desired, as a softening solution per se. I have found a solution of phosphate of
soda to answer well for the purpose.
The paraffine oil of the mixture may be replaced by any other light or heavy
mineral oil or a mixture thereof with animal or vegetable oil, or if a yarn be
required which shall have no oil in it, 1000 pounds of water may be substituted for
the paraffine oil.
The water and oil of the mixture are mainly vehicles for carrying the other
ingredients into the interstices of the fibre and all or nearly all the water is
evaporated out of the fibre, but the oil evaporating more slowly than water is in
important cases much preferable to water, because it also serves as a lubricant.
The tallow of the mixture may be replaced by numerous fats and oils, principal
among which are the following: Fat of bones; bleached palm oil, cocoanut oil;
caster oil; olive oil; pork fat. The tallow may also be replaced by glycerine.
A small proportion of colophony mixed with alkali, such as crystallized soda, may
be added to my mixture when it is desired by the formation of a resin soap to add
to the body of the fibre and to improve its appearance.
There yet remains to discuss the soaps in the mixture. These perform peculiar
functions.
The soap serves the purpose of cleaning the fibre and keeping it clean, and
combining with the natural pitch on the fibre and makes of the pitch a sort of resin
soap, thereby beautifying the appearance of the fibre and also softening it as more
and more of the natural pitch is eliminated. All these various ingredients may be
combined in various proportions and one or more of them may be omitted according
to the properties desired in the treated fibre. No general rule can be laid down,
except this, that whatever qualities it is desired to have in the treated fibre, the
ingredient which is to produce these qualities is left in the mixture, and whatever
qualities it is desired shall be absent from the treated fibre, the ingredients which
impart those qualities to the fibre are omitted from the mixture.
The ingredients employed may be mixed by various means, but I have found the
following to be a good mode of procedure; in a vessel containing about 300 lbs. of
water I first incorporate the wheat flour by thorough stirring and allow it to stand
about 24 hours, so that the gluten will be dissolved. Into a second vessel the
paraffine oil is poured, the contents stirred, the silicate of magnesia added and
thoroughly stirred in, and the fermented flour mixture, which has been standing
24 hours, added, and the whole thoroughly united with the glucose during continuous
agitation of the stirring apparatus.
In a third vessel part of the paraffine oil is introduced together with the paraffine,
the tallow, the alkali soap and the neutral soap, the creosote and the phosphate of
soda. After these ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together in the presence

page_text: of heat, the contents of the second vessel above mentioned are added, and the
whole stirred together preferably with the aid of compressed air which is forced in
so as to assist in agitating, the contents of said vessel being meanwhile brought to-
a temperature of about 60° Reaumur. Finally the contents are poured through a
sieve. The liquid thus produced can be utilized to produce the aforementioned
effects upon fibre before spinning and may be applied in various ways. One method
of application is to spray the liquid heated to a temperature of about 60° Reaumur
upon the fibre which has previously been spread out and which while being sprayed,.
under pressure, is maintained at the same temperature as the spraying liquid, that
is to say, about 60° Reaumur. The heat has the effect of opening the pores and
interstices in the fibre and the liquid permeates the body of the fibre and thoroughly
impregnates it.
Now while I have specifically set forth certain ingredients as composing my
mixture, I desire to have it understood that there are numerous equivalents which
may be used in lieu of the several ingredients, and I have specifically set forth
some of these equivalents; so therefore when I mention a component of the mixture
specifically, I wish to have it understood that in so doing I mean to include not
only the component thus specified, but equivalent substances, for instance; when.
I refer in the claims of my invention to phosphate of soda, I wish to be understood
as including all equivalents for phosphate of soda which, in this mixture, as I have
before stated, are in general solutions of caustic alkali. It is with this explanation.
that I desire the claims to be interpreted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of preparing vegetable fibre for spinning which consists in.
treating the fibre in its raw or unspun condition with a softening liquid, as
specified.
2. The method of preparing vegetable fibre for spinning, which consists in
treating the fibre in its raw or unspun condition with phosphate of soda, as.
specified.
3. A mixture for treating fibre composed of the following ingredients in about
the proportions specified: silicate of magnesia, glucose, wheat flour, paraffine,.
soap, creosote, phosphate of soda and tallow, with a suitable vehicle, as-
specified.
4. A mixture for treating fibre composed of the following ingredients in about
the proportions specified silicate of magnesia, glucose, wheat flour, paraffine,.
soap, phosphate of soda, tallow and a vehicle, as specified.
5. A mixture for treating fibre composed of the following ingredients in about
the proportions specified: silicate of magnesia, glucose, wheat flour, paraffine, soap,
creosote, phosphate of soda, tallow and paraffine oil, as specified.
6. A mixture for treating fibre composed of the following ingredients in about
the proportions specified: silicate of magnesia, wheat flour, paraffine, soap, creosote,.
phosphate of soda and tallow, with a suitable vehicle, as specified.
Dated this 7th day of April 1896
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.