Improvements in the Manufacture of Fabrics from Wood and like Fibre.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN CAMERON MCLAUGHLIN, of 131, Seventh
Avenue, Brooklyn, Manufacturer, and AARON ALLEN HAND, of 68, Remsen
Street, Brooklyn, Manufacturer, both in the County and State of New York,
in the United States of America.]
Improvements in the Manufacture of Fabrics from Wood and
like Fibre.
+
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 78, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to produce a fabric composed of fibre matted
and formed into sheets but having superior softness and flexibility and a surface
free from abrasion or disintegration of the fibre, and closely resembling chamois or
buckskin.
The invention consists in an improved process of making such fabrics.
I have discovered that wood fibre, treated by the sulphite or chemical process is
peculiarly fitted, by reason of its softness, to be used in a fabric designed as a
substitute for cloth and requiring the softness and flexibility of that fabric. The
objections found to exist in fabrics thus made out of this kind of fibre, by any of
the methods of manufacture heretofore known to me, I have found to be these:
That the sheet made of such fibre will, when rubbed to reduce the stiffness of the
sheets, abrade upon the surface and show a fibrous appearance and lose in large
measure the strength as well as smooth or solid surface. If, further, the sheet of
fibre be rendered Hexible by pounding or crushing in a dry condition the wood fibre
will break, and the fabric is thus weakened and its appearance also impaired. If
it be made flexible by passing between knobbed or fluted rollers, the fabric is
stretched and pulled in places, and thus the fibres are broken and both the strength
and the appearance in this way also are impaired.
In carrying out the invention I may use smooth faced rollers covered preferably
with a flexible material. By smooth faced rollers, I mean rollers not made with a
corrugated surface calculated to break or stretch the fibre of the paper.
The
Before subjecting the sheets to the action of these rollers I treat the sheets
preferably with a solution of gelatine paraffine or other suitable material.
paraffine is dissolved in gasoline, in the proportions, preferably of one pound of
paraffine to five gallons of gasoline, but these proportions may be varied. This
solution I spread upon the surface of the fabric to be treated and before the gasoline
has evaporated, I crumple or gather the sheet in the same manner as the sheet is
gathered for wringing by hand. With the sheet thus gathered into the smallest
lateral compass, but of its full length, I start the end in between the rollers and
when it has been caught by the rollers, I begin to twist it and continue evenly
twisting until it has been run through the rollers. Then I take the sheet still
gathered in the same form and run it again through the rollers and twist the reverse
way, so as to take out the twist. I then shake out the sheet of fibre and gather it
up again into the same form, so as to change the creasing caused by the first twist,
and then pass the gathered sheet again through the rollers. This may be repeated
as often as desired.

page_text: After it has been well softened in the manner above described, for some effects
it is taken out and gathered in the opposite direction or at right angles to the first
gather and in the same manner, I then subject it to twisting and pressure
between the rollers, thus forming creases across the line of those formed by the
first creasings.
After the fibre sheets have been reduced to a sufficient softness, I smooth them
and reduce the roughness caused by the creasing by passing them between smooth
heated surfaces.
I find that the paraffine is better in some cases than material heretofore used and
holds the surface better, giving a softer and moister result and also that it
increases the water-proof quality, which for many purposes, especially for army
aise, is very desirable.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Fabrics from Wood and
like Fibre.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 78, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, 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, that is to say :-
The object of this invention is to produce a fabric composed of fibre matted
and formed into sheets, but having superior softness and flexibility, and a surface
free from abrasion or disintegration of the fibre, and closely resembling chamois or
buckskin.
The invention consists in an improved process of making such fabrics.
I have discovered that wood fibre, treated by the sulphite or chemical process,
is peculiarly fitted, by reason of its softness, to be used in a fabric designed as a
substitute for cloth and requiring the softness and flexibility of that fabric. The
objections found to exist in fabrics thus made out of this kind of fibre, by any of
the methods of manufacture heretofore known to me I have found to be these:-
That the sheet made of such fibre will, when rubbed to reduce the stiffness of the
sheets, abrade upon the surface and show a fibrous appearance, and lose in large
measure the strength as well as smooth or solid surface. If, further, the sheet of
fibre be rendered flexible by pounding or crushing in a dry condition, the wood
fibre will break, and the fabric is thus weakened and its appearance also impaired.
If it be made flexible by passing between knobbed or fluted rollers, the fabric is
stretched and pulled in places, and thus the fibres are broken and both the strength
and the appearance in this way also are impaired.
In carrying out the invention, I may use smooth faced rollers covered preferably
with a flexible material. By smooth faced rollers, I mean rollers not made with a
corrugated surface calculated to break or stretch the fibre of the paper.
The
Before subjecting the sheets to the action of these rollers, I treat the sheets
preferably with a solution of gelatine, paraffine, or other suitable material.
paraffine is dissolved in gasoline, in the proportions preferably of one pound of
paraffine to five gallons of gasoline, but these proportions may be varied. This
solution I spread upon the surface of the fabric to be treated and before the
gasoline has evaporated, I crumple or gather the sheet in the same manner as
the sheet is gathered for wringing by hand. With the sheet thus gathered into
the smallest lateral compass, but of its full length, I start the end in between the
rollers and when it has been caught by the rollers, I begin to twist it and continue
evenly twisting until it has been run through the rollers. Then I take the sheet,

page_text: still gathered in the same form, and run it again through the rollers and twist the
reverse way, so as to take out the twist. then shake out the sheet of fibre, and
gather it up again into the same form, so as to change the creasing caused by the
first twist, and then pass the gathered sheet again through the rollers. This may
be repeated as often as desired.
After it has been well softened in the manner above described, for some effects
it is taken out and gathered in the opposite direction, or at right angles to the first
gather, and in the same manner; 1 then subject it to twisting and pressure
between the rollers, thus forming creases across the line of those formed by the
first creasings.
After the fibre sheets have been reduced to a sufficient softness, I smooth them
and reduce the roughness caused by the creasing, by passing them between smooth
heated surfaces.
I find that the paraffine is better in some cases than material heretofore used,
and holds the surface better, giving a softer and moister result, and also that it
increases the water-proof quality, which, for many purposes, especially for army
use, is very desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The method hereinbefore described of manufacturing or producing fibre
chamois, the same consisting in passing the sheets in a gathered and twisted
condition between rollers, substantially as described.
2. An improvement in the art of forming fibre chamois, the same consisting in
first moistening the sheets with a solution of paraffine and then passing them in a
gathered and twisted condition between rollers, substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1894.
ERNEST DE PASS.