US1948464A - Decorative colors for application to textile fabrics - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 20, 1934 PATENT OFFICE DECORATIVE COLORS FOR APPLICATION TO TEXTILE FABRICS William H. Adams, Kenyon, R. I. assignor to Eastern Finishing Works, Kenyon, R. 1., a corporation of Rhode Island No Drawing. Application November 18, 1931 Serial No. 575,945

2 Claims.

"This invention relates to a decorative color composition for use in decorating or coloring textile fabrics.

Pigment or lake colors ground or otherwise dispersed in or mixed with various kinds of adhesive and protective drying oil or varnish meiums, with or without more or less volatile thinners and drying assistants, are commonly used to produce ornamental and useful textile fabrics suitable for awning fabrics, canopies, umbrellas, draperies, furniture coverings, etc., the decorative color being commonly applied to the fabrics either :by a printing operation or by painting, stencilling or spraying it on the fabric or by dipping the fabric in the color.

The use of these paint-like or varnish-like mediums, which depend wholly or in great part upon oxidation or polymerization for their permanent adhesive, protective and binding action, is attended with many disadvantages and they are unduly expensive; but because of their dispersive retention of pigments and their suitability in their preliminary states as grinding media, and their inherent viscosity and tenacity in solution as well as their ready compatibility with and adhesion to textile fibres, they now form the chief reliance for this type of color application.

Some disadvantages inherent in the use of these paint-like and varnish-like mediums are that they are apt to stiffen unduly the fabrics on which they are used, or even sometimes to in- Jure the fabrics by acting as oxygen carriers and producing oxidation. Furthermore, such paintlike or varnish-like mediums sometimes develop discoloration and offensive odors when stored and their nature restricts unduly the methods by which such colors may be applied. Furthermore, these color compositions above referred 40-to do not exercise any considerable mildew resistant effect upon the fabrics to which they are applied.

A further disadvantage resulting from the use of such color compositions is that they are prone to become harsh, chalky, dry and porous when old, while when first applied to the fabric they are often too soft and are inclined to smudge. In addition such color compositions tend to remain on the surface of the fabric to which they 5 are applied where they are more subject to wear attrition and weathering than more penetrative colors would be.

An object of my present invention is to provide an improved type of color medium or color composition for decorating textile fabrics which dispersive quality depends upon its own inherent composition .and texture rather than on chemical oxidation or polymerization for its successful employment, and which is highly resistant both to mildew growth and to weathering, which possesses adequate inherent viscosity, which shows marked toward colored pigment and lakes and also very satisfactory compatibility toward wetting, penetration of, and permanent adhesion to, the fabrics on which it is applied, and which also serves to protect the fabric. from over oxidation instead of facilitating such inury.

My invention consists of a color medium cor posed of two or more blended metallic soaps of different fatty acids and difi'erent metallic bases, so Selected, proportioned and combined as to produce a color vehicle or medium whichhas the desired consistency, viscosity and mildewand weather resistance. colloidally combined with color pigments or lakes, preferably of a permanent nature, such a mixture being easily thinned to a suitable working consistency with chemically neutral or non.-

drying and non-polymerizing volatile solvents or thinners. If preferred, however, the color pigments or lakes may be ground and mixed with such solvents to form a paste before being combined with the blended medium or vehicle.

In preparing my improved decorative color I select and blend metallic soaps that have the appropriate different qualities which combined give a final composition after the solvent or thinner has evaporated which is amorphous, coherent, adhesive, weather resistant, inhibitory to mildew growth, that is neither oily nor sticky, that is compatible with and readily penetrates textiles, and that can be used equally well on natural unbleached or bleached or dyed textile fabrics.

Some metallic soaps have a relatively low melting point, some are extremely viscous in solution, while others are apt to be powdery or granular. Furthermore, while some of these soaps are not particularly preventative of mildew growth, yet others are markedly and specifically inhibitory to such growths. But when the correctly selected soaps are blended in suitable proportions the various qualities also blend and modify each other so that it is possible to obtain a mixture having the qualities and consistency desired.

As a typical formula exemplifying my invention I may use equal parts by weight of either lead oleate or lead oleo stearate or lead soap technical and either aluminum oleate or aluminum soap applied to the fabric by technical and one-eighth as much copper oleate or copper soap technical, and dissolve them in from two to five times their combined weights of either neutral petroleum naphtha, mineral spirit, varnoline or equivalent solvent. A suitable amount of color pigment or lake is then colloidally dispersed in the solution, it being understood that the color pigment will have been previously prepared either by dry grinding to a very fine state of sub-division or by paste grinding with a minimum amount of liquid grinding medium. The amount of color pigment or lake will vary according to the strength or color of the shade desired, and the range of variation may be as much as from five to fifty percent by weight.

The color composition thus produced may be painting, stencilling, spraying, brushing, printing, or spreading it thereon or by dipping the fabric into the compound.

After the color composition has been applied it loses its liquid condition upon the evaporation of the volatile solvent, this change being effected without oxidation, polymerization or chemical change and it results in a final amorphous tenacious, protective coloring, which is penetrant and adherent, which is low in cost, easy to apply, weather resistant and of long life, flexible, resistant to mildew and of an attractive and desirable appearance.

Owing to their optical qualities and generally light color these mediums make brighter colors from the same pigments than do drying oil and varnish mediums, and they retain their fiexibility after all solvent is gone, having no tendency to progressive hardening, overdrying or over oxidation.

The metallic soaps employed do not need to be of sharp purity, as ordinary mixtures of fatty acids as found in natural soap materials, and en tering into common pure white or light colored toilet, laundry or technical and commercial soaps give satisfactory metallic soaps when precipitated with suitable soluble salts of the desired metals, purified by washing, and dried at suitable temperatures, and these precipitates can be made separately or combined in the making by using two or more different soluble metallic salts combined in a single precipitating solution; all these substances and methods being known in the arts and no part of my invention.

My invention thus consists in the employment of different metallic soaps of widely varying chemical and physical qualities which are blended by the aid of neutral volatile solvents into a medium having resultant qualities diiferent from those of its ingredients, and suitable for the particular uses herein described, and also adapted to facilitate and stabilize colloidal dispersion of color pigments and lakes.

The aluminum soaps are more or less viscous and have marked waterproof qualities but little or no mildew-resistant qualities. The lead soaps are much less viscous in solution than the aluminum soap but more penetrant and strongly mildew resistant. The copper soaps which alone lack somewhat in waterproof qualities, combines with the other two in a superior blend which has marked mildew-resistant qualities and also resists oxidation to a surprising extent.

While I have given above some formulas which exemplify the invention, yet I wish it understood that the invention is not limited to the blends above given but may be embodied in other blends of metallic soaps which produce the desired result.

I claim:

1. A decorative color composition which when applied to cloth has adherent and penetrative properties and is flexible, and which comprises a mixture of aluminum soap, lead soap and copper soap dissolved in a non-oxidizable neutral volatile solvent and having color pigment mixed therein,

said mixture containing equal parts by weight of the aluminum soap and lead soap and approximately one-eighth as much copper soap as either aluminum soap or lead soap.

2. A decorated fabric comprising a fabric base and a decorative color composition applied thereto and comprising equal parts of lead soap and aluminum soap and a smaller amount of copper soap.

WILLIAM H. ADAMS.