IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WAX CANDLES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I THOMAS
MOSDELL SMITH, of Hammersmith, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the First day of May,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
said Thomas Mosdell Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial.
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Mosdell Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Mosdell Smith, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,.
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WAX CANDLES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas
Mosdell Smith, should cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery, within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Mosdell Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:―
It is well known that heretofore wax candles have been made with wicks of
unbleached cotton, twisted and waxed, and that such wicks in burning often
form large heads, which (if not removed by snuffing) often fall into the cups
of the candles and cause guttering, or else fall beyond the candle and injure
by burning any cloth which may be below. And it is also well known that
candles made of spermaceti and other materials, such as stearine and stearic
acid and others, which are capable of being moulded, platted wicks have been
extensively employed, which have the property of turning out of the flames and
thus are consumed; but it has been found that when pursuing the manufacture
of wax candles in the ordinary manner, by casting (running or pouring on
successive coats of the wax) and rolling, that platted wicks are injurious, and
every effort to use them has failed.
Now, my Invention has for its object the manufacture of such descriptions
of wax candles combined with platted wicks; and in order that my improve-
ments in such manufacture may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me; and I have
found that the best material for manufacturing wicks is bleached coarse cotton
or bleached cotton yarn slackly platted, and as it is important that the size
and weight of the wicks used should be properly proportioned to the size of the
candle, I will now state that I have found the following to be good proportions
of candles and wicks therefor, from which a workman will readily vary the
quantities and sizes for wicks of candles of larger diameter. I would, how-
ever, remark, that I do not confine myself to the use of the wicks mentioned, as
the same may be varied, and I have only been thus particular in describing
the exact manufacture as pursued by me, in order that a workman may not
fail to produce the desired result. For wax candles of half an inch diameter
I use a platted wick of three strands, each strand consisting of two yarns of
No. 6 cotton yarn. For wax candles of five-eighths of an inch diameter,
I use platted wicks of three strands, each strand consisting of two yarns of
No. 5 cotton yarn. For wax candles of three quarters of an inch diameter I
use platted wicks of three strands, each strand being composed of two yarns of
No. 4 cotton yarn. For wax candles of seven-eighths of an inch diameter
I use platted wicks of three strands, each strand being composed of three yarns

page_text: of No. 5 cotton yarn. For wax candles of one, inch diameter, I use platted.
wicks of three strands, each strand being composed of three yarns of No. 4
cotton yarn. For wax candles of two inches diameter, I use platted wicks of
three strands, each strand being composed of seven yarns of No. 4 cotton yarn.
And I have found generally, that for larger candles and for candles of the
intermediate sizes, that the desired sizes of wicks may be obtained by the use
of No. 4 or No. 5 cotton yarn, in the manner above explained. I do not,
however, confine myself thereto, as variations in the size of cotton yarn and
of the numbers of yarns used may be made. And I find that it is desirable to
dip such wicks into the following solution :-
1
2 oz. borax.
1 oz. chlorate of potash.
1 oz. nitrate of potash.
1 oz. sal ammoniac..
3 quarts of water.
I do not, however, make any claim to such process, as it is very similar
to what has been before used in preparing wicks for candles; and I believe
that the solutions used by other manufacturers may be substituted therefor,
and having saturated the wicks, I cause them to be well strained in order to
separate the fluid therefrom as nearly as may be. The platted wicks being
dried, I next cause them to be coated with wax in a cold state by rubbing
it thereon, and this I have found to be most conveniently done by using
a small block or cylinder of wax with a hole through the centre, which being
rubbed to and fro over a wick gives to its surface a complete coating. And
in this state the wicks are used in making candles by casting and rolling,
which are done for the most part in the manner heretofore resorted to when
using twisted cords of cotton, but I do not find it necessary to employ tags as
heretofore. I cause the wicks to be distended on a suitable frame, so that the
parts of a length of wick on which separate candles are to be made shall at a
distance from each other, but parallel one to the other. A quantity of wick
being thus held straight or distended, I next pour on a quantity of melted
wax, in like manner to the casting process heretofore practised, till the thick-
ness obtained is about a quarter of an inch, taking care, however, to use the
melted stuff as cool as may be, in order not to melt the coating of wax already
on the wicks; the candles thus far made are then cut apart, and for the
remainder of the casting processes they are fixed in a hoop as heretofore, and
the casting and rolling processes are performed as heretofore, and as are well
understood. The frame which I use for the first coating process above
mentioned is shewn in the Drawing; it consists of two circular frames a and b,

page_text: the upper one a having radial projections or brackets a', and the lower frame
6 has also similar brackets, which converge towards the centre, and the two
frames a and b are kept apart by means of the bar c, having in it numerous
holes to receive pins under the bar a² of the upper frame, by which the
platted wick may in its several bends be kept straight and distended. The
wick alternately passes under and over two brackets or projections of the two.
frames a and b. In the above description, I have spoken of wax candles as
if only wax were used in such candles; but is well known that other matters,.
particularly spermaceti, is commonly combined therewith, and in making what
are called spermaceti candles in moulds, wax is very commonly combined with
spermaceti. It should therefore be stated that my Invention is applicable to
that manufacture of wax candles which consist of casting and rolling.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I wish it to be
understood that what I claim is the manufacture of wax candles herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Mosdell Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
THOMAS MOSDELL (L.s.) SMITH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of November, in the year
of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Thomas Mosdell Smith came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the First day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.