CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF DESIGNS UPON COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GRATRIX, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer and Printer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of June, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, and
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Gratrix, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said William Gratrix, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said William Gratrix, my exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF DESIGNS
UPON COTTON AND OTHER FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said William Gratrix, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Gratrix, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements relate to methods of producing ornamental designs upon
woven fabrics by operations of dyeing or printing.
According to my first method I print or otherwise apply a dyeing substance
to the goods in any desired pattern; I then cause this substance to be operated
upon so that a portion thereof shall be diffused over the whole surface of the
fabric, after which I submit it to the action of another dyeing matter, which,
by combining with that first applied, forms the desired color, but in different
shades, the portions printed upon being the stronger.
According to my second method I apply a dyeing matter to the fabric at
detached parts, by means of a soft substance capable of parting with a con-
siderable quantity of the material, which, being sucked therefrom by the
fabric to be ornamented, becomes spread out into gradually shaded-off patches.
Upon the goods so treated with one substance I apply another dyeing matter
by printing, by which means one portion of the fabric receives a treatment
additional to another portion thereof, the first applied substance extending by
gradual shades into that subsequently used. In order to explain fully my.
first method, I will supposed it is desired to produce a drab pattern upon a
ground of the same color, but lighter in shade. I print the pattern upon the
fabric by aid of any of the usual machinery, with acetate of iron for instance,
and then pass the goods so printed through a vessel containing heated water.
By this operation a portion of the acetate of iron will be removed and
diffused generally over the fabric, the printed portions, however, still retaining an
excess. I then wash the goods with cold water by any ordinary apparatus, and
afterwards dye them in the usual manner with shumach, logwood, &c., which,
by combining with different proportions of acetate of iron, two shades of the
color are produced, the darker being that which was first printed. Instead of
using pure water after the first process, a portion of dyeing matter may be
added, in order to vary the shade according to desire.
In order to explain my other method, I will refer to illustrative Drawings
of apparatus which may be used for carrying the same into effect.
Fig. 1 is
a longitudinal section thereof; Fig. 2, a plan or top view; and Fig. 3, an end
view; and Fig. 4, a detached top view of a color box. The box a, a, a, is
divided by a central partition 6, b, thus constituting two chambers, each of
which is again divided into cells c, c, d, d, by the curved plates g, g. These

page_text: plates do not touch the sides of the box a, a, and therefore afford.communica-
tions between the series of cells c, c+, and d, d*. Above the box is placed a plate
h, having holes formed therein, into each of which is placed a short tube i,
within which is affixed a bunch of worsted, or other substance suitable for
drawing fluids by capillary attraction. The cells of the box a, a, are charged
with dyeing matter by pouring the substance into one of each series. Thus,
if it be placed in a cell c, all those of the same series will be supplied, and the
same will take place in reference to cx, d, dx. The box a, a, is placed within
a vessel 1, 1, which is supplied with water kept heated by any convenient
method, and within it is situate the lower part of a pipe m, m, bent upwards
at each end, carried over the box a so as to form a continuous channel around
it. One end of this pipe extends upwards, and carries a vessel n, charged
with dyeing matter, and with the interior of which it communicates. By this
arrangement, therefore, the heated water will cause the dyeing matter to be
continually circulated through the pipe. The upper horizontal part of the
pipe m is furnished with pendant pipes o, o, o, each one being bent slightly
inwards, so as to be situate over the capillary tubes i of the boxes c.
A pipe
m³, similarly arranged to that seen at m, and carrying a color vessel n³, is also
furnished with pendant pipes o¹, o¹, o¹, situate over the capillary tubes i of the
cells c, and there are also other arrangements of pipes r, s, provided with
like pendant parts and color boxes answering to the cells d, d*. The con-
struction of the pendent pipes i will be seen by reference to the detached
view, Fig. 5, which is a vertical section of one of them. The bottom of
the pipe is closed by a cork e, through which a hole is bored, and in this is
placed worsted or other capillary substance, the worsted extending beyond
the cork so as to form a pad, and the whole is covered with a piece of porous
substance, as cloth. Fig. 6 represents, on an enlarged scale, a section of one
of the capillary tubes i. The four pipes m, m³, r, s, are affixed at each end
to plates t, t, capable of moving in guides u, u, and to these plates are attached
cords, which, after passing over guide pulleys v, v, are joined together at v*.
By these means therefore the plates t, and with them the pipes m, m², r, s,
can be raised, which is the position shewn in the Drawings; but by liberating
the cord the pipes will be allowed to descend by their weight, whereby
the pendant parts o, o*, will be caused to rest upon the capillary tubes i, i.
The fabric to be operated upon is passed by any convenient winding apparatus
over the box a, pausing at intervals while the pipes m, &c. are allowed to
descend, by which means it will be pressed slightly between the capillary tubes
i, i, and pendant pipes o, o*, from which dyeing matter being thus drawn
patches of color will be produced, diminishing gradually in strength as their

page_text: circumference increases. Each pressure effected will, it will be perceived,
produce patches of four colors, there being four sets of cells c, c*, d, d*, and
four corresponding series of pendant pipes o, ox, &c. but any other number
may be used if desired. The piece of goods being thus stained is now to be
subjected to the ordinary preparations, and any required device applied thereto
by printing, the effect of which additional treatment will be the production
of a pattern upon the radiating patches, the one effect mingling with the
other. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate in elevation and top views a modification of
the foregoing apparatus. Upon axles a, a*, are mounted a series of arms b, b,
the extremities of which are widened and provided with pads c, c, of flannel,
or other absorbent substance. The arms of the lower axle extend into a
vessel d, containing colouring matter. Upon axles d, dx, are mounted similar
arrangements of arms, the lower set also extending into a color vessel e, e.
The two series occupy alternate positions in the direction of their width, as
seen in the top view, Fig. 8, and each set of arms is so situate that the
succeeding set upon the same axle shall be in advance thereof; thus, the pads
c, c, c, belong to one; c, c, c', to the next; c², c², c²; to a third; and c', c, c,
to a fourth. The several sets belonging to the lower axles a*, dx, correspond
in position thereto, so that, when caused to revolve, the pads will arrive
successively in contact with each other. The axles a, a*, d, d*, are mounted
in suitable bearings upon end framework, each pair being geared together
by toothed wheels of corresponding size, as shewn by the pitch lines f, f, and
beneath them is placed a pinion h, to which rotatory motion is communicated
by a winch or other means. The goods are passed between the pads, as
shewn by the blue line, and, upon the pinion h being turned, will be carried
forward, receiving patches of color absorbed by the pads c, c', &c., the quantity
of which may be regulated by turning the axles a, d, &c. backward and
forward as many times as may be found necessary. The pads c, c, &c. being
placed upon their respective axles in advance of each other, as before
described, some of them will always be in contact with the cloth, so as to
ensure its being drawn forward, but in order to assist this motion plain rollers
may be applied at each selvage. This part of the process having been
effected, the fabric is moved on the required distance, and other rows of patches
in like manner applied, after which the printing of the pattern is to be
pursued as before mentioned in reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, &c.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I do not intend to confine myself to the precise arrangement
of apparatus described, such being merely shewn as examples, that which I

page_text: claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent being
the production of designs upon cotton and other fabrics.
Firstly, by printing and partially diffusing upon the fabric one or more
portions of the dyeing matter, suitable for producing the desired color, and
subsequently applying the other portion or portions to complete the process
of dyeing.
Secondly, by applying one portion of the dyeing matter intended to be used
for the design by means of a soft substance suitable for causing it to be
diffused with a diminishing shade, and completing the design by applying dyes
or colors upon the fabrics to be so treated.
In witness whereof. I, the said William Gratrix, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty tree