IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF COTTON PREVIOUSLY TO ITS BEING SPUN INTO YARN
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Wilkinson, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Yarn Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF COTTON PREVIOUSLY TO ITS BEING SPUN INTO
YARN."
Sealed the 22nd September 1871, and dated the 18th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Wilkinson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th July 1871.
I, FREDERICK WILKINSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Yarn Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF COTTON PREVIOUSLY TO ITS BEING SPUN
INTO YARN," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a treatment of cotton whereby an improved
white appearance is obtained, which remains after it is spun.
To accomplish this I diffuse through the cotton during the " pre-
paration" process a small quantity of blue powder, which I find effects

page_text: the required object without imparting an evident blue tint. In practice
I have found the ultramarine of commerce to answer the purpose com-
bined with French chalk or similar substance to bring it to a sufficiently
pale colour, and which appears also to have the effect of producing a
permanent combination with the fibre. I prefer to apply the powder to
the sheet of partially prepared material as it proceeds to the lap of the
scutcher" or similar opening machine, and then to take two or three
of these laps and feed them into the finishing "scutcher," which beats
the whole together, and equally diffuses the powder. The powder
may be distributed upon the sheet of material by revolving surfaces
provided with perforations, by sieves, or by any convenient ordinary
apparatus.
«<
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Wilkinson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILKINSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Yarn Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Frederick Wilkinson, Her special license
that I, the said Frederick Wilkinson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Wilkinson, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE TREATMENT OF COTTON PREVIOUSLY TO ITS BEING SPUN INTO YARN," upon
the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Frederick Wilkinson, 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

page_text: 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 I, the said Frederick Wilkinson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Drawing, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in a treatment of cotton whereby an improved
white appearance is obtained, which remains after it has been spun.
To accomplish this I diffuse through the cotton during the preparation
process a small quantity of blue powder, which I find effects the desired
object without imparting an evident blue tint. In practice I have found
the ultramarine of commerce to answer the purpose combined with
French chalk, common chalk, or similar white powder in order to bring
it to a sufficiently pale colour for convenient use. The preparation of the
powder may be varied to a considerable extent as regards proportions,
but I will mention a combination which I have found to answer. I take
of ultramarine of commerce two parts, not of course the expensive
artists' colour, but that which is used for ornamental papers and for
other purposes, and which is sometimes called French ultramarine. To
this I add one part of French or common chalk reduced to a fine
powder, and the material is then ready for use, and may be sifted or
otherwise distributed amongst the fibres of the cotton by any suitable
apparatus during the scutching or other such preparation process. I
will now, however, describe by reference to the accompanying Drawing
an arrangement of distributing apparatus which I now use, and have
found to answer the purpose.
Fig. 1 is a partial view in section of a scutcher with my improvements
adapted; Fig. 2, a side view detached of the distributing apparatus; and
Figs. 3, 4, and 5, other detached views. At a, a, are the two " cages ;"
at b, b, are the callendar rollers; at c, c, the surface drums; and at d,
the lap of material, the course of which is shewn by the red color. To.
the casing of the machine are fixed backets e, which carry a box or
hopper fprovided with a cover g. The bottom of this box or hopper is
formed with an orifice, which is closed by a roller / formed with annular
flutes i, as seen in the detached views, Fig. 3 and 4. Atj is a plate
formed with teeth, which project into the flutes i so as to constitute a
"doctor" capable of sliding in a groove formed in the bottom of the box.

page_text: or hopper, but pressed forward against the interior of the flutes i by a
spring. Above the roller h is a saddle piece l, provided with curved
parts m, n, which extend partly around the surface of the said roller, a
detached view thereof being shewn at Fig. 5. Extending from the piece 7
are rods o, connected at their upper ends to a rod p, which is capable of
sliding in bearings formed in the ends of the box or hopper f. This
rod
P is connected at one end to a crank pin q carried by a shaft r, the
lower end of which has a bevil pinion s in gear with a wheel & mounted
on the shaft u of the roller h, which shaft on the other side has a
spur wheel in gear with a pinion w, the shaft of which is provided
with a chain wheel a, driven by means of a chain y passing over a
pulley on the axis of the top cage a. The powder prepared as above
described is placed in the box or hopper f, as shewn by the blue colour,
and on rotatory motion being communicated to the machine the roller h
is caused to revolve slowly in the direction of the arrow. This motion
continuously carries forward the blue powder which lies in the flutes i,
and the toothed "doctor" j causes it to fall in a fine stream upon the
sliver as it passes onward to the lap, the box or hopper fand roller h
extending of course along the whole width of the machine. During the
above-described operation the crank pin q, driven by the wheel t, will
impart a reciprocating motion to the rod p, and consequently to the
curved parts m, n, which by travelling to and fro upon the surface of
the roller secure the filling of the flutes i with powder. At ≈ is a
glass front to the box or hopper, so that the attendant may see the
quantity of powder therein, and for assisting the fall of the said powder.
The quantity of powder to be distributed will vary according to the effect
desired to be produced and the original quality of the cotton, and will
readily be found by experiment. In order, however, to afford a guide
I may state that supposing the scutcher to be passing two hundred and
fifty pounds of cotton per hour, about six to seven ounces of the powder
may be used, and this quantity will be distributed by the roller if the
flutes are about one twelfth of an inch square, and the solid inter-
vening parts of the same dimensions, the roller being driven at the rate
of one revolution in about five minutes; these particulars are, however,
to be considered as approximations only. The above-described operations
have been supposed to take place at the first scutcher, after which the
lap is passed with others treated in the same manner with the powder
through the second scutcher, if there be one used, as usual, and the said
powder thus becomes diffused intimately amongst the fibres.
2

page_text: I have above specially alluded to my Invention in connection with the
scutcher, but it may be adapted to the carding engine or other opener or
cleaner which admits of the cotton being subsequently operated upon by
a beating or opening process in order to diffuse the powder.
When my Invention is adapted to the scutcher and only one beater is
employed, I prefer distributing the powder at the feed end, so that a
certain quantity may be beaten out before the material goes to the
carding engine, but in other cases I prefer the plan described.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to
be understood that I do not limit myself to the composition of the
powder, or the precise mechanical arrangements described, but claim as
secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent and for the
purpose above set forth, diffusing a small quantity of powder of a blue
tint amongst the fibres of cotton during such preparation processes, as
aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Wilkinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.