US1558122A - Mothproof felt, etc. - Google Patents

Description

lstented @et. 20,, 1925.

mo'rm or r ms, are.

we ihrswln This invention relates to felted hair prod nets and the like, and has among its prin cipal objects the provision of a hair felt ad, particularly adapted for use as a buffer eneath rugs, which is more satisfactory and more resistant toward deteriorating infineness than the felted hair pads hithertolarva. The attack of the vermin will then lmovvn.

it frequently happens under certain circumstances that hair felt pads ormattings,

for use beneath rugs and carpets as a bufi'er' to, protect them from wear and to add resilience to the door covering, become intested with clothes moth, carpet beetle, larvae, etc. The efiect 0t such infestation is to deteriorate or destroy the pad or floor covering besides creating a nuisance. The methods hitherto commonly employed for overcoming these objectionable features are very diflicult to apply or else they are inefiective and frequently produce deteriorating efiects u on the door covering". 'Also they frequent y add to the fire hazar involved, as for example, when petroleum oils or the like are'employed as the disinfesting agent.

The resent invention includes an improved elted hair product which is vermin proof and which at the same time possesses substantially all the inherent advantages of normal hair felt as a bufier and forother similar uses and which furthermore retains these desirable properties unimpaired for the ordinary life of the felt. The present invention also includes an. improved disinfestiug agent or solution, and an improved method 01% applying the same to a wide variety of products made from hair but more particularly to the treatment of hues hair products to he used as lenders beneath flo r coverings. I v

l have found that the proofing of hair felt and the like against vermin may he most satisz'factorily accomplished hy means-o1? a Application filed November 22, 1923. Serial No. 676,284.

disinfesting agent which is free from odor and which does not dust 0d or become removed by vacuum sweepers and which does not, in general, lose its potency with age under the peculiar conditions of use or storage to which such pads or felts are ordinarily subjected. l have also found that it is highly desirable that a proofing agent for the above purposes shall he of such nature that it Will readily penetrate the fibres of the hair or felt or pad to a uniform extent throughout the material so as to'subject each portion and fibre thereof to the disinfesting agent as otherwise I have found that the vermin Will attack the material at points which have not been suh- V jected to the treatment and will there form nesting places or operating places for the sometimes spread from these nesting places to the floor covering and even to other portions of the incompletely treated hair itself.

l have discovered that a solution of ordinary White arsenic in alkali or soda solution when applied in accordance with the method of my invention fulfills the requirements that l have found to be necessary for ood results as already mentioned, and at t e same time this solution is free from the ohjeetions of the disinfe'sting agents hitherto used for this purpose, and when applied it is garticularly edective against moth and eetle larvae and the like.

I have also discovered that sodium solution as ordinarily prepared is not so satisfactory as the modified solution of this invention for treating such felted hair prod ucts, mattings and the like, and particu larly for treating closely woven to 3 hair felt pads such as are used under carpets and rugs and the like. l have found that this less satisfactory elifect of ordinary sodium arsenite' solutionis due, in part at least, to its failure to penetrate each and llll felt and also preventing the wetting of the hair fibres by the solution. Moreover, I have found that if the water solution of ordinary sodium arsenite be mechanically forced into the felt, as by the application of very high pressure, the arsenite, even so, when dried will readily dust out under the conditions of ordinary use and thus leave the felt unprotected.

The resent invention further includes the application of an improved arsenite solution to the hair felt and the subsequent removal of the water therefrom, preferably by ordinary drying. The finished disinfested felt is substantially unaffected by this treatment so far as retention of its desirable properties is concerned, and furthermore, the

residue of the disinfesting agent left in the felt does not readily dust off from the fibres but adheres tenaciously thereto so that it is not removed to any objectionable extent in use or by the action of vacuum sweepers and the like. Furthermore, in the a plication of my improved solution to the fabric, no complicated means of forcing the solution into the pores of the felt is necessary, but on the contrary, the improved solution penetrates readily and easily into the felt wetting uniformly all the fibres thereof, and advantag'eously may be applied to the felt by atomizing or spraying it thereon.

My improved arsenioal solution comprises preferably a soluble alkali arsenite containing animal glue, or other similar glue, and a soluble agent, such as ordinary soap or sodium oleate, capable of substantially reducing the surface tension of the solution. My invention further includes the addition of'such quantity of the soap or equivalent agent to the solution as will reduce the surface tension thereof to that range which will impart the desired penetrating properties to the solution without at the same time adversely afi'ectin the adhesive power of the solutlon after rying, or without attenuating the arsenic content of the dried solution to an objectionable degree or producing any other deleterious efi'ects, either durin the application of the solution or afterwards.

The enormously enhanced wetting power of my disinfesting solution can be efiectively demonstrated by pouring a little of the ordinary soapless arsenite solution upon a small piece of the hair felt and then comparing its behaviour with my improved arsenite solution containing the soap. in the first case the soapless solution will stand for a protracted period on the felt without sinking into or wetting it, but in the second case the soap containing solution wets and sinks into the felt promptly and if a considerable excess of the solution be added to the hair felt the solution passes through the felt with'al- 7 most as great ease-as water passes through anordmary sieve.

My improved disinfesting solution is more readily atomized or broken .up into spray than similar solutions hitherto in use in. this art and the smaller droplets thus produced by sprayin or atomizing also contribute to a more uniform distribution throughout the felt and over the surface of the fibres when applied in this manner.

In the practice of my invention,'I may apply my improved solution to the felt by spraying it upon the hair fibre either before or durin the felting operation or while the felt is being passed on conveyers on its way to the final drying closets in the process of manufacturing, as ordinarily carried out,

but I find it particularly advantageous to apply the solution during the felting operation, since in the usual process of manufacture it is usually necessary that the fibre be heavily moistened with water in order to aid in the proper felting of the fibres.

I have found that a satisfactory disinfesting solution for proofing hair felt against moth, beetle larvae and the like may be prepared by mixing certain ingredients in certain proportions as shown in the following formula, which is given by way of an example festing solution, it being understood that my invention is illustrated thereby and is not restricted to the particular ingredients or to the particular proportions described.

lVater, 10 gallons; soda ash crystals, 43 pounds; white arsenic, 1O pounds; glue, 1 pound; soap, 4 to pound.

The water may be heated to near boiling in an iron mixing kettle, the soda added, and the remaining ingredients then dissolved. About 18.8 ounds of anhydrous soda may be employed in the above formula in place of the'soda ash crystals. The soap employed may be, for example, sodium oleate. In place of glue, other suitable adhesives may be employed.

It is to be understood that in the above formula the proportion of water can be varied within rather wide limits but, in general, it is advantageous to employ a sufiicient quantity to carry the arsenite, glue and soap throughout the felt and yet less than an amount which would cause objectionable expense in the final drying of the felt due to the larger proportion of water to be evaporated. Likewise, theamount of soap may be varied, but I find 'that the minimum amount desirable is that which causes the spray droplets to be smaller in size, and

more important still, that amount which causes the droplets to sink at once into the felt rather than to stand out. on to of the felt a do the ordinary solutions. he glue ifsr pre erably a good grade animal glue me ry. I may, however, substitute for animal glue. other glue odor and of a uality which does not become brittle when or embodiment of my improved disinsimilar properties when applied in the manner and in accordance with the method of h the present invention, such for example as a ployed in disinfesting and vermin proofing other manufactured hairproducts, in the treatment ofhair products with other arsenic containing solutions, and generally to the treatment of hair products with solutions of disinfesting a ents which will not thoroughly wet the hair fibres. i

I claim:

1. The method of disinfesting and.p1'oof-.

ing manufactured hair products against vermin, which comprises subjecting the fibers of the hair to the action of a solution of an arsenical compound, soap and an adhesive to thoroughly wet-the fibers and then allowing the hair product to dry whereby a coating of said compound will be left on thecompound will be left on the fibers of the air.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a manufactured hair product impregnated with a solution containing an arsenical compound, soap and adhesive, and having a coating of said solution adhering to the fibers thereof.

4. As a new article of manufacture, ahair .product impregnated with a solution containing an arsenical compound, a surface tension reducingagent and an adhesive, and having acoating ofsaid solution adhering to the fibers thereof.

5. As a new product for disinfesting and proofing manufactured hairproducts against vermin, a solution contain ng an arsenical compound, a surface tension reducing agent and an adhesive, said solution being adapted to leave an adhering coating thereof on the fibers of the hair.

. 6. As a new product for disinfesting and proofing manufactured hair products against vermin, a solution containing an arsenical compound, soap and an adhesive, said solution being adapted to leave an adhering coating thereof on the fibers of the hair.

7. The method of applying an arsenic solution to felted hair products which comprises reducing the surface tension of the solution, atomizing the solution into a spray of very fine droplets, and subjecting the felted fibres to the action of the said spray.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

. BERT A. STAGNER.