The Journal of the TEXTILE INSTITUTE Official Journal for Communications (Transactions) released for Publication by the British Cotton Industry Research Association (including its Rayon and Silk Sections), the Wool Industries Research Association, the Linen Industry Research Association and the Technological Laboratory of the Indian Central Cotton Committee CONTENT^ PROCEEDINGS SECTION Irish Section—The Preparation and Finishing' 01 *u|i|<*B»nece Goods— Atkinson ... ... ... ... ... ... P171-P176 London Section—The Conversion of British Currency, Measures, and Weights to a Decimal System—Gilsoti ... ... ... P177-P181 Yorkshire Section—Standard Testing of Yams and Fabrics— Bayes .............................. ............................... .................P182-P186 Reviews. DDT. Meetings of London Section and Lancashire Section (Bolton Branch)... ... ... ... ... P187-P197 Institute Diplomas. Institute Membership. Employment Register P197-P200 Institute Meetings. Section Hon. Secretaries ... ... ...P201-P202 TRANSACTIONS SECTION 23—Measures to Check Deterioration in Egyptian Cotton Varieties — Hancock Part I—The Giza Seed Maintenance System ... ...T267-T277 Part II—Development of New Varieties ... ... .. .T278-T292 Part III—Extent, Nature and Causes of Deterioration ...T293-T310 ABSTRA CTS SECTIO N ........................................................................A453-A500 THE TEXTILE INSTITUTE ST. MARY'S PARSONAGE, MANCHESTER TELEPHONE BLACKFRIARS 2016 VACANCIES COURTAULDS LIMITED— (i) A Staff Vacancy exists for a technician, under 40 years of age, to work in a Textile Research Laboratory. Applicants should have several years experience in Textile Machine-Printing and a sound knowledge of Chemistry. Experience in Screen-Printing would be an asset. (2) A Staff Vacancy exists for a Junior Physicist for ‘Textile Research Laboratory. Applicants must have a good Honours degree in Physics, and experience in Textiles. A questionnaire will be sent to applicants who write to the Director of Personnel, Courtaulds Limited, 16, St. Martins-le-Grand, London E.C.i. JOHN C. HAMER LIMITED of Radcliffe (weaving, dyeing and finishing) require an Assistant Manager with outstanding ability and a know­ ledge of all sections of Cotton Manufacturing. The position carries excellent prospects of advancement. Applicants must in the first instance furnish (by letter only) full particulars of experience and qualifications, and salary required, to the Managing Director, Hope Mill, Radcliffe. MILL MANAGER, young, energetic, fully .experienced, wanted for cotton warp cloths, Morley district. State experience, salary required. Box No. 82. SPECIALISED TEXTILE MACHINISTS have a good opening for a competent man having a practical and theoretical knowledge of all stages of cotton spinning. Applications to Box No. 83. WANTED, YOUNG MAN to assist with the design and control of experiments in cotton spinning and with the writing of reports. A technical qualification such as B.Sc. (Tech.) will be an advantage but not a necessity, and applications will be considered from candidates with a general scientific qualification, an aptitude for the work, and an interest in technical matters. Commencing salary, £300-^400 accord­ ing to age and experience. Applications to be addressed to The British Cotton Industry Research Association, Shirley Institute, Didsbury, Manchester. DCDDIftlTC Orders should be sent to THE TEXTILE INSTITUTE, ItC r NI li I 9 16 St. Mary’s Parsonage, MANCHESTER, 3. A FEW COPIES OF THE FOLLOWING REPRINTS ARE AVAILABLE:— Current Changes in the Technology of Cotton Spinning— W . L. Balls * Tentative Textile Standard No. 10, 1944. Standard Testing Methods for Narrow Fabrics. The Chemistry of W ool and Related Fib res— J. B. Speakman Recent Industrial Tendencies. The Substitution of Knowledge and Co-operation for Instinct and Competition— H. G. Hughes. Shuttle Tapping: A Source of Fabric Defects— F. Kendall. Comparison of the Cloth Qualities of Continental and Noble Combed Materials— E. Midgley. Educational Reconstruction, with some special reference to the Textile Industries— G. D. H. Cole Textile Research and Development— Sir Robert T. Pickard. Industrial Leadership —A. P. Young. Liberal Education and Modern Business— Sir M. E. Sadler. Pattern for Industry— C. J. T. Cronshaw Price 1/- each Post Free. "Price 2/- each Post Free. NOVEMBER 1945 p i 71 THE JOURNAL OF THE TEXTILE INSTITUTE Vol. XXXVI NOVEMBER 1945 No. ix Irish Section THE PREPARATION AND FINISHING OF RAYON PIECE GOODS B y C . P . A t k i n s o n (,Substance of a lecture delivered in B elfast on 21 st M arch, 1945) Desizing and Scouring It is proposed to deal first with fabrics made from continuous filament rayon, then with crepe fabrics and finally with fabrics made from " Fibro ” and " Rayolanjia.” “ Fibro” is the registered trade name of Courtaulds’ viscose rayon staple fibre. “ Rayolanda” is the registered trade name of Courtaulds’ basified viscose staple fibre. It is not always realised that there are no natural impurities in rayon as received by the dyer and finisher. Therefore, all that it is necessary to remove from faibrics before dyeing are the size applied to ensure satisfactory weaving of the warps and any traces of dirt or oil accumulated during processing and weaving. Generally speaking the methods of de-sizing, scouring and bleaching normally required for cotton piece goods can be modified considerably, particularly as regards strength of deter­ gents, time of processing and temperature of operation. Gelatine (1-5 per cent, to 4-5 per cent.) with small percentages of emulsifiable oils is usually used for sizing continuous filament warps and can best be removed by treating the pieces on the jigger. Jiggers with tension control are advocated, and it is advisable to run with tension as low as possible consistent with maintaining a level batch without any tendency to build up over the selvedges. From the point of view of ultimate handle, attention to this factor is of paramount importance. Gelatine size is readily removed if the pieces are thoroughly wetted out on the jigger and allowed to stand for a period before washing off and scouring. The importance of a good soft water supply, preferably supplemented by warm water for washing off is not always realised. Many of the faults which occur in dyeing and/or printing of rayons are due to faulty de-sizing and scouring, and one of the most effective insurances against these faults is to have a suitable water and a good neutral soap in all preparatory processes. If the water available has more than i° to 2° of hardness, the use of suitable assistants (such as sodium hexa metaphosphate), should be considered. The slight extra cost of the better types of soap such as the olive oil soaps is usually a good investment. They have superior emulsifying, wetting, dispersing and lubricating properties. They are an additional safeguard against faults trace­ able to inefficient desizing and residual lime soap. The insoluble soaps appear PI 72 Proceedings inevitably when unsatisfactory water is used. Sulphonated fatty alcohols may be used with advantage in combination with soap. Since avoidance of trouble is better than its cure, the use wherever possible of a soft water, and a high grade neutral soap is advocated. Bleaching It is not necessary in general to bleach rayon to any appreciable extent, so that the process can be modified according to the construction of the fabric. For example, lining fabrics made from rayon warps and cotton wefts after singeing, de-sizing and scouring, require only mild bleaching treatment, particularly as the rayon warp is on the face of the fabric. It will be appreci­ ated that sheeting fabrics made from 100 per cent, fibro or fibro warp and cotton weft will not require a full linen or cotton bleaching process, and that modifications can be made with advantage. When necessary, bleaching should be carried out with hypochlorite followed by chlorite, which results in a better white with reduced damage to the rayon in the fabric. (See Dyer and Calico Printer, 2/2/45, Vol. XCIII No. 3, and Textile Manufacturer, August, 1944, Vol. 70 for alternative suggestions using mixtures of chlorite and hypochlorite). Acetate Fabrics With regard to “ Seraceta,” which is the registered trade name of Courtaulds’ cellulose acetate, I can do 110 better than refer you to a lecture given to the Society of Dyers and Colourists in January, 1931. I would emphasise, how­ ever, that it is essential in the handling of acetate fabrics to avoid extreme changes of temperature. Fabrics should be washed off after all hot treatments in warm water, not in cold water, because large and rapid temperature changes have a bad influence on the physical properties of the cloth. Crepe Fabrics The preparation of crepe fabrics is discussed in a lecture given to the Society of Dyers and Colourists, October 1941— a report being published in May, 1942. Good soft water is imperative, if uneven delustring with con­ sequent blotchiness and effects associated with insoluble soaps are to be avoided. In this connection naphthenic acid soaps are at present the subject of investigation in the U.S.A. It is claimed that their wetting power is high and their detergent power as good as standard soaps. They are good emulsify­ ing agents for mineral oil, and therefore useful for de-sizing and scouring operations. Incidentally, the presence of electrolytes and salts in the dye- bath does not readily decompose them, and again, they have antiseptic and anti-oxidant properties,