Improvements in Bleaching. Dyeing, or otherwise Operating on Textile Materials, and in Apparatus Employed therein.
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by LA SOCIÉTÉ LEBLOIS, PIOENI ET COMPAGNIE, of
1, Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Bleaching. Dyeing, or otherwise Operating on
Textile Materials, and in Apparatus Employed therein.
1 JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
The present invention has reference to a former invention described in the Specifi-
cation of Patent No. 14,637 dated 28th November 1885.
According to the present invention I employ for bleaching or dyeing textile
materials, without deterioration or felting, a hermetic vessel or chamber in which
vacuum is produced and a vessel in which a wheel revolves. The vacuum chamber is
composed of a metallic vessel the openings of which close hermetically; this vessel is
fitted at top and bottom with pipes perforated with numerous holes for the inlet or
discharge of air and liquids. In this vessel is a support or rack mounted on wheels or
rollers and divided into compartments for receiving small portable boxes formed of
metal rods with jointed sides; these boxes are for holding the materials to be operated
upon. The sides of the support or rack are covered with wire ganze or perforated
sheet metal. The boxes when placed in the compartiments are in horizontal super-
posed layers above the lower pipes for the inlet of liquids and air and below the upper
pipes for the aspiration of air and there are spaces between them for the free circula-
tion of the liquids so that when the vessel is full the whole of the boxes containing the
material under treatment are entirely submerged.
The vessel with revolving wheel is composed of a semi-circular trough or vessel
provided with a valve at the lower part for the discharge of the washing or dyeing
baths and having above it a large wheel with compartments in one, two, three or more

page_text: concentric rows with slides or guides at their four corners; the sides of the compart-
ments are covered with wire gauze or perforated sheet metal. The small boxes con-
taining the material under treatment are placed in these compartments after having
been steeped or treated in the vessel previously described, the vessel or trough with
revolving wheel being intended to effect the final operations of bleaching and dyeing.
The vessel is in communication with adjoining vats in which the bleaching and dyeing
baths or liquors are generally prepared beforehand.
The rotation of the wheel, right and left, is derived from any ordinary driving
power.
After the bleaching or dyeing operations, the wringing and drying of the materials
are effected in any suitable manner. For drying carded or drawn slivers of vegetable
materials it is preferred to use baskets or holders of metallic rods which are not only
cheap but allow the slivers to swell under the drying action to nearly what they were
in the unbleached state.
I will now proceed to describe the manner of treating the textile materials. For
the bleaching and dyeing of vegetable materials it is always of great advantage, not to
say indispensable, to completely avoid boiling and unguinming at high temperatures
(except in the case of flax and hemp which contain much more resin or vegetable gum
than other materials) and to adopt instead a simple steeping at moderate temperatures
of 10° to 30° Centigrade for materials which are to be bleached and 50° to 80° (with-
out ever reaching obullition) for materials that are to be dyed. For bleaching, these
steeping baths can be formed of ordinary water, lye water, or preferably water con-
taining 3/10ths. per cent. of the neutral hypochlorite of soda known as chlorogene'; and
for dyeing in all shados and particularly for fast and fugitivo blacks the baths can be
formed of ordinary water or water with lye added; but it is far preferable to employ
for this steeping a weak bath of dye of the same nature as that which it is wished to
finally obtain. For certain colors which readily take to cotton and require only a
single bath, 1 can even proceed at once to the complete dyeing of the materials by this
steeping bath of dye and without any other operation; the materials can be wrung
and dried on leaving the vacuum vessel hereinbefore described. This novel feature of
steeping the materials in a weak bath of dye in place of the ordinary boiling and
ungumming processes offers appreciable advantages in obtaining very uniform
shades.
For these steeping operations the vacuum vessel above described should be employed,
and after having filled the boxes with from 2 to 6 lbs. of the material to be treated
according to the state of the same the boxes are placed in the openwork compartments
of the support or rack in the vessel which is then hermetically closed. A vacuum is
created in the vessel and then the steeping bath or liquor which has been
prepared in an adjoining vat rises in the vessel the liquor flowing through
pipes connected with those in the lower part of the vessel; the boxes thus become
entirely submerged. The formation of vacuum is repeated several times alternating
with admissions of air through the lower pipes, which admissions produce each time
an agitation or bubbling in the bath whereby the material in the boxes is impregnated
in a rapid and perfect manner and without felting. The steeping bath is then emptied
out, the vessel is opened and the hoxes containing the material can be transferred to
the compartments of the revolving wheel for the final operations of bleaching or
dyeing. The wheel having thus been charged and having received, according to
requirement, the bleaching or dyeing bath, it is caused to turn so as to successively
submerge the boxes (alternately right and left) and this action is continued until the
lesired result is obtained.
It will be readily understood that by means of this wheel 1 can also effect an
easy and perfect application of washing, purifying and mordanting baths and in
all cases without deterioration or felting of the materials treated which is one of
the important results of the processes combining the work of the vacuum vessel
with that of the wheel and its vessel.
For the bleaching of vegetable materials the use of the neutral hypochlorite of

page_text: soda known as chlorogene in place of the decolorizing agents hitherto employed
enables the materials to be bleached in a very complete manner without affecting
the strength of the fibres but on the contrary preserving nearly all their weight.
all their form and elasticity.
For the treatment of animal textile materials which have hydrophile properties not
possessed by vegetable materials and which besides have already been submitted to
the usual preliminary operations of scouring and-washing, I proceed at once to the
bleaching and dyeing operations by means of the portable boxes before described
filled with the unbleached materials and placed in the compartments of the whcel
which is supplied with the necossary and appropriate bleaching and dyeing baths.
Thus the materials are treated without deterioration-or folting and in baths constantly
agitated by the rotation of the wheel which prevents any deposit of dye powder
in suspension in the bath.

page_text: Improvements in Bleaching, Dyeing, or otherwise Operating on
Textile Materials, and in Apparatus Employed therein.
A communication from abroad by LA SOCIÉTÉ LEBLOIS, PIOENI ET COMPAGNIE, of
Elbeuf St. Aubin, Seine Inférieure, France, Manufacturers.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN formerly of 169 Fleet Street in the City of London,
but now of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Fellow of the 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 :—
The present invention has reference to a former invention described in the Specifi-
cation of Patent No. 14637, dated 28th November 1885.
According to the present invention I employ for bleaching or dyeing textile
materials without deterioration or felting a hermetic vessel or chamber of special con-
struction in which vacuum is produced and a vessel in which a wheel revolves, this
being also novel. The vacuum chamber is represented in Figures 1 to 6 of the
annexed drawings, and is composed of a metallic vessel a the openings of which close
hermetically; this vessel is fitted at top and bottom with pipes & perforated with
numerous holes like a rose for the inlet or discharge of air and liquids; the particular
arrangement of these pipes will be clearly understood on reference to the drawings.
In this vessel is a support or rack c mounted on wheels or rollers and divided into
compartments for receiving small portable boxes d of perforated sheet metal or formed
of metal rods with jointed sides; these boxes are for holding the materials to be
operated upon. When boxes formed of rods are employed the support or rack and also the
compartments of the wheel which revolves in'a vessel (hereinafter described) should
he provided at the sides with wire cloth or perforated sheet metal. Figures 7 and 10
are views representing these two kinds of portable boxes. The boxes when placed in
the compartments are in horizontal superposed layers above the lower pipes for the
inlet of liquids and air, and below the upper pipes for the aspiration of air, and there
are spaces between them for the free circulation of the liquids so that when the vessel
is full the whole of the boxes containing the material under treatment are entirely
submerged.
The vessel with revolving wheel is composed of a semi-circular trough or vessel
provided with a valve at the lower part or other suitable arrangement for the discharge
of the bleaching dyeing or washing baths, and having above it a large wheel
Figures 13 and 14 with compartments in one, two, three or more concentric rows with
slides or guidos at their four corners to allow of the easy introduction of the boxes
containing the materials to be treated. The vessel is put in communication by means
of an iron or lead pipe with adjoining vats in which the bleaching and dyeing baths or
liquors are generally prepared beforehand, and the wheel is rotated to the right or left
by any ordinary or suitable driving power.

page_text: After the bleaching or dyeing operations the wringing or drying of the materials is
effected in any ordinary manner. For drying carded or combed slivers of vegetable
materials it is preferred to use baskets or holders h made of metallic rods which are
not only cheap but allow the slivers to swell under the drying action to nearly what
they were in the unbleached state (see Figures 11 and 12).
Having described the construction of the apparatus employed I will now proceed to
describe the manner of treating the textile materials. For the bleaching and dyeing
of vegetable materials it is always of great advantage, not to say indispensable, to
completely avoid boiling and ungumming at high temperatures (except in the case of
flax and hemp which contain much more resin or vegetable gum than other materials)
and to adopt instead a simple steeping at moderate temperatures of 10° to 30° Centi-
grade for materials which are to be bleached and 50° to 80° for materials that are to be
dyed (according to their nature) without ever reaching ebullition. For bleaching,
these stooping baths can be formed of ordinary water, lye water, or preferably water
containing three-tonths per cent. of the neutral hypochlorite of soda known as
chlorogene; this is prepared by mixing chloride of lime with a solution of caustic
soda in the proportions indicated by their chemical equivalents; a reaction takes place
Ca O, CI O + Na O, HO = Na O, CI O + Ca O + HO.
For dyeing in all shades and particularly for fast and fugitive blacks the steeping
baths can be formed of ordinary pure water or water with lye added; but it is far
preferable to employ for this steeping a weak dye both which can serve as the ground
of the shade or color that it is wished to finally obtain. For certain
colors which readily take to vegetable materials and require only a single bath, I can
even proceed at once to the complete dyeing of the materials by this steeping bath of
dye and without any other operation; the materials can be wrung and dried on
leaving the vacuum vessel hereinbefore described. This novel feature of steeping the
materials in a bath of dye in place of the ordinary boiling and ungumming processes
offers appreciable advantages in obtaining very uniform shades.
For these steeping operations, which should always be complete, the vacuum
vessel above described is preferably employed and the operation is as follows:
After having filled the portable boxes with from two to six pounds of the material
to be treated (according to the state and nature of the same) the boxes are placed
in the compartments of the support or rack in the vessel which is then hermeti-
cally closed. A vacuum is created in the vessel by the upper pipes and then the
steeping bath or liquor which has been prepared in an adjoining vat rises in the
vessel, the liquor flowing through pipes connected with those in the lower part
of the vessel; all the boxes thus become entirely submerged. The formation of
vacuum is repeated several times alternating with admissions of air through
the lower pipes, which admissions produce each time an agitation or bubbling in
the bath whereby the material in the boxes becomes impregnated in a rapid and
perfect manner without felting and without the employment of high temperatures.
The steeping bath is then emptied out, the vessel is opened and the boxes con-
taining the impregnated material can be transferred to the compartiments of the
revolving wheel for the final operations of bleaching or dyeing. The wheel having
thus been charged the bleaching or dyeing bath is applied by causing the wheel
to turn so as to successively submerge, the boxes (alternately right and left) and
this action is continued until the desired result is attained.
It will be understood that by means of this wheel I can also effect an easy and
perfect application of washing, purifying and mordanting baths and in all cases
without deterioration or felting of the materials treated which is one of the
important results of the new processes and the combination of the work of the
vacuum vessel with that of the wheel and its vessel.
For the treatment of animal textile materials which have hydrophile properties
not possessed by vegetable materials and which besides have already been submitted

page_text: to the usual preliminary operations of scouring and washing, I proceed at once to
the bleaching and dyeing operations by means of the portable boxes before
described filled with the unbleached materials and placed in the compartments of
the wheel which is supplied with the necessary and appropriate bleaching and
dyeing baths. Thus the materials are treated without deterioration or felting and
in baths constantly agitated by the rotation of the wheel which prevents any
deposit of dye powder in suspension in the bath.
When textile materials which are dyed by the processes and special apparatus
hereinbefore described have afterwards to be submitted to spinning operations, the
threads obtained by these operations are of a uniformity unattainable when threads
are dyed in skeins; this is a further advantage gained by the present invention.
It is of course to be understood that the apparatus and boxes for containing the
textile materials to be operated on must be made of galvanized or other material
which will not be acted on by the various bleaching and dyeing agents employed.
Their forms can be modified as the particular kind of materials to be treated may
require the steeping can be effected by pressure instead of vacuum as described;
and instead of the special construction of vessel with rotating wheel described any
other suitable apparatus provided with openwork boxes and having a rotary move-
ment in the bleaching or dyeing baths can be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the .said-inven-
tion as communicated to me and in what manner the same is to be performed
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The process or method hereinbefore described of bleaching, dyeing or operating
upon textile materials, which consists in submitting said materials at moderate
temperatures to a steeping bath, and preferably to a bath of the same nature as
the bleaching or dyeing bath for subsequently producing the color desired, and in
then submitting the materials to a bleaching or dyeing bath, the steeping and the
bleaching or dyeing being effected in apparatus operating substantially in the
manner of those bereinbefore described, whereby the ordinary boiling and
ungumming processes at high temperatures and deterioration and felting are
avoided as set forth.
2. The apparatus arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 1 to 6 of the annexed drawings.
3. The apparatus arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described with reference to figures 13 and 14 of the annexed drawings.
Dated this 26th day of April 1889.