IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL TEXTILE FABRICS." A communication
from abroad by Samuel Barlow, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States of
America, Color Master.
ealed the 7th October 1876, and dated the 20th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th April 1876.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue Gaillon,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL TEXTILE
FABRICS."
This Invention relates to an improvement in the art of manufacturing ornamental
textile fabrics, and consists in a novel method of producing a figured fabric
wherein the portions which it is desired to have stained or printed are composed of
vegetable fibre or threads, as of cotton and the portions which it is desired to have
unstained or unprinted are composed of animal fibres or threads as of wool, the
fabric woven of fibres and threads so selected being printed after weaving with
aniline black, the color mixture staining or printing the vegetable threads or
fibre, and leaving the animal threads or fibre after cleansing without stain and
unprinted.
Warps prior to being woven have been dyed or printed with other colors than
aniline black and such parti-colored warps (and in some instances parti-colored
wefts) have been woven into fabrics to variegate the ground of the fabrics, but by
this process the printing of the warps in the skein and the spooling, two expensive
steps, are obviated.
The cloth to be treated according to this Invention must be so woven that the
threads in which it is desired to fix the black color or dye are of vegetable fibre, .

page_text: and the threads which are to remain unstained by the same black color or dye are
of animal fibre. Of this character, for instance, are certain classes of dress goods,
delaines, worsteds, &c., composed of cotton warp and ordinary woollen or worsted
filling. Such cloth after wearing is made ready for printing in the usual manner,
and is then printed with a color mixture suitable for developing aniline black in
cotton fabrics, no care being taken to keep the color mixture from the woollen
portions of the fabric, and in order to imitate more fully the effect of printing the
cotton threads before weaving it is found advantageous to print both sides of the
cloth.
After printing the cloth receives the proper treatment [for developing aniline
black in cotton fabrics, but the woollen portions resist the fixation of this color to
such a degree as to remain unstained by it after being cleansed by the operations of
washing and raising.
This fabric may preferably be woven on a jacquard or fancy loom adapted to
produce ornamental figures raised usually by the woollen weft on the ground of
plain woven threads of cotton and wool, and the woven fabric so prepared will
after being printed and cleansed, as above described, present ornamental wovon
designs or effects in wool fibres standing out in relief on a printed or stained ground-
work of cotton fibre or threads; but it is obvious that the fabric of threads
of animal and vegetable fibre may be woven plain or tweeled in any usual way.
Delaines or worsteds so made and printed may afterwards be dyed with colors
which fix themselves in both woollen and cotton fibres without obscuring or
obliterating the previously printed aniline black, and in this manner the beauty of
the cloth may be still further enhanced.
Instead of using aniline black, as above set forth, other and similar effects in
black may be produced on the fabric herein described by means of color mixtures,
substantially different from that for producing aniline black, but possessing the
property when printed indiscriminately on the mixed fabric of becoming fixed in
the cotton, and of being cleared almost if not wholly from the wool by subsequent
cleansing operations. The color mixture in this second or modified process will
contain as the basis of the color to be produced either the coloring matter derived
from logwood or from other dye stuff, of which tannic acid or gallic acid or gallo-
tannic acid is a constituent, such as nut galls, catechu, sumac, quercitron bark, etc.,
and with such coloring matter there must be combined a metallic salt to develop
and fix the color upon the cotton, as herein-after more specifically designated.
After
The black colors suitable for this purpose are known among calico printers as
"iron black" and "chrome black." The usual ingredients of the color mixing for
producing "iron black" upon cotton are logwood liquor and acetate of iron com-
bined in well-known proportions, and mixed with suitable thickening.
printing this upon the fabric it should be aged for about three nights to allow the
proper development of the color. The usual ingredients of the color mixture for
producing "chrome black" upon cotton are logwood liquor (to which may also be
added some bark liquor) acetate of chromium, chlorate of potash, and thickening,
and this after being printed upon the fabric should be steamed for some fifty
minutes to develop the color. Other salts of iron, such as the sulphate, muriate, or
nitrate may be substituted for the acetate in making "iron black" and other salts
of chromium, such as the sulphate, may be substituted for the acetate. In making
"chrome black" gall liquor may also be substituted for logwood liquor in each
instance by using it fifty per cent. stronger than the latter.
By varying the proportions of the ingredients already specified, and by adding to
the formula a salt of alumina, such as the acetate or the sulphate, as well as by
substituting salts of copper, such as acetate or sulphate, for the salts of iron or
chromium mentioned various shades of color, comprising browns, chocolates, and
drabs, may be produced in well-known modes. Thus chocolate brown may be pro-
duced from a color mixture containing, in addition to the ingredients specified for
"chrome black," a suitable proportion of acetate of alumina. Chrome brown may
be produced by substituting catechu solution for logwood liquor in the color

page_text: mixture for chococate brown, and the shade of color may be still further changed by
the substitution of acetate of copper for acetate of chromium.
Other variations may be obtained by employing in the same color mixture two
or more of the coloring matters or dye stuffs, already referred to, all of which is
familiar to the calico printer.
The fabric, after printing and ageing or steaming as may be required in order to
properly develop and fix the color in the cotton, is then washed and raised in the
usual manner, whereby so much of the color mixture as was printed on the wool is
almost if not completely removed.
Subsequent dyeing with colors of light shade that take equally in wool and
cotton improves the appearance of the fabric, and obscures or obliterates on the
wool any traces of printed color that may have adhered thereto.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th October 1876.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown,
Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue
Gaillon, Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL TEXTILE
FABRICS." A communication from abroad by Samuel Barlow, of Lawrence,
Massachusetts, United States of America, Color Master.
This Invention of improvements in the manufacture of ornamental textile fabrics
relates to an improvement in the art of manufacturing ornamental textile fabrics,
and consists in a novel method of producing a figured fabric wherein the portions
which it is desired to have stained or printed are composed of vegetable fibre or
threads, as of cotton, and the portions which it is desired to have unstained or
unprinted are composed of animal fibres or threads, as of wool; the fabric woven of
fibres and threads so selected being printed after weaving with aniline black, the
color, mixture, staining, or printing the vegetable threads of fibre, and leaving the
animal threads or fibre after cleansing without stain and unprinted.
Warps prior to being woven have been dyed or printed with other colors than
aniline black, and such parti-colored warps (and in some instances parti-colored
wefts) have been woven into fabrics to variegate the ground of the fabrics; but by
this process the printing of the warps in the skein and the spooling, two expensive
steps, arc obviated.
The cloth to be treated according to this Invention must be so woven that the
threads in which it is desired to fix the black color or dye are of vegetable fibre,
and the threads which are to remain unstained by the same black color or dye are
of animal fibre. Of this character, for instance, are certain classes of dress goods,
delaines, worsteds, &c., composed of cotton warp and ordinary woollen or worsted
filling. Such cloth after weaving is made ready for printing in the usual manner,
and is then printed with a color mixture suitable for developing aniline black in
cotton fabrics, no care being taken to keep the color mixture from the woollen
portions of the fabric; and in order to imitate more fully the effect of printing the
cotton threads before weaving it is found advantageous to print both sides of the
cloth.
After printing the cloth receives the proper treatment for developing aniline
black in cotton fabrics; but the woollen portions resist the fixation of this color to
such a degree as to remain unstained by it after being cleansed by the operations
of washing and raising.
This fabric may preferably be woven on a jacquard or fancy loom adapted to
produce ornamental figures raised usually by the woollen weft on the ground of
plain woven threads of cotton and wool, and the woven fabric so prepared will

page_text: :
after being printed and cleansed as above described present ornamental woven
designs or effects in wool fibres, standing out in relief on a printed or stained
groundwork of cotton fibre or threads, but it is obvious that the fabric of threads
of animal and vegetable fibre may be woven plain or tweeled in any usual way.
Delaines or worsteds so made and printed may afterwards be dyed with colors
which fix themselves in both woollen and cotton fibres without obscuring or
obliterating the previously printed aniline black, and in this manner the beauty of
the cloth may be still further adhanced.
Instead of using aniline black as above set forth, other and similar effects in
black may be produced on the fabric herein described by means of color mixtures,
substantially different from that for producing aniline black, but possessing the
property when printed indiscriminately on the mixed fabric of becoming fixed in
the cotton, and of being cleared almost if not wholly from the wool by subsequent
cleansing operations. The color mixture in this second or modified process will
contain as the basis of the color to be produced either the coloring matter derived
from logwood or from other dye stuff, of which tannic acid or gallic acid or gallo-
tannic acid is a constituent, such as nut galls, catechu, sumac, quercitron bark, etc.,
and with such coloring matter there must be combined a metallic salt to develop
and fix the color upon the cotton, as herein-after more specifically designated.
The black colors suitable for this purpose are known among calico printers as
"iron black" and "chrome black." The usual ingredients of the color mixture for
producing "iron black" upon cotton are logwood liquor and acetate of iron combined
in well known proportions and mixed with suitable thickening. After printing
this upon the fabric it should be aged for about three nights to allow the proper
development of the color. The usual ingredients of the color mixture for producing
"chrome black" upon cotton are logwood liquor (to which may also be added some
bark liquor), acetate of chromium, chlorate of potash, and thickening, and this after
being printed upon the fabric should be steamed for some fifty minutes to develop
the color. Other salts of iron, such as the sulphate, muriate, or nitrate may be
substituted for the acetate in making "iron black," and other salts of chromium,
such as the sulphate may be substituted for the acetate in making "chrome black";
gall liquor may also be substituted for logwood liquor in each instance by using it
fifty per cent. stronger than the latter.
By varying the proportions of the ingredients already specified, and by adding to
the formula a salt of alumina, such as the acetate or the sulphate, as well as by
substituting salts of copper, such as acetate or sulphate for the salts of iron or
chromium mentioned various shades of color comprising browns, chocolates, and
drabs may be produced in well known modes. Thus chocolate brown may be
produced from a color mixture containing in addition to the ingredients specified
for "chrome black" a suitable proportion of acetate of alumina. Chrome brown
may be produced by substituting catechu solution for logwood liquor in the color
mixture for chocolate brown, and the shade of color may be still further changed by
the substitution of acetate of copper for acetate of chromium.
Other variations may be obtained by employing in the same color mixture two or
more of the coloring matters or dye stuffs already referred to; all of which is
familiar to the calico printer.
The fabric after printing and ageing or steaming as may be required in order to
properly develop and fix the color in the cotton is then washed and raised in the
usual manner, whereby so much of the color mixture as was printed on the wool is
almost if not completely removed.
Subsequent dyeing with colors of light shade that take equally in wool and
cotton improves the appearance of the fabric, and obscures or obliterates on the
wool any traces of printed color that may have adhered thereto.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the art of producing figured cloth by weaving of vegetable fibres

page_text: the portions to be stained or printed, and of animal fibres the portions to be left
unstained or unprinted, and then printing the woven fabric with a color mixture,
substantially such as described, and then cleansing it as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William. Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)