AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN COLORING MATTER TO BE USED IN DYING AND PRINTING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Emanuel Lightfoot, of Accrington, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CERTAIN COLORING MATTER TO BE USED IN DYING AND PRINTING."
Sealed the 27th August 1858, and dated the 25th June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Emanuel
Lightfoot at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 25th June 1853.
I, JOHN EMANUEL LIGHTFOOT, of Accrington, do hereby declare
that the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN COLORING MATTER TO BE USED IN DYING AND
PRINTING" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in making garancine from spent madder
liquor and sulphuric acid or other acid, both with and without the
grains of spent madder, by means of the heat it contains on leaving
the madder dye bath, without any additional heat, and also (for this
purpose) in the use of wooden vessels with close covers to prevent

page_text: evaporation. It further consists in the use of arsenious or arsenic acid
for the purpose of preserving the garancine fit for use in a moist state
for a considerable period.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
fited by the said John Emanuel Lightfoot in the Great Seal!
Patent Office, on the 22nd December 18583.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN EMANUEL LIGHTFOOT, of Accrington, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Emanuel Lightfoot, Her special
licence that I, the said John Emanuel Lightfoot, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Emanuel
Lightfoot, 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 In-
vention for AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN COLOR-
ING MATTER TO BE USED IN DYING AND PRINTING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Emanuel Lightfoot, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and scal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Lavention, 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 Johm Emanuel Lightfoot, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and aseer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
This Invention consists in making garancine from spent madder

page_text: liquor and sulphuric acid or other acid, both with and without the
grains of spent madder, by means of the heat it contains on leaving
the madder dye bath, without any additional heat, and also (for this
purpose) in the use of wooden vessels with close covers to prevent
evaporation. It further consists in the use of arsenious or arsenic acid
for the purpose of preserving the garancine fit for uso in a moist state
for a considerable period.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
To produce garancine from the waste madder liquor that is separated
from the spent madder collected for the garancine manufacturer I pro-
ceed as follows:-I take the spent or waste madder liquor that has
been used for dying cotton, silk, or any other material, as it runs from
the dye vessels (which has heretofore been thrown away as waste), and
run it upon a filter made of coarse hair cloth placed within a wooden
box or frame about twelve feet square and two feet deep, the bottom
of which is made with boards pierced full of holes, or the bottom may
be made of wood bars about one and a half inches broad and one and
a half inches deep, and placed about one and a half inches apart;
this filter is placed over another box of the same size, but only six
or eight inches deep; to one side of this box a wooden trough is
fixed, about twelve inches wide, and the same depth of the box, to
draw off the liquor as it passes through the filter; this trough con-
veys the liquor to a circular wood cistern of a convenient size to
contain all the liquor from the dye vessels to be emptied at one time
or on one day; this cistern is provided with a wood cover divided
into several parts, and hung on hinges for greater convenience; it is
made to fit close for the purpose of preventing the loss of heat by
evaporation; the cistern may be lined with lead or any other convo-
nient material, but I prefer to use it without lining; to this liquor in
the cistern I add for every thousand gallons one gallon of sulphuric
acid of the specific gravity 1.850, previously mixed with one gallon
cold water; or, instead of one gallon sulphuric acid, I take about two
and a half gallons muriatic acid, specific gravity 1.16, or two gallons
nitric acid, specific gravity 1.80, but I prefer sulphuric acid as being

page_text: more convenient and economical; the waste madder liquor and acid
are to be well mixed together, and the wooden covers put down close
and allowed to remain undisturbed for at least twelve hours; I then
draw off the clear liquor from which the colouring matter or garancine
has settled by means of a pipe fixed in the side of the cistern, about
onc fourth its depth from the bottom of the cistern; this pipe is stopped
with a wooden bung or plug of a sufficient length to reach to the top of
the cistern, to admit of its being drawn when the cistern is nearly full
of liquor; when the clear liquor is drawn off and thrown away as
useless the bung or plug is replaced, and the remaining contents of the
cistern are well mixed together, and drawn off by means of a pipe fixed
into the bottom of the cistern into a filter similar in every respect to
the one herein-before. described, but this has a coarse woollen cloth
thrown over the hair cloth; when the coloring matter or garancine is
separated from the liquor, or rather when the liquor is separated from
it, the filter is filled up to the brim with clean cold water; when this is
drained off the coloring matter is to be well pressed and dried, then
ground, having five per cent. bicarbonate of soda mixed with it
previous to grinding, to neutralize the acid that is not removed by the
washing. One pound of this is equal to about three and a half pounds
madder in its dying qualities. I may here observe that I add about
2 lbs. sulphuric acid, specific gravity 1 850, previously mixed with its
own measure of cold water, to the waste madder liquor in its passage
from the dye vessels to the first-named filter, but this is done for the
improvement of the spent madder for the garancine manufacturer, and
not for the improvement of my Invention. Or, in place of separating
the grains of spent madder by filtration, I take the waste or spent
madder liquor as it leaves the dye vessels, and run it direct into the
circular cistern, without passing it through the first-named filter, and
proceed in every respect as before; the addition of acid to the liquor
in its passage from the dye vessels may be dispensed with, as it is not
necessary in this process; the coloring matter or garancine produced by
this latter process, when well drained, is fit for use, and, if used in the
moist state, one gallon of it will require about one ounce of bicar-
bonate of soda to neutralize the acid that is not removed by the

page_text: washing, and the addition of about one ounce of sumach to improve
its dying properties; this is equal to two and a half pounds madder
in its dying qualities; if it is required to be dried it must be pressed,
dried, and ground, as before described, having five per cent. of bicarbo-
nate of soda added to it previous to grinding; in this state one pound
of it is equal to two pounds of madder in its dying qualities.
To prevent the moist coloring matter or garancine from becoming
mouldy I sprinkle it over with a weak solution of arsenious acid, equal
to about two ounces in a gallon of water.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the manufacture of garancine from waste or spent madder
liquor, by first filtering and then treating the same as herein explained,
and treating such waste or spent madder liquor as herein explained,
without separating the spent madder grains from it by filtration,
and also the employment of close covered wooden vessels or cisterns,
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Emanuel Lightfoot, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-first day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three.
JOHN EMANUEL LIGHTFOOT. (L.S.)
Witness, BRYAN LOWE,
Book-keeper,
Broad Oak,
Accrington.