US1988375A - Article and method of treating reclaimed silk - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1935. p v s 1,988,375

ARTICLE AND METHOD OF TREATING RECLAIMED SILK Filed June 14, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q INVENTOR WITNESSES v I Isaac? Davis I, v N I I 'Mm/fl 6? V ATTORNEY-5 I Jan. 15, 1935. L A 1,988,375

ARTICLE AND METHOD OF TREATING RECLAIMED SILK Filed June 14, 1,933 i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR WITNESSES lczac ,Ua 085 M BY ATTORN EYS Patented Jan. 15, 1935 ARTICLE AND METHOD OF TREATING 1 RECLAIMED SILK Isaac Davis, New York, N. Y.;

Application June 14, 1933, Serial No. 675,805

9Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus and the method of rejuvenating and treating silk and particularly reclaimed si1k,"-. though the treatment could be used in connection with new silk, the object being to produce treated silk which is strong and wiry.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved process or method of treating silk whereby it becomes flufiy, kinky and curly while improving its strength.

A further object, more specifically, is to take old silk from old hose, knit fabrics or other silk, remove all vegetable matter and then subject the silk to the various steps of the' process,

whereby it is strengthened and rejuvenated so as to be strong or stronger than the original 'silk, and at the same time curly and flufiy so as 'to present a resilient yarn which will produce a resilient fabric when woven.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a silk which may be reclaimed and rejuvenate the same so that it will be. strong and wiry and present a long staple quality.

The invention also comprehends the method of treating silk threads or yarn in which theyardage per pound for the same gauge denier thickness is increased so that when used in a woven fabric-and utilized as a filler, the desired resiliency is provided to the fabric.

The invention further comprehends and has for an object to provide the method of treating old silk threads or yarn to replace the matter which has been lost in the use of the silk fabric or garment by washing and ironing.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a view partly in section showing the apparatus used in decarbonizing vegetable matter from the old silk fabric or garments;

Figure 2 is a schematic view illustrating the manner of unraveling thread from a piece of fabric, together with two tanks for removing parafiine or other matter from the fabric and then reconditioning the fabric and applying the same with a strengthening solution;

Figure 3is a view illustrating two tanks and means for shifting a container from one tank to the other together with means for heating sired manner as, for instance, as reclaimed threads or yarn as outlined in my co-pending application filed October 8, 1932, Serial Number 636,925, of which'this application is a continuation in part. The thread or yarn to. be treated may be new silk but is preferably reclaimed yarn, that is, yarn from knit garments or hose or other fabric from which the yarn is removed and then treated.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates how the hose or other garment may be placed in drum 9 through the door 10 for treatment. As illustrated in this figure there is provided a housing 5 which is substantially airtight, said housing havinga chimney or outlet 6 with a damper 7 operating by a suitable handle 8. Arranged in this housing, which is provided with the door 24, is a drum 9 having a shaft 11 to which the pulley 12 is secured. A belt 14 is mounted on the pulley 12 and is driven by the motor 15 whereby the drum 9 is rotated and the contents more or less agitated so as to be acted upon by the gaseous and vaporous matter in the housing 5. Arranged in the housing or container 16 is a supply of muriatic acid in any desired form, and this acid is heated by the heater 19 so as to give ofi fumes, which fumes pass through the conduit 22 and are forced into the housing 5 by the fan or pump 23. A cover 1'7 is hingedly connected to the container 16 and is held tightly in position by the screw 18. When yarn from old garments are to be rejuvenated or treated, the apparatus just described is used so as to carbonize or burn away the cotton. or other vegetable matter contained therein.

After the articles have been decarbonized as just mentioned they are removed, placed in a dry heated chamber and dried thoroughly,

whereupon the carbonized articles may be shaken out and later the silk hose or other fabric is treated in various ways includingthe application of a suitable wax, as, for instance, parafline, as fully set forth in my above mentioned co-pending application. The fabric after being treated with wax or the like is connected to a suitable support 27 by the hooks 26, the fabric hanging down by the action of gravity so that the threads 28 may be readily unraveled therefrom. These threads extend downwardly through a curved tube 29 which serves to cause the threads to pass through the liquid in the container 30, which liquid is preferably hot water or water sufliciently hot to melt the parafline or other treating matter applied to the yarn. The yarn 28 is then caused to move over the pulley 31 and again downwardly through the solution in the tank 32. As the thread leaves the solution in tank 32 it passes through an eyelet 34 which .desired source.

used, it is dissolved by the same material as is v is substantially the size of the yarn being treated and which serves to press the loose filaments against the long stapleyarn and the material from tank 32 with which the silk thread has been coated is pressed into the silk thread the tank 32 is not claimed in the present application, but it is 'fully set forth and claimed in the above mentioned co-pending application.

The solution in tank 32 is varied somewhat but contains as its most active ingredient some form of excretion or oil from the dead mummy of Preferably the silk worm oil made silk worms. from the dead mummy of silk worms is used, and this oil may be either refined or unrefined. If desired, the entire liquid content of tank 32 may be made of this oil, though it has been found desirable under some circumstances to mix 'a small quantity of carbolic acid and citric acid as well as formaldehyde-to the oil to purify and strengthen the yarn. For-instance, it has been found that a desirable solution is as follows:

% of the silkworm .oil, 1% of diluted carbolic acid, 5% citric acid crystals and 19% additional formaldehyde mixed with water. Preferably when preparing this mixture the 1% of carbolic acid, which may be diluted with water, is first poured into the 75% of oil for purifying the same, and also preferably after the acid has been poured into the oil the oil and acid are stirred thoroughly. If the oil has been refined the acid may be eliminated. After the acid has been added, if the same is used, the remaining ingredients are poured into the container and the entire mixture is thoroughly agitated and then allowed to stand for three days in a cool place, after which it is ready for use.

- After the thread has been' passed through the solution in tank 32, and then through the eyelet 34, it is allowed to dry and is then doubled and twisted, if desired, aftemwvhich it is sub-v jeeted to an albumen solution.-

If desired, sodium silicate can be mixed with the albumen solution so that yarn will be greatly strengthened. The albumen may be secured from the white of eggs or other organic albuminous matter, and when applied either with or without silicate, the yarn is rebuilt in a certain sense and strength is added thereto. The sodium silicate is preferably used in the powdered form and may be secured from any desired source, while the albumen may also be secured from any When the sodium silicate is used in dissolving the albumen. However, a desirable form of albumen may be secured from eggs. To make a supply, a desired number of eggs are boiled untif they are hard and the whites thereof are removed. This is melted by the aid of a solution of potassium hydro-oxide,

" caustic potash or caustic soda, either with or without heat. The silk yarn is then soaked in this solution so as to-be saturated therewith,

after which the yarn is removed. When the yarn is removed from the solution just mentioned, it will carry with it a supply of albumen which really, impregnates the yarn and which,

acts with the material of the yarn to make the same strong and wiry.

In' carrying out this part of the process the yarn, preferably in the form of hanks, is dis-' posed in an open work receptacle 35, asshown in Figure 3, said receptacle being. suspended by a cable 36, the cable passing over a pulley 3'1 mounted on a carriage 38, which travels on a rail 39. The receptacle 35 is lowered into the tank 40 containing water which is heated to the boiling point by any suitable means, as, for instance, steam passing through pipe 42.

Preferably before the receptacle 35 has been submerged in the water 41, a supply of olive oil soap cut fine is added to the water. Usually about 3% soap is added and then the receptacle 35 is lowered into the tank. The silk in receptacle 35 is usually left in the boiling water for thirty minutes, though if it is only a small quantity a less period would do. However, after the silk has been treated to this mixture of water and soap, the receptacle 35 is raised and moved over to tank 43, and is then quickly lowered into this tank. The liquid in tank 43 may be water and is maintained at a low temperature by a suitable refrigerant passing through pipe 44. Receptacle 35 with the yarn is left to chill in tank 43 until the yarn has been thoroughly chilled and has reached substantially the temperature of the water or other liquid in this tank. This action of boiling the water and then quickly subjecting the yarn to cold water serves to shrink or shrivel the silk yarn and this gives the yarn a kinky, curly, fluffy property. Usually for any considerable quantity of yarn it takes about one hour in tank 4 In order to preserve the kinky, curly, flufly properties of the silk yarn after the treatment in tanks 40 and 43, theyarn is subjected to a further treatment to preserve shrinking and resiliency required. The yarn either in the container 35 or removed therefrom is placed in another tank which is provided with a'solution which will fix in a certain sense the desired curly, kinky, fiuily property of the silk. The

solution in this third tank contains approxi-.

mately two and one-half to three pounds casein to each one hundred pounds of silk thread or yarn. I

After the granulated casein has been dissolved in liquid ammonia in a separate vessel, lukewarm water is added. To the dissolved caseined solution is added from to 1% refined or unrefined lactic acid which acts as agent to bring up the'cheese particles, and then the said casein solution is poured through a fine strainer where the cheese particles remain in the strainer and the solution is then used to treat the silk yarn or silk thread, which solution helps to shrink the silk thread or silk yarn, and said silk thread.

jected toa cold bath which is a solution of approximately 1% ton 2% formaldehyde in water.

This bath acts in preserving and hardening the matter previously added to the silk. The yarn is left in the formaldehyde solution'for abouttwenty minutes and is then removed and above treatment the yarn was subjected to a through an ordinary wringer. After being submitted to the formaldehyde and then wrung out, the yarn is subjected to another bath which consists of cold water and from 8 to 10% formic acid. The silk is preferably hung on poles and is immersed in the solution. The poles are preferably turned so that all parts of the silk thread or yarn will be thoroughly subjected to the bath. After this has taken place, the yarn is removed from the bath and is permitted to dry, preferably in the sun. When the yarn is dry, it presents a very strong silk thread which is curly, kinky and fluffy and will remain in this condition.

In addition to the steps above mentioned, after the yarn has been subjected to the silk worm oil it may also be subjected to a paste which is.

somewhat similar to the worm-oil but presents certain ingredients which will make the yarn stronger. This paste is known as celisin paste. During the unwinding of cocoons the same are placed in hot water and while in the hot water some of the gums thereonkare dissolved or loosened and come off in the water. This gum which comes from the cocoon is called celisin,

. and according to the present invention this celisin which has heretofore been thrown away is gathered together and is condensed into what may be ,called a loose paste; The worn out silk threads are run through this paste which has all the ingredients required to make the old silk threads stronger. It will therefore be seen that by using this paste and the silk worm oil, as well as by the other treatments outlined, the old silk threads are rejuvenated by supplying thereto the ingredients found originally in the new silk strands as they come from the cocoon. By the various treatments, including theuse of formaldehyde solution and the paste above described, and the oil used, the yarn becomes tough and consequently will hold the filaments together. 3

In carrying out theprocess' all the steps may be used to secure the best possible results, but, if desired, some of the steps can be omitted and still desirable results are secured. For instance, when subjecting theyarn to the silk worm oil the yarn could be treated with a solution of formaldehyde and presenta yarn rejuvenated to a large extent.

Also, instead of using the silk worm oil, celisin paste could be used and the paste hardened and if desired, the ol d silk yarn could be treated with silk worm oil as above set forth, to rejuvenate and strengthen the same, and then treated with albumen in a pure state or dissolved in a solution of potassium hydro-oxide, caustic potash or caustic soda. When using either or both of these steps, the yarn would be much strengthened and rejuvenated and if to the mixture of water and formaldehyde and the silk worm oil and albumen added, it would become tough so that the yarn would be permanently strengthened. However, for most purposes, not only will the silk worm oil or the celisin be used, but albumen and both the oil and celisin, together with a toughening solution, as, for. instance, the formaldehyde solution. The formaldehyde solution acts both as a hardeningand toughening solution whereby the yarn is greatly strengthened. When the yarn has been treated in this manner, it is complete as far as the strengthening is concerned, but to secure a desired kinky, fluffy, curly condition, the treated yarn must be subjected to hot and cold baths to secure the desired resiliency.

I claim: 1. The method of rejuvenating worn silk yarn consisting in passing the yarn while in a single strand through a body of silk worm oil and then rubbing the yarn as it leaves the bath.

2. The rnethod of rejuvenating worn silk yam consisting in subjecting the'yarn to silk worm oil until the same has been saturated, and then rubbing the yarn to remove the excess oil and to cause the filaments of the yarn to be pressed together.

3. The method of treating silk yarn consisting in subjecting the same to silk worm oil, passing the same through a supply of celisin paste, and then subjecting the oil and paste adhering to the yarn to a hardening and toughening solution.

4. The method of rejuvenating worn silk yarn consisting in subjecting the yarn to silk worm oil until the yarn has beensaturated and then subjecting the oil treated yarn to,albumen dissolved in potassium hydroxid or caustic soda.

5. A method of the class described including the saturation of silk yarn with silk worm oil, rubbing the yarn after the oil has been applied and finally passing the yarn through a fixing bath.

6. A method of the class described includin the saturationof silk yarn having filaments extending at different angles therefrom with silk worm oil, and then the treatment of the yarn by a rubbing action which will cause said filaments to move into contact with the main body of the yarn.

7. The method of rejuvenating worn silk yarn consisting in submerging the yarn in a silk worm passing the yarn through a supply of excretion from the mummy of the silk worm, and then subjecting -the excretion adhering to the yarn to a. hardening and toughening solution.

ISAAC DAVIS.

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