US2000121A - Wood stain - Google Patents

Description

Patented May 7, 1935 Edward B. Bush,

WOOD STAIN Lemont, Ill., assignor, by m'esne assignments, to Chadeloid Chemical Company, a corporation of West Virginia No Drawing.

11 Claims.

This invention relates to stains, and particuiarly stains for use on wood, to compositions usable as such and to wood articles stained with such compositions, together with methods of producing such articles.

The wood stains of the prior art may be looked 1 because of the grain-raising eflect of the water certain features of disadvantage.

stain, a thin shellac coating must be applied to the stained wood in order to stiffen the fibers in order that they may be uniformly sanded. .When an open grained wood is used, it is necessary after the sanding operation to apply a filler to the surface over which the varnish or lacquer is applied. The grain-raising effect of the water stains seriously militates against their effectiveness. Furthermore the water stains have indifferent penetration, the dye remaining substantially on the top surface of the wood instead of impregnating the fibers.

The oil stains have certain features of advantage as compared with water stains, but also They consist of a hydrocarbon solution of an aniline dye base that has been so treated, usually involving maceration or other mixing with a fatty acid such as oleic or stearic acid, as to make the dye soluble in a hydrocarbon, such as benzol, toluol or a petroleum distillate that is so volatile as readily to evaporate when applied to the surface to be treated, leaving the pores unimpregnated with the dye. Where such composition is applied to a wood surface having open-grain, it is customary after drying to treat the surface with a filler. Before applying the usual cover coating of varnish or lacquer there must be applied a shellac'or similar coating over either the stain or the filler. 1111s is essential as otherwise the solvents of the varnish or lacquer will cause the eflectknown as bleeding, which results from the stain penetrating into the varnish or lacquer composition. The oil stains have the desirable property of penetrating into the wood-surface, but they are open to several material objections. Owing to the preliminary treatment given the Application November 5, 1929, Serial No. 405,054

dyes to render them available in the oil stain compositions, the resultant product is not light fast, and it is also subject to the so-called bleeding efi ect. Furthermore any excess of fatty acid presentjin such compositions affects the practicability and the durability-of the surface finish, producing such effects as retarded drying and as checking.

The spirit stains, which utilize aniline dye bases so treated as to be soluble in alcohol, are 10 not used ,very extensively because they are also subject to a number of undesirable qualities, such as lack of penetration into the wood surface, and lack of permanency of color and fading qualities similar to those of the oil-type stains. The spirit stains are also subject to the bleeding effect, and in many instances also give rise to grain raising.

It is apparent, therefore, that all of the prior art types of stains are open to a number of obiections, and none of the prior art stain compositions is entirely free from the objectionable qualities referred to.

Among the objects and advantages of the present invention is the production of wood stains which shall have the property of penetrating the wood surface to which they are applied without producing any substantial grain raising, and which at the same time will not exhibit the fading and bleeding properties of the prior art' stains.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood however that thismore detailed description is given by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation, since various changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. v

In the more detailed description set forth below, the invention will be particularly illustrated 4 in connection with the use of aniline dy'es, since these are the most utilized materials employed ,in wood staining, compositions, it being under.-

stood, however, that other dyeing or staining materials may be employed when such other ma- 4 terials are properly considered equivalents of the g aniline dyes in this art.

In carrying out the invention of the present disclosure, a wood-stain composition is utilized which contains preferably an aniline dye and a penetrant vehicle therefor. The aniline dyes particularly utilized in this connection may be described as having the light fast or non-bleeding properties of the water soluble aniline dyes. The penetrant vehicle should besuch as to carry the chosen dye or stain substantially into the wood instead of to deposit it substantially only upon the surface of the wood as is the case with water stain. The vehicle should carry the stain or dye into the wood and below the mere surface portion thereof and should then rapidly evaporate leaving the pores of the wood impregnated with the stain. As ingredients of such vehicles that are of special use in connection with the present invention and that have given remarkable re sults therein, there may be mentioned the class of derivatives known as ether-alcohols, that is that group of organic compounds which include both an ether and an alcohol group. The glycol ethers are particularly desirable in this connection, and there may be specifically mentioned as illustrative of such compounds mono-ethyl ether of ethylene glycol, diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl etherand mono-butyl ether of diethylene glycol. The solubility of the aniline dyes in such glycol ethers vary, and consequently and preferably a solvent vehicle is chosen which is a complete solvent for the particular dye or stain to be utilized in the given composition.

Diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether, is a particularly valuable penetrant vehicle component, since all of the desirable aniline dyes used for wood stains appear to be soluble in this material. Mono butyl ether of diethylene glycol may also .be considered an excellent solvent in connection with the present invention, but is not as available as diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether for the reason that mono-butyl ether of diethylene glycol does not appear to have as great a solvent action on the black aniline dyes, particularly of the nigrosine type. Monoethyl ether of ethylene glycol is also a valuable solvent, but like monobutyl ether of diethylene glycol does not have as great a solvent action on the aniline blacks as does diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether. Consequently, diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether may be looked upon as the best solvent for utilization in connection with the present invention. A single ether-alcohol, particularly a glycol ether, may be used in preparing the stain base, or mixtures of the ether-alcohols may be employed depending on the particular types of dyes utilized, and any desired diluent materials maybe employed with the particular ether-alcohol or glycol etthg chosen for the main solvent for the dye s a As illustrative of the several types of aniline dyes that may be utilized in connection with the solvents set forth above, and particularly diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether, the following may be noted: as blacks, Buffalo black NBR cone. and number 4523 Nigro black conc.; as reds, Azo Rubine ex cone. and amacid brilliant croecine 3BA conc.; as orange, orange A conc.; as yellow, fast wool yellow 3GL; as brown, Resorcine brown; and

as green, alkali green 260.

The aniline dye in solution in the penetrant vehicle component of the character set forth above produces an excellent stain base that, particularly when mixed with the additional solvent and vehicle ingredients below referred to, penetrates into the wood, and also produces a stain which is non-bleeding and is fast to light. In general, since the glycol ethers, and particularly those of the character of diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether, are rather slow drying and hygroscopic, it is desirable to utilize a composite solvent mix in order to secure speed in drying and setting of the' composition. Consequently additional solvent and vehicle ingredients may be added to the chosen stain base of dye in glycol ether, to secure the particular properties desired in the final composition. In choosing such additional solvents or diluents or other vehicles, several factors should be kept in mind. The solvents or diluents or additional vehicles utilized should preferably be inexpensive enough to make them commercially practicable for the use in hand. They should be solvents of or miscible with the dye dissolved in the penetrant vehicle component, and should be of such nature as to penetrate the wood and carry the dye into the wood. Further, the composition should desirably include a water eliminant in order to give the composition properties of resistance to moisture retention. And further, the combination of solvents or diluents or vehicles should be such that the final composition exhibits a proper evaporation curve to dispel both the diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether or other penetrant vehicle and any moisture present from the wood surface.

As illustrative of ingredients that may be utilized in order to increase the rapidity of drying and setting of the composition, the aliphatic alcohols, such as methyl alcohol, ketones, such as acetone, and the esters of the aliphatic alcohols, particularly .the fatty acid esters of such materials, namely ethyl acetate, etc. may be utilized. Methyl alcohol or methanol is a particularly valuable ingredient for use in this connection.

Ingredients that give the composition resistance to moisture retention include hydrocarbon distillates, particularly the coaltar distillates, benzol, toluol, solvent naphtha, the xylols, ethyl benzene, etc. Toluol is particularly valuable in this connection. Many of the esters, such as butyl propionate and butyl acetate are also exemplary of materials which have water eliminant properties, but such materials as these esters are slower drying and cost more, and therefore are not as valuable in general in compositions of the present character as are the hydrocarbon substances, such as toluol.

Parts methylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether 1 Methyl alcohol 9 Toluol 6 This composition may be utilized with, for example, from 2 to 2% ounces of the particular dye to one gallon of the composite solvent. The amount of dye utilized depends on the particu- .lar dye itself and its degree of concentration,

and the depth of color required in the particular stain. Further, the strength of the dye stain may be varied by the amount of diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether utilized, for example.

In making up these compositions, the aniline dye or stain, such as the nigrosines, may be allowed to stand with the diethylene-glycol monoethyl ether until the dye dissolves, after which the'other ingredients may be added.

The composition set forth in the above example gives an excellent stain, and a very satisfactory drying effect and rapidity of setting are obtained. The proportions of solvents and ingredients in the composite solvent may of course be varied within-wide limits, and further, asset forth above, except for particular purposes, the

Both the aliphatic al-- cohols and similar ingredients and the hydrocaradditional diluents or solvents may be substituted by other materials.

In order to increase the dye strength of the stain composition, the following may beused:

in connection with 4 ounces of the aniline dye per gallon of the composite solvent. Other mixtures include 1 or 2 parts by volume of diethylene-glycol mono-ethyl ether to 9 parts of methanol and 5 parts toluol. But it should be noted again that these compositions are given merely by way of illustration and exemplify very desirable types of stain compositions that may be utilized in connection with the present invention; but as stated above, these additional solvents and the rapidly drying ingredients such as methanol and water eliminants such as toluol may be substituted by other ingredients, depending on the particular conditions under which the compositions are to be utilized.

In applying these stain compositions to wood, and in order to compare the simplified methods which result from the utilization of the present compositions, the following examples may be considered. In treating an open grain wood, such as oak, the wood may be stained, and then the stain allowed to dry. Following this, a filler, such as a silex filler, may be rubbed in, and following the fllling treatment, a lacquer or varnish may be applied. In treating a close grain wood, such as birch, the stain may be applied to the wood article, and then allowed to dry, following which the lacquer or varnish or other finishing coating composition may be applied. Not only are the staining methods considerably simplified and made moreeconomic'al by use oft'he stain compositions of the present invention, but stains are obtained which are light-fast and consequently do not fade, and also which are substantially non-bleeding. In addition, the stain or dye penerates into the wood.- All of these factors are very material in the production of stains on wood articles.

While for the production of stain compositions, particularly for treating wood surfaces, the

compositions hereinabove described may be utilized, other additional ingredients may be added to the composition for particular purposes. For example, fillers, such as silex, or oil paste fillers, may be mixed with the new stain composition to make a combination stain and filler.

A combination stain and filler having a transparent colorthat is fast to light, may accordingly be produced under this disclosure, whereas this result hasnever heretofore been possible.

In addition, the stains produced in accordance with this disclosure, or the stain bases, may be added to or incorporated with cellulose ester or ether solutions and lacquers, as well as other lacquers particularly those containing solvents 2. As a wood stain composition, a water-soluble aniline, dye, a volatile solvent therefor including a glycol ether, a volatile hydrocarbon component selected from the group consisting of benzol, toluol, solvent naphtha, xylol, ethyl benzene, and coal tar distillates; and a rapidly ,volatilizing organic component increasing the rapidity of drying and setting of the composition, said rapidly volatilizing organic component being selected from the group consisting of the aliphatic alcohols, ketones, and the esters of the aliphatic alcohols, the components being present in proportions to yield a substantially light-fast, penetrating, non-bleeding, non-grain raising wood stain.

3. As a wood stain composition, a water-soluble aniline dye, a volatile solvent therefor including a glycol ether, and a volatile hydrocarbon component selected from the group consisting of ben-v zol, toluol, xylol, ethyl benzene, hydrocarbon distillates, solvent naphtha, and coal tar distillates.

4. As a wood stain composition, a water-soluble aniline dye, a volatile solvent therefor including a glycol ether, and a rapidly volatilizing organic co mponent increasing the rapidity of drying and setting of the composition, said rapidly volatilizing organic component being selected from the group consisting of the aliphatic alcohols, ketones, and the esters of the aliphatic alcohols.

5. A composition adapted for the production of. wood stains upon dispersion with a lower aliphatic alcohol and a liquid member of the benzene series of hydrocarbons, said composition consisting of a water-soluble aniline dye and a glycol ether.

6. A composition adapted upon dispersion with a lower aliphatic alcohol and a liquid member of the benzene series of hy'drocarbons to produce a combination wood stain and filler, said composition consisting of a water-soluble aniline dye, a glycol ether, and a wood filler.

7. A wood stain composition, comprising a water-soluble aniline dye, a glycol ether, a lower aliphatic alcohol, and a member of the benzeneseries of hydrocarbons.

8. A wood stain containing a water-soluble aniline dye in solution in a penetrant composite vehicle containing a high boiling point solvent including a glycol ether for the dye and a compatible rapidly volatilizing component, the ingredients being present in proportions to yield a wood stain of light fast, non-fading, non-grain dilution with methanol and toluol in the proportions by volume of glycol ether 1: methanol 9: toluol 6, of yielding a wood stain that is substantially light fast, non-fading, non-grain raising,

and not bleeding into lacquer and varnish topcoats.

10. A wood stain composition comprising a water soluble aniline dye, monoethyl ether of etheylene glycohmethanol and toluol. 11. A wood stain composition comprising a water soluble aniline dye, monobutyl ether of diethylene glycol, methanol and toluol.

EDWARD a. BUSH.