IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-LIGHTERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Helme, of Caldbeck, in the County of.
Cumberland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-LIGHTERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Helme at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
April 1862.
I, WILLIAM HELME, of Caldbeck, in the County of Cumberland, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-LIGHTERS,"
to be as follows:-
In constructing one description of my improved fire-lighters I employ the
waste blocks of wood out of which a number of cylinders for forming bobbins,
reels, spools, or other similar articles have been previously cut, and which
blocks are either of a square, polygonal, or cylindrical form. For this purpose
I firstly cut out the cylinders for forming bobbins, reels, spools, or other
similar articles from these blocks in such a manner that the whole of the
remaining portion of the block shall remain connected together, thus forming
a skeleton block, instead of forming a number of disconnected waste pieces, as
was heretofore the case through the cylinders being cut out in close contiguity.
I then prepare such skeleton blocks for forming fire-lighters by either simply
dipping one,end or any other part of the said block into molten resin or other
suitable inflammable material, or I more or less fill the holes resulting from
the extraction of the cylinders, as before mentioned, with resin, pitch, or other
suitable inflammable substance, or with shavings steeped in molten resin or
other suitable inflammable substance; or I fix longitudinally in each of the
before-mentioned holes of the blocks one or more thin strips of wood which

page_text: may or may not have been previously steeped in resin or other suitable inflam-
mable substance. When the skeleton blocks are above a certain length I first
cut them up transversely into several short lengths or discs, and these I turn
slightly round one upon the other so that the edges of the holes in one disc
project slightly over the holes in the next piece or disc, and so on; I then
fasten as many of these pieces or discs together as are required for forming
one fire-lighter by means of a pin or pins of wood, iron, or other suitable
material passing through them, and keeping them in the before-described
relative position, whereby the flame catching against the edges of the before-
described holes the fire-lighter is more easily and rapidly ignited. To
accelerate its combustion I steep one end or any other portion of the
combined block into molten resin, pitch, or other inflammable material.
In constructing another description of my improved fire-lighters I employ
solid blocks of wood, which may either be suitably sized waste pieces obtained
in the manufacture of any wooden article or they may be prepared for the
purpose. These blocks I cut, either by means of tools, in "clusters
singly, or by means of straight or circular saws, in "clusters" or singly, in
such a manner that they are formed into a number of parallel discs remaining
connected together by means of a portion of the block which is not cut or
sawn through. The width of the spaces between the discs correspond with
the width of the cutters or saws by which they are formed, and they are made
sufficiently wide to allow free access of the air between the discs, and thereby
cause a sufficient draught to effect a rapid burning.. In some cases I form
these fire-lighters of cylindrical pieces of wood, and cut the discs in such a
manner by cutters that the connecting piece is left in the centre of them. In
other cases I cut the blocks by means of saws so that the connecting pieces.
left between the discs pass right across them, or nearly so, in one direction.
In all the above arrangements I steep one end or any other portion of the
blocks into molten resin, pitch, or any other suitable inflammable material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 30
by the said William Helme in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HELME, of Caldbeck, in the County of Cumberland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Helme, Her special licence that I, the said William Helme, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Helme, my 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
FIRE-LIGHTERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that T, the said William
Helme, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and 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 William Helme, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and. by the following
statement thereof, reference being, had to the accompanying Drawing, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
In constructing one description of my improved fire-lighters, I employ the
waste blocks of wood out of which a number of cylinders for forming bobbins,
reels, spools, or other similar articles have been previously cut, and which
blocks are either of a square, polygonal, or cylindrical form. For this purpose
I firstly cut out the cylinders, for forming bobbins, reels, spools, or other
similar articles from these blocks in such a manner that the whole of the
remaining portion of the block shall remain connected, together, thus forming"
a skeleton block, instead of forming a number of disconnected waste pieces, as
was heretofore the case through the cylinders being cut out in close contiguity.
I then prepare such skeleton blocks for forming fire-lighters, by either simply
dipping one end or any other part of the said block into molten resin or other
suitable inflammable material, or I more or less fill the holes resulting from
the extraction of the cylinders, as before mentioned, with resin, pitch, or other
suitable inflammable substance, or with shavings steeped in molten resin or
other suitable inflammable substance; or I fix longitudinally in each of the
before-mentioned holes of the blocks one or more thin strips of wood which
may or may not have been previously steeped in resin or other suitable
inflammable substance. When the skeleton blocks are above a certain length,

page_text: I first cut them up transversely into several short lengths or discs, and these I
turn slightly round one upon the other, so that the edges of the holes in one
disc project slightly over the holes in the next piece or disc, and so on; I then
fasten as many of these pieces or discs together as are required for forming
one fire-lighter by means of a pin or pins of wood, iron, or other suitable
material passing through them and keeping them in the before-described relative
position, whereby the flame catching against the edges of the before-described
holes, the fire-lighter is more easily and rapidly ignited. To accelerate its
combustion I steep one end, or any other portion of the combined block into
molten resin, pitch, or other inflammable material.
In constructing another description of my improved fire-lighters, I employ
solid blocks of wood, which may either be suitably sized waste pieces obtained
in the manufacture of any wooden article, or they may be prepared for the
purpose; these blocks I cut, either by means of tools, in "clusters" or singly,
or by means of straight or circular saws, in "clusters" or singly, in such a
manner that they are formed into a number of parallel discs remaining con-
nected together by means of a portion of the block which is not cut or sawn
through. The width of the spaces between the discs correspond with the width
of the cutters or saws by which they are formed, and they are made sufficiently
wide to allow free access of the air between the discs, and thereby cause a
sufficient draught to effect a rapid burning. In some cases I form these fire-
lighters of cylindrical pieces of wood, and cut the discs in such a manner by
cutters that the connecting piece is left in the centre of them.
In other cases
I cut the blocks by means of saws, so that the connecting pieces left between
the discs pass right across them, or nearly so, in one direction.
In all the above arrangements I steep one end or any other portion of the
'blocks into molten resin, pitch, or any other suitable inflammable material.
Figures 1 and 2 on the accompanying Drawing, show respectively an
elevation and a perspective plan of one form of my improved fire-lighters. A
is a block of wood, which is here shown cylindrical, but which may be of any
other form, from which cylindrical pieces for forming bobbins, reels, spools, or
other similar articles have been extracted by any known process in such a
'manner that the remaining portion still forms one piece, as shewn, having
cylindrical holes B, B, B, B, resulting from the extraction of the bobbins, &c.
One end of this block is coated with any suitable inflammable substance, as
before described, and the holes B, B, may be wholly or partially filled with
shavings steeped in resin or with any suitable inflammable composition, or they
may be left quite open.
Figures 3 and 4 show respectively an elevation and a perspective plan of

page_text: another arrangement of this form of my improved fire-lighters. Here threo
such skeleton blocks A, A, A, formed as described with reference to Figures 1
and 2, are connected together by means of a pin C of wood or iron; they are
by preference placed in such relative positions that the edges of the holes B, B, B,
project one slightly over the other, as shown. One end of this combined block
is then steeped into molten resin, and the holes B, B, may either be left empty,
as shown, or I fix in them chips or shavings of wood, or I partially or wholly
fill them with any suitable inflammable material or compound to accelerate
their ignition.
Figures 5 and 6 shew respectively an elevation and sectional plan of another
form of my improved fire-lighters. In this arrangement a solid cylindrical
block of wood is operated upon in such a manner by circular cutters that it is
formed into a number of discs A, A, A, A, having spaces B, B, B, between
them, but remaining connected together by means of central portions C, C, C,
which are not cut through. Any portion of the block is then steeped in
molten resin, and, if requisite, some wood shavings, also steeped in resin, may
be fixed in one or more of the spaces B, B, so as to accelerate the ignition of
the block.. Instead of forming the block cylindrical, I sometimes cut the
cylinder in halves, as shewn in Figure 7, or the block may be rectangular as
in Figure 8, or polygonal as in Figure 9.
'
Figures 10 and 11 shew respectively an elevation and a sectional plan of
another arrangement of this form of my improved fire-lighters. Here the
spaces B, B, B, between the discs A, A, A, are formed by means of saws,
leaving portions C, C, C, not cut through, which extend across the block.
Instead of being rectangular, as shown, the block may be of a triangular form,
as in Figure 12, or it may be cylindrical or polygonal.
Figures 13 and 14 shew-respectively an elevation and a sectional plan of
another arrangement of this form of my improved fire-lighters. Here the
portions C, C, C, between the discs A, A, A, which are not cut through, are
on one side of the discs instead of the discs projecting on either side of them,
as in the, before-described arrangement; and in order to increase the draught
through this form of fire-lighter, I sometimes cut through the back portion of
the same, either in the manner as shown in Figures 15, 16, and 17, which
are respectively a plan and end view and a longitudinal section, and where
A, A, A, are the discs, B, B, B, the spaces; C, the connecting portion, which
bas straight cuts D, D, in the reverse direction to the spaces B, B, and
annular and circular incisions E and F; or I simply make a number of
straight transverse cuts in the connecting piece C, as shewn in the perspective
view at Figure 18. In some cases, instead of cutting up the block into

page_text: parallel discs, as described, I cut the same by means of circular cutters in the
manner shewn in Figures 19, 20, and 21, which are respectively a plan of the
top, a plan of the bottom, and a longitudinal section through the fire-lighter,
and in which annular pieces A, A, A, are formed on either side, having
annular and circular spaces B, B, B, B', B', B', and straight cuts D, D, the
cuts or incisions on either side being so arranged, as shewn, that the whole of
the block still remains connected together.
In all these arrangements it is preferred. to steep one portion of the block
into molten resin, and to fix a piece of twine or shaving steeped in inflammable
material into one of the spaces to accelerate the ignition..
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that. I do not limit myself
to the exact configuration of the various forms of my improved fire-lighters, as
shewn on the accompanying Drawing, as these may be variously modified
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but what I claim is,-
Firstly, constructing fire-lighters out of the waste blocks of wood, either
singly or combined, from which cylindrical pieces for forming bobbins, reels,
or other similar articles have been extracted, in such a manner that the whole
of the remaining portion remains connected together, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 on the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly, the construction of fire-lighters wherein a number of incisions are
made in a solid block of wood, in such a manner that a number of projecting
pieces are formed, which remain connected together by reason of the incisions
not having been cut right through the block, substantially as herein-before
described with reference to Figures 5 to 21 on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Helme, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.