IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Tenth day of December, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Alfred Vincent. Newton, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my exors, adññors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS," being a communication from
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obli¸ing me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court. of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: 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
Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a means of producing stripes and repetition
patterns or designs along the whole length of piece goods, by the use of the
dyeing in lieu of the printing process. The apparatus employed for this
purpose may also be employed for producing patterns or designs across the
fabric, or from selvage to selvage, and thus fabrics may be dyed with a check
or plaid pattern upon them. The fabric to be dyed is lapped or folded over
and under frames, the surfaces of which, in contact with the fabric, may be
formed to any desired pattern. Each fold of the fabric is embraced by
two counterpart pressing surfaces, and those parts of the fabric which lie
between the counterpart pressing surfaces are so tightly held as to be imper-
meable to the action of the dye liquor when the frames, tightly bound
together, and retaining the lapped or folded fabric, are immersed therein.
In order to continue the pattern along the whole length of the fabric
without any break being made in the line of the pattern, end frames, having
elastic surfaces, are brought into close contact with the parts of the
fabric which lie against the ends of the frames so as to act as counterparts
to the surfaces at the ends of the frames with which the fabric is in contact.
By this means therefore the fabric is held between continuous lines of
counterpart contact surfaces, whereby a continuous pattern will be obtained on
the immersion of the fabric in the dye bath.
In the accompanying Drawing forming part of this my Specification, I have
shewn in several views the kind of apparatus by which I purpose to carry out
the Invention, but I would here remark that I do not confine myself to the use
of the construction of apparatus therein shewn. The frames over which the
fabric is to be folded are constructed by preference of plates of zinc, with
parallel bars of wood affixed thereto on one or both sides of the plates.
Fig. 1 shews one of these frames in plan view; Fig. 2 represents in cross
.section several of these frames marked a, a, piled one above the other, with
the fabric lapped between them; Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the end
frames; Fig. 4 shews in side elevation the application of the end frames
marked b, b, to the fabric which is folded between the pile of horizontal frames

page_text: a, a. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the frames a, a, and b, b, combined;
and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same. These frames are suitably formed for
producing stripes or checks at equal distances apart from end to end of the
fabric. In carrying out this Invention, one end of the fabric is laid first
over a frame containing but one set of bars; a double frame formed of a plate
carrying bars on both sides in exact coincidence with the bars of the first plate
in respect of shape and relative distance apart is then laid on the fabric; the
fabric is next folded over this frame, and a second frame of like construction
is superimposed, the folding of the fabric and the addition of, a double frame
being continued until the whole length or amount of fabric required to be
dyed in one batch is folded up. A single frame composed of a plate witli bars
on one side only is then laid on this pile, and top and bottom boards being
added thereto, binding screws and clamps are applied as shewn at c, c, Fig. 7
for holding the pile of frames firmly together. It will be understood that the
relative positions of all these frames must be such that the contact surfaces of
the frame on one side of a lap or fold of the fabric will coincide with the
contact surfaces of the frame on the opposite side of the same lap or fold of the
fabric in a manner precisely similar to that of a die and its counterpart when
adjusted for use. The fabric being now confined in folds between the frames
a, a, it is necessary to protect the parts of the fabric which lie against the
ends of the bars from the action of the die liquor. For this purpose the end
frames b, b, are applied. The pressing face of the bars of these frames is
covered with india-rubber or other analogous elastic substance, and the position
and form of these bars is so adjusted that they will correspond with and form a
counterpart to the lines of contact surface presented to the fabric by the ends
of the frames a, a. To keep these end frames b, b, in their place, clamps and
binding screws are employed, as shewn at Fig. 7, and when the elastic surfaces
are made to bear sufficiently hard against the fabric to render the fabric at
such parts impervious to the dye liquor, the combined mass of frames and
folded fabric is ready for immersion in the dye bath. The dye bath having
been prepared, say with red liquor, the folded fabric held tightly between the
frames is immersed therein, and after remaining a sufficient time to take
up the coloring matter it is removed and placed so that the extraneous
liquor may drain away or evaporate. On removing the frames a and b, the
fabric will be found to have been dyed from end to end in parallel stripes, as
indicated in the Diagram, Fig. 8. When it is required to cross these stripes
and produce a check or a plaid pattern, the fabric instead of being folded
lengthwise over the frames a, is wound transversely between them; the frames
are then clamped as before, and the whole mass is immersed in the dye bath.

page_text: In this instance no end frames b, b, are required; but it should be borne in
mind to insure the cross stripes being all of equal width, it is necessary that
the sides of each frame over which a lap of fabric is made, should present
a breadth of surface equal to the width of stripe desired to be produced. If
the fabric thus confined between the frames is immersed in a dye bath, say
containing green color, the pattern shewn at Fig. 9 will be produced.
From what has been already stated, it will be evident that patterns of various
kinds may be produced on the fabric by this improved mode of working;
thus, supposing it is desired to ornament a fabric with cither of the
devices shewn at Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13, this may be readily done by
forming a model of the device (and if necessary a counterpart in reverse)
and casting the same in type metal or otherwise. Copies of the device
are then arranged upon frames at proper distances apart, as shewn in the
plan view, Fig. 14; and in like manner the counterpart copies are arranged
so that when the fabric to be dyed is laid between the frames, as already
explained, the metal blocks forming the pressing or contact surfaces will come
together in pairs, (after the manner of a dic and its counterpart,) as shewn in
the elevation Fig. 15, and prevent the action of the dye liquor on the parts of
the fabric confined between the pressing surfaces. When it is required to pro-
duce a pattern which shall shew the ground of the fabric within it, or in other
words to produce a device in outline, such as that shewn at Fig. 13, it is neces-
sary to make a passage for the entrance of the dye liquor into the hollow of
the pattern block. The manner of effecting this is shewn in the detached
view, Fig. 16, which represents the block for the device in question, with a
saw cut made in it; when therefore it is applied to the frame, the dye liquor
will readily enter the block and dye the fabric which lies over the hollow in
the block, those parts only of the fabric which are in contact with the pressing
surfaces being protected from the action of the dye liquor. It will be seen by
reference to Fig. 15, that the ends of the frames a, a, are provided with pattern
blocks, and that the end frames bear with their elastic surfaces against these
blocks for the purpose of stopping out the required pattern. As a modification
of the above described plan of producing ornamental devices upon cloth, it is
also proposed in place of counter blocks, to produce the required pressure on
the fabric at the parts where it is in contact with the pattern blocks by the use
of elastic surfaces of india-rubber or other analogous material.
Having now described the nature of the Invention of improvements in
dyeing textile fabrics, communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
I clain,

page_text: First, the employment of continuous lines of contact pressing surfaces for
stopping out any required pattern in fabrics when submitted to the dyeing
process.
And, secondly, I claim the use of blocks or other pressing surfaces con-
taining ornamental devices when applied in manner and for the purpose above
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-two..