IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING OR COLOURING HAIR, WOOL, FUR, AND OTHER ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE FIBRES IN THE RAW OR MANUFACTURED STATE."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joe Frost, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manu-
facturing Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING OR
COLOURING HAIR, WOOL, FUR, AND OTHER ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE FIBRES
IN THE RAW OR MANUFACTURED STATE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joe Frost at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 31st October 1878.
"
JOE FROST, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manufacturing Chemist.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING OR COLOURING HAIR, WOOL, FUR, AND OTHER
ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE FIBRES IN THE RAW OR MANUFACTURED STATE"
The principle feature of novelty in my Invention consists in the employment of
metallic sulphides as colouring matter, by the sole use of which a great variety of
colour or shade may be obtained, and the variety may be extended by the use
of ordinary colouring materials in combination with the said sulphides. Colours
obtained by these means are permanent or "fast" and capable of resisting the action
of light and the usual washing and scouring processes.
In carrying out my Invention I first impregnate the material to be coloured with
a solution of a metallic salt of which the sulphide is insoluble and approximates in
colour to the desired shade, and I 'afterwards impregnate the material with a soluble
sulphide capable of being acted on by the metallic salt and forming an insoluble
sulphide with the base thereof.
The remaining products of the re-action are then washed away, leaving the
sulphides permanently fixed in the fibres. Instead of submitting the material to a

page_text: solution of a sulphide it may be placed in a chamber containing sulphuretted
bydrogen.
Example 1. By first treating the material with a solution of lead, acetate, nitrate,
or chloride, or other salt capable of forming the sulphide, and afterwards with a
solution of the sulphide of barium, calcium, sodium, potassium, or ammonium, I
may obtain shades varying from the darkest brown to the lightest fawn colour,
according to the strength of the solution or the number of repetitions of the
process.
Example 2. After having been dyed as in preceeding example, the goods may be
further coloured by indigo or logwood for black,.c
or a blue cast may be obtained by
the use of ferrocyanide of iron..

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joe Frost in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th April
1879.
"
JOE FROST, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Manufacturing Chemist.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DYEING OR COLOURING HAIR, WOOL, FUR, AND OTHER
AMIMAL OR VEGETABLE FIBRES IN THE RAW OR MANUFACTURED STATE."
My Invention consists in the employment of metallic sulphides as colouring matter,
by the sole use of which a great variety of colours or shades may be obtained, which
variety may be further extended by the use of ordinary colouring matters either in.
combination with the said sulphides or by applying other colouring matters before or
after the formation of the said sulphides upon the fabric or material under operation.
A great number of the colours obtained by these means are permanent or fast,
and capable of resisting atmospheric action and the usual washing and scouring
processes, being in this respect superior to many other dyes.
In carrying out my Invention I proceed as follows:-
I first impregnate the material to be coloured with a solution of a metallic salt
whose sulphide approximates to the required colour, and of which the sulphide is
also insoluble in water, and I then pass the materials through a solution of a soluble
sulphide such as the sulphides of sodium, potassium, ammonium, barium, calcium, or
other compound of sulphur which are capable of giving off sulphuretted hydrogen
when treated with suitable chemicals, as for instance the action of the acids on the
oxysulphides. Or I expose the materials to the action of sulphuretted hydrogen in
chambers after being first impregnated with the metallic salt. After this the goods
are then wasbed to free them from surplus dye or dirt, leaving the sulphides
permanently fixed in the fibres. In soine cases before treating with the sulphide I
treat with an alkali, such as lime water, or water with soda or ammonia or other
alkalinė matter, to make the body more basic or capable of producing the oxy-
sulphides more readily.
•
Example 1. To produce shades of drab, fawn, brown, yellow, buff, and browns
approaching to blacks, I first treat the goods with a salt of lead, such as the nitrate,
acetate, or chloride, or any other compound of lead dissolved and applied to the
material by printing or immersion in the ordinary manner, care being taken that
the solution be of such a nature that it will adhere to the fibres and capable of
having its base converted into the compound required.
After the material has been impregnated I then treat it with one or more of the
solutions of the sulphides herein named, or expose it to other actions which is well
known to yield the sulphide; or I employ the sulphides dissolved in well-known
solvents, such as alkaline cyanides or sulphides. The shades of drab, fawn, buff, or
other light shades or colours I form by having the sulphide present in the material
in small quantity. Brown and the darker shades may be produced by increasing the
quantity of sulphide. If oue operation does not produce the proper shade, it may
be repeated; or if too dark, after the first operation the colour is easily discharged.
In place of salts of lead I may employ the salts of manganese, copper, silver, or
mercury, tin, nickel, cobalt, or other salts, just as they may be found suitable to
produce the desired shade, and either alone or mixed in any proportions.
Example 2. In order to produce the compound shades of colours, such as black,
mixed browns, olives, or other colours, I proceed as follows:-I pass the material
through a bath of the salt or salts containing the metal of which the sulphides give
the required shade, or if more suitable I print with the solution suitably thickened,
and either steam dry or age the same; and if this process does not sufficiently
develop the colour I make use of one or more of the sulphides herein named until
the colour is as dark as required. If black is required I afterwards dye the material
in a blue bath or indigo vat if the colour is to be fastened; for common black, log-
wood or other well-known dye wares may be employed to dye blue, which together

page_text: with brown produce black. If yellower shades of brown, drab, or fawn be required
than the sulphide employed produces, then I dye with yellow dyes, or with dyes richer
in yellow, with or without mordants, as the substance requires. Or I convert a portion
of the coloured sulphide into a yellower compound by well-known chemical actions,
such as the conversion of sulphide of lead into the yellow chronate of lead. If olive
be required, or shades requiring blue and yellow in addition to the colour of the
sulphide, I dye the material with these colours, employing any suitable dyes and
any known methods to obtain the shade required, and at times I reverse this mode
and first dye the material with ordinary dye, and afterwards dye the colour by the
sulphide process, or at other times I work in two processes together.
The advantages of my method are:-Firstly. All kinds of fibres are dyed by it,
and goods made up of animal and vegetable fibres can be dyed at one process.
Secondly. The colour in all cases can be readily discharged and the material rendered
white or lighter in colour as may be required, so that if the goods are too dark the
error can be repaired with little trouble.
Facility is thus afforded for re-dyeing the goods and producing fresh designs on
woven fabrics which cannot be done upon goods dyed in the ordinary way.
I claim,―
Firstly. The colours produced on any animal or vegetable fibre by means of the
sulphides of the metals, the sulphydrates and oxysulphides where the colours are
produced either wholly or partly by such sulphides, or a combination thereof.
Secondly. The combination of ordinary dyes or colours with those produced by
the use of sulphides, as herein described.
Thirdly. The application of the means herein described for producing on manu-
factured goods, either piled or otherwise, colours which may be easily changed into
others colours either partially or entirely, so that different effects in designing may
be obtained by process of printing after manufacture.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joe Frost, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
TAR TRASM