AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DYEING
Year: 1885

page_text: I SAM SMITHSON of the firm of Pickles, Smithson and Pickles, Ravensthorpe in
the County of York, Dyers and Drysalters, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DYEING" to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for extracting the
soluble colouring matter from dye woods or other materials used for dyeing, in such
manner that the article being dyed does not come into contact with any portion or
particles of the dyewood.
To carry out my invention, I employ a vertical pipe, or cylinder, which is fixed
by preference at the corner or end of the cistern in which the dyeing process takes
place. This cylinder is flanged at the top for the purpose of fixing a cover thereto,
and is closed at the bottom, except where certain tubes, hereinafter described, pass
through. The cylinder is employed as a heating chamber, and contains certain
tubes which pass through and fit steam tight in the bottom of the cylinder where
they open into the dyeing cistern. These tubes also pass through and fit steam
tight to the cover of the cylinder above which cover they project a few inches.
The cover is secured to the flange of the cylinder by bolts and nuts.
A steam supply pipe opens into the cylinder near the top, and an outlet pipe for
the purpose of conveying away surplus steam and condensed water from the
cylinder opens into the cylinder near the bottom thereof. After the steam has been
turned on a short time into the cylinder and surrounds the tubes, the water from
the dyeing cistern, which rises in finding its level into the tubes contained in the
cylinder, begins to boil, and rises to a higher level in the tubes, and after a time
boils over out of the top ends of the tubes into a chamber fixed upon the top of the
heating cylinder, and passes down an overflow pipe into a tall vertical vessel which
has a perforated bottom, and which contains the dyewood or other material used
for dyeing.
The overflowing boiling water passes through the dyewood and extracts the dye
therefrom, and is conveyed, after passing through the perforated bottom of the
vertical vessel, into the dyeing cistern. The perforated plate at the bottom of the
vertical vessel which contains the dyewood, prevents the escape of any particles of
such dyewood into the dyeing cistern.
1

page_text: As a modification of this arrangement, the steam for boiling the water may be
conducted through the inside of the tubes, in which case the water surrounding
the tubes in the cylinder will be boiled, and the top and bottom of the cylinder
being removed the water will flow in at the bottom, and out at the top, in the
same manner that it passed in and out of the tubes.
The arrangement herein described for heating water may also be used as a
generator of hot water for other purposes connected with dyeing.
By the use of this improved method and apparatus, the whole of the required
soluble colouring matter is extracted from the dyewood, by means of the stream of
boiling water produced and applied in the manner described, and particles of
dyewood are prevented from coming in contact with, or adhering to the material
being dyed.
I SAM SMITHSON, of the firm of Pickles, Smithson and Pickles, Ravensthorpe in
the county of York, Dyers and Drysalters, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for extracting the
soluble coloring matter from dye woods or other materials used for dyeing, in such
manner that the article being dyed does not come in contact with any portion or
particles of the dyewood.
For this purpose I employ a vertical pipe or cylinder which is fixed by preference
at the corner or end of the cistern in which the dyeing operation is performed.
This cylinder is flanged at the top for the purpose of fixing a cover thereto, and
is closed at the bottom except where certain tubes, hereinafter described pass
through. The cylinder is employed as a heating chamber, and contains certain
tubes which pass through and fit steam tight in the bottom of the cylinder, where
they open into the dyeing cistern or into a chamber which is connected by means
of a pipe with the dyeing cistern. These tubes also pass through and fit steam
tight to the cover of the cylinder above which cover they project a few inches.
The cover is secured to the top flange of the cylinder by bolts and nuts.
steam supply pipe opens into the cylinder near the top and an outlet pipe, for
the purpose of conveying away surplus steam and condensed water opens into the
cylinder near the bottom. After the steam has been turned on a short time into the
A

page_text: cylinder, and surrounds the tubes, the water from the dyeing cistern which rises in
finding its level into the tubes contained in the cylinder begins to boil, and rises
to a higher level in the tubes, and after a time boils over out of the top ends of the
tubes into a dome, fixed upon the top of the heating cylinder, and passes down an
overflow pipe into a cistern which has a perforated false bottom, and in which
cistern the dyewood or other material used for dyeing is placed.
The overflowing boiling water passes through the dyewood and extracts the dye
therefrom, and is conveyed after passing through the perforated false bottom of the
extracting cistern into the dyeing cistern. The perforated false bottom of the
cistern which contains the dyewood prevents the escape of any particles of such
dyewood into the dyeing cistern. As a modification of this arrangement, the steam
for boiling the water may be conducted through the inside of the heating tubes
hereinbefore described, in which case the water which will surround the tubes in
the heating cylinder will be boiled, the top and bottom of the cylinder being open,
the water from the dyeing cistern will flow in at the bottom and boil out at the
top of the heating cylinder, in the same manner that it passes in and out of the
tubes as herein before described.
This arrangement for heating water may also be used as a hot water generator
for other purposes connected with dyeing.
By the use of this improved method and apparatus, the whole of the required
soluble colouring matter is extracted from the dyewood by means of the stream of
boiling water produced and applied in the manner described, and particles of
dyewood are prevented from coming in contact with, or adhering to the material
being dyed.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood, I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of the dyeing cistern, the extracting
cistern, and the heating cylinder, with the pipes contained therein and connected
thereto,
Figure 2 represents a plan of the same, with the dome removed from the top
of the heating cylinder.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of the heating cylinder, the extracting and
dyeing cisterns, and the pipes connected therewith.
The dyeing cistern A is connected with the heating cylinder B by means of the
pipe C. The heating pipes D pass through and are fitted steamtight into tube-
plates at the top and bottom of the cylinder. The water from the dyeing cistern A
flows through the pipe C and into the pipes D, until the water in the pipes D is on
a level with the water in the cistern A. The steam valve N is then opened,
whereby the heating cylinder B is filled with steam, and the superfluous steam
and condensed water pass out of the cylinder by the pipe O, which is shown in
dotted lines inside the cylinder, and which pipe is carried nearly to the bottom of
the heating cylinder.
When the steam has been turned on a short time the water from the dyeing
cistern; which has passed up into the pipes D, begins to boil, and the application
being continued the water boils over out of the top ends of the pipes D into the
dome E, from whence it is conveyed by means of the pipe F into a two-branch
pipe, whereby it can be delivered into either of the paces K, down which the hot
water passes, and from thence it flows under the p rated false bottom J, and up
through the perforations thereof, when it comes in contact with the dyewood which
is placed upon the false bottom, and extracts the soluble colouring matter there-
from, and the water which contains the colouring matter thus dissolved rises in the
extracting cisterns H, until it overflows down the pipes L or M, whichever
extracting cistern is in operation at the time, and returns into the dyeing cistern A.
By regulating the flow of hot water through the extracting cisterns, the strength
of the dye liquor in the cistern A may be maintained at a uniform standard.
The boiling water which flows from the heating cylinder can be discharged into
either of the spaces K by removing the wooden stopper C from that side of the

page_text: branch which is desired to remain open and inserting the stopper in the orifice
which is to remain closed.
•
•
The two overflow pipes L and M can either of them be closed by means of a
wooden stopper, and when one of the extracting cisterns H is in operation, the
other is cleared out of the exhausted dyewood, and recharged either at the stopper
holes R, or the doors or man holes Q.
The surplus steam and condensed water may be discharged as desired down
either of the pipes P into the space under the perforated false bottoms J of the
extracting cisterns H, whereby the water flowing from the dyeing cistern A is
further heated before it passes through the perforations to the dyewood, or the
surplus steam may be discharged through the pipe S into the water contained in
the dyeing cistern A.
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:
1. The general arrangement and combination of the various parts of my improved
apparatus for dyeing, substantially as set forth, and represented in the accom-
panying drawings.
2. The water heating cylinder containing pipes and heated by steam, out of
which pipes the water in boiling overflows into a cistern containing dyewood or
other dyeing material, such cylinder and pipes being constructed and operating
substantially in the manner described and represented in the accompanying
drawings.
3. In dyeing apparatus, the extracting cisterns having perforated false bottoms J,
central spaces K, and overflow pipes L and M substantially as described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.