A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR RINSING THE WOOL UPON THE SKINS OF SHEEP AT THE MOMENT WHEN THEY ARE READY FOR PEELING, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE KIND OF WOOL CALLED "LAINE LAVÉE À DOS VELOUTÉE
Year: 1883

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to William Henry Beck, of 139 Cannon Street, in the City
of London Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent for an Invention of
" A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR RINSING THE WOOL UPON THE SKINS OF
SHEEP AT THE MOMENT WHEN THEY ARE READY FOR PEELING, IN ORDER TO
OBTAIN THE KIND OF WOOL CALLED "LAINE LAVÉE À DOS VELOUTÉE "
cominunicated to him from abroad by Albert Laure, of 2 Boulevard
de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Beck at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1883.
WILLIAM HENRY BECK, of 139 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent, "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR RINSING THE
WOOL UPON THE SKINS OF SHEEP AT THE MOMENT WHEN THEY ARE READY FOR
PEELING, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE KIND OF WOOL CALLED "LAINE LAVÉE À DOS
VELOUTÉE," [communicated to him from abroad by Albert Laure, of 2 Boulevard
de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Republic of France]
Heretofore all foreign skins once steeped and beaten, are submitted to
fermentation in stoves for ten to twelve days in winter and two or three days in
summer, and generally until the wool detaches itself from the skin. The latter is
then peeled, and the wool obtained is thoroughly washed when it is desired to
produce washed wool for manufacture (laine lavée de fabrique), or well dried
immediately after peeling, without other operation, if it is desired to produce
what is called "laine lavée à dos."
For fresher skins and even for foreign skins when once they are softened and
steeped enough, any suitable depilatory chemical is passed over the fleshy side of
the skin, which depilatory after a few hours detaches the wool from the skin. At
that moment the skins are peeled, and the wool removed is submitted to the
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page_text: carding or combing machine, and to one of two operations above mentioned for
stoved skins.
The wool obtained by these two methods is very defective, for example, in the
case of skins fermented in the stove, there is produced a reddish liquid arising from
the decomposition of the skin, which fixes itself at the ends of the wool fibres or
hairs; now as the skins remain hung up and enclosed five or six days on the
average, the liquid of decomposition drains over all the ends of the fibres or hairs;
and as this liquid is a mordant the dried wool is harsh, of a very bad appearance,
and much reduced in value.
For what is called manufacture wool (laine de fabrique) that is to say for wool
which is washed immediately after peeling, the objection is not so great.
For wool obtained from fresher skins, unhaired, not by the stove, but by the aid
of a suitable chemical, the objection to the process in general use is perhaps still
greater than by the stoving process; for in passing the chemical over the fleshy
side all the edges of the skin are dirtied, and as all the chemicals employed are
very powerful acids, all the wool touched by them is so to speak lost, or at least
much deteriorated.
When the-wool is washed immediately for producing manufacture wool (laine
de fabrique) the objection is not so great; but if this wool is dried as it is after
Beparation from the skin without any intermediate operation (which happens nine
times out of ten) almost all the wool at the edges is lost.
By the process forming the subject of this present invention I am enabled to
obviate the defects above pointed out by simple and ingenious means.
My new or improved process consists as follows: When the skin is ready to
peel, whether it comes from the stove, or has been subjected to the action of any
depilatory chemical on the fleshy side, I pass the skin, before detaching the wool,
and quite open, under two presser rollers, which are turned mechanically or by
band, and are furnished with an apron for supporting the said skin. Before the
skin enters under the presser rollers I cause to fall over the wool side, a tolerably
large quantity of tepid or hot water, either pure or soaped, which water at once
removes the impurities of all kinds; and, as the skin passes instantly between the
presser rollers, it issues from the opposite side perfectly clean and wrung out, and
in that state it is peeled.
The wool obtained by my process, and which I call "Lavée à dos veloutée" is
more silky, finer, and whiter than wool obtained by either of the known processes,
it possesses a much greater value, and requires for its production excessively
simple and economical means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Henry Beck in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th August 1883.
WILLIAM HENRY BECK, of 139 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPRCTED PROCESS FOR RINSING THE
"
WOOL UPON THE SKINS OF SHEEP AT THE MOMENT WHEN THEY ARE READY FOR
PEELING IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE KIND OF WOOL CALLED LAINE LAVÉE À DOS
VELOUTÉE." [Communicated to him from abroad by Albert Laure, of 2 Boulevard
de Strasbourg, Paris, in the Republic of France]
submitted to
Heretofore all foreign skins once steeped and beaten are
fermentation in stoves for ten to twelve days in winter and two or three days in
summer and generally until the wool detaches itself from the skin. The latter is
then peeled and the wool obtained is thoroughly washed when it is desired to
produce washed wool for manufacture (laine lavée de fabrique) or well dried
immediately after peeling, without other operation if it is desired to produce what
is called "laine lavée à dos."
For fresher skins and even for foreign skins when once they are softened and
steeped enough any suitable depilatory chemical is passed over the fleshy side of
the skin, which depilatory after a few hours detaches the wool from the skin. At
that moment the skins are peeled, and the wool removed is submitted to the
carding or combing machine and to one of the two operations above mentioned
for stoved skins.
The wool obtained by these two methods is very defective, for example, in the
case of skins fermented in the stove there is produced a reddish liquid arising
from the decomposition of the skin, which fixes itself at the ends of the wool fibres
or hairs; now as the skins remain hung up and enclosed five or six days on the
average, the liquid of decomposition drains over all the ends of the fibres or hairs;
and as this liquid is a mordant the dried wool is harsh, of a very bad appearance,
and much reduced in value.
For what is called manufacture wool, (laine de fabrique) that is to say for wool
which is washed immediately after peeling the objection is not so great.
For wool obtained from fresher skins unhaired, not by the stove, but by the aid
of a suitable chemical the objection to the process in general use is perhaps still
greater than by the stoving process; for in passing the chemical over the fleshy
side all the edges of the skin are dirtied and as all the chemicals employed are
very powerful acids all the wool touched by them is so to speak lost, or at least
much deteriorated.
When the wool is washed immediately for producing manufacture wool (laine
de fabrique) the objection is not so great; but if this wool is dried, as it is after
separation from the skin without any intermediate operation (which happens nine
times out of ten) almost all the wool at the edges is lost.
By the process forming the subject of this present invention the defects above
pointed out are obviated by simple and ingenious means
The new or improved process consists as follows:
When the skin is ready to peel, whether it comes from the stove or has been
subjected to the action of any depilatory chemical on the fleshy side, the skin,
before the wool is detached, is passed quite open under two presser rollers, which
are turned mechanically or by hand and are furnished with an apron for supporting
the said skin. Before the skin enters under the presser rollers, there is caused to
fall over the wool side a tolerably large quantity of tepid or hot water either puro

page_text: or soaped, which water at once removes the impurities of all kinds; and, as the
skin passes instantly between the presser rollers, it issues from the opposite side
perfectly clean and wrung out and in that state it is peeled.
The wool obtained by this process and which the inventor calls "Lavée à dos
veloutée" is more silky, finer, and whiter than wool obtained by either of the known
processes, it possesses a much greater value, and requires for its production
excessively simple and economical means.
Having now described the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to or may be carried into effect I would have it understood that what
I claim as the invention to be secured by the within in part recited letters
patent is:
-
The new or improved process for rinsing wool while still on the sheep skins,
at the moment when the said skins are ready to peel, that is to say at the
moment when they have suffered either fermentation in the stove or the action
of any depilatory drug, such process consisting in causing a quantity of
pure or soaped water in a tepid or hot state to fall over the wool of the skins
ready to be peeled for the purpose of removing the impurities from the wool,
and in passing the said skins immediately afterwards between two presser
rollers for the purpose of removing the said water, whereby an absolutely clean
and wrung out wool of special quality, "Lavée à dos veloutée "is produced as
hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof I the said William Henry Beck have hereunto set my
hand and seal this eighth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three