Improved Treatment of Yarns, Threads, and Woven Fabrics of Animal or Vegetable Fibre for Imparting Stiffness and a Silky Lustre thereto.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec, 1898-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE DIEULTICATION
Improved Treatment of Yarns, Threads, and Woven Fabrics of
Animal or Vegetable Fibre for Imparting Stiffness and a Silky
Lustre thereto.
I, EDUARD HEBERLEIN, of Wattwil, Canton of St Gallen, Switzerland, Chemist,
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:-
If starch of any kind, or any preparation thereof, or glue or gelatine material, or the
like, is treated with hot water or even if merely stirred up with cold water mixed with
soda lye or other alkaline lye, or if the above named starchy or gelatine substances
be at once mixed with alkaline lye, the starch is at once dissolved in a clear
condition with formation of a mass of a syrup-like or more or less solid tough
consistency, which can be readily dissolved to form a clear liquid solution
If yarn or woven fabric be impregnated in any suitable manner with this liquid,
while in a uniformly spread-out condition, and, when using concentrated soda lye,
under some tension, in order to prevent the shrinking of the fibies, and the material
be then used with water, it will be found that the material so treated will be
more or less stiff, with a silky lustie, this condition varying according to the
quantity of starch and the degree of concentration of the alkali employed
If dilute solutions are employed, materials soft to the touch are obtained, while
when using concentrated solutions products are obtained having the stiftness of
strong dressed yarns (Eisengain)
Instead of impiegnating the vains, threads, oi fabiies with the alkalme solution
they can also be first passed through a bath of boiled or unboiled starch or of a
glue or gelatine substance and, after being squeezed out and spread out, with oi
without stretching, they are ticated with the alkaline lye, after which they are
washed either in a stretched or unstretched condition
When using concentrated soda Iye, the yain or fabric can also be saturated with
the alkaline starch glue or gelatine solutions in an unstretched condition, and then
be spread out and stretched to its original dimensions
In order, for example, to render the material hard to the touch and impart a
silky lustre thereto, about 300 giammes of starch are dissolved in 10 lities of soda
lye of 20° Bé; the yarn or thread is then umesed in the solution for about
10 minutes, in a slightly stretched condition, and is then washed with water,
dilute acid, and again with water
If the yarn 18 to be consecutively treated with starch and soda lye, it is first
soaked in a solution of from 5 to 10 kilos. of starch in 1,000 litres of water and
after having been squeezed out it is afterwards passed through a soda lye of from
15° to 30° Bé Lastly it is consecutively washed in water, dilute acid, and agam
in water
The main advantage of the above described new process consists in that a
product is obtained thereby which, owing to its properties, can entuely replace the
Strong dressed yarns or yarns manufactured in the usual way
The yarns prepared according to the present invention offer considerable
advantages as compared with the strong dressed yarns heretofore produced both a
regards the process of manufacture, and the appearance and properties of the

page_text: product The advantage in the mode of manufacture consists in that no brushing
machines are required, such as are necessary in the manufacture of strong dressed
381
The appearance of the lustrous threads on vaius produced according to the
resent invention has the advantage over that of the strong diessed varn that i
place of the glassy lustre of the latter, they have a silk-like appearance.
Of great importance is the property of the yarns or threads prepared by the new
process that they can be subsequently bleached and dved without losing their lustre
and stiffness
The process of dyeing can however be cared out before the above described
treatment, provided dyes be used that will withstand the action of alkalies. or the
dyeing operation can be carried out simultaneously with the lusting and stiffening
A farther advantage of the yarns on threads prepared according to this invention
consists in a considerable increase in the strength and weight of the fibres, whether
of vegetable on of animal origin
Yarns for weaving treated according to this invention can be used as warps
without requing to be sized
As before stated the new process can be applied not only to yains or threads
but also to woven fabies, whether of vegetable on of animal fibre, or of both
combined
The fabric can by this means receive a very strong diessing, combined with a
silk-like lustre.
The new process can also be employed in combination with the process described
in the Specification to Patent No 17302 of 22nd July 1897, by treating the vains or
fabrics with an alkaline solution of nitio cellulose, and staich, glue or gelatine, or
the yarns on fabrics may be first treated with a starch on glue solution and then
with an alkaline solution of nitrocellulose.
The mode of proceeding is preferably as follows
300 grammes of starch and 200 grammes of nitro-cellulose (previously soaked
with litre of alcohol) are dissolved in 100 litres of soda lye of 20° Bé. The
varn is dipped for about 10 minutes in a stretched condition into this solution, and
is then consecutively washed with water, dilute acid, and again with water
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim 18
1 Process for imparting greater or less stiffness combined with a silk-like lustre
to yarns or threads or woven fabrics of animal or vegetable fibie, consisting in
treating the same in a stretched or unstretched condition with alkaline solutions of
starch, staich preparations, gelatine or other glue matemals or with alkaline
solutions of the said materials together with niti ocellulose, and then washing the
yarns, threads, or fabrics either in a stretched 01 unstretched condition,
substantially as described
2 A modification of the process referred to in the fist claim consisting in first
treating the yarns or threads or fabrics in a bath of starch or gelatine or glue
material, and then, after squeezing them out, treating them in a stretched or
unstretched condition with soda lye or an alkaline solution of nitrocellulose, the
yain thread or fabric being finally washed substantially as described.
3 The modification of the process referred to in the first claun, consisting in
first passing the yarns threads or fabrics in an unstretched condition through a
concentrated alkaline solution of starch, staich preparations, gelatine or other glue
materials, and after squeezing, stretching them and washing them in the stretched
condition substantially as described
Dated this 30th day of December 1898