US2539907A - Dyed carroted fur fibers and fabrics and method of dyeing the same - Google Patents

Description

Patented Jan. 30, 1951 DYED CARROTED FUR FIBERS AND FABRICS AND METHOD OF DYEING THE SAME Stanley G. Hoffman, Norwalk, Conn., assignor to Hat Corporation of America, Nor-walk, Conn, a

corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application April 14, 1948, Serial No. 21,096

5 fliaims.

The present invention relates to dyed fur fibers, dyed fur felt fabrics or hat bodies and the method of producing the same.

Mottle or ununiform color appearing in fur felt hats has been a problem in the fur felt industry for over one hundred years. This mottle usually shows up to a greater degree the more the hats or fabrics are processed to remove the rough uter surface and produce a finer felt so that a great loss both as to time and acceptable product is sustained. The presence of mottle in the fabric has been attributed to many factors. Some believed that it was due to the condition of the animal when the fur was taken, others believed that it was due to the working of the felt into fabric form and still others believed that it was due to poor dye penetration. H

While many attempts have been made to overcome this condition, such as more careful selection and combining of the fur fibers, variations in the treatment of the fur during felting and in the dye cycle, these efforts have been ineffective to overcome this defect.

I have discoveredthat the cause of mottle does not reside in the factors noted above, but instead is caused by the fact that the fur fibers when dyed with the usual acid dye for fur did not dye uniformly throughout the length thereof and that this condition resulted from a changing of the tip portion of the fibers during the carroting operation to which they are subjected to improve the felting properties of the fur fiber, and that the amount of mottle bears a definite relation to the extent of carroting of the fibers in the fabr10. carroting treatment, a lesser amount of the tip is changed and a minimum of mottle is produced. If the fur is subjected to a strong carroting oper-- ation a greater amount of the fiber is changed chemically and physically and a greater amount of mottle appears in the fur fabric.

In the carroting operation, the fur fibers are treated by brushing with a carroting solution which maybe either of the mercuric or nonmercuric type. and causes the fibers to felt together better. The term carroted fur as used herein designates such fibers.

In softening the tips, the carroting treatment changes the fur in the tips both chemically and In other words, if a fur is given a light This treatment softens the tips 2 physically. I have found that this change in the tips causes them to have a less affinity for the usual acid dye than the remainder or stems of the fibers. Thus each carroted fiber when dyed with acid dye would have the required color on the stem but much less or no color on the tip. When these fibers are felted to form the fabric the lesser dyed or undyed tip portion which usually works to the center of the felt produces the light spots in the dyed fabric.

This difficulty has been overcome according to the present invention by dyeing the fabric, hat body and/or fibers with a combination of dyestuffs which dye both the tip and stem substantially the same amount so as to produce a uniform or level color throughout the fiber.

I have found that an acid metallized dyestuff, i. e., an acid dyestufi which is a metal compound of azodyestuff, as for example described in U. S. Patent No. 1,753,120, has a strong afiinity for the carroted tip and a much less affinity for the stem of the fiber. The acid metallized dyestuff differs from the conventional mordant dyestuffs which usually require the addition of mordant at the start of dyeing or as an after-treatment. When this dyestuif is used alone there is a tendency to produce a shadow effect or reverse mottle. However, when it is combined with an acid dyestuif normally used for dyeing fur felt, and for which the stem of the fur fiber has a strong afiinity, in proper proportions as determined by the extent of the carroting operation, a uniform color on the fiber and elimination of mottle from the fabric or hat body, even when the fabric and/or hat body are processed to produce a fine finish, is obtained.

In ascertaining the proportions of the acid dyestuff and acid metallized dyestuff to be used in the combination, the fur to be dyed is tested by the usual felting test to determine the extent of the carroting action. After the extent f carroting action has been determined the amount of acid metallized dye necessary to color the tip and the amount of acid dye to color the stems can be readily determined by those skilled in the art.

The acid dyes used in accordance with the pres-' Amalan Blue GGL Calcofast W001 Blue 2G Chromolan Blue NGG Chromacyl Blue GG Gycolan Blue GGL Neolan Blue GG Nyasol F. Blue 2GA Palatine Fast Blue GGNA Vitrolan Blue 2G I have also found that the Palatine dyes produced by General DyestuiI Corporation are particularly satisfactory for this purpose. Such dyes are:

Palatine Fast Black WANA Cone. (C. I. Pr. 143) Palatine Fast Blue BNOA (C. I. Pr. 318) Palatine Fast Blue GGNA (C. I. Pr. 144) Palatine Fast Blue RRNA (C. I. Pr. 319) Palatine Fast Claret BNA (C. I. Pr. 394) Palatine Fast Claret RNA Conc. (C. I. Pr. 320) Palatine Fast Green BLNA Cone. (C. I. Pr. 321) Palatine Fast Marine Blue RENA (C. I. Pr. 322) Palatine Fast Orange GEN (C. I. Pr. 323) Palatine Fast Orange GNA (C. I. Pr. 324) Palatine Fast Pink BNA (C. I. Pr. 326) Palatine Fast Palatine Red RNA (C. I. Pr. 327) Palatine Fast Violet 3 RNA (C. I. Pr. 328) Palatine Fast Violet 5 RNA (C. I. Pr. 3'29) Palatine Fast Yellow ELNA (C. I. Pr. 330) Palatine Fast Yellow GRNA (C. I. Pr. 331) If the desired color or shade is not available, two or more metallized dyes are blended to produce the required color and two or more of the acid dyes are blended to produce the desired color. The proportion of the weight of each of the blended acid metallized and acid dyes corresponding to the required proportion as determined by the tests are then mixed in Water with a small amount of glauber salt and sulphuric acid to provide the dye bath for the fabric or hat bodies. The hat body or fabric is immersed in the bath which is at a temperature of approximately 120 and the bath is then brought to a higher temperature or to boiling and the material maintained therein for about one hour or more after which it is removed and the fabric processed in the usual manner.

For example, in dyeing one lot of hat bodies a Fawn Brown, it was determined that the combination of dyes should include 30% acid metallized dyes and 70% of acid dyes. To produce the required color, the following acid metallized dyes and acid were combined.

These were dissolved in water and to the dyeing solution was added 10% of weight of..material dyed of glauber salt and 3% of weight of ma-.- terial dyed of sulphuric acid. The hat bodies 4 were placed in the dye and dyed in accordance with the procedure outlined above.

In another example, a group of hat bodies were to be dyed a color Vista (a blue-gray). It was determined that the combination should include 70% metallized dyes and 30% acid dyes. To produce the required color, the following acid metallized dyes and acid dyes were combined.

ii v ti iit 'i'i 0 mg 0 e1" Acid Metallized Dyes of Maw Acid Dyes of r rial Dyed rial Dyed Ohromolan Blue NGG. 0.31 Alizarine Fast Blue Palatine Fast Orange KFG 0.14 G 0. 24 Erie Brown SRL... 0.08 Palatine Fast Yellow Fast Light Yellow ELN 0.18 3G 0.01 Palatine Fast Pink Azo Rhodine 2G. 0. 045

Per C ent Per Cent Acid Metallized Dyes gs-gar? Acid Dyes of K 58; rial Dyed rial Dyed Cliromolan Blue NGG. 0. l5 Alizarine Blue KFG. 0. 20 Palatine Fast Orange Eric Brown 51th.... 0.16 GEN 0. 30 A20 Rhodine 2G 0.03 Palatine Fast Yellow ELN 0. 07 Palatine Fast Pink BNA 0.08

These were dissolved in water and to the dyeing solution was added 10% of weight of material dyed of glauber salt and 3% of weight of material dyed of sulphuric acid. The hat bodies were placed in the dye and dyed in accordance with the procedure outlined above.

While it is at present preferred to dye the fur fibers after they have been felted into a fabric or a hat body. it is to be understood that loose carroted fur fibers may be dyed with the combined dyestufis.

The tips and stems may be dyed in separate operations but it is at present preferred to mix the acid and acid metallized dyes in a single bath and dye the fibers in a single operation. The dyestuff may be mixed by the user as required. However, it is to be understood that it may he also compounded by the dyestuif manufacturer to include the acid dyestuiT and acid metallized dyestuff in the proportions most generally used by the hat manufacturers and sold to the hat manufacturers in this form.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Iclaim: 1. A carroted fur fiber dyed a level color with the tip portion dyed with an acid metallized dye and the remainder dyed with an acid dye of similar color- 2. A carroted fur fiber dyed in level colorwith an acid metallized dye and an acid dye of sime REFERENCES CITED ilar color.

3. A mottle-free fabric of felted carroted fur gr; g i fi are of record m the fibers dye with an acid metallized dye and acid dye of similar c0101 5 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. A mottle-free hat body of felted carroted Number Name t fur fibers dyed with an unreacted mixture of 1,337 03 st 15 19 2 an acid metallized dye and acid dye of similar colon FOREIGN PATENTS 5. The process of dyeing a felt hat body of 10 Number Country Date carroted fur fibers comprising preparing a dye 526,760 Great Britain Sept. 25, 1940 bath including a mixture Of acid dyestuffs and acid metallized dyestufis of similar color; immerging the hat body in the bath; and main; Textile Co10r1st, for April 1943, pages 177, 178, taining the hat body in the bath until the re- 15 quired shade is obtained Jour. Soc. Dyers and Chem., for June 1944,

pages 144, 145 (article by Townsend). STANLEY G. HOFFMAN Amer. Dye Reporter, for September 8, 1947,

pages P486 to P489 inclusive.

Claims (1)

1. A CARROTED FUR FIBER DYED A LEVEL COLOR WITH THE TIP PORTION DYED WITH AN ACID METALLIZED DYE AND THE REMAINDER DYED WITH AN ACID DYE OF SIMILAR COLOR.