GB234847A - Process for improving vegetable textile material - Google Patents

Abstract

A silky gloss, brilliance, and elastic feel are given to woven and spun material of vegetable origin, linen, flax, hemp, ramie, jute and cotton, by treating them in the presence of alkalies with an inorganic ester of a monohydric alcohol, and stretching. These reagents may be used either simultaneously or in either sequence, and the fibre may be treated at any stage from the crude state to that after removing fatty constituents, or after bleaching, mercerizing, hydrolyzing, or gelatinizing (with a strong mineral acid or the like). As alkalies, caustic alkalies are preferred, but alkali sulphides may be used. As esters, a dialkyl sulphate, an alkyl halide, or an aralkyl halide are suitable and as examples dimethyl sulphate, di-ethyl sulphate, methyl iodide, ethyl bromide and iodide, and benzyl chloride are mentioned. Alcohol may be added to the alkali to assist in the penetration of the fibre and the esters may be used alone or in solution in suitable solvents such as benzene, alcohol, or a mixture of these, and thickening agents such as starch, dextrin, British gum, albumen, or the like may be added. The material after treatment may be washed and dried or it may be treated with an acid, a tannin solution, or formaldehyde solution, or other precipitating agent known in the viscose or like industries and then washed and dried. Patterns may be produced by printing the material first with a reserve paste containing albumens, gums, acids, alums, ammonium sulphate, or other suitable materials, or the ester or the alkali may be printed on the material, thickening agents being used. Colours may be added to the reserve paste and to the ester. As thickening agents for the alkali are mentioned starch, denatured albumen, a cellulose hydrate soluble in alkali, an oxyalkyl cellulose derivative which is soluble in alkali or in water, or a cellulose hydroxy-paraffin-monocarboxylic acid.