CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AGEING PROCESS IN CALICO PRINTING AND DYEING, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PROCESSES IN CALICO PRINTING AND DYEING
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SIMON
PINCOFFS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-third day of May, in the thirteenth year of Her reign, and in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty, did, for Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Simon Pincoffs, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Simon Pincoffs, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said Simon Pincoffs, my exors, admors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times hereafter, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the improvements,
partly communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad and partly of my
Invention, of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AGEING PROCESS IN CALICO
PRINTING AND DYEING, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PROCESSES IN CALICO PRINTING AND DYEING;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that I, the said Simon Pincoffs, 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

page_text: hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Simon Pincoffs, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and my said improvements, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are particularly set forth, described, and ascertained in and by the
following description or Specification:-
And for the better and more clearly understanding this description of the
said Invention and my said improvements, I will first explain the usual method
of ageing. This process has been usually accomplished by hanging the printed
fabrics in a room, relying on the common atmosphere, for the time being, to
effect the necessary operation, which evidently must be as uncertain as the
weather itself. It has also been attempted to introduce steam or vapour into
the ageing room by various methods, but without sufficiently satisfactory
results, because, for want of a proper proportion of heat and moisture, the
atmosphere has, always been too dry or too moist, thus either injuring or spoil-
ing the goods, or else necessitating such an inconvenient length of time for
ageing as to interfere, if not stop, the whole routine of the printing works.
I will now proceed to explain the nature of the said Invention and my said
improvements, which consist,-
Firstly, in a mode of producing, equalizing, and sustaining an atmosphero
impregnated with vapour in the room, apartment, or building where the pro-
cess of ageing printed fabrics is carried on, which I accomplish in the following
manner I construct a small room or compartment under or below the ageing
room, which I call the. regulating room; this room is about twelve feet square,
with small sliding flaps or shutters of wood or other suitable material in the
lowest part of the sides thereof next to the floor, to open and close for the pur-
pose of admitting air as may be required, and which is hereafter explained;
and a door for. ingress and egress, which is kept closed as much as possible. In
this regulating room I place a vessel from four to ten feet diameter, according
to the size of the ageing room, as experience will suggest, and. from three to
four feet deep, with a lid or covering to be used when necessary, the top of
which vessel is about six feet from the ceiling thereof, which vessel may be
made of iron, earthenware, or any suitable metal or material; but I recom
mend a round iron pan of the above dimensions, with an overflow pipe about
foot from the top, to preserve an equal and regular quantity of water; I then

page_text: fill this vessel to the overflow pipe with water, and introduce steam into it by
means of an ordinary tube of lead or other suitable metal or material, similar
to a gas or water pipe of about one inch bore, with a tap or stop cock above
the level of the top of the vessel, to regulate the quantity of steam to be
introduced; this tube should be introduced as near the centre of the pan as may
be, be closed at the end, and descend to the bottom of the vessel, and that part
of it which is immersed in the water should be perforated with any number of
small holes to allow the steam to enter the water; the steam thus introduced
into the water will heat it to any point required, but I find by experience that
a temperature as nearly as may be to one hundred and eighty-five degrees
Fahrenheit is the best for the purpose. Latticed work or perforations are'
made in the floor of the ageing room exactly over and covering the area of the
regulating room; the vapour formed in the vessel, as above mentioned, mixes
with the cold air entering the regulating room' through the flaps or shutters, 'so
that an atmosphere impregnated with moisture ascends into the ageing room
through the openings in the lattice work. The number of regulating rooms
containing the water vessel, with steam pipe and air regulating flaps
or shutters, may be increased according to the size of the ageing room, as
experience will suggest. The moisture contained in the vaporous atmosphere
thus ascending into the ageing room would immediately condense on any cold
surface being presented to it in the ageing room, which is prevented by
excluding as much as possible the exterior atmosphere from it, by lining
the inside of the roof (if slated) with wood or felt, and by raising the tem-
perature to about seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit, or to any required degree
of licat, previously to the admission of the moistened atmosphere from the
regulating room by means of fire, hot air, or steam pipes, or by the heat
which is generated in the iron pan in the regulating room; the temperature of
the ageing room should be maintained by the same means to the same
degree of heat, namely, about seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit. In the roof
of the ageing room there should be small chimnies, made of wood or any
suitable material, with apertures for the purpose of ventilation, the dimen
sions of which must be regulated by experience. If the other metliod of ven-
tilation, herein-after described, is not adopted, the moistened atmosphere which
ascends from the regulating room or 'rooms into the ageing room through
the latticed work in the floor may be transmitted to other rooms situated
over the said ageing room by perforations or openings of latticed work in
the floors of each room respectively; but in such cases the floorings of such
other rooms are perforated or latticed over the whole area thereof. . In this

page_text: ageing room or these ageing rooms are hung or suspended the printed fabrics
to undergo the process of ageing or oxydizing in every part of the said room.
or rooms except those parts or portions which are immediately over the said
regulating room or rooms.
Secondly, the said Invention and my said improvements consists in a method
or means of quickly ascertaining when the said atmosphere contains sufficient
moisture and is of a proper quality for the purpose, which may indeed be.
ascertained by the common hygrometer; but the time required will be long,.
the indication very uncertain, and its results generally unsatisfactory, but which
I accomplish in the following manner :-I take into the ageing room the
common thermometer and immerse it to the bulb in a vessel about the size of
a common tumbler or drinking glass, containing boiling water, I then add cold
water until the thermometer is at sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. At this point,
if the atmosphere is properly impregnated, there should be a slight condensation
outside of the vessel; if there be none it proves that there is not sufficient of
the moistened atmosphere in the ageing room, and more should be admitted,
which may be done either by further opening the flaps or shutters at the
bottom of the regulating room, or by admitting more steam into the water
vessel, as occasion may require. If, on the contrary, there be a condensation
on the vessel containing the thermometer before it is brought down to sixty-
eight degrees, it proves there is too much of the vaporous atmosphere, and
less should be admitted. This last-mentioned vessel may be made of glass,
brass, silver, or any suitable metal or material; but I recommend particularly
either highly polished or gilt brass, as they will show the condensation more
rapidly and clearly. By this means or process it is entirely in the power of
the printer to regulate the atmosphere of the ageing room or rooms, ad libitum,
but, as stated above, I find by experience that the points best adapted for most
styles of printed fabricis is, to maintain the heat of the room at seventy-eight
degrees Fahrenheit, and the moisture so as to indicate the condensing or dew
point on the vessel at sixty-eight degrees, which will effectually age or oxydize
the heaviest styles of printed fabrics in two days and nights at all times,
whereas in the common atmosphere it requires about five days and nights for
such styles when the state of the atmosphere is favorable for the purpose, and if
unfavorable a much longer time, and is uncertain, if at all practicable. It will
be also evident to the practical printer that this process will frequently effect
a considerable saving in madders and other dye stuffs or materials, as the
heaviest styles will at all times be completely aged or oxydized.
Thirdly, the said Invention and my said improvements consist in a mode of

page_text: collecting the acid for condensation, or combining the same with a base or any
substance or matter capable of combining with the acid, which is rendered
practicable by its speedy liberation from the printed fabrics in the aforesaid
process. This I effect by fixing or suspending troughs or tubes made of wood
or any suitable metal or material to or near the ceiling of the, ageing room
which troughs or tubes are perforated with any number of holes or apertures
to allow the atmosphere containing the acid to enter the said troughs or tubes,
which troughs or tubes must be centred or combined at one point or focus
outside the aforesaid ageing room or building. At the mouth or connection of
the troughs or tubes must be placed a fan of the ordinary construction, made
of wood or other suitable material, which may be turned by hand or power,
and at a speed suitable to the size of the ageing room, as experience will point
out. At the opposite side of this fan I attach another larger trough or tube, at
the extremity of which the whole or greatest part of the acid may be condensed,
or I combine the acid contained in the vapour with a base or any suitable sub-
stance or matter by bringing such vapour containing the acetic acid in contact
with such base or matter either before or behind the fan. The troughs or tubes
thus placed in the upper part of the ageing room will effect a desirable mode of
ventilation, and by passing a larger quantity of the moistened atmosphere over
the surface of the goods be beneficial to the ageing or oxydizing process, and
effect the desired object in a still shorter time than herein-before mentioned.
When this mode of ventilation is adopted the apertures in the chimnies of the
roof must be kept closed.
Having fully described the nature of the Invention and my said improve-
ments, and the arrangements for carrying the same into practical effect, I desire
it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein mentioned, as such may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of the Invention; but I claim,-
Firstly, the mode of introducing into the ageing room or rooms a heated and
moistened atmosphere, and of ascertaining and regulating the dew point
therein in a quick and efficient manner.
And, secondly, the collection of the liberated acetic acid, or the combining
it with a base or any substance or matter capable of combining with it, as
hercin described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Simon Pincoffs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
SIMON (L.s.) PINCOFFS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Simon Pincoffs came before our
said-Lady the-Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
áforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose:
Enrolled the Twenty-second day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.