IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE STEEPING OR RETTING OF FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER TEXTILE MATERIALS, THE SEPARATION OF THEIR FIBRES; AND THE BLEACHING, CALENDERING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING THE SAME AND THE FABRICS MADE THEREOF
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph de Kinder and Francis Cuylits
La-Tour at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th February
1876.
"
JOSEPII DE KINDER, and FRANCIS CUYLITS LA-TOUR, both of Antwerp, Belgium,
Merchants. IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE STEEPING OR RETTING OF FLAX,
HEMP, AND OTHER TEXTILE MATERIALS, THE SEPARATION OF THEIR FIBRES; AND
THE BLEACHING, CALENDERING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING THE SAME AND THE
FABRICS MADE THEREOF."
Our Invention relates to the steeping or retting of flax, hemp, China grass, or
rhea fibre, cotton, and other textile materials, the separation or disintegration of the
fibres of the same, and the strengthening, preservation, bleaching, calendering of
these fibres and their products, such as thread, cloth, calico, and the like, also to a
powder and liquid for steeping, disintegrating, and bleaching these materials.
The first operation in the practice of our Invention is the chemical steeping or
retting of flax, hemp, and other raw textile materials with their bark or woody
portion. For this purpose we add to ordinary cold water sulphuric acid to the
extent of ten degrees. Then it is heated to ebulition, and we inmerse therein the
textile materials to be steeped or retted either green or dry. These are allowed
to boil for about 30 minutes and then are withdrawn and rinsed in cold water and
drained.
The second operation is the separation or disintegration of the fibres, which is
effected as follows :-To ordinary cold water we add a powder composed of equal
parts of powdered quicklime and English soda salt of a strength of from 88 to 89
degrees, till the mixture attains a temperature of from 5 to 10 degrees of cold
according to the nature of the textile material to be disintegrated. This mixture is
caused to boil for 15 minutes; we then allow it to deposit and decant the lye wherein
which we place the textile materials to be disintegrated, and which have been
steeped or retted as above described, or which have been otherwise retted. Or the
manufactured products thereof, such as cloth, thread, cord, calico, or China grass or
rhea fibre, flax, hemp, and the like, either hackled or not hackled.
These are
allowed to boil for about 30 to 60 minutes according to the materials employed.
The China grass and analagous materials can be treated cold with the same powder,
but in that case the materials in the said lye should be allowed to macerate cold for
12 hours, adding thereto 1 per cent. of red tartar.
The third operation is the bleaching of the textile materials and their products.

page_text: After scalding them from about 30 minutes to one hour we express from them the
water with which the materials are saturated. For this lye water may serve for
following operations, then we rinse and wash the said materials in cold water,
by preference in running water, till they are quite clean and no longer discolour the
water. Then to increase their whiteness and remove from them any alkali which
may remain in them and which would be injurious, we steep them in warm water
acidulated to one degree with muriatic acid; then we take them out, rinse them in
clear cold water, and allow them to dry.
If it is desired to give them a glaze or smooth surface when dry, we obtain
calcined oyster shells washed when red hot. After calcination the shells are
reduced to fine powder which is passed through a very fine sieve. We then add
about one kilogramme of the powder to each one hundred kilogrammes of the lye
water.
The scalding with lye above described and the subsequent rinsing or steeping in
the acidulated water strengthen the textile materials, such as cotton and its products,
by the distruction of the gummy and resinous matter formed therein, and also
protect them from mouldiness and heating to which they will be liable if
subjected to the slightest humidity for even a short time.