US1026000A - Process of degumming silk. - Google Patents

Description

E. SGHNURRENBERGER.

PROCESS 0F DEGUMMING SILK.

ArPLIoA'rIoN funn Nov. 2e, 1911.

1 ,026,000. Patented May 14, 1912.

Il l 111 1 JHM l Ue il Il MIMI! EMIL SCHNURRENBERGER, 0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 WEIDMANN SILK DYEIN G CO., OF PATERSON, NEW

JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OIFv DEGUMMING. SILK.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EMIL SGHNURREN- i BERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paterson,` in the county of'Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Processes of Degumming Si k, of whichvthe fol'- lowing is a specification.

This inventlon consists in an improvedv process of removing the gum Whichexists on silk in its natural state. According to this process, the silk, say in the form of skeins, is placed in a suitable vat or chest, being strung on and suspended from sticks or rollers whichmay be turned so as to permit altering the relation of the silk thereto for a purpose to be indicated. This chest or vat is open at the top and has a cover which,

' by heilig hinged or removable, allows access to the interior of the chest but which more or less closely seals the opening when in the closed position. Otherwise., except for a vent at thel bottom of thechest or vat whose purpose will later appear, the chest may be and preferably is both air and steam tight. Having suspended the skeins in the vessel, by suitable spraying means leading into the same preferably above the silk, soap solution is sprayed upon the silk, well-soaking the same. Then, by vsuitable means also entering the chest or vat, the silk is subjected to a steam bath, say by delivering steam,in a free state into the vessel, so that the soaped silk'is thoroughly acted upon by the steam or vapor, the steaming operation being continued lfor a suitable length of time, varying from ten to twenty minutes, according to the nature ot the silk. The conjoint effect ot' the soap solution and steam being the active factor in the romoval of the gum, it is advisable either to repeat the admission of the soap solution from time to time during each steamin operation or keep the solution constant y s rayed on the silk. Moreover', since the ef ciency and the expeditin of the processwill of course be materia ly enhanced the more effective the steam is in its action on the soaped silk, the performance of the process in a closed vessel whose comn'iuueation with the atmosphereis restricted, say at the vent, so that at the very outset even air is excluded, 1eaving only steam within the vessel, is highlyy advantageous. The vent allows the escape Specification of Letters Patent. y Application tiled November 29, 1911.

geous results,

Patented May 14, 19,12. serial No. 663,053. i

tof the drippin'gs of the soap solution, which may thus be recovered and re-used.

During the treatment the sticks or rollers are turned from time to time, or in some other way the relation of t-he silk thereto altered, so that the part of-the silk in contact with the sticks or rollers at one stage in the process will be clear thereof at another stage and so more thoroughly receive the effects of the treatment. As the nallstep in the treatment the silk is washed by clean hot water, which is preferably sprayed onto the silk in any suitable way, say by the s raying means utilized in the spraying of t e soap solution; when the released gum has been washed off in this manner, the silk maybe removed from the chest or vat. In this treatment the action of the soap and steam is accomplished without those. disadvantasnch as disturbance of the fibers of the silk and the s'narlin or disarranging of the strands thereof, which accompany the usual treatment consisting in soaking the silk in -ahot soap solution. It is moreover found that the treatment is more thorough and expeditious than that' coin# monly )ractised in that the steam and the soap solution are more effectively impregnative and otherwise influential on the gummed silk 4than any treatment involving 1mmersing the silk in a liquid bath. v

An apparatus suitable for the carrying out of the ilnproved process is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein the single figure shows the apparatus in section.

a. is a chest or vathaving a hinged cover b which closely fits the open top of said chest or vat. Along one side thereof are arranged a series ot' sockets c for the ends of the rollers d which are journaled in said sockets and at their opposite ends are received by the rotary sockets c suitably fitted thereto s0 that the rollers will turn on turning said sockets e. Sockets c carry bevel pinions f meshing with bevel pinions g/ on a shaft suitably journaled on the outside of the vat or chest and having a crank i whereby to turn it. AboveI the skeins A, which are strung on and hang suspended from the rollers, is a perforated spraying coil j. Below the skeins, at the bottom of the vat, is a coil L', also perforated. Above the coil lc is preferably a perfo rated diaphragm serving to 'prevent the steam issuing kfrom thc coil from spurting pcf soap solution drain from the vat or chcst by Way of the vent s which may have two l Outlets s and s2 controlled by two cocks t 4tents 0f the reservoir to the tank nz. washing step is preferably, though notl and t so that either the soap solution may be discharged into the reservoir (by outlet 8f) orthe washing water conducted away outsideof said reservoir.v u is a pipe, provided with a pump o, for returning the con- The necessarily, performed while the silk is still within the vessel after the treatment` with steam and soap solution.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new` and desire t0 se- Cure 'by Letters Patent is :-a

1. The herein-'described process of separating the gum from silk Whichconsists in placing the silk in a suitable receptacle, wetting the silk while in said receptacle with soap in solution, treating the silk with a steam bath while still in said receptacle and While Wot- With the soap solution, and finally washing the silk, substantially as described.

2.. The herein-described process of separating thegum from silk which consists in placing the silk in a suitable receptacle, wetting' the silk while in said receptacle with soap in solution, lilling the receptacle with free steam while the silk is still in said receptacle and still wet with the soap solution, and finally washing the silk, substantially as described.

3. The herein described process of separating' the gum from silk which consists in placing the silk in a suitable vessel and, while 1n said vessel, spraying the silk with soap solution and treating the silk with a steam bath, and linally washing the silk, substantially as described.

4. The herein described process of sepa-- rating the gum from silk which consists in placing the silk in a substantially closed vessel, then, while in said vessel, spraying the silk with soap solution and lilling the vessel with tree steam, and finally washing the silk, substantially as described.

5. The herein described process of separating the gum from silk which consists in placing the silk in a substantially closed vessel, then, while in safid vessel, spraying the silk with soap solution and simultaneously filling the "vessel with free steam, suhstantially described.

' In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMIL SClflNURRlCNBERGER. Witnesses J oHN W. STEWARD, WM. D. BELL.

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