IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING SINGLE AND DOUBLE TEXTURE INDIA RUBBER FABRICS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Forster, of Streatham, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FINISHING SINGLE AND DOUBLE
TEXTURE INDIA RUBBER FABRICS."
Sealed the 5th August 1879, and dated the 22nd February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Forster at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd February 1879.
THOMAS FORSTER, of Streatham, in the County of Surrey.
FINISHING SINGLE AND DOUBLE TEXTURE INDIA RUBBER FABRICS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention has for its object improvements in finishing single and double
texture india rubber fabrics.
It is well known to the wearers of garments made from single or double texture
india rubber fabrics that the water frequently passes up the insides of them from
capillary attraction in the cloth surface. The prevention of this absorption is the
object of this Invention.
To effect the object I take either wax, stearine, spermaceti, paraffin, ozokerit, or
any of the fixed oils, and dissolve them or dilute them in any of their solvents,
such as bisulphide of carbon, coal oil, petroleum, benzole. By preference I employ
paraffin and coal oil. This mixture I apply to the cloth surface or surfaces of the
fabric. The mixture employed is of such strength that when the fabrics have been
wetted with it and dried it shall neither be felt or seen. I prefer to apply the
mixture to the fabrics after they are coated or combined with rubber. But they
may be first prepared with one of the mixtures and then the rubber applied. By
finishing the fabrics in this manner the fibres of the cloth surface or surfaces are
rendered repellant of water and capillary action is stopped.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Forster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th August
1879.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
THOMAS FORSTER, of Streatham, in the County of Surrey.
FINISHING SINGLE AND DOUBLE TEXTURE INDIA RUBBER FABRICS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in finishing single and double
texture india rubber fabrics.
It is well known to the wearers of garments made from single or double texture
india rubber fabrics that the water frequently passes up the insides of them from
capillary attraction in the cloth surface. The prevention of this absorption is the
object of this Invention.
To effect the object I take either wax, stearine, spermaceti, paraffin, ozokerit, or
any of the fixed oils, and dissolve them or dilute them in any of their solvents,
such as bisulphide of carbon, coal oil, petroleum, benzole. The solution I apply to
the cloth surface or surfaces of the fabric. The mixture employed is of such
strength that when the fabrics have been wetted with it and dried it shall neither
be felt or seen. I prefer to apply the mixture to the fabrics after they are coated
or combined with rubber and vulcanized. But they may be first prepared with
one of the mixtures and then the rubber applied. By finishing the fabrics in this
manner the fibres of the cloth surface or surfaces are rendered repellant of water
and capillary action is stopped.
In carrying out my Invention I proceed as follows:-I first produce a single or
double texture india rubber waterproof fabric in the ordinary way and subject it to
a vulcanizing process, by preference the process described in the Specification of a
Patent granted to me in the year 1876, No. 3921. I also prepare any of the
following mixtures, viz., solid paraffin, spermaceti, wax, stearine, ozokerit, or such
like products, or linseed or other fixed and, by preference, siccative oils, with any of
their solvents, such as coal oil, benzole, petroleum, tuluole, bisulphide of carbon or
turpentine, taking about 2 parts by weight of any of the first named substances to
16 parts of solvent. For fine goods I use by preference paraffin and benzole, and
for coarser fabrics the other compounds, such as the fixed oils. Having prepared
the mixture I then proceed to evenly wet the cloth surface or surfaces of the fabric
with it. This I offect by passing the fabric over a roller that has a covering of felt
or other soft substance. The fabric is kept pressed against the covered roller by an
iron roller above it, and the surface of the covered roller kept supplied with the
liquid mixture by another roller below it, which is partly immersed in the liquid
contained in a trough. When the rollers are revolved the fabric is passed between
the two upper rollers with its cloth surface or one of its cloth surfaces against the
coverod roller, and afterwards if the fabric is a double texture fabric it is again
passed through the rollers with its other surface against the covered roller.
The fabrics are either dried at once by passing them across a hot table, or are
hung up to dry if oily compounds have been applied to them.
In some cases I prefer to first apply the paraffin or other solution to the fabric,
and then coat them with india rubber compound and subject them to the action of
chloride of sulphur, and subsequently to the vapour of ammonia, as described in the
Specification before mentioned. In this caso the fabrics may be made up into coats
or other goods before being subjected to the vulcanizing process.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
Finishing the cloth surfaces of double or single texture india rubber fabrics
which have been submitted or which are afterwards submitted to a vulcanizing

page_text: process by applying to them a thin solution, such as hereinbefore described, which
when dried on the cloth shall neither be felt nor seen, but which will render them
repellant of water and stop capillary action within them.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Forster, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 8th day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witnessed by
Jos. H. BARBER,
King's Cross.
THOS. FORSTER. (L.S.)