A New Process for Mercerising Vegetable Fibre.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 22nd Oct.,
1898
[Communicated from abroad by THE FARBENFABRIKEN VORMALS FRIEDRICH
BAYER & Co., of Elberfeld, Germany.]
A New Process for Mercerising Vegetable Fibre.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6; Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
It is known that on treating vegetable fibre with concentrated caustic alkaline
lyes, as is the case in the so-called process of mercerisation, the fibre assumes a
greater strength and affinity for cotton-dyes, but, at the same time, serious shrink-
age results.
It is further known that the shrinking can be avoided by keeping the fibre
under strong tension during the mercerising process. However, the mercerising
in a stretched condition causes some inconveniences, and it was of the greatest
importance to find out a new process in which shrinking would be avoided, and
the application of tension, either at the same time or afterwards, would no longer
be necessary.
My foreign correspondents have now succeeded in finding such a process, and
the essential feature of the present invention consists in the addition of glycerine
to the mercerising bath, shrinking being thus avoided. Of course, instead of pure
glycerine, liquids or mixtures containing the same may be used with the same
result.
The following example is given, in order to illustrate this new process, the parts
being by weight.
EXAMPLE.
The mercerising bath is first prepared by mixing 2 parts of soda-lye (38 degrees
Baume) and 1 part of glycerine. Cotton is placed in this bath, and kept therein,
until it has assumed a parchment like appearance. The cotton material is then
washed and dried. When compared with a material not mercerised, it shews no
indication of shrinkage, and its strength has increased by 23 per cent.; at the
same time, it has assumed a much greater affinity for dye-stuffs, and a brighter
appearance.
According to the researches of my foreign correspondents, the influence of
glycerine used during the mercerising process is so strong, that shrinking does
not take place, even though strong soda-lye, such as that marking 50 degrees
Baume, be used.

page_text: The researches of my foreign correspondents have also shown that the same
result can be attained on first wetting the fibre with glycerine, and subsequently
placing the material thus treated in the pure alkaline lye, instead of using a
mercerising bath containing alkaline lye, together with glycerine, as hereinbefore
defined.
Doted this 10th day
J
1.
1000
A New Process for Mercerising Vegetable Fibre.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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; —
It is known that on treating vegetable fibre with concentrated caustic alkaline
lyes, as is the case in the so-called process of mercerisation, the fibre assumes a
greater strength and affinity for cotton dyes, but at the same time serious shrink-
age results.
It is further known that the shrinking can be avoided by keeping the fibre
under strong tension during the mercerising process. However, the mercerising
in a stretched condition causes some inconveniences, and it was of the greatest
importance to find out a new process in which shrinking would be avoided, and
the application of tension, either at the same time or afterwards, would no longer
be necessary.
My foreign correspondents have now succeeded in finding such a process, and
the essential feature of the present invention consists in the addition of glycerine
to the mercerising bath, shrinking being thus avoided. Of course, instead of pure
glycerine, liquids or mixtures containing the same may be used with the same
result.
The following example is given, in order to illustrate this new process, the parts
being by weight.
EXAMPLE.
The mercerising bath is first prepared by mixing 2 parts of soda lye (38 degrees
Baume) and I part of glycerine. Cotton is placed in this bath, and kept therein,
until it has assumed a parchment-like appearance. The cotton material is then
washed and dried. When compared with a material not mercerised, it shews no
indication of shrinkage, and its strength has increased by 23 per cent.; at the
same time, it has assumed a much greater affinity for dye stuffs, and a brighter
appearance.
According to the researches of my foreign correspondents, the influence of
glycerine used during the mercerising process, is so strong that shrinking does
not take place, even though strong soda-lye, for instance, such as that marking
50 degrees Baume, be used.
The researches of my foreign correspondents have also shewn that the same
result can be attained on first wetting the fibre with glycerine, and subsequently
placing the material thus treated in the pure alkaline lye, instead of using a
mercerising bath containing alkaline lye together with glycerine, as herein before
mentioned.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to me from
abroad), I declare that what I claim is;-
The new process for mercerising vegetable fibre without causing the shrinkage
of the fibre, which process consists in either adding glycerine to the mercerising
bath, or in wetting the fibre with glycerine before it is placed in the mercerising
bath, substantially as herein before described.
1000