IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DIP CANDLES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
BROWN, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Surgeon Dentist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of October, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Brown, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Charles Brown, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
J, the said Charles Brown, my exors, adiñors, 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, make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DIP CANDLES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Charles
Brown, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Brown, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereor
(that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to a mode of manufacturing dip candles, whereby
candles made by a dipping process are rendered more regular in their shapes
than can be accomplished by the ordinary mode of making dip candles. And
in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed, in the
various Figures of which the same letters of reference are used to indicate
similar parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine, properly arranged for shaping dip
candles according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the machine; Figure 4 is a front eleva-
tion of the machine; Figure 5 is a plan of the machine, partly in section;
Figure 6 is a plan of the apparatus used for. holding the wicks of the candles
when shaping the external surfaces of the candles. The nature of the
other Figures, showing parts of this machine on a full-sized scale, is written
on the Drawings, and are referred to by the same letters of reference which
are used in the other Figures. a, a, shews the framing and construction
of the table and fixed parts of the machine, the nature of which will be
readily traced on examining the Drawings. is a vessel for receiving the
tallow or fatty matter which is removed from the candles in the act of
shaping them by means of guages, through which the candles are drawn, and
by which the outer surfaces of the candles are removed; such guages being
kept heated in order to melt off the surface of the tallow or other material
of which the candles are composed, by which the excess may more readily be
removed. c, c, is a frame which slides up and down between the upright end
framings of the machine; this frame c, c, is constantly borne upwards by
means of a weight suspended to a cord d, which passes over pulleys, and is
conducted to any convenient position; and the frame is lowered by means
of the chains e, e, fastened to the frame c, c, and to the pulleys f,f; such chains
passing under the pulleys g. g. The pulleys f, f, are affixed to the axis h,
which turns in suitable bearings, as shewn. i is a crank handle affixed to the
axis h, by which the workman causes the frame c, c, to descend, in order to
bring the candles carried thereby below the guages or shaping apparatus
hereafter explained. The loops of the wicks of the candles are rather longer
than is usual, in order that the candles thereon may hang below the shaping

page_text: apparatus, and they are placed on ordinary rods. The candles are made in
the ordinary manner by repeatedly dipping them into the tallow or material
of which they are formed, the workman taking care to make each candle as
regular and equal in its form as may be, in order that the apparatus, when
shaping them, may have to remove as little as possible of the material from
the surfaces. The workman having made a quantity of dip candles rather
full-sized, that is, somewhat larger than the finished candles, places the same
into the machine above described. The machine shown is suitable for receiv-
ing six rods j, j, each with eighteen candles; but machines may, if desired, be
made applicable for receiving more or less candles at one time. The rods j, j,
are placed in blocks k, k, which are placed in the frame c, c, of the machine,
as is shewn in the Drawings; the candles descending through the openings
formed in the plates l, m, the plate l being a fixed plate in the frame c, c, and
the plate m slides on the plate 1, each plate having as many holes as there are
candles, and the holes are of such a size that the candles can readily pass
through the plates when the holes in them are coincident, but when the upper
one m is slided the wicks are received in the notches n, n, and held fast. The
plate m is retained in its place by guides; m' and m² are handles on the plate
m, by which the plate is readily slided by hand; m³ are stops which prevent
the sliding of the plate too far; m³ is a sping catch with a projecting stud,
which enters into either of the holes in the plate, as shown; and thus is the
plate m held fast. It will be evident that the holding of the candles may be
accomplished by any other convenient apparatus, the object being to hold
the candles by their wicks correctly in the centres of the guaging or shaping
apparatus. The candles on the rods j, j, being thus held by the plates
1, m, are in a condition to be lowered through the guages or shaping
apparatus. The Drawing only shews one candle in the machine, but it
will readily be understood that each candle would be similarly circumstanced
to the one shown, and to have shewn the whole of the one hundred and eight
candles which the machine is capable of receiving at one time would only
have tended to confuse. The apparatus for guaging or shaping the candle
consists of three parts, o, p, and q. The part o is a hollow plate, having as
many holes through it as there are candles operated on at one time, such
holes being of a size large enough for the candles to pass through them
freely; this hollow plate is kept heated by steam or hot water, or by other
convenient means; r being an induction pipe, and s an eduction pipe to and
from the hollow plate o. The apparatus for guaging or shaping the candles,
I prefer to be as shewn in the Drawing, but the same may be varied so
long as the same is suitable for removing the exterior surfaces of the candles,

page_text: in order to render the shape thereof more uniform; and although I use
the apparatus for finishing candles after the process of dipping is complete,
yet I have found that where candles are required somewhat larger than the
guages are prepared for, that such larger sizes of candles may be made more
uniform in the surfaces than ordinary dip candles, by using the guages on the
candles, and then causing the shaped candles to be dipped once or twice after
the shaping; but I prefer to have guages or shaping apparatus for each size of
candle made, and to use such shaping or guaging as the last process of the
making of dip candles. The shaping or guaging apparatus consists of two
sliding plates p and q, the plate p resting on the plate o, by which it becomes
heated, there being as many holes through the plate p as there are candles to
be operated on; and such plate has several curved projections p³, forming one-
half of each of the tubular guages through which the candles are passed, such half
tubes p¹ passing through the openings formed on the plate q, which plate q has
similar halves of tubes q¹ formed therein, whereby when the half tubes on the
plates q,p, respectively are brought together, they form a series of hollow dies or
shaping instruments slightly conical, which passing over the candles, remove
the excess of tallow or other material. The plates p, q, are removed by means
of the bar, which has openings 1, 2, and projecting pins a, y, affixed to the
plates p, q, enter these slots or openings, hence the moving of the bar by the
lever w, causes the apparatus to be opened or closed as required, the plates p, q,
being retained between guides. The candles having been lowered so to hang
below the guages or shaping apparatus, and the guages closed, as above ex-
plained, the workman allows the frame c, c, to ascend by the unwinding of the
chains, the weight being suitable for carrying up the frame c, c, together with
the candles, and for drawing the candles through the shaping apparatus (the
workman keeping his hand on the crank handle to regulate the movement of
the candles through the shaping apparatus), by which the several candles will
have their surfaces melted and removed, and they will be made more regular
from end to end, thus greatly improving the manufacture of dip candles, and
in fact a novel manufacture of candles will thus be obtained, mould candles
having been usually made tapering, in order that they may deliver freely from
the moulds.
I would remark that it will be evident that the details of the above machine
may be varied without departing from my Invention; and, although I prefer
that the guage pieces should be heated as herein described, I do not confine
myself thereto, as I have sometimes used them cold, but in such cases I prefer
that the passage through them should be cylindrical. In order to improve the
upper parts of the candles made by dipping, I employ heated nozles, which are

page_text: caused to be pressed on to the upper parts of the candles before they are sub-
jected to the process of shaping above described; for this purpose 1 employ a
machine similar to that above described, but having different shaping apparatus
from that above described. The sliding plates p, q, and parts for working the
same are similar to those above described for the shaping apparatus before
described, but in this case the parts p², q', in place of being suitable for having
the candles passed through them, they are formed into hollow cones suitable
for forming the tops of candles into proper shape, similar to the nozels of
moulds in making mould candles; and it should be remarked that in using
these nozels or cones (they being kept hot by means of the hot plate o), the
candles are raised into them, so that the nozels melt away the excess of tallow
or other material, when the candles are to be again lowered, and again quickly
brought into the cones, and again lowered, by which the candles will be better
finished at the tops than if only once acted on by the cones or nozels, the
apparatus is then opened and the candles removed.
I would remark that if the nozel apparatus is to be used after the shaping
apparatus, or the shaping apparatus after the nozel apparatus, then it will be
desirable to have the holes in the plate o, and the shaping apparatus arranged,
that the blocks with the rods j, j, of candles can be moved from one machine
to the other. In the apparatus shown, it would require that the rods should
be moved into other blocks, when taking the rods of candles from one machine
to the other for performing these two separate processes, which is the manner
I am at present working. In order to finish the lower ends of the candles,
I place the blocks and the rods j, j, with the shaped candles hanging there-
from into the machine, Figures 7 and 8; Figure 7 being a side elevation in
section; and Figure 8 being a front view in section. The moving parts of
this machine is such as are used in making dip candles, commonly called the
"horse's head;" but in this case the candles are in a shaped and finished state,
excepting as to their lower ends, and the machine is employed for lowering the
ends of the candles on to a hot plate kept heated by hot water, steam, or other
convenient means, as is well understood when heating plates or surfaces for
other processes of manufacture; this machinery, and the hot plate or apparatus
separately, not forming any part of my Invention. This
part of my Invention
enables me, by having in the first place made the candles too long, and conse-
quently too heavy, to adjust the weight of a quantity of candles at the same
time I am shaping the ends thereof, the "horse's head" indicating, by being in
fact a weighing machine, when sufficient has been melted off to give to the
candles the proper weight.
Having thus described my Invention, and the best means I am acquainted

page_text: with for performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no
claim to any of the parts separately, of which the machinery and apparatus
herein described are composed, nor do I confine myself to the details shewn, so
long as the peculiar character of either part of my Invention be retained; but
what I claim is,―
First, the mode of manufacturing dip candles by causing them to be drawn
or passed through holes or guages, whereby the outer surfaces are rendered
more uniform and regular, as above described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of forming the upper ends of dip candles by
means of heated nozels, as above described.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of forming the lower ends of dip candles, by
causing the lower ends thereof to be melted by a hot plate, in combination with
a weighing machine or "horse head," as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.