OF DYEING, PART OF WHICH PROCESS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO BLEACHING.
Year: 1853

page_text: OF DYEING, PART OF WHICH PROCESS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO BLEACHING.".
- A communication.
Sealed the 3rd November 1853, and dated the 30th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th August 1853.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF DYEING, PART OF WHICH PROCESS
IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO BLEACHING," to be as follows:-
In carrying out the first part of this Invention for the purpose of
dyeing woven & other fabrics a close vat is employed, which is con-
nected with an air-tight tank that contains the liquor to which the
fabric to be operated upon is to be exposed. This vat is also fitted
with a removeable frame, which carries rollers arranged in two
Sp

page_text: horizontal lines at its upper and lower parts. Over and under these
rollers the fabric to be operated upon is stretched in a serpentine
direction, and when the liquor is let from the tank into the vat con-
taining the fabric these rollers have a reciprocating motion imparted
to them, whereby the fabric is drawn backwards and forwards through
the liquor, and made to take up equal quantities thereof throughout its
whole surface.
Before admitting the liquor into the vat steam is blown into the vat
to expel the air therefrom, and a partial vacuum is thus produced in
the vat. .
The steam is now shut off and turned into the liquor tank, and a
communication being opened between that tank and the vat, the liquor
flows into the vat, and saturates the fabric contained therein. When
the fabric, which is kept in motion as before described, has been a
sufficient length of time in the liquor the pressure of the steam is
thrown upon the surface of the liquor in the vat, by which means.
the latter is again emptied, the liquor being forced back into the tank;
the goods may then be taken from the vat, and replaced by others.
Other means than that above described may be adopted, both for the
purpose of expelling the air from the pores of the material, and also for
applying the required pressure. For instance, the vat may be filled with
the liquor after the goods are in, and a vacuum may then be produced
in the same by means of an air pump, and when the atmosphere is
again admitted the liquid will be forced with a pressure of nearly one
atmosphere into the goods, and more thoroughly than could be effected
if the pressure were applied while the pores of the goods are filled with
air; extra pressure may then be applied to the vat, if necessary. Or
the vat may be placed in a deep well or excavation below the surface
of the ground, beneath a perpendicular cliff, or even upon the surface
of the ground, and furnished with a tall chimney or trunk of such a
height that when filled with liquor the requisite pressure shall be pro-
duced upon the vat below. The chimney may be of a width in one
direction sufficient to accommodate the widest goods to be operated
upon, and in the other of sufficient width only to permit the ascending
und descending cloths to pass each other.

page_text: The chimney will remain open at the top, and thus the goods may
be fed constantly through the liquor without the necessity of opening
and closing the vat.
:
In applying the Invention to the bleaching operation the goods are
arranged in the vat, as above mentioned, hot water is admitted from a
boiler, the atmosphere is exhausted from the vat to expel the air from
the
pores of the goods, which are then boiled a sufficient length of time
to remove the soluble matter, and the liquid is run off. Without
removing the goods water is admitted to them, and the air is again
exhausted. This may be repeated as often as the nature and state of
the goods require. Or water may be caused to flow through the vat
while it is exhausted of its atmosphere, until the goods are thoroughly
cleansed. Into this same vat the alkaline solution is now admitted,.
the air is again exhausted from the vat, and, if found necessary, as will
be case with some goods, they ley is forced in by pressure, as before
described. In this solution the goods are again boiled by the admission;
of steam or otherwise, and if this be done in a close vessel the pressure-
and boiling may be accomplished simultaneously. The alkaline solution.
is then run off, the goods are washed, as before, and chlorine is
admitted; exhaustion being again applied; the acid solution is next
admitted, and lastly, the goods are subjected to a final washing, and
the operation is completed.
The second part of the Invention consists in the use of the recipro-
cating rollers before mentioned (which carry the fabric, and keep it in:
constant motion while in the liquor.) in combination with the ordinary
process of machine dyeing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,.
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
license that J, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
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, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS OF DYEING, PART OF WHICH PROCESS IS ALSO APPLICABLE
TO BLEACHING," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and scal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what namer 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.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
The first part of this Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, relates to certain improvements in dyeing and
bleaching cotton and other manufactured goods in vacuo, and also
when the material is subjected to an extraordinary pressure of the
atmosphere, and will be illustrated by the Figures in Sheet I. of the
accompanying Drawings.
The second part of the Invention relates to certain improvements in
the machines heretofore employed in dyeing, and consists in giving to
the rollers which carry the cloth a reciprocating motion back and forth

page_text: instead of a continuous motion in one direction, and will be illustrated
by reference to the Figures in Sheet II. of the Drawings.
To enable others skilled in the art to use these improvements the
inventor thus describes their nature and operation:
Fig. 1, is a front elevation of the apparatus employed in carrying out
the first part of this Invention when pressure either of steam or of a
hydraulic press is employed, or when the atmosphere is exhausted from
the vat while the goods are immersed in the dyeing liquor. Fig. 2, is
a front view, and Fig. 3, is a back view thereof; and Fig. 4, is a lon-
gitudinal section through the centre of the dyeing vat, showing the rollers
employed to give motion to the fabric during the process of dyeing.
A, is a vessel of wrought or cast metal, wood, or other suitable
material, and of a strength that shall enable it to bear the requisite
internal pressure. The cover B, is made to fit air-tight, and is
confined to the vessel A, when in place by a suitable number of
screws, or other appropriate contrivances. To prevent the neces-
sity of removing the cover B, cach time the material is changed,
openings are provided in the former of a size suflicient to enable
the vat to be fed through them, which openings are closed by
covers , fitting air-tight, and secured in any appropriate manner.
C, is a steam pipe from a boiler or other suitable generator, having
two branches c, c', in each of which is a cock d, d. The branch
pipe c, passes to the vessel D, which is a tight boiler or other vessel
containing the dyeing liquor, and may be so arranged as to admit
of the liquor being heated or not, according to the requirements of the
work to be done. f, is a pipe furnished with a cock e, and leading
from the vessel D, to the vat or close vessel A. E, is the barrel of a
common Bramah's or hydrostatic press, which is fed from the vessel D,
through the pipe g, which is furnished with a stop cock i. The pipe Z,
carries the dyeing liquor from the pump E, to the vat A. F', is a
safety valve of ordinary construction attached to the vat and furnished
with a pipe h, which, when the pressure in the vat A, increases suffi-
ciently to raise the valve, will return the liquor again to the vessel D.
m, m', are cocks by which the vessels A, and D, may at any time be
emptied of their contents. G, is a metallic frame furnished with

page_text: rollers 1. over whicli 'the cloth is passed, and by the revolution of which
it is kept in motion while in the pressure vat. To the extreme upper
rollers, an intermittent rotary motion is communicated back and
forth in the following manner:-n, is a shaft running in brackets o
projecting from the vat A, and revolving alternately in opposite direc-
tions; and by means of worms p, on the shaft n, taking into worm
wheels g, upon the short shafts 1, 2, of the rollers 1, 7, the like motion
is communicated to these rollers. These shafts 1, 1, pass through
stuffing boxes in the side of the vat A, and form the axles for the first
and last rollers, of the frame G. s, are spring arms, which carry at
their superior extremities the rollers t, which are pressed by the springs
against the rollers ; and as the latter are rotated in the manner above
described a uniform feed of the cloth results in one direction.or the
other: This forward and back motion of the cloth may be effected in
any well-known and efficient manner. H, is an air pump, which may
be operated in any well-known and efficient manner, and from which a
pipe W, leads to the upper part of the vat A, by means of which the
air may be exhausted therefrom.
The operation of this apparatus is as follows:-The fabric being
threaded through the machine, as denoted by the red lines in Fig. 4,
the covers of the vat A, are secured in place. The stop cock d¹, is
next opened, and steam is admitted to the vat A, for the purpose of
driving out the atmosphere, the cock m, being opened to permit of its
escape. The cocks m, and d', are then closed, and a partial vacuum
is thus formed within the vat A. The cocks e, and d, are then opened,
and the liquor from the vessel D, is forced through the pipe f, into the
vat A, the pressure of the steam being communicated through the pipe
c, to the vessel D, whence it is transmitted to the vat A.
When the material, which is kept in motion as before described, has
been a sufficient length of time in the dyeing liquor, the cock dis
closed, and d is opened; but the cock c, remains open. The pressure
of the steam is thus thrown upon the surface of the liquor in the vat A;
by which means the vat is again emptied, the liquor being forced
through the pipe f, back into the tank D. The goods may then be
taken from the vat, and replaced by others:
Other means than those

page_text: above described may be adopted both for the purpose of expelling the
air from the pores in the material, and also for applying the required
pressure. For instance, the vat A, may be filled with the dyeing
liquid after the goods are in, and a vacuum may then be produced in
the same by means of the air pump H; the air within the pores and
interstices of the goods will thus he caused to expand and rise to the
surface; and when the atmosphere is again admitted the liquid will be
forced with a pressure of nearly one atmosphere into the goods, and
more thoroughly than could be effected if the pressure were applied
while the pores of the goods are filled with air. Extra pressure may
then be applied to the vat, if necessary.
Various methods may also be adopted for producing pressure upon
the liquid within the dyeing vat. When a force punip is employedl
a slightly different arrangement of parts beconies necessary. The
dyeing liquor is forced into the vat A, by the operation of the pump
E, and may then be returned to the vessel D, by the pressure of
steam, as before; or it may be pumped back by any suitable apparatus
provided for the purpose. It is also proposed, under certain cir-
cumstances, to dispense with both the force pump and the steam for
the purpose of producing the required pressure, and to make use of
the following arrangement of parts. The dyeing vat is to be placed
in a deep well or excavation below the surface of the ground beneath
a perpendicular cliff, or even upon the surface of the ground, and to
be furnished with a tall chimney or trunk of such a height that, wlien
filled with. liquor, the requisite pressure shall be produced upon the
vat below. The chimney may be of a width in one direction sufficient
to accommodate the widest goods to be dyed; and in the other of
sufficient width only to permit the ascending and descending cloth to
pass each other. The chimney will remain open at the top, and thus
the goods may be fed constantly through the dyeing liquor, without the
necessity, as before, of opening and closing the vat.
In general it is considered essential to the successful carrying out
of this Invention that the goods be kept in motion during the whole of
the time that they are in the dyeing liquor, in order that the latter may
have free and uninterrupted access to the goods upon every side.

page_text: Under certain circumstances, however, it may answer the same pur-
pose to hang the fabric upon hooks or other equivalent contrivances,
by which means the liquor may be brought in contact with both sur-
faces of the fabric at the same time. This may be considered as an
equivalent for the method of keeping the fabric in motion.
When this Invention is applied to the process of bleaching a great
saving of time and labor is effected, inasmuch as the goods may be
expeditiously and thoroughly washed, as required, at the different stages
of the bleaching process, by immersing them in water in a tight vessel
from which the air is exhausted; and thus the cumbersome and expen-
sive machines heretofore considered indispensable for the purpose of
effecting these repeated washings of the goods are dispensed with; the
space necessary for their accommodation, the power to drive, and the
force to tend them, being at the same time saved.
As at present practised. the goods are first steeped or boiled
to remove all soluble matter, starch, &c.; secondly, they are then
carried to the dash wheel, or conducted off to the washing machine,
where they are thoroughly cleansed; thirdly, they are removed to
another vat, where they are boiled in caustic alkali; fourth, after
bucking, as above, they are again passed through the washing machines;
fifth, they are removed to the chlorine vat; sixth, the goods are plunged
into the sour, either in the chlorine vat, or in another vat near at hand;
seventh, froin the vat they are again removed, and are subjected to a
final washing. These several processes are performed in different parts
of the works, the goods requiring to be frequently handled by atten-
lants, who are required at every different stage of the operation, for the
completion of which two days at least are required in the most per-
fectly arranged establishment.
In the improved process the goods are hung closely upen tenter
hooks or upon rollers on the upper and lower bars of the frame G, so
that the bleaching liquor may have free access to every part of the
surface; and the various operations, including the repeated washings
and treatment with alkali, chlorine, and acid, are all performed in the
proper order within the vat A, without moving the goods until after
the final washing and the bleaching has been concluded.

page_text: The process may be briefly described as follows:-The goods being
arranged in the vat, as above mentioned, hot water is admitted from
the boiler; the atmosphere is exhausted from the vat to expel the air
from the pores of the goods, which are then boiled a sufficient length
of time to remove the soluble matter, and the liquor is run off. With-
out removing the goods, water is admitted to them, and the air is again
exhausted. This may be repeated as often as the nature and state of
the goods require, and water may be caused to flow through the vat
while it is exhausted of its atmosphere, until the goods are thoroughly
cleansed.
There are various methods by which this may be accomplished;
for instance, the air may be exhausted from an auxiliary vessel, which,
when brought into communication with the vat, will draw off the water;
fresh water being admitted at the other end, and the exhaustion being
kept up so long as the water is permitted to flow; this is, however,
considered but an equivalent for repeated washing, and need not be
further described. Into this same vat A, the alkaline solution is now
admitted; the air is again exhausted from the vat, and, if found
necessary, as will be the case with some goods, the ley is forced in by
pressure, as before described. In this solution the goods are again
boiled, by the admission of steam or otherwise; and if this be done in
à close vessel the pressure and boiling may be accomplished simul-
taneously. The alkaline solution is then run off; and without
removing the goods they arc again thoroughly washed, as before, and
the chlorine is admitted; exhaustion being here also applied to bring
the liquor into more immediate contact with the fibres and pores. The
acid solution is then admitted; and lastly the goods are subjected
to a final washing, and the operation is completed. All these opera-
tions, including the preliminary, intermediate, and final washings, are
thus performed in one vat without moving the goods during the pro-
cess, whereby a great amount of power, attendance, and other items
of expense are saved, while the bleaching is performed in much less
time, and with less material, than was required by the old process.
In the most approved process at present pursued the goods require

page_text: to be sewed together into one piece or continuous length to enable
them to be run through the washing machines; but by the improved
process above described this is dispensed with, for as the goods are not
moved during the operation the picces do not require to be stitched
-together.
"
The second part of the Invention relates to improvements in the
ordinary process of machine dyeing, and is illustrated by reference to
Figures 5, 6, and 7; Fig. 5, being a perspective view of the ma-
chinery; Fig. 6, a cross section through the dye vat; and Fig. 7, a
view of the parts which communicate the alternate rotary motion to
the rollers.
'In the machines now used in dyeing, the goods, liaving been stitched
;together, are run in one direction over rollers immersed in a vat con-
taining dyeing liquor. For certain colors which take very readily.to
the cloth, or the mordants with which it has been saturated, this process
is found effectual and cheap; but experience has proved that many
colors cannot be put on uniformly, and with exactness, by these ma-
chines; and for such the dyer has been obliged to resort to hand
dyeing, in which process, the goods having been stitched together,
reight or ten pieces are wound or reeled by the operative for their
entire length through a tub or vat of dycing liquor; and this operation
is often many times repeated before the required shade of color is
attained.
In this Invention the vat and rollers used are similar to the machines
now in use (except that the rollers being smaller; more cloth, is con-
tained in the vat); but the motion, instead of being in: one direction,
is reciprocal. The rollers are rotated in opposite directions alternately,
-the cloth being carried only a few feet in each direction in such a
manner that the whole fabric is immersed in the dyeing liquor several
times in each minute, and either the cloth or the liquor may be instan-
taneously withdrawn from the other whenever the exact shade of color
required is attained.
By this method every particle of coloring matter contained in the
vat may be distributed with perfect uniformity over the whole fabric;

page_text: if it is insufficient it may be added to, and if in excess it may be with-
drawn and saved. By the alternating motion the dyer is enabled to
subject his goods for any length of time to the action of the dyeing
liquor that may be required for the kind of color or the depth of shade
to be produced, while, by a motion in one direction, the speed of the
machines would have to be differently adjusted to every variety of
colour and shade wanted, and the first pieces in a series of goods pass-
ing slowly through the vat would absorb the coloring matter, making a
deficiency for those which followed.
In the Figures A' is the vat which contains the dyeing liquor; B', a
strong frame of suitable material fitting closely within the vat, but
which at any time may be withdrawn therefrom. In the upper bars
of this frame run the rollers a', «", and in the lower bars of the frame
the carrying rollers b. Upon the shafts of the extreme rollers of the
upper series are cog-wheels c", which engage with the gear wheels ",
upon the line shaft e', by which means the rollers a", are driven in the
manner to be hereafter described. Any number of intermediate rollers
may be similarly driven, as may be deemed necessary to prevent
injury from too great tension of the cloth. Immediately over the
rollers a", are placed other rollers f, which press the cloth to the sur-
face of the rollers a", and as the latter are turned the cloth is fed
back and forth through the machine. ', is a cog-wheel upon the
shaft e", which is caused to engage alternately with one or the other
of two worms h', h", in the following manner :-', is a metallic frame
hinged at k', to the post C'. ", is a metallic arm in which the
frame i, rests, the latter being thrown over into the position shewn
in Fig. 7, by the spring ". m, m", are vertical shafts running in
the frame i', and carrying the worms h¹, h. These shafts are driven
by the corls n', n" from the main driving pulley D. o¹, is a
shaft suitably boxed in the arm ", and, carrying at its upper ex-
tremity a camp, which bears against the side of the frame i¹. This
cam, is constructed of two segments of circles of different radii, and so
arranged that when the segment of a long radius bears against the
frame, it shall cause the worm h", to engage with the wheel g¹, as

page_text: in Fig. 5; and when the short radius of the cam 2, bears against the
frame, the latter is thrown over by the spring 6", in the position shewn
in Fig. 7, in which the wheel g', is driven by the worm h'; and thus
as the cam p', revolves, the rollers a", are driven alternately in opposite
directions. The camp', is made to revolve slowly while the machine
is in operation by a band upon the pulley E', which is driven by a
small pulley upon the shaft of the driving pulley I)'.
The cloth is threaded into the machine, as shewn in Fig. 6, and the
frame is placed in the vat, which is supplied with dyeing liquor sufficient
to cover the lower rollers b. An intermittent rotary motion is then
communicated to the rollers a", as described, by which means the
cloth is repeatedly passed through the dyeing liquor; the operation
being watched by the attendant, who immediately withdraws the dye
liquor or the cloth as he sees the desired color is attained. The frame
may be withdrawn from the vat, or the machinery can be so arranged
that the revolution of the cam p', may be at any moment interrupted,
in which case the rollers will continue to revolve in one direction, and
the cloth will be run out of the machine. It is evident that a variety of
methods may be adopted for the purpose of producing the intermittent
rotary motion of the rollers; the one above described, however, has
been found to be both simple and efficient. There are also other methods
of feeding the cloth through the machine, which may at times be found
useful; for instance, in place of the rollers a", f, a single roller may
be employed at each end of the machine to which are attached short
aprons to which the ends of the cloth may be stitched, and in this
manner the extreme ends of the string of goods will be equally well
dyed with any part of it.
The exact amount of surface motion to be given to the rollers is not
material in general, however, it should not be less than double the
listance between the upper and lower rollers. The advantages which
this machine possesses over those heretofore in use result from the fact
that many colors which cannot be dyed upon the old machines may be
applied by it without difficulty, and thus the tedious and expensive
process of hand dyeing may be dispensed with. One difficulty with the

page_text: .
old machines arises from the fact that the dye liquor, as before stated,
becomes sensibly weakened before the cloth has passed once through it.
and thus the goods are not uniformly dyed. Another results from the
fact that in passing through the vat once the cloth makes many dip
into the dye liquor, or remains for a considerable time immersed in it;
and thus it has often happened that the shade produced by once
running through the machine was not sufficiently intense, while that
produced by a second passage was deeper than was required. In both
these instances the hand machine has heretofore been resorted to.
The difficulties, are, however, in each case removed by the employment
of the above-described machine, as the whole of the cloth is immersed
almost at the same instant, and the operation may be watched as it
proceeds, and the cloth or the liquor withdrawn at any instant the
lesired shade is attained.
Having now described the Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood that under the above
recited Letters Patent I claim submitting the goods during the process
of dyeing or bleaching to pressure in any of the various methods
described, or their equivalents, in combination with some efficient
method of keeping the folds of the material apart from each other, as
described, that the dyeing and bleaching liquor may have free and
uniform access to all sides of it, as set forth.
Second, I claim exhausting the air from the vat containing the goods
before or after the admission of the dyeing liquid, either with or with-
out the subsequent extra pressure for the purpose of expelling the air
with which the pores of the material are filled before the dying liquor
is forced in, as set forth.
Third, the above-described method of bleaching, by means of which
I am enabled to perform all the steps of the process in one vat,
including the preliminary, intermediate, and final washings, without
moving the goods during the operation.
Fourth, the above-described improvement in the process of machine
dyeing, (that is to say,) communicating to the goods while in the vat a
reciprocating backward and forward motion instead of the continuous

page_text: motion through the machine heretofore employed, in the manner and
for the purpose substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, the Twenty-eighth day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)