Fabric & Garment Finishing: Stiffening Finish

Vocabulary flashcards covering fabric stiffening agents, starches, gums, glues, cellulosic derivatives, synthetic stiffeners, and specialized chemical finishes.

Stiffening

A finishing process that reduces the mutual independence of structural elements of fabric by polymer deposition or fine film coating to impart crispness, keep clothes clean, and facilitate stain and soil removal.

Starch Empirical Formula

The carbohydrate empirical formula representing starch, written as $(C_6H_{10}O_5)_n$.

Gelatinization Temperature

The temperature threshold at which an aqueous starch suspension absorbs water, swells, bursts, and transforms from an opaque suspension into a clear translucent gel.

Potato Starch Gelatinization Temperature

The specific temperature range of $65\text{--}68^\times\text{C}$ (or $65\text{--}68^\text{o}\text{C}$) at which potato starch granules gelatinize.

Maize Starch Gelatinization Temperature

The specific temperature range of $80\text{--}83^\text{o}\text{C}$ required for maize starch granules to gelatinize.

Rice Starch

A stiffening agent made by steeping grains in dilute ammonia or sodium hydroxide solution; it penetrates cellulosic fibers deeply to give clothes a firm, boardy effect resistant to humidity.

Potato Starch

A high-viscosity starch extracted by mashing washed potatoes and centrifuging pulp; it coats yarn surfaces to give a crisp effect without deep yarn penetration.

Gum Arabic

Also known as Gum Senegal, a slightly acidic tree exudate from Arabia marketed as pale yellow to deep brownish red lumps that dissolve in boiling water to stiffen silk fabrics.

Tragacanth

An exudate of leguminous plants like Astragalus Gummiferae, marketed as yellow to white dry horny scales that swell in water to form a thick gel when alkali is added.

Gum Karaya

A water-soluble exudate of the Sterculia tree used as an alternative to tragacanth in stiffening textiles.

Gelatin

A hydrophilic protein mixture obtained by hydrolyzing collagen from boiling animal skins, ligaments, tendons, bones, and blood; a $2\%$ aqueous solution forms a stiff gel.

Casein

A colloidal aggregate composed of proteins, phosphorus, and calcium present in milk as calcium caseinate; isolated by treating skimmed milk with rennin or lowering pH to $4.7$.

Pregelatinized Starches

Cold-water-soluble starches that have been cooked, gelatinized, dried, and packaged to form a paste in cold water without requiring boiling.

Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC)

A cellulosic derivative produced by reacting soda cellulose (formed from cellulose and concentrated sodium hydroxide) with sodium monochloroacetate.

Methyl Cellulose

A cellulosic derivative prepared by reacting soda cellulose with methyl chloride.

Synthetic Stiffeners

Thermoplastic resins, such as polyvinyl or polyacrylonitrile polymers, used to provide durable fabric stiffness across multiple laundrings.

Polyvinyl Acetate

A water-soluble thermoplastic polymer available as a dispersion stable in small amounts of acids or alkalies; it is the most used compound for synthetic stiffening.

Polyvinyl Alcohol

A white to cream-colored powder obtained by hydrolyzing polyvinyl acetate; fully hydrolyzed forms dissolve in hot water, while partially hydrolyzed forms dissolve in cold water.

ECCOGEL F

A proteinaceous compound formulation designed to impart stiffness and hand to suit desired finishes on various fabric types and narrow fabrics.

DURABOND 650/DURABOND 655

Durable synthetic resin stiffeners and hand modifiers designed to supply varying degrees of stiffness and hand in finishing formulations.

Ecce FINISH P-25

A $25\%$ solution of polyvinyl alcohol designed to impart stiffness to fabric, which can be made durable via formaldehyde treatment.

Ecce SELBIND FL-2-T-1 (NEW)

A rapid-drying, non-flammable pseudo-selvage material designed to provide edging and stiffness to light-weight knit goods made of acetates and Nylons.

Ecce FINISH DF-2

An aqueous solution of a substituted starch that provides body and stiffness on textiles and narrow fabrics.