CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF CANDLESTICKS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,-JAMES
BARLOW, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brassfounder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the second year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Barlow, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said James Barlow, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said James Barlow, my executors, administrators,
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 mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF CANDLESTICKS," being partly a communication from a foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said James Barlow, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same 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

page_text: Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Barlow, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
These improvements in the construction of candlesticks consist, firstly, in a
new mode of holding the candle securely in the socket; and, secondly, in
peculiar methods of connecting the parts of a candlestick together without
solder.
The form of the candlestick is not necessarily effected by the adaptation
of these improvements; therefore they may be applied to almost every
shape of candlestick. It will, however, suffice to shew them in connection
with some of the usual kinds and forms, as from thence it will be perceived
that very slight alterations only may be necessary to adapt the same improve-
ments to other kinds and shapes.
The accompanying Drawing represents at Figure 1 a vertical section of
an ordinary table candlestick. a, a, is the socket; within this is situate an
elastic holder b, b, for the end of the candle to be inserted, into which is
formed of a number of spring tongues combined in the manner shewn at
Figure 2. A convenient method of making elastic holders is shewn at
Figure 3. A plate of thin steel, or it may be some other metal, is cut into
a star form; its ends or tongues are then bent up to the shape of the elastic
'holder represented in Figure 2; but I do not intend to confine myself to this
particular mode of constructing an elastic holder, as it might be formed by
springs combined in several other ways. A disc of metal c is attached to the
base of the elastic holder 6 by means of riviting or otherwise. The edge of
this disc is turned down all round as a broad flange, which is made to embrace
--and hold fast one-end-of a-cork, to be afterwards driven firmly into the shaft
of the candlestick, as at d, d, Fig. 1. By these means the elastic holder b is
secured in its proper place within the socket. In some instances the cork is
'dispensed with, and the disc and holder fastened to the socket by pins, screws,
rivets, or other modes of attachment, as shewn in Fig. 4. Or the elastic
holder may be made of a cylindrical form at its lower part, and be riveted or
otherwise attached immediately to the socket without employing a disc. I
also sometimes fasten the elastic holder to the top of the socket, or to the
nozzel, so as to allow the spring tongues to project above the candlestick, and

page_text: in some cases I attach the holder by means of what is called a bayonet fasten-
ing, in order that it may be readily detached if necessary. A cup e, in which
the bottom of the candle rests within the spring holder, is attached to the top
of the rod f, constituting what is commonly called the "push up," for raising
the candle in the socket, and which I also employ for expanding the elastic
holder when a fresh candle is to be introduced. Some other forms of candle
holder applicable to the same purpose I shall describe hereafter. The form of
Fig. 1 is that of our ordinary cast-metal candlestick, in the manufacture of
which I propose no novelty.
The second feature of my Invention (viz.), the peculiar methods of con-
necting the parts of a candlestick without solder, applies principally to those
which are called in the trade "sheet hand" candlesticks. It perhaps may be
scarcely necessary to observe, that the several parts of such candlesticks
when properly shaped are usually connected. together at the junctions. by
solder or brazing. This improvement, it is therefore to be observed, is a
method or methods of forming such junctions by locking and bolting the parts
together, in which I employ a peculiar kind of bolt, when a bolt is used
for attaching the foot to the shaft. These descriptions of candlesticks, as
Fig. 4, usually consist principally of three parts, the nozzel a, a, the shaft b, b,
and the foot c, c. The shaft is a cylindrical tube of metal cut to the required
length, and has a flange turned inward at the lower end. This tube is to be
placed in suitable tools, for the purpose of forming an indentation at the
upper end.
In order to effect this object, I provide a pair of cylindrical steel dies,
shewn partly in section at Figure 5. These dies are exactly fitted to the
tube, and in their upper parts have a circular recess or groove d, d, the lower
part being formed with a shoulder for the flange of the tube to rest upon.
The tube being inserted in the hollow part of the die A, A, the plunger B,
constituting part of the upper die C, is then introduced, and by the pressure
exerted from above a portion of the tube is forced out into the circular recess,
and made to form a bead or boss at d, d. The tube so prepared, as the shaft
of the candlestick, is now ready for receiving the nozzel to be attached to its
upper end, the part for the nozzle a, a, having been formed in the ordinary
way by stamping. The shaft b, b, above described is to be introduced into
another hollow die, shewn in section at A, A, Fig. 6. The nozzle a, a, having
a circular aperture in the middle, is then placed upon the shaft bearing upon
the boss or bead, as shewn by dots at d, d, and the plunger B being inserted,
pressure is exerted by the upper die Con the top of the tube, sufficient to crush its
end outward, and bring the parts together so as to secure the nozzle to the shaft

page_text: in the way shewn at Fig. 4.. Although the principal parts of a "sheet hand"
candlestick are usually united by soldering or brazing, the foot is sometimes
attached to the shaft or socket in a manner similar to that shewn in Fig. 4,
where the plates or discs e, f, g, are employed in securing the socket and foot
together by means of the solid bolt h. But as the solid bolt h prevents the
.stem of the "push up "from passing through the bottom of the candlestick, I
employ in lieu thereof a tubular rivet or hollow bolt, as shewn at i, i, i, i,
Figures 8, 9, 11, and 12, and I sometimes cause the tubular rivet or bolt i, i,
to include the flange of the spring holder, and thereby attach it firmly to the
bottom of the socket, as shewn in Figures 8 and 11. A cork being firmly
driven into the hollow bolt i, i, prevents the tallow from leaking out when
melted, and also provides a convenient passage for the stem of the "pusher-
up." The lower end of the shaft may also be connected to the foot by locking,
in a similar manner to that 'described for locking the nozzle and socket
together, see Fig. 7, where a cork is also shewn, through which the stem of the
"pusher-up" also passes. This cork is secured in its place by being forced in,
and then expanding into a recess formed in the shaft, as shewn in the Figure.
The manner of connecting the parts of the candlestick may however be varied
without deviating from the above principle of locking the junctions; some
examples of which are shewn in Figures 7, 8, and 9. In Figure 7 the nozzle
is formed with an external flange turned downward, which is connected to the
upper part of the shaft (previously prepared with a small lip turned outward
and downward) by pressure, in a similar manner to that described in reference
to Figures 5 and 6. The nozzles of Figures 8 and 9 have each an internal
flange connected to the upper part of the shaft by pressure in like manner.
In some instances I attach the end of the stem of the "pusher-up" to a sliding
piece k, Figure 4, situate within the shaft, and raise or depress the " pusher-
up" by a ring 1, l, connected to it, which slides on the outside of the shaft. In
some cases I make the spring candle holder moveable, as at Figure 9, by
attaching it to a sliding staple m, m, which is connected to a ring n, n, sliding
-on-the outside of the shaft of the candlestick. By raising the sliding staple, as
at Figure 10, the spring holder is allowed to expand, when the candle may be
introduced, and on pushing it down again, as at Figure 9, the springs are
made to collapse and hold the candle securely.
Figure 11 shews another modification, in which the arms of the holder are
made to collapse within the socket by sliding down a ring p, p, which is con-
nected to an internal ring or nibs pressing against the sides of the springs.
And I sometimes construct the holder by attaching three convolute springs to
the internal part of the socket, and expand them when a candle is to be intro-

page_text: duced by means of a snail cam, as shewn at Figure 12, which may be readily
turned round by any convenient contrivance below. I would here remark
that I sometimes attach my candle holder to a false nozzle; and I would also
observe that the above-described improvements are applicable to every descrip-
tion of candlestick, whether made of silver, brass, iron, tin, or any other suitable
material.
Lastly, I desire it to be understood that I claim as one of the features of this
Invention of improvements in candlesticks, an elastic holder for the candle,
connected to the socket, by whatever means and however formed, and also the
modes of joining the parts of candlesticks by locking or securing them together
in the manner set forth in the above description and Drawings.
. In witness whereof, I, the said James Barlow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
JAMES (L.s.) BARLOW.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of October,
in the third year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said James
Barlow came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of
the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-nine.