A NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD FOR BLEACHING LINEN CLOTH AND OTHER CLOTHS
Year: 1800

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOIN
GLOVER, of Great Lever, in the Parish of Middleton, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturer, do send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West:
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the fortieth year of His reign,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me, the said
John Glover, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Glover, my executors, administrators, or assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Glover, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England and Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention for "A NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD FOR BLEACHING LINEN CLOTH AND
OTHER CLOTHS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained .a proviso
obliging me, the said John Glover, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my.said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar-months next and immediately after the date of the said recited

page_text: Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW, YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Glover, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows, that is
to say:-
.
Strong or heavy, and thin or light cloths or goods, require a different treat-
ment, and quantities of materials must be varied according to the various
quantities of cloths or goods designed to be bleached or whitened at one time.
The method of bleaching, hereafter by nie specified, is applicable to goods or
cloths coloured, as well as to plain goods:-Take marl, loam, common soil,
whiteing, clay, chalk, fullers earth, or any like earth, diffusible or soluble in
water; or take common vegetable ashes or coal ashes, or mud, or muddy water,
or any water in a turbid state, having a sufficient quantity of earthy particles
suspended therein; or take sand or common stone, both very finely pulverized;
or take a mixture or composition of all or any of the said materials, giving
marl or loam the preference. From the materials aforesaid (excepting those
hereafter noticed), or such of them as may be chosen for use, slowly evaporate
the moisture in an oven or iron pot, in order to render them more easily
diffusible in water, taking care not to injure their virtue by burning; but the
mud or muddy water need not be evaporated, and such moisture as the sand
or common stone may contain should be evaporated before pulverization takes
place. Then to bleach or whiten one hundred and ten pieces of strong or
heavy cloths of cotton, or of cotton and linen mixed, coloured or plain, such
pieces being of usual lengths and widths, proceed as follows:-
For the first work, take thirty pounds of marl, or such aforesaid earth, or
other matter intended to be used, and take forty pounds of the best well
burned quick-lime, and put them both into a tub with six or eight gallons of
water, and mix the whole very well together. Lade the mixture off into the
iron pan used for bucking, passing it through a fine wire sieve, and begining
with a gentle heat at first; to the residuum or substance remaining in the tub
again put the same quantity of water, and mix the whole very well together;
lade the mixture off into the pan as aforesaid, and so continue to mix like
portions of water with the residuum or substance remaining each time in the
tub, and to lade the mixture off through the seive into the pan as aforesaid, until
the whole of the materials (excepting stone or impurities as hereafter mentioned)
be laded into the pan, then to the mixture in the pan pour as much water as
together with such mixture will make such a quantity in the whole as is
commonly employed for the said. quantity of cloths for a first bucking; then

page_text: Hade or pump from the pan five or six gallons of the mixture, kept well stirred,
on each layer or course of cloth previously prepared, washed, and placed in the
keir or bucking tub as usual, so that all the cloths may be equally soaked,.
and go on to lade out the mixture until the keir be filled; draw the mixture
off' from the keir into the pan, lade the mixture back again into the keir, 'and
proceed with bucking in the common manner. Begin with a gentle heat
under the pan, making the mixture only new milk warm at first, and increase
the heat gradually until the mixture simmers, but avoid boiling. The bucking
may last about three hours, reckoning from the time the keir be first filled,
then let the cloths be well washed in the wheel with plenty of water in the
chambers, drawn through the wash pit, and laid down on the grass six or
seven days. If the marl, or such aforesaid earth or other matter intended to
be used, be mingled with stone, gravel, sand, or other impurities or hetero-
geneous substances, incapable of uniting with the quick-lime, tlien increase the
quantity of such marl, earth, or other matter intended to be used, so as to
have thirty pounds thereof free from impurities or heterogenous substances,
and in case the aforesaid muddy water be used, then that ought to be impreg-
nated with a quantity of mud or earthy matter, sufficient, to saturate the
quicklime agreeably to the proportions of thirty pounds and forty pounds as
above specified, and such muddy water may be gradually mixed with the quick-
lime in the pan, in the first instance, without using the tub. If mud be used,
that may be fixed at once with the quick-lime in the tub, without any previous
evaporation, taking care to allow for the weight of water or moisture in it, so
as to have thirty pounds of earthy matter free from impurities as aforesaid:
These directions respecting the impurities of the materials, and the mud, and
muddy water, apply throughout to the several works, wherein, according to
this my Specification, the same materials may be employed. For the second
work, take twenty pounds of marl, or such aforesaid earth or other matter
intended to be used, and thirty pounds of the best well burned quick-lime, mix
them with water, and prepare and use the mixture as before directed, and proceed
with bucking, and perform this whole work in the same manner in every respect
as the said first work is directed to be done. For the third work, take twenty
pounds of the best American potash, or other alkali commonly used for
bucking, aud buck with them in the usual manner, until the lees be completely
spent; proceed with your chemical bleaching liquor, and with your acid or
sour in the common method of working, observing only that the coloured:
cloths or goods should be put loose and open into the bleaching liquor, and
into the acid, and should remain in the liquor not more than thirty minutes;
and in the acid not more than fifteen minutes; then let the goods or cloths:

page_text: go through the common after processes or works in the same manner as a
third work is commonly done. The acid used in this work should be in the
proportion of ten pounds only of highly retorted oil of vitriol to a quantity of
water sufficient to cover the said quantity of cloths. A wine measure pint
of highly retorted oil of vitriol ought to weigh twenty-nine ounces eight drams
savoirdupoise. For the fourth work, take fourteen pounds of the best
American potash, or other alkali commonly used for bucking, and buck with
them as directed in the aforesaid third work; proceed with your chemical
bleaching liquor; and with your acid in the common method of working, only
observing the before-mentioned directions with respect to the manner änd
time of the coloured goods or cloths lying in the said liquor and in the acid,
then let the cloths or goods go through the common after processes or works
in the same manner as a fourth work is commonly done. The acid used as
this work should be prepared in the manner directed in the aforesaid third
work. For the fifth work, take seven pounds of the best American potash,
or other alkali commonly used for bucking, and buck with them in the same
manner as directed in the aforesaid third work; proceed with your chemical
bleaching liquor and with your acid in the common method of working,
only observing the before-mentioned directions with respect to the miannor
and time of the coloured goods or cloths lying in the said liquor and in the
acid, then let the cloths or goods go through the common after processes or
works in the samè manner as a fifth work is commonly done. The acid used
in this work should be prepared in the manner directed in the aforesaid third
work. For the sixth and last, or clearing work, take four pounds of the best
American pearla sh, or other alkali commonly used for clearing, and buck with
them in the usual manner, but let the liquor rise only to a strong scald or
simmer, and continue it in that heat for two hours; then take the cloths 'from
the keir, let them go through the common after processes or works in the
same manner as a clearing work is commonly done.
.
And to bleach or whiten two hundred and forty pieces of callico of usual
lengths and widths (which I estimate as equal to one hundred and ten pieces
of heavy goods); or a quantity of any thin or light cloths of cotton, or of
cotton and linen mixed, or of cotton or linen cloths commonly called hosiery,
or of such hosiery mixed of cotton and linen, coloured or plain, the said
quantity being equal to the said two hundred and forty pieces of callico, proceed
as follows: For the first work take thirty pounds of marl; or such aforesaid
earth or other matter intended to be 'used, and take forty pounds of the best
well burned quick-lime, mix them with water in a tub, and prepare and use
the mixture as above is directed in the first work of strong cloths; proceed.

page_text: with bucking, and perform this whole work in the same manner as the said
first work of strong cloths is directed to be done. For the second work.take
fifteen pounds of marl, or such aforesaid carth or other matter intended to be
used, and take twenty pounds of the best well burned quick-lime, mix them
with water in a tub, and prepare and use the mixture as before directed,; and
proceed with bucking in the saine manner as is directed in the said first work
of strong cloths; go on with your chemical bleaching liquor, and with your
acid or sour in the common method of working, only observing the directions
as to the manner and time of the colored goods lying in the said liquor and in
the acid which are mentioned in the said third work of strong.cloths, then
finish this work by well washing the goods in the wheel... The acid used in
this work should be made in the proportion of twenty pounds of the said
highly retorted oil of vitriol to a quantity of water, sufficient to cover the said
quantity of cloths. For the third or last work, take fourteen pounds of the
best American potash, or other alkali commonly used for bucking, and buck
with them in the common method of working until the lees be completely
spent; go on with your chemical bleaching liquor and with your acid in the
common method of working, only observing the directions as to the manner
and time of the coloured goods or cloths lying in the said liquor and in the
acid which are mentioned in the said third work of strong cloths, then let the
goods go through the common after processes or works in the same manner as
a third or last work is commonly done. The acid used in this work should be
prepared in the manner directed in the said third work of strong cotton
cloths.
And to bleach or whiten fifty pieces of strong yard-wide hempen, flaxen, or
other linen cloths, each piece containing thirty long ells, or one hundred and
ten pieces of yard-wide. Irish linen, each piece containing twenty-five yards,
or an equivalent quantity of light linen goods or cloths, follow the manner of
working in general use and well known to linen bleachers; but for the first
three buckings with American ashes or other alkaline matter commonly used
for bucking, instead of such American ashes or other alkaline matter use marl,
or such aforesaid earth or other matter above specified, and the best well
burned quick lime mixed with water in a tub, 'and prepared as above directed
in the said first work of strong cotton cloths or goods, and let the quantities
be, for the first bucking, thirty pounds of marl, or such aforesaid earth or other
matter intended to be used, and forty pounds of the best well burned quick-
lime; for the second bucking, twenty pounds of marl or such aforesaid earth
or other matter, and thirty pounds of the best well burned quick-lime; and for
the third bucking, fifteen pounds of marl, or such aforesaid earth or other

page_text: matter, and twenty pounds of the best well burned quick-lime, so that the
linens will be bucked three times with quick-lime combined as aforesaid; then
proceed through the different works and finish in the common method of
bleaching linen cloths or goods, observing to reduce the strength of your acid
or sour when used, by preparing it with only half the quantity commonly
employed of such highly retorted oil of vitriol.
Pursuing the method of bleaching in this my Specification described, the
generality of goods or cloths, I mean with reference to their grey or brown state
when delivered from the loom or frame, will be perfectly bleached; but where
the grey or brown cloths or goods are more than commonly full of husk, film,
grease, or any filth, or are more than commonly clear therefrom, then I discre-
tionally add or omit a bucking, and I use the chemical bleaching liquor, and
the acid more or less times, as the case may be, and the goods may require. The
destructive causticity of lime, combined as before described, becomes moderated,
its fiery particles coalesce with the finer particles of the earth or other matter
blended with it as aforesaid, and a mixture entirely safe and efficacious is the
result. Goods thus bleached being less impregnated with alkali than they are in
the common method of working, require less acid to discharge it, and the staple
of the cloth is firmer, because it is not so severely exposed to the superabundant
and injudicious use of alkali and acid. Hence, my discovery will consider-
ably diminish the quantities of the foreign ashes or alkali and of the oil of
vitriol, and in its operation extensively throughout the Kingdom will produce
a saving of national importance..
The originality of my Invention consists in working with quick-lime
and marl, or other matter before specified; the reductions of the quan-
tities of foreign ashes or alkali and acid are a natural consequence of
such admixture of quick-lime and earth as aforesaid. I claim no inventive
merit of giving directions which merely vary the duration of an old
process,, or the quantities of materials generally used, or in shewing a. more
careful manner of performing an operation commonly known... However,
should other matter be hereafter discovered, and, being of the same nature and
efficacy as the materials above specified, should be blended with lime and.
applied to the purpose of bucking as aforesaid, or should lime-water be
blended with marl, or such aforesaid earth or other matter by me specified, or
which may be hereafter discovered as aforesaid, and be applied to the purposes.
of bucking as aforesaid, still I shall hold that all such compositions do come
within the principle of my Patent, and are my exclusive right.. I would
strenuously recommend to the bleacher always to give water plentifully in the
chambers of bis wash wheel, and to be particularly careful in every process of

page_text: washing to cleanse the cloths thoroughly. It will be found that the cloths or
goods bleached in the methods herein-before prescribed keep their texture
highly preserved; their colours bright and in full lustre, and their marks clear
and undefaced.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Glover, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred.