IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING FABRICS AND YARNS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Hanson Greville Williams, of 39, Regent
Square, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
AND VADIO"
Sealed the 6th December 1859, and dated the 2nd July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hanson Greville
Williams, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd July 1859.
I, CHARLES HANSON GREVILLE WILLIAMS, of 39, Regent Square, Gray's Inn
Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING FABRICS AND YARNS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in dyeing fabrics and yarns."
For this purpose I employ the crude precipitate obtained by the addition of
chromic acid, bichromate of potash, or other suitable salt of chromic acid, or
permanganate of potash or soda, to aniline, toluidine, xylidine, and cumidine,
in place of employing such precipitates previously purified by treatment with
liquids which dissolve out the impurities. By using the precipitates in a
crude and impure state, the tedious and expensive processes beretofore em-
ployed for purifying the precipitates are rendered unnecessary. I employ the
crude precipitates in the following manner :-After the precipitate is formed, it
is thrown on a filter, and water is run through it; the precipitate is then again

page_text: mixed with water, and the fabric or yarn to be dyed is boiled with it; when the
fabric or yarn is taken out, it appears of a blackish color, and by afterwards
washing it with soap and water it gradually assumes the desired color or tint.
If the crude precipitates when prepared are not required for immediate
use, they may be dried, but, when this is done, in order to cause them again to
mix with water, it is necessary to moisten them with alcohol, fusel oil,
sulphuric acid, or ammonia.
When it is desired to purify the crude precipitates above mentioned, I
employ for that purpose turpentine or caoutchène in place of the solvents
heretofore employed, as I find that the purification is thus effected more
rapidly and advantageously.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Hanson Greville Williams in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HANSON GREVILLE WILLIAMS, of 89, Regent Square, Gray's Inn Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Hanson Greville Williams, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Hanson Greville Williams, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles Hanson Greville Williams, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING FABRICS AND YARNS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Hanson Greville Williams,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Hanson Greville Williams, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in dyeing fabrics and yars.
For this purpose I employ the precipitate obtained by the addition of chromic
acid, bichromate of potash, or other suitable salt of chromic acid, or the green
or permanganate of potash or soda, to aniline, toluidine, xylidine, and cumi-
dine, as has been heretofore practised, and in place of purifying such precipi-
tates by treatment with liquids which dissolve out the impurities before
employing them for dyeing as is now practised, I use the precipitate in its.
crude state. By using the precipitates in a crude and impure state, the tedious
and expensive processes heretofore employed for purifying the precipitates are
rendered unnecessary. I employ the crude precipitates in the following
manner-After the precipitate is formed in the usual manner, it is thrown
on a filter, and water is run through it until it passes away colourless; the pre-
cipitate is then again mixed with water to form a dye bath, which may be
done while the precipitate is still in a moist state, or if the precipitate be
allowed to get dry, it should be carefully rubbed up into a paste with a littlo
boiling water, as it will not otherwise mix readily with the water of the dye
bath, or the dry powder may be made to mix readily with water by moisten-
ing it with a few drops of alcohol, fusel oil, sulphuric acid, or ammonia. In
preparing the dye bath, such a quantity of water is employed as is just sufficient
to immerse the fabrics or yarns to be dyed, and to allow of their being turned
about in it. The quantity of colouring matter to be placed in the dye bath
depends on the quantity and nature of the fabric to be dyed, and the tint to
be obtained; as a rule I employ about five and twenty times as much of tho
crude precipitate as would be employed were purified color to be used as
heretofore. The dyeing operation may be conducted in the usual manner, the
dye bath being raised nearly to a boiling temperature, and the fabrics or yarns
being constantly turned about in it until they have taken up all the colouring
matter the bath will yield to it. This is best ascertained by taking sample
pieces from the fabrics or yarns from time to time when the operation is
supposed to be nearly complete, rinsing them in a dilute solution of soap until
the color becomes bright. When it is found that the fabrics or yarns are no
longer taking up color from the bath, they should be at once removed, as
prolonging the operation tends to redden the color. The fabrics or yarns
when removed from the dye bath will be of a blackish color; they should be at
once placed in a weak solution of soft soap (about one ounce of soap to a

page_text: gallon of water is a suitable proportion); this solution is kept at a temperature
of about 70° Fahrenheit, and the fabrics or yarns are turned about in it until
nearly all the black impurity is separated from them; they are then transferred
to clean soap and water, and there rinsed as before till the color is perfectly
bright, but the process should not be continued longer, or the soap will remove
a portion of the color. If it is found from the color the soap and water assumes
that this is taking place, the goods should be at once removed; a weak solution
of soap does not, however, remove color to an appreciable extent until all the
black impurity is separated. In some cases the fabrics or yarns are mordanted
previous to dyeing, as when purified color is employed.
When it is desired to purify the crude precipitates above mentioned, I
employ for that purpose turpentine or caoutchéne in place of the solvents
heretofore employed, as I find that the purification is thus effected more
rapidly and advantageously. For this purpose when the precipitate is thrown
on a filter, and has been washed with water till the water passes away colourless
or nearly so, the precipitate is dried and powdered, and then hot or nearly
boiling turpentine or caoutchéne is poured on it and digested with it, and this
process of digestion is repeated so long as the solvent is found to remove
impurity from the color contained in the powder; the solvent is drawn off by
heat, and the operation is then complete.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Hanson Greville Williams, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
C. G. WILLIAMS. (L.S.)