IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Grainger Tandy, of Penge, in the County
of Surrey, Gentleman, and Frederick Henry Smith, of Peckham
Rye, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Grainger Tandy
and Frederick Henry Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 12th December 1874.
We, GEORGE GRAINGER TANDY, of Penge, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, and FREDERICK HENRY SMITH, of Peckham Rye, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates more particularly to that class of lamp which is
used for burning hydrocarbon oils, though the Invention may also be
applied to lamps in which vegetable or other oils are burned.
The object of the Invention is to facilitate the trimming of the lamps
and to simplify their construction, and consequently reduce the cost of

page_text: manufacture by dispensing with certain parts of the burner. We also
dispense with the use of the ordinary plaited cotton wick and employ in
lieu thereof strips of any fabric, such as cloth, felt, flannel, linen, or
cotton fabric.
In carrying out our Invention as adapted to railway carriage lamps
for burning hydrocarbon oils we dispense with the ordinary wick holder
and elevator, using in place thereof a flat hollow chamber open at
top and bottom so that it may receive a short length of any thin material,
by preference a woollen fabric, to serve as a wick. The flat hollow
chamber is firmly secured in the centre of the dome in any convenient
manner, and the wick is introduced into the chamber by means of a
strip of tin or other metal. The lower portion of the strip is left wider
than the upper part so as to form shoulders which will bear against the
bottom of the chamber and prevent the strip being pushed too far
through it. The wick which may be a strip of, say, thin felt, and must
not exceed the width of the chamber, is turned down a short distance
over the upper edge of the strip of metal, and is then inserted into the
hollow chamber and pushed up to the full height that the strip of metal
will allow. By this means the wick will always be properly trimmed,
and being folded over and unable to spread, as is usual with the plaited
cotton wicks, will present an even surface for the flame and the un-
pleasant smoke and smell which arise from badly trimmed wicks will be
avoided.
In order to re-trim the wick it is only necessary to withdraw the metal
strip with the wick and fold over a small piece more of the wick and
reinsert them both into the hollow chamber. If desired the strip of
metal may be withdrawn as soon as the wick is in its proper position,
as there will be sufficient spring in the folded material to retain it in its
place.
As a modification of the above the strip of felt wick may be folded in.
half and inserted into the hollow chamber, and by means of a longer
metal strip pushed some distance through the chamber, the strip of
metal is then withdrawn, and into the loop thus formed a short piece of
wire is introduced; the wick is then pulled down until it is stretched
evenly over the wire, and thus an even surface of wick will be presented.
In this instance the wire may be withdrawn as soon as the wick is
properly set.

page_text: As another modification the piece of wire just referred to may be
soldered across the upper end of the chamber, and the wick may be
passed up through the chamber over the wire and down again.
It will be evident that the above improvements may be equally well
applied to the ordinary so-called "paraffin lamps."
In adapting our Invention to moderator lamps or to other lamps in
which a circular wick is employed we use a tin or other metal cylinder,
round the outside of which the strip of felt or other material is wrapped,
and is folded over the top edge into the inside of the cylinder, and the
cylinder and wick are then introduced into the wick holder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Grainger Tandy and Frederick Henry
Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
GRAINGER TANDY, of Penge, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, and
FREDERICK HENRY SMITH, of Peckham Rye, in the County of Surrey,-
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said George Grainger Tandy
and Frederick Henry Smith, Her special licence that we, the said
George Grainger Tandy and Frederick Henry Smith, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Grainger
Tandy and Frederick Henry Smith, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Grainger Tandy
and Frederick Henry Smith, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and

page_text: seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Grainger Tandy, on
behalf of myself and behalf of the said Frederick Henry Smith, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
:-
Our Invention relates morc particularly to that class of lamp which is
used for burning hydrocarbon oils, though the Invention may also be
applied to lamps in which vegetable or other oils are burned.
The object of the Invention is to facilitate the trimming of the lamps
and to simplify their construction and consequently reduce the cost of
manufacture by dispensing with certain parts of the burner. We also
dispense with the use of the ordinary plaited cotton wick and employ in
lieu thereof strips of any ordinary fabric, such as cloth, felt, flannel, or
cotton fabric.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shewn our Invention as
adapted to railway carriage lamps for burning hydrocarbon oils con-
structed according to former Patents granted to one of the present
applicants.
In carrying out our Invention we dispense with the ordinary wick
holder and elevator, using in place thereof a flat hollow chamber A
(shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4) open at top and bottom so that it may
receive a piece of any thin material, by preference a woollen fabric to
serve as a wick. The flat hollow chamber A is firmly secured in the
centre of the dome B by soldering or in any other convenient manner,
and the wick is introduced into the chamber by means of a strip C of
tin or other metal, shewn detached at Figures 1ª and 2ª. The lower
portion of the strip may be left wider than the upper part so as to form
shoulders which will bear against the bottom of the chamber A and
prevent the strip being pushed too far through it. The wick which-may
be a strip of, say, thin felt is turned down a short distance over the
upper edge of the strip of metal C, and is then inserted into the hollow

page_text: chamber A. and pushed up to the full height that the strip of metal will
allow. By this means the wick will always be properly adjusted, and
being folded over and unable to spread, as is usual with the plaited
cotton wicks, will present an even surface for the flame and the un-
pleasant smoke and smell which arise from badly trimmed wicks will be
avoided.
In order to re-trim the wick it is only necessary to withdraw the metal
strip C with the wick and to fold over a small piece more of the wick and
reinsert them both into the hollow chamber.
In order to keep the wick exactly in the centre of the wick holder
projections may be punched on opposite sides of the strip of metal, as
shewn at a, Fig. 1º, and these projections bear against in the sides of tho
holder and keep the tin equidistant from the sides thereof. If desired
the strip of metal may be withdrawn as soon as the wick is in its proper
position, as there will be sufficient spring in the folded material to retain
it in its place. In this case stops must be provided to prevent the strip
of metal from being pushed too far through the wick holder. The forms
of metal strips which we prefer are shewn in Figures 2 and 2*. In
Fig. 2 the strip is bent at right angles at the proper distance down, and
at Fig. 2 a piece of wire is soldered across the plate for the same
purpose.
As a modification of the above the strip of felt wick may be folded in
half, sce Fig. 3, and inserted into the hollow chamber A, and by means
of a longer metal strip C it may be pushed some distance through the
chamber A; the strip of metal is then withdrawn, and into the loop thus
formed a short piece of wire is introduced transversely, as seen at ʊ,
Fig. 4. The wick is then pulled down until it is stretched evenly over
the transverse wire b, and thus an even surface of wick will be presented.
A metal cap D, Fig. 1, is secured by solder or otherwise to the wick
holder and fits over or into the oil reservoir so as to prevent the vapour
from the oil from ascending into the dome and mixing with the air from
the air supply pipes, and causing an explosion in the dome.
The above improvements may be easily applied to the ordinary so
called "paraffin lamps."
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Lamps,"
and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, wo
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters -