PROCESS OF SCOURING WOOL
Year: 1885

page_text: I, CHARLES TOPPAN, of the City of Salem, State of Massachusetts, United States
of America, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "PROCESS
OF SCOURING WOOL," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bo
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to a new art or process of scouring wool by means of a
detergent compound consisting of the expressed oil of mustard-seed, petroleum or
other mineral oils, and alkali, dissolved in warm water to form a solution, as
hereinafter more fully described.
I have ascertained that the expressed oil of mustard-seed, petroleum, or other
mineral oils, and alkali forms a rapid solvent for the grease, or animal oil con-
tained in wool, and that wool scoured by this process is more pliable, and has
greater strength and elasticity, and requires less oil to prepare it for spinning, and
can be spun considerably finer, and is more susceptible to receive and retain colors,
or dyes.
In carrying out my invention I proceed about as follows: Take any suitable
vessel, boiler, or keer, and partially fill the same with pure water, to which I add
this compound, in about the following proportions; four parts by measure of
expressed oil of mustard-seed, three parts paraffine oil, one part by measure of
vacuum oil, (that is, petroleum oil distilled in a vacuum) four parts by measure
of caustic alkali, mixed together; I then add one half ounce of this compound to
each gallon of water contained in the vessel, then heat the solution to a temperature
of 120 to 130, degrees F., then immerse the wool in the solution from five to ten
minutes, then remove the wool and pass it between rolls to expel the surplus liquid,
then immerse the wool in a warm weak solution of carbonated alkali for about two
minutes, then rince the wool in pure cold water, then express the water therefrom
and dry the wool in any suitable manner.
Wool scoured by this process will not turn yellow when carried a long time in
stock, as this process of scouring bleaches the wool, so that it will remain white in
the manufactured goods, or fabrics, which I find are not attacked by moths.
Heretofore it has required, by the soda process, from twenty to thirty minutes
to scour wool, and in order to get the tags and more greasy portions clean, it has
required such energetic action of the soda as to attack the cleaner portions of the
wool, and materially injure its fibre.

page_text: These defects and objections are fully obviated by my process, and at the same
time other desirable qualities are imparted to the wool, which in being manufactured
tends to reduce the expense, and saves time and labor.
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
о
1. In the process of scouring wool, immersing the same in a warm solution of
expressed oil of mustard-seed, petroleum products, and alkali, as described.
2. In the art or process of scouring wool, immersing the same in a warm
solution of expressed mustard-seed oil, paraffine oil, vacuum oil, and alkáli, as
described.