MENTS IN STARCHING OR STIFFENING YARNS, THREADS, WOVEN FABRICS, AND TISSUES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederik Rosenauer, of No. 10, Bury Court, St. Mary
" IMPROVE-
Axe, in the City of London, Merchant, for the Invention of
MENTS IN STARCHING OR STIFFENING YARNS, THREADS, WOVEN FABRICS, AND
TISSUES." A communication from abroad by John Gaspard Meyer-
Rauschenbach, of Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Civil Engineer.
Sealed the 30th July 1867, and dated the 6th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederik Rosenauer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th February 1867.
I, FREDERIK ROSENAUER, of No. 10, Bury Court, St. Mary Axe, in the
City of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STARCHING OR STIFFENING YARNS, THREADS, WOVEN
FABRICS, AND TISSUES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in starching or stiffening
yarns, threads, woven fabrics, and tissues. The substances used for giving a
durable starching or stiffening to yarn, twist threads, and filaments of vegetable
origin, and to tissues and fabrics produced therefrom are "sulphuric acid" for
which may be substituted "muriate of zinc." Articles starched by this
process retain their stiffness so long as a thread holds together, and without
It is
ever requiring to be freshened up by a new application of the process.
with these same substances that the so-called "parchment paper" is prepared,
CD 077

page_text: but hitherto it has been found impracticable to apply them on twist and
tissues, and their application as a substitute for starch is unknown.
The permanent stiffening of yarns, threads, fabrics, and tissues by chemical
process once for all superseding thereby the use of all starching materials
hitherto in use, such as starch, flour, rice, or gum, is attained in the following
way: A bath of "sulphuric acid" or "muriate of zinc " is prepared diluted
with to of water, and the temperature reduced to about 59° to 63°
Fahrenheit, and the yarn, thread, fabric, or tissue to be stiffened is by means
of a mechanical contrivance passed rapidly over the surface of the said liquid
without immersion in it. By this proceeding the lightest possible coating of
stiffening is immediately formed on one side of the yarn, thread, fabric, or tissue,
and the material so treated may afterwards be washed over and over again,
or steeped in water without the stiffening ever washing out, as the agent
employed in the process enters absolutely into combination with the yarn,
thread, fabric, or tissue, and forms thereafter an integral part and component
of the same. To prevent the action spreading to the upper side of the yarn,
thread, fabric, or tissue, the latter is immediately after having been passed
over the liquid as stated immersed in a reservoir, from which it is transferred
by a simple cylinder apparatus into a bath of "ammonia" or solution of lime,
in order to neutralize every trace of acid yet adhering to it. The tissue is
then finally washed in water. To impart an extra degree of stiffness, as is
sometimes required for glazed cloth and other materials, the operation is
simply repeated, letting the liquid in the bath act on both sides of the article
to be stiffened; or the apparatus is caused to travel more slowly, so as to
leave the articles exposed for a longer period to the action of the liquid in
the bath.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederik Rosenauer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
ROSENAUER, of No. .10. Bury Court, St. Mary Axe, in the City of London,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said

page_text: Frederick Rosenauer, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick Rose-
nauer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Frederick Rosenauer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN STARCHING OR STIFFENING YARNS, THREADS, WOVEN FABRICS, AND
TISSUES," a communication to me from abroad by John Gaspare Meyer-
Rauschenbach, of Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Civil Engineer, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Rosenauer, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Rosenauer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in starching or stiffening
yarns, threads, woven fabrics, and tissues. The substance used for giving
a durable starching or stiffening to yarn, twist, thread, and filaments of
vegetable origin, cloth, grey or bleached shirtings, is sulphuric acid. I
prepare a bath of sulphuric acid, diluted with a quarter to a third part of
water to bring it to a density of 104 to 105 degrees of Twaddle's scale, and I
reduce the temperature to about 55 to 65° Fahrenheit, and to stiffen a cloth
or woven fabric I cause the dry cloth or fabric to run over and in contact with
the top of a roller, made of wood and covered with vulcanized india-rubber,
which is half sunk and moves in the acid liquor, and by which the running
cloth or fabric is constantly wetted; or if the article be cloth or fabric, the
surface of which absorbs the liquid but slowly and with difficulty, I place on
the roller which moves in the acid another roller, between both of which the
cloth then rapidly passes. The speed of the rollers, that is, whether they are
caused to travel quicker or slower, so as to leave the cloth or fabric exposed
for a longer or shorter period to the action of the liquid in the bath, regulates
the greater or lesser stiffness of the goods. Immediately after the cloth or
fabric has left the acid and the rollers it is immersed in a reservoir of water,

page_text: where it should be thoroughly washed out by an apparatus such as is used by
the bleachers. From the reservoir the cloth or fabric is transferred into a
bath of urine, or into a weak solution of ammonia or lime, in order to
neutralize every trace of acid yet adhering to it. The cloth or fabric is
finally once more washed in water. Where great stiffness is required the
process may be repeated on the other side of the cloth or fabric. By the
aforesaid processes the coating of stiffening is immediately formed on the yarn
or fabric, and the material so treated. may afterwards be repeatedly washed
without the stiffening ever being washed out, as the agent employed in the
process enters absolutely into combination with the cloth or fabric, and forms
henceforth an integral .and component part of the same; yarns, twists, and
threads of vegetable origin are stiffened in a similar manner. Articles
starched by my process retain their stiffness so long as the thread holds
together, and without ever requiring to be freshened up by a new application
of the process. The permanent stiffening of yarns and cloth by chemical
process once for all superseding the use of all starching materials hitherto in
use, such as starch, flour, rice, or gum.
Independently of the advantages and uses of said starch, as before named,
my Invention has the invaluable advantage that goods prepared by this
process can never become mildewed, but, on the contrary, my mode of
starching preserves the cloth until completely and entirely worn out.
The third great advantage of this Invention shows and proves itself again
when the cloth comes to be dyed and printed, as the colors become more solid,
more adhering, and lasting, and also particularly more brilliant; there is also
a considerable economy effected in the use of certain colors.
I would remark that the application of the acid to the surface only of the
yarn, thread, woven fabric, or tissue, avoiding the saturation of the fabric, is
an essential feature of this Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Rosenauer, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
F. ROSENAUER. (L.S.)