US2123399A - Method of making washable paper - Google Patents

Description

' July 12, 1938. HT 2,123,399

METHOD OF MAKING WASHABLE PAPER Filed May 2, 1935 Patented July 12, 1938 PATENT OFFICE- I 2,129,399 ME'rnop or name wnsnepnn. PAPER Charles G. Brlghia deceased, late of Appleton,

Wis., by Ruth E. Bright, Appleton, Wis., administratrix, assignor to Paper Patents Com-' sin pany, Neenah, Wis., a corporation or Wiscon- Application May 2, 1935, Serial No. 19,424 5 4 Claims.

Said invention relates to a waterproof paper and in its preferred embodiments contemplates .animproved paper which is especially suitable for use as a decorative wall covering. Paper em- 5 bodying said invention, in addition to having high resistance to ordinary washing with water and soap, is highly decorative andis preferably printed with one or more colors and embossed to' present a pleasing design to the eye.

In accordance with said invention, the process of manufacturing coated and decorated paper of the type under consideration is considerably shortened and simplified, resulting in substantial saving of time, space and equipment, and the cost is correspondingly reduced.

The base of said improved paper which has a water-resistant surface may be printed upon with inks which are water-insoluble, i. e., in which the solvent or liquid vehicle is other than water, e.'g., oil inks, so that the-finished surface is washable.

The ink, in the preferred method of practicing saidinvention, is printed at the bottom of depressions-ln' the embossing and it is thus possible to wind up the printed and embossed paper without providing specialmeans for drying the ink. The.

ink is permitted to dry in the roll and there is thus effected a great saving of equipment and space, such as are ordinarily used for drying paper of this type.

invention, a very thin, translucent coating may be applied, so that colored designs or decorative effects previously applied to the paper base are not materially impaired or obscured. Also, such a coating tends to softenthe design and, hence,

enhances the attractive appearance of the prod-,

uct.

According to another method, the coating may contain an opaque filler of the proper color. Various other features and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification illustrates diagrammatically one preferred-arrangement of apparatus for producing paper in accordance with said invention.

The paper is made on a Fourdrinier machine.

It may be coated by the sieves-cloth method after partial drying or by'any other'suitable process or apparatus, for example, as shown in Bright late cut 1,964,312, granted June 26, '1934. The paper may ,carry a *blend andcolor-drops, applied, for example, by the process and apparatus disclosed in United States Patent No, 1,595,207.

Where a thin and translucent coating is desired, as, for example, where color-drops or blend In accordance with one mode of practicing said have been applied, the base coating material may be prepared as follows:

Two hundred poundsofcasein are soaked at F.- in 800 pounds of water containing 30 poundsof borax. The mixture is heated to F. and held at this temperature for 20 to 25 min-' utes. One hundred sixty pounds of mica are mixed with 600 pounds of water; and thecasein and mica solutions are mixed. Three pints of sulphonated pine oil and three pints of pine oil 10 are added. to the above, which is then diluted with water to 1,!!00 pounds. It will be understood, of course, that the formula may be varied consider ably, and various other potentially water-insoluble materials may be used' in lieu of casein, such 15 as glue, vegetable protein, etc. Also, other fillers than mica may be used, as would be apparent to one skilled lnthe art.

Where an opaque coating is desired, thebase coating material may contain 'a' suitable per-.20 centage of opaque mineral, such asclay, or blanc fixe. W

In 'the coating bath, whether translucent or opaque, one may include a setting agent for protein, such as formaldehyde, if desired. However, 25 it is preferred to apply the setting agent, such as alum or formaldehyde,'on the paper machine or before the paper iswound up, for example, at

the calender stacks, as will be described below.

Even though the fixing agent, in my'prefer'red 30 practice is applied as a separate operation, it may be, desirable to add a portion to the coating mixture itself.

Referring now tothe drawing forming'part of this specification and illustrating diagrammat- 35 ically apparatus which may be used in practicing said inventionz- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic'elevation, partly in section, of paper-making apparatus which may be used in practicing said process; a

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail elevation showing a calender stack and mechanism associated therewith for applying a fixing solution to a paper web as it passes through saidstack, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail elevation of'45- centration in water and applied to paper for imparting a cloudy or other desired ornamental eifect. The numeral indicates suction boxes.

From the paper machine thepaper web, indicated by the character W, is drawn over drying cylinders, indicated generally-by the numeral Ii, whence it is conveyed to a coating device indicated at It. This-device may comprise a pan I'I containing a suitable coating material in fluid drying of the ink may take place in the rolls. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that 'there is thus effected a great saving in plant condition. Examples of suitable coating materials are given above.v After application of the coating i'rom the pan I! by the coating rolls associated therewith, the web is subjected to a smoothinggoll '20 associated with a trough 2| carrying a fluid similar to that carried by the pan II. As explained in said Bright Patent No. 1,964,312, the smoothing roll" preferably rotates in a direction opposite tothe web/W, the latter moving from left to right in Figure 1, and has associated therewith a doctor 22. It is believed I that the other elements of the coating mechatheir. functions will be readily nism, such as the various rolls in Figure 1 and apparent from the description shown in said Bright Patent 1,964,312.

The web W, after beingcoated, is conducted over-additional driers, indicated generally at 25, and thence passes tothe calender stack represented at 2'! and shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 2. Associated with the stack is a doctor 28 for applying to .the web a solution for fixing the potentially water-resistant binder which has previously been applied to-the web, e. g., formalin. Said solution may be fed as bymeans of a con-- duit 29 from a receptacle 3!! and the excess may bossing rolls beingfprovided. The roll be withdrawn. as by means of conduit 3|. The web may be conveyed from the stack, as at 32, to reels. There the fixing solution is permitted to react with the coagulable material to render the coating water resistant.

Referring to Figure 3, the numeral 35 repre-' sents a reel of paper which has been coated and the coating insolubilized, as indicated above. The paper web P from said roll is conveyed over a pan 86 containing steam for softening the sheet,

and it is then conveyed betweenprinting and em- 38 and 38', suitable guide rolls 38 38 may be considered a female roll, one of the rolls steel and bearing a suitable Ink and piga male roll and 3'' being preferably of ornamental design on its surface.

- ment are disposed in. a pan 40 from which it is picked up by means of a roll II, which may be of copper. and thence conveyed by means of leveling rollers 42 and II to the embossing roll ll.

After the web P 'has passed between the rolls I. and II where it is'simultaneously printed and em ossed, the web is drawn as'by the pull rollers 45 to a suitable reeling machine.

By means of the device shown in Figure 3 and more particularly the rolls '3. and 3|, ink is applied to the bottoms of the depressions formed by the It is thus possible to reel the paper immediately after it is printed and embossed, without any special device or space for drying. Since the. ink last the bottom of the depressions, the paper may ink is wet without any danger of smearing, and

space as well as in equipment, resulting in considerable economy.

The ink is preferably of an oil type, so that the sheet is completely water-resistant and washare merely exemplary, but should be determined from the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

It is claimed:

1. A method for making washable wall paper,

comprising decorating a paper web while it is on the paper making machine, partially drying the-web, coating-said web with a composition herein dis-' containing a potentiallywater-insoluble protein,

drying the coated web, fixing said coating by subjecting the same to a fixing agent comprising one of the group consisting of alum and formaldehyde, softening the 'coated web and simultaneously embossing said web and printing on said web with a water-insoluble ink.

2. A method for making washable wall paper,

' comprising decorating a paper web while it is on the paper making machine, drying the web, coating said web with a composition containing a potentially water-insoluble protein, drying the coated web, fixing said coating by subjecting the same to a fixing agent comprising one of the group consisting of alum and/ formaldehyde, softening the coated web with steam and simultaneously embossing said web and printing on said web with an oil ink.

3. A method of producing washable paper, comprising forming a paper web carrying a potentially water-resistant protein coating in an aqueous carrier, applying during the paper making operation a material which will chemically fix said coating, drying the web, then softening the dried coating and printing on said softened coating with a water-insoluble ink. r

4. A method of producing washable paper, comprising forming a paper web carrying a potentially water-resistant protein coating in an aqueouscarrier, applying a material which will tion, drying the web,

be reeled while the.

Administratrix steaming the web to soften said coating, and simultaneously embossing and printing said web at the bottom of the depressions in the embossing with a water-insoluble ink.

RUTH E. BRIGHT,

of the Estate of Charles G. Bright, Deceased. I

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