Improvements in the Treatment and Utilization of Plants and Shrubs, Barks of Trees, and Various other Useful Fibres to be Used in all Kinds of Spinning Processes, and to be Woven in Textile and Woven Fabrics.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1887.
Improvements in the Treatment and Utilization of Plants and
Shrubs, Barks of Trees, and Various other Useful Fibres to be
Used in all Kinds of Spinning Processes, and to be Woven in
Textile and Woven Fabrics.
I, ALEXANDER WILKINSON of 166 Fleet Street, City of London, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The object of this invention, is improvements in the treatment and utilization of
plants and shrubs, barks of trees and various other useful fibres to be used in all
kinds of spinning processes and to be woven in textile and woven fabrics.
For the purpose of my invention, I place one hundredweight of any suitable
vegetable fibre into a tank containing about seven pounds of common soda, two pounds
chloride of lime, one pound nitric acid, and thirty-two ounces of hydrochloric, this
mass is well stirred together and kept at a heat of about seventy-five degrees Fah: for
about twenty-four hours. The fibre is then removed and placed in an ordinary close
boiler and boiled for about eight hours at about forty pounds pressure in a solution, in
which are seven pounds common soda, one pound ammonia, one pound sulphuric acid,
four ounces cyanide of potassium, eight ounces of bisulphide of lime, and four ounces
of bisulphide of magnesia, from which the fibres are removed and rinsed in a
bath containing sulphuric acid and carbolic acid diluted in cold water to remove any
gummy, or resinous refuse of the bark that might be remaining on the outer strips
of the fibres.
In some cases I dispense with the use of the alkali as here referred to in the treatment
of delicate fibres and treat them as follows; that is to say, I employ an air tight
boiling pan and place the fibres to be treated in same, submerged in paraffin, Scotch
shale oil, petroleum, or any other suitable oil, and boil them in the oil for about two
hours till the gummy and resinous matter in the fibres are thoroughly discharged
when they will be taken and treated according to the first part of my invention.
After this process has been effected, the fibre is treated by a bleaching liquid,
composed of cyanide of potassium, chlorine, hydrochloric acid and mercury-perchloride
and bisulphate of barium. The proportions are about one pound bisulphate of barium,
LD 7

page_text: four ounces cyanide of potassium, one pound hydrochloric acid, and four ounces
of mercury-perchloride to which chlorine is added. These chemicals are prepared in
an enamelled vessel in cold water and allowed to boil for one hour till broken down
and thoroughly dissolved, when after a good stirring, the liquid is drawn off through
a fine mesh sieve, or filter. The fibres are placed in a box, or tank of suitable size
and dimensions and the bleaching process commenced, the fibre remaining in the
bleach liquor for about one hour, or until it becomes a brilliant pearl white, then it is
taken out and washed in cold water to wash the chemicals from the fibres.
They are then treated in a solution composed of salts of lemon and salts of sorrel
in about equal proportions in weight, a small proportion of salts of tin is then added
to the liquid. This liquid is used to give a much purer and silvery appearance to the
fibres after being bleached. After this process is effected, they are taken and
thoroughly dried in a drying machine, such as a hydro-extractor. This rapid drying
I find to be of great advantage. The fibres when dry are devilled, or carded like
ordinary cotton, and the threads or yarns may be readily spun on any of the present
cotton machinery in a manner well known.
Instead of using the bleach before described, I use one composed of four ounces
blue copperas (blue stone) dissolved in about one gallon of luke-warm water and kept
there till it is broken down. I then submerge the vegetable fibre in the bath and
keep it there for about one hour till it becomes saturated with the liquid, it is then
removed and placed in an ordinary wringing, or drying machine, after which it is placed
in a bath containing a solution of nitrate of silver and mercury-perchloride for about
one hour, and when it is removed the silver may be washed out in a liquid composed
of cyanide of potassium and tannic acid in about equal proportions.
In some cases I dispense with the tannic acid and the fibre is washed in a solution
comprised of salammoniac and ammonia. This fibre, or fibres after this process will
be found to be thoroughly bleached and pearl white with a silvery appearance, and
rendered fit for the manufacture of textile and woven fabrics.
Dated this 5th day of August 1886.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alexander Wilkinson.

page_text: Improvements in the Treatment and Utilization of Plants and
Shrubs, Barks of Trees, and Various other Useful Fibres to be
Used in all Kinds of Spinning Processes, and to be Woven in
Textile and Woven Fabrics.
I ALEXANDER WILKINSON of 36 Elliott Road Chiswick in the County of Middlesex
Late of 166 Fleet Street City of London Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this Invention is improvements in the treatment and utilization of
plants and shrubs, barks of trees, and various other useful fibres to be used in all kinds
of spinning processes, and to be woven in textile and woven fabrics.
For the purpose of my Invention I place one hundred weight of any suitable vegetable
fibre into a tank containing about seven pounds of common soda, two pounds of chloride
of lime, one pound of nitric acid, and thirty two ounces of hydro-chloric, this mass is
well stir'd together, and kept at a heat of about seventy five degrees Fah. for about
twenty four hours, the fibre is then removed and placed in an ordinary close boiler
and boiled for about eight hours at about forty pounds pressure in a solution in which
are seven pounds of common soda, one pound of ammonia, one pound of sulphuric
acid, four ounces cyanide of potassium, eight ounces of bi-sulphide of lime, and four
ounces of bi-sulphide of magnesia "bi-sulphide of magnesia is composed thus, that is to
say. I take four ounces of sulphurous acid, four ounces phosphoric acid and two
ounces of magnesia place them in an earthen ware pan for about the space of one hour
when the magnesia will be found to be broken down and a crystal liquid produced
fitted to answer for all purposes as here refered to, in the first part of my specification,"
from which the fibres are removed and rinsed in a bath containing sulphuric acid and
carbolic acid diluted in cold water to remove any gummy or resinous matter or
refuse of the bark that might be remaining in the outer strips of the fibres.
In some cases I dispense with the use of the alkali, as here refer'd to, in the treatment
of delicate fibres, and treat them as follows, that is to say.
I employ an air tight boiling pan and place the fibres to be treated in the same
submerged in Paraffin, Scotch Shale oil, Petroleum, or any other suitable oil, and boil
them in the oil for about two hours until the gummy and resinous matters in the fibres
are thoroughly discharged, when they will be taken and treated according to the first
part of my Invention.
After this process has been effected, the fibre is treated by a bleaching liquid
composed of cyanide of potassium chlorine, hydro-chloric acid, and mercury per-
chloride, bi-sulphate of barium, or calcium, the proportions are about seven pounds
liquid chlorine one pound bi-sulphate of barium or calcium, four ounces cyanide of
potassium one pound of hydro chloric acid, and four ounces of mercury per-chloride,

page_text: These chemicals are prepared in an enamelled vessel in cold water and allow'd to
boil for one hour till broken down and thoroughly dissolved, when after a good stirring
the liquid is drawn off through a fine mesh sieve or filter. The fibres are placed in a
box or tank of suitable size and dimensions and the bleaching process commenced the
fibre remaining in the bleach liquor for about one hour or until it becomes a brilliant
pearl white, when it is taken out and washed in cold water to wash the chemicals from
the fibres, they are then treated in a solution composed of salts of lemon and salts of
sorrel in about equal proportions in weight a small proportion of salts of tin is then
added to the liquid, this liquid is used to give a much purer and silvery appearance
to the fibres after being bleached.
After this process is effected they are taken and thoroughly dried in a drying
machine such as a hydro extractor, this rapid drying I find to be a great advantage
the fibres when dry are devilled or carded like ordinary cotton and the threads or
yarns may be readily spun on any of the present cotton machinery in a manner well
known.
Instead of using the bleach before described, I use one composed of four ounces
blue copperas (blue stone) dissolved in about one gallon of luke warm water and kept
there until is is broken down. I then submerge the vegetable fibre in the bath and
keep it there for about one hour till it becomes saturated with the liquid it is then
removed and placed in an ordinary wringing or drying machine after which it is placed
in a bath containing a solution of nitrate of silver and mercury per chloride for about
one hour and when it is removed the silver may be washed out in a liquid composed
of cyanide of potassium and tannic acid in about equal proportions in some cases I
dispense with the tannic acid and the fibre is washed in a solution composed of
sal-ammoniac and ammonia, the fibre or fibres after this process will be found to be
thoroughly bleached and pearl white with a silvery appearance without the aid of
chlorine referd to in the first part of my specification and render'd fit for the
manufacture of textile and woven fabrics. In addition to the chemicals herein before
described in my second process I dissolve about seven pounds in weight of grey lime
in twenty gallons of cold water and amalgamate it with the soda as here in before
refer'd to, so as, in order to keep up the strength of the alkali to remove the epidermis
from the fibre, this lime may be filter'd thro' any suitable sieve, so as to remove any
earthy matter or substance that might remain to injure the fibres thus treated
according to the Invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is.
Improvements in the treatment and utilization of plants and shrubs, barks of Trees,
and various other useful fibres to be used in all kinds of spinning processes and to be
woven in textile and woven fabrics.
Dated this foth day of April 1007.
THOS. C. TOMKINS,
52, Duke Road, Chiswick, London,
Agent for the said Alexander Wilkinson