IMPROVEMENTS IN SCOURING, FULLING, AND WASHING WHITE OR COLOURED WOOLLEN TISSUES AND YARNS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Paul Mas and Eugène Doumenach
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th May 1880.
"
PAUL MAS, Cominissioner, and EUGÈNE DOUMENACH, Dresser and Spinner, of
Paris, 33, Rue des Écoles, in the Republique of France. IMPROVEMENTS IN
SCOURING, FULLING, AND WASHING WHITE OR COLOURED WOOLLEN TISSUES AND
YARNS."
Our Invention relates to " Improvements in Scouring, Fulling, and Washing
White or Coloured Woollen Tissues and Yarns" by means of pure carbonate of
soda, free from all causticity and iron manufactured by the process of E. Solvay, or
with any of of its equivalents, such as bicarbonate, or sesquicarbonate of soda
possessing similar purity and properties.
One application of our Invention consists in employing carbonate of soda for
simultaneously scouring and fulling all kinds of woollen fabrics, including cloths,
flannels, and other similar materials.
In carrying out this part of our Invention, we employ the ordinary plant and
proceed as follows:-We place the material in the fulling mill, after which we
make a solution of carbonate of soda in cold water and regulate the strength of
such solution, according as the substance is more or less difficult to scour. We then
pour this solution on the fabric until it is well soaked and scour or full the same
therewith in the same manner as when soap is used, and when so fulled we cleanse
it by washing. We then make a soap consisting of carbonate of soda mixed with
some suitable oleagenous body, such as oil or oleine, and afterwards full the
material under treatment therewith, as with ordinary soap. Preferably we use
oleine, but we do not confine ourselves to this material as any other suitable
oleagenous substance may be employed.
By this improved process we not only effect a saving of about 80 per cent. over
all other known fulling processes, but obtain an excellent felting and thorough
scouring, while we preserve the freshest and most delicate tints intact and without
alteration. In addition to this, stuffs or tissues thus treated possess greater tenuity
and resistance than those treated in the ordinary manner, and consequently present
a better appearance.
We are aware that the employment of crystals of soda has already been attempted,
but has been abandoned owing to the unfavourable results obtained, as not only
were the wool and the colours of the tissues found to be altered, but the texture of

page_text: the fabric was rendered rough and harsh to the touch, whilst the method of their
employment was more than four times as costly as ours.
Another application of our Invention relates to scouring cold the fibres of white
and coloured wool and of woollen and linen waste generally.
Up to the present time these various operations have been effected through the
agency of heat. Now we effect, firstly, a great economy by dispensing therewith;
secondly, with our improved scouring agent, we obtain a larger quantity of scoured
fibre, and thirdly, we effect a great saving of labour thereby.
Our method of carrying out this part of our Invention is as follows:-For
bleaching linen fibre we make a solution of carbonate of soda of, say, 1 to 4 degrees
in strength in which we steep the material, and afterwards rinse it in water. By
so doing we obtain a well scoured fibre or thread not felted, all of which is very
important; in this operation the fibre is extremely white and clean, while the more
delicate tints which are injured by the ordinary treatment are uninjured thereby.
For woollen waste we make the solution of carbonate of soda of 9 to 10 degrees
in strength and then proceed as for thread and linen, that is to say, by first
steeping the material in the solution, and then rinsing it in pure water, whereby
we obtain a product superior to that obtained by any of the ordinary methods of
Scouring. Thus, for example, the spinning wad which when treated by heat had to
be scoured two or three times is found to be thoroughly cleansed at a single
operation by our improved and simple method of treatment in a cold solution.
When scouring the material or fabric previous to fulling, we proceed in the
following way: We make a simple cold bath of carbonate of soda, say, of 4 to 8
degrees in strength, which we put in the mill, and then turn the material therein
for about half an hour, after which we wash it in pure water. We would have it
understood that even if the scouring be effected in any other way we can always
employ our improved system of fulling. Also that in specifying carbonate of soda
we comprehend under this denomination all sodas more or less carbonated, such as
bicarbonate of soda sesquicarbonate of soda and their equivalents manufactured
according to the process of Monsieur E. Solvay, or any other method analagous
thereto.