Improvements in and connected with Automatic Gas-igniters.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th May, 1899-Accepted, 29th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Automatic Gas-igniters.
I, KÜRT SCHULTZE, of 4, Neue Promenade, in the City of Berlin, Kingdom of
Prussia, German Empire, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
This invention relates to an automatic gas igniter, and which consists of threads
of cotton or like material impregnated with nitrate of aluminium or other highly
refractory soluble earth or earths, the said threads being arranged side by side,
or formed into a bundle or bundles, and connected with each other by very thin
platinum wires wound around the said threads or bundles, or formed into a kind
of mesh so as to represent a metallic web or tissue in which the impregnated
threads may be enclosed.
In addition to the nitrate of aluminium or other highly refractory earth or
earths, the said threads may also be impregnated with a solution of glaze-platinum
that is platinum free of chloride, the said so called glaze-platinum being a com-
pound formed by the combination of freely divided and distributed platinum and
Platinum salt is dissolved in
bituminous substances, especially fossil resins.
any suitable solvent the resin or other bituminous substance being then soaked
with this solution, the whole being subsequently exposed to the action of a redue-
ing agent the result being the so called glaze platinum" and well known and
used as a decorating medium for ceramic wares, and may be mixed with oil of
turpentine in any desired proportion. The degree of strength of this second
impregnation of the various threads in a bundle, or in other words, the strength
of the solutions with which the various threads of a bundle are impregnated, may
differ from the first, inasmuch as the said second solution may contain different
qualities of the glaze-platinum so that there are used as many different solutions
(solutions each of different percentage) as there are threads in a bundle. The
weakest solution contains but very little of the platinum, whereas the strongest
solution is a rather concentrated one, while the strength of the medium solutions,
with regard to each other as well as to the weakest and the strongest ones, is pre-
ferably equal.
If a bundle with such threads is heated to about 75° C., and is then brought
in contact with illuminating gas, the threads commence at once to glow
To heat the bundle of threads to the
intensely, and ignite the said gas.
temperature mentioned, one of the threads may consist of sponge platinum
or be impregnated with a solution of sponge platinum, or a certain quantity
of spongy platinum may be secured to the bundle of threads as a separate
piece. The platinum sponge may, of course, be replaced by any one of the
such for instance as salts
similarly acting platinum-compounds known
As all these substances
of platinum or especially chloride of platinum.
or compounds in the presence of hydrogen or of mixtures of gases containing
hydrogen (therefore also in the presence of illuminating or carburetted hydrogen
gas) become strongly heated, the impregnated threads requiring only a certain

page_text: increase in temperature to become quickly heated to the white-heat and thus
effect with perfect certainty the ignition of the gas.
Most earths, such as aluminium, thorium, zirconium, and the like, combine
with each other at white-heat, and in the presence of metallic platinum in such
a manner, that they incorporate the platinum in a finely divided state at the
place of contact with each other, the fine division of the platinum resulting
probably, from an evaporation of the same as the finely divided platinum remains
alloyed with the earth or earths as long as it remains in contact with the exterior
metallic platinum, but when this contact ceases the platinum spot disappears in
consequence of the continuation of the white heat, which is the reason, that with
the hitherto automatic igniters based on the before described behaviour of the
earths named the desired effect ceased after a comparatively short time. To keep
the automatic igniter lastingly able to produce the effect desired, or in other
words, to prevent the fine particles of the alloyed platinum from losing contact
with the exterior metallic platinum, the fine platinum wires before mentioned
(that are wound around the bundle of threads) have been provided, the object of
these being to always replace the platinum consumed by evaporation. In order,
however, to continually maintain the precipitation of the platinum upon the
base or body of the earth or earths, it is important that the platinum has no
earthy cover, but that it should be perfectly clean, as otherwise there cannot be
the proper contact between the platinum and the earth, and the effect would not
with certainty be obtained. In any case it is not important that the threads be
straight, as they may well be twisted together so as to form a kind of cordon,
and also the platinum-wires may thus be twisted together with the threads.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying draw-
ings, in which similar letters denote similar parts thrughout the several views,
and in which :-
Fig. 1 is a side view of an incandescent body provided with the improved
automatic igniter in question.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the said incandescent body.
Fig. 3 shows another arrangement of the automatic igniter with regard to the
incandescent body the parts being shown located in the interior of a double
chimney.
Fig. 1 is an enlarged side-view of a part of the igniter with the platinum cover
partly removed.
Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the parts shown in Fig. 4, while
Fig. 6 is a full view of the said igniter drawn to actual size.
The igniter consists of the threads which are impregnated in the manner
before described, and held together by platinum-wires e which may be wound
around or otherwise secured to the said threads in any desired way. The threads (¹
may be straight, as in Fig. 4, or twisted together, as in Fig. 6. After the threads
have thus been connected in one or the other manner they are cut into pieces
of about 80 m/m. in length, so as to form short bundles. Each of these is bent
so as to have one end formed into a kind of hook, and the thus bent bundles are
carbonised under the exclusion of air, whereafter each represents a well manage-
able piece, upon the surface of which the metallic platinum threads are distinctly
visible. Carbonising the bent bundles is necessary to prevent them from shrink-
ing, and to produce and maintain compulsorily, the exact form existing previous
to the incineration proper. If a bundle c of the kind described be hung with its
hook placed in the upper end 6 of an incandescent body a (Figs. 1 and 2) and
incinerated while in this position without having been carbonised prior thereto,
it would bend and curve and assume a shape that would completely prevent the
automatic igniter from producing any possible automatic ignition.
In the form of construction represented in Fig. 3 the igniter is suspended
not immediately from the incandescent body, but from a traverse f, supported by
a short inner chimney and holding the incandescent body a b. The igniter c d
is in any case in contact with the incandescent body, and produces at the latter

page_text: the platinised spot e shewn in Fig. 2. This spot, when heated by the igniter,
tends also to ignite the gas, and there is consequently a double certainty given for
the proper ignition. The portions marked are separate or special pieces of
spongy platinum herein before mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st. In an automatic gas-igniter the combination with threads impregnated
with refractory earths and imbued with differently concentrated solutions of
platinum or platinum-compounds, of platinum-wires arranged so as to be in
contact with said threads, for the purposes described.
2nd. In an automatic gas igniter, the combination with threads arranged in
groups, and being first impregnated with refractory earths and then imbued with
differently concentrated solutions of platinum or platinum-compounds, of platinum-
wires arranged so as to be in contact with said threads, for the purposes described.
3rd. In an automatic gas-igniter, the combination with threads impregnated
with refractory earths, and imbued with differently concentrated solutions of
platinum or platinum compounds, of platinum wires arranged so as to connect
said threads with each other substantially as and for the purposes described.
4th. In an automatic gas-igniter the combination with threads impregnated
with refractory earths and imbued with differently concentrated solutions of
platinum or platinum-compounds, of platinum-wires arranged so as to be in
contact with said threads, the latter being carbonised after thus being combined
with said wires substantially as and for the purposes described.
5th. In an automatic gas igniter the combination with threads arranged in
bundles and being first impregnated with refractory earths and then imbued with
differently concentrated-solutions of platinum, or platinum-compounds of platinum-
wires arranged so as to connect said threads with each other, the bundles being
first shaped and then carbonised under exclusion of air after said connection of
the threads and wires substantially as and for the purposes described.
Datod this fith day of May 1899.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.