Coherent strands are made from a dispersion of asbestos fibres in an aqueous soap solution containing up to 100 percent molar excess of fatty acid, by a process including the steps of forming a stream of dispersion and chilling the newly formed stream sufficiently to gel the dispersion.

A sleeping mat (4), preferably forming part of a sleeping bag (2), comprises an inflatable enclosure (10) containing a fibrous bat (12) which is attached to the opposite sides of the enclosure so that on inflation thereof the bat is non-resiliently expanded.

Disclosed are promotional products such as buttons, badges, toys, signs, and displays, and in particular promotional products that display inscriptions vertically, no matter the orientation of the product, more particularly words or phrases spelled the same forwards as backwards, as for example BOB or MOM or WWW. The products each have a rotatable shaft connected to a base member, and a plurality of sheets imprinted with inscriptions and attached by pins onto the base member so that the sheets h...

The invention concerns a bleach product for use in the washing machine as an adjunct to a normal detergent powder or liquid. The product consists essentially of a particulate bleach compositon and which is substantially free of other detergent components and which is contained within a non-coated bag of sheet material having a porosity to air of 5,000 to 10,000 liters/m.sup.2 /s. The bleach composition comprises sodium perborate with an activator such as tetraacetyl ethylenediamine or sodium oct...

A porous material, e.g. a paper, has pores with a range of sizes. A pore modifying agent comprising particles of a narrow size range is selectively incorporated within the larger pores to provide zones of high surface area. These greatly reduce the penetrability of the material, e.g. by mirco-organisms, while having relatively little effect on its air-permeability. The modifying agent may be incorporated by creating a pressure difference across the material, and treating it with a dispersion, e....

The invention concerns perfuming and protecting against microbial spoilage products, which are not intended for human or animal ingestion and which comprise at least 25% of water and 0-60% of a surface active material, by incorporating therein a preservative perfume. Preservative perfumes consist for at least 30% by weight of perfume ingredients which need at least 3 inoculations for failure in the individual challenge test. Preferred effective perfumes themselves need at least 5 inoculations fo...

A silica matting agent has a wax coating comprising a mixture of three waxes, i.e. hard microcrystalline, plasticising monocrystalline and synthetic polyethylene. The use of this ternary mixture gives the matting agent improved interaction with lacquers and improved sedimentation.

The characteristics of compacted sodium silicate, in particular the attrition resistance,are improved by contacting the material with water in an agitated bed. A preferred route for adding moisture is the use of steam which gives efficient distribution in the bed.

An absorbent product, for example a diaper, comprises an absorbent member (3), for example a pad formed of comminuted cellulose fibres or a superabsorbent polymer, and a particle-bonded nonwoven material (1) having an outer phase (4) that is in an unlofted state and an inner phase (5) that is in a lofted state. The nonwoven may be formed of polyester fibres bonded with a polyester adhesive. The product may also comprise a liquid-impermeable backing sheet (2).

A disposable article such as a diaper or feminine hygiene product having a rattle-free, liquid impermeable, vapor permeable, microporous, polymeric film having pores defining passages extending therethrough, the passages being partially filled with a rattle-reducing additive material and a method for making same is disclosed.