CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF ARCHIL TO THE PROCESSES OF DYEING AND PRINTING IN COLOURS, AND ALSO AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE OPERATION OF DYEING
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
THEODORE CLENCHARD, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturing
Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the thirteenth year of Her reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said Joseph Theodore Clenchard, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Joseph Theodore Clenchard, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said Joseph Theodore Clenchard, my exors, adñiors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF ARCHIL TO THE
PROCESSES OF DYEING AND PRINTING IN COLOURS, AND ALSO AN IMPROVED APPARATUS
TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE OPERATION OF DYEING;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Theodore Clenchard, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery

page_text: within six calendar months next immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had, may more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Theodore Clenchard, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
and the Drawing hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
My improvements or Inventions consist,-
First, in using the archil lichen or weed in its natural or unprepared state,
in combination with certain alkalies and lime, for dyeing wool and silk, and
woollen and silk fabrics; and this I effect in the following way-To from forty
to fifty gallons of water, placed in any suitable vessel, I add from forty to fifty
pounds of good quicklime, recently slaked. I stir the mixture, and allow it to
remain until clear. I pour off the clear liquor, and to it I add from five
to seven pounds, more or less, of good clean soda ash. This mixture I place
in a copper or other suitable vessel, and to it I add from one hundred and
eighty to two hundred and twenty pounds, more or less, of good archil lichen
or weed, previously ground fine in a mill, or by other suitable means, and I
boil, by means of steam, heat, or otherwise, the contents of the vessel for one
or more hours, according to the depth of colour I wish to obtain, and either
with or without the fabric or material to be dyed. If the fabric or material be
not boiled together with the archil and other matters above mentioned, it must
be boiled in the dye bath, when the required quantity of colouring matter has
been extracted from the archil, until it has become sufficiently impregnated
therewith. I then wash the fabric or material in the clear liquor of the dye
bath, having previously removed the archil lichen, and dry it. I next place.
the fabric or material, together with some of the dye-bath liquor aforesaid, in
a closed vessel, of wood or other suitable material, and to such liquor I add a
quantity of a solution of caustic ammonia, equal to about twenty per cent.,
more or less, in weight of the archil lichen or weed employed. I repeatedly
stir and agitate the fabric or material in the mixture, adding, if necessary,
from time to time more of the solution of caustic ammonia mixed with the
remainder of the dye-bath liquor, and I continue the agitation until the fabric
or material has acquired this desired colour. It is desirable that the tempera-
ture of the place in which this operation is performed should be from 100° to
112° Fahrenheit.
My improvements or Inventions consist,-

page_text: woollen fabrics. For this purpose I prepare a decoction or bath of archil
lichen or weed, with the addition of lime and soda ash as before mentioned. I
reduce this decoction or bath to the state of an extract, by means of heat.
I apply the extract so formed to the printing of woollen fabrics, and I subse-
quently apply the solution of caustic ammonia in any convenient way to obtain:
the colour desired. As inconveniences may sometimes arise with regard to
certain colors if lime be employed in the preparation of the extract, I omit
that ingredient in the preparation of the extract to be used, in all cases where
the
presence
of lime would be injurious.
My improvements or Inventions consist,-
Thirdly, of an apparatus or machine, by the use of which the operation of
dyeing on the large scale is facilitated.
Figure 1 of the Drawings annexed represents a plan or view of the apparatus
as seen from above, the upper part A being covered, whilst at A' the cover is
removed, to shew the interior. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the appa-
ratus. Figure 3 is a plan of one end of the apparatus, at which the dye
liquor is introduced, and at which the motion is communicated. Figure 4
is a plan of the opposite end; and Figure 5 is a transverse section of the
apparatus. The same letters indicate the same parts in each Figure. a, a,
is a water-tight wooden vessel, with a reservoir 6 at the bottom, and is
made to open readily by means of suitable covers or shutters on the top and
on one or both sides, to allow of the ready introduction or withdrawal of the
fabric or material to be dyed. c, c, are skeleton frames of wood or other
suitable material, the sides or fronts of which are of the width required.
These frames may be of an hexagonal or any other convenient shape.
d, d', d, are small rollers of wood or other suitable material, on which tho
fabric or material to be dyed is arranged in such a manner as shall be most
conducive to its reception of the dye liquor. The rollers are made moveable,
in order to allow of the position of the fabric or material on the frame to be
altered. Other pieces of fabric or material may be placed on the other sides
of the frame. e; e, is a hollow cylinder, passing through the entire length of
the apparatus, and on which the skeleton frames are mounted. This cylinder
is pierced with holes to give exit to the liquor injected by means of the pump
herein-after mentioned, and to distribute it on the fabric or material attached
to the frames d, d, d". The cylinder revolves on suitable bearings placed at
each end of the vessel a, a. f, f, is a pipe, conveying steam or hot air to heat
the dye liquor in the vessel. 9 is a cog wheel, driven by another cog
wheel g'. It is fixed to the hollow cylinder e, e¹, to which it communicates a
.

page_text: rotatory motion. .g' is a cog wheel, driven by a handle,h, or winch, set in
motion by hand or other power; the cog wheel g' works the rod of the suction
and force pump j, which supplies the dye liquor to the cylinder e, e. K is a
back or reservoir, containing a part of the dye bath or dye liquor. Into this
reservoir the ammonia and fresh dye liquor is to be introduced from time to
time as required, when the apparatus is employed for the dyeing process above
mentioned. m, m, are oscillating covers or shutters, affording constant ingress
and egress to the air through the vessel a, a. The oscillation of the covers or
shutters m, m, is caused by a throw n fixed on the cylinder e, e', and which, at
each revolution of the said cylinder, strikes against a rod o, which, being
thrown out of its perpendicular, causes the covers or shutters m, m, to turn on
their centre of motion; the counter weight p, which is moveable on the rod o,
serves to facilitate the operation. Instead of one, the cylinder e, e¹, may be
furnished with several throws, in order to communicate a more jerking motion.
9 indicates the fabric or other material arranged on the skeleton frames above
mentioned. ris the dye liquor contained in the reservoir b, forming the
bottom of the vessel a, a; this liquor the fabric or other material is made to
traverse at each revolution of the frames.
Method of working the Apparatus.-The covers of the vessel a, a, having been
opened, and the fabric or material to be dyed arranged on the skeleton frames,
steam or heated air is passed through the pipes f, f, and communication made
between the motive power and the cog wheel g, the skeleton frames are set in
motion, the dye liquor is injected into the cylinder by means of the
and the
pump,
excess falls into the back or reservoir, whence it is again drawn up and pumped
into the cylinder; and thus the operation proceeds until the fabric or material
has acquired the desired colour.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and wherein the improve-
ments consist, and the modes of carrying the same into operation, I wish it to
be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise quantities or propor-
tions of ingredients herein mentioned, since the quality of the materials employed
and the shade of colour required will often vary; nor do I claim any particular
part or parts of the apparatus above described. But I do claim,-
Firstly, the application of archil lichen or weed, in its natural or unprepared
state, in combination with alkalies and lime, to the direct dyeing of wool and
silk, and woollen and silken fabrics.
Secondly, the application of archil lichen or weed, in its natural or unpre-
pared state, in combination with alkalies, and with or without lime, 'to the
printing of woollen fabrics.

page_text: Thirdly, the combination of parts forming an apparatus for dyeing, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Theodore Clenchard, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
JOSEPH THEODORE (L.s.) CLENCHARD.
Taken and acknowledged by Joseph
Theodore Clenchard, party hereto,
the Twenty-third day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and
This is the Specification, marked A, referred to in the affidavit of Ebenezer
Henry Durden, sworn the 26th day of September, 1850, before me,
HENRY MOWBRAY.
Ebenezer Henry Durden, of 69, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
maketh oath and saith that he is acquainted with the nature and character of
the handwriting of Thomas Pickford, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at
Paris, in the Republic of France; and the Deponent further saith that the
signature of the said Thomas Pickford, set, subscribed, or written to the Speci-
fication hereto annexed, and marked A, of the date of September the Twenty-
third, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, purporting to be executed by
Joseph Theodore Clenchard, in which it is stated that the Specification afore-
said was acknowledged by the said Joseph Theodore Clenchard in the presence
of the said Thomas Pickford, at Paris, on the date aforesaid, is in the hand-
writing of the said Thomas Pickford.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the oath of Ebenezer Henry
Durden, the Specification aforesaid was enrolled word for word as above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord One