IMPROVE- MENTS IN OPERATING WITH INDIGO IN THE PRINTING OF COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Holliday, of Huddersfield, in the County
of York, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OPERATING WITH INDIGO IN THE PRINTING OF COTTON AND OTHER
FABRICS."A communication from abroad by Alexandre Schultz, of
Paris. in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Holliday
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th February 1875.
I, THOMAS HOLLIDAY, of Huddersfield, in the County of York,
Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATING WITH INDIGO IN THE PRINTING OF
COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS," (communicated to me from abroad by Alex-
andre Schultz, of Paris, in the Republic of France, to be as follows:-
-
The Invention relates to fixing the coloring matter when employing
indigo in printing on cotton and other fabrics by a steaming process,
and consists in the use of indigo white and oxide of tin,

page_text: In carrying out the Invention the indigo is reduced to indigo white
paste by any of the known processes. This indigo white paste is then
mixed with oxide of tin and a solution of gum senegal or other suitable
gum in proportions depending upon the pcr centage of pure indigo
contained in the indigo white paste.
The following proportions answer well, viz. :-For ten parts of pure
indigo contained in the paste add one part of oxide of tin and solution
of gum about equal in quantity to the indigo white paste, but varying
with the shade of blue required. These proportions may however be
varied, and salts of tin and an alkali which produces oxide of tin in the
process may be used, taking care that the color contains no free acid or
alkali.
The coloring matter thus obtained is printed alone or in combination
with other steam coloring matter, and the fabric is steamed for a period
which may vary from, say, half an hour to two hours, depending upon
the character of the other colors with which the indigo may be associated
in the printing.
After steaming the fabric is washed and treated as may be necessary
to the more complete developement of other colors with which this
printing with the indigo is associated. By such means the indigo white
or reduced indigo which is printed on the tissue combines with the
cotton, and is transformed by the steaming into indigo blue, and is fixed
on the cloth.
The indigo is fixed by steam used in like manner to that adopted in
fixing alizarine and other steam colors, so that in thus printing with
indigo other steam colors may be readily associated with it.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Holliday, Her
special license, that I, the said Thomas Holliday, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Holliday, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time.
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATING WITH INDIGO IN THE PRINTING OF COTTON
AND OTHER FABRICS," (communicated to me from abroad by Alexandre
Schultz, of Paris, in the Republic of France,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Holliday, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
• NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Holliday, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention relates to fixing the coloring matter when employing
indigo in printing on cotton and other fabrics by a steaming process, and
consists in the use of indigo white and oxide of tin.
In carrying out the Invention the indigo is reduced to indigo white
paste by any of the known processes. This indigo white paste is then
mixed with oxide of tin and a solution of gum senegal or other suitable
gum in proportions depending upon the per centage of pure indigo
contained in the indigo white paste.
The following proportions answer well, videlicit :-For ten parts of
pure indigo contained in the paste add one part of oxide of tin and

page_text: solution of gum about equal in quantity to the indigo white paste, but
varying with the shade of blue required. These proportions may however
be varied, and salts of tin and an alkali which produces oxide of tin in
the process may be used, taking care that the color contains no free acid
or alkali.
The oxide of tin used is by preference that obtained by precipitating
tin crystals with soda in the usual manner.
The indigo white paste used in carrying out this Invention is that
obtained by precipitating a solution of deoxidised indigo in alkali by an
acid and filtration, but it may be otherwise obtained.
In some cases, if desired, the indigo white in solution in an alkali may
be precipitated by an acid solution of tin crystals.
The coloring matter thus obtained is printed alone or in combination
with other steam coloring matter, and the fabric is steamed for a period
which may vary from, say, half an hour to two hours, depending upon
the character of the other colors with which the indigo may be associated
in the printing.
After steaming the fabric is washed and treated as may be necessary
to the more complete developement of other colors with which this
printing with the indigo is associated. By such means the indigo white
or reduced indigo which is printed on the tissue, combines with the cotton,
and by the steaming is fixed on the fabric.
The indigo is fixed on the fabric by steam used in like manner to that
adopted in fixing alizarine and other steam colors, so that in thus
printing with indigo other steam colors may be readily associated with
it, and the coloring matter thus obtained may be employed in combina-
tion with other coloring matters for producing various effects desired;
as, for instance, by employing oxide of lead, oxide of zinc, or oxide of
baryta in combination with the coloring matter above described, and
passing the fabric to which the combination has been applied through
bichromate of potash; after steaming a fast green color will be obtained
varying in character with the oxide employed as well as by the character
of the steaming and the proportions of the respective ingredients.
Having thus described the Invention, as communicated to me, I
would have understood that what I claim is the fixing of indigo on

page_text: cotton and other fabrics by the action of steam on a combination or
mixture of oxide of tin and indigo white, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Holliday, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
THOMAS HOLLIDAY. (L.S.)