Water-soluble melamine resin textile finish

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY ETHERIFIED, SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY METHYLOLATED MELAMINE, CHARACTERIZED BY EASE AND RAPIDITY OF SOLUTION IN WATER AND EXCELLENT STABILITY, WHICH COMPRISES REACTING A SUBSTANTIALLY MONOMERIC, SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY METHYLOLATED MELAMINE CONTAINING LESS THAN 20% BY WEIGHT OF WATER WITH FROM 5 TO 10 MOLES OF METHANOL AND AT LEAST 0.1 MOLE AND UP TO ABOUT 2.5 MOLES OF A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOALKYL ETHERS OF DIETHYLENE GLYCOL WHEREIN THE ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND MONOALKYL ETHERS OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL WHEREIN THE ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM 1 TO 3 CARBON ATOMS, PER MOLE OF METHYLOLATED MELAMINE AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN 15 AND 60*C. AND AT A PH OF LESS THAN 4, UNTIL A SUBSTANTIALLY CLEAR SOLUTION IS OBTAINED, THEREAFTER ADDING AN ADDITIONAL QUANTITY OF METHANOL IN AN AMOUNT SO THAT THE TOTAL CHARGE OF METHANOL IS FROM BETWEEN 12 AND 24 MOLES, CONTINUING THE REACTION UNTIL A COMPLETELY CLEAR SOLUTION IS OBTAINED AND THEREAFTER ADJUSTING THE PH TO BETWEEN 8 AND 10.