A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR CONTRIVANCE FOR EFFECTING THE MORE COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF CANDLES AND SUPERSEDING THE NECESSITY OF SHUFFING
Year: 1838

page_text: DRIGHTS SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
BRIGHT, of Bruton Street, Berkeley Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Lamp Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of January, in the first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Bright, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Richard Bright, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Richard Bright, my exors, admors, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS OR
CONTRIVANCE FOR EFFECTING THE MORE COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF CANDLES AND
SUPERSEDING THE NECESSITY OF SHUFFING;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Richard Bright, 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
Richard Bright, do hereby declare 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 Specification thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: I construct in metal or other suitable substance one or more apertures or
short tubes, separate or united together, one for each wick of the candle; or bars,
wedges, loops, or wire, so formed as to press the wick on one side (Figures 1
to 17). These may or may not be combined with thin perforated plates or
wires a, for conducting heat from the apertures, tubes, or other articles used
for directing the wicks. These heat conductors serve the purpose of softening
and liquifying the candle, thereby facilitating and regulating its due combus-
tion. The contrivance called a wick director is fixed in a frustum of a cone,
somewhat similar to that used in the ordinary candle lamp, and placed over
the top of the candle so that the wick or wicks may be introduced into their
respective apertures, and rise through sufficiently to be lighted. The wick
director turns the wicks in an angular position of about forty-five degrees,
which is continued to the successive portions of the wick passing through.
The wick director may be used to descend on a candle as it burns away by
means of a weighted frustum of a cone (Figure 18), or suitable attached or
variable weights, causing its descent and maintaining its perpendicularity, and
forcing the wicks through at the requisite angle for their perfect combustion.
Another mode of using the wick director is to fix it in the frustum of a cone
belonging to a candle lamp, as shewn (Figures 19 and 20, 19*), and on intro-
ducing the wick or wicks of a candle in the wick director, and lighting them,
they will, by the upward action of the spring on which the candles rests, be
forced through at the requisite angle for their perfect combustion. The tubes
to direct the wicks are round, oval, or flat, accordingly as the wicks may be of
a round or flat form, their lower ends being flanched off so as to allow of easy
passage to successive portions of the wick in passing through; they are also
pierced with numerous small holes to allow of a ready passage of the melted
candle; their size is dependant on the wicks from about one eighth of an inch
diameter, and from one quarter to three quarters of an inch long. In uniting
several metal tubes with or without conducting plates or wires, it is found
eligible to use bard solder on account of the heat to be sustained. Apertures
may be made in thin plates (Figure 17) to direct the wick or wicks in passing
through at such distances from the centre as will give the wick, on protruding,
nn angle of about forty-five degrees. Wedges, bars, or wires acting as wedges
(Figures 8 to 12), are to be made of a width and size dependant on the
situation of the wicks in the candle, so that on coming in contact with the
wick, they will turn it aside at about the angle of forty-five degrees. The
wick director may also be made of wire loops (Figure 15) or in spirals
(Figure 7). Wick directors made in any of the above-mentioned ways, I
prefer fixing to the frustums of cones by wire, or in such a way that the heat
of the flame is not communicated in a direct manner (Figures 21 and 22).

page_text: The wick director may be raised or lowered by a sliding ferrule or other
suitable way, according to the hardness of the candle, Figure 28. The sizes
and shapes of the conducting plates, which are like thin pierced blades or
wires, depend on the hardness of the candle intended to be used ordinarily ;
such as those in the Drawing I find of proper size. The frustum of a cone
or top, to which the wick director is appended, I construct as is seen in
Figures 19 and 20. A small space 6 is formed surrounding the entire upper
part of the tube, which allows of the passage of the fluid portion of the candle
that may trickle down the inner part of the cone through the apertures b, b,
to the external receptacle c, provided for any overflow; by this means the
chances of the inside of the tube or the spiral spring becoming clogged are
lessened. I also, occasionally, attach an outer cone, or a portion of one, or a
shield or shields to the frustum of a cone (Figure 24) (whereby I diminish the
direct heat from the flame on the cone), so fixed as to touch the cone only at
the lowest or farthest part from the flame, leaving an intervening space in all
other parts of at least one sixteenth of an inch. Also, in some cases, this
part of my contrivance is, so formed as to turn over at the top to defend the
outer upper portion of the candle from the direct heat of the flame
(Figure 24).
Another part of my contrivance is a cup d, of which Figures 25 and 26 are
separate views, to receive melted matter that may escape down the candle;
this is to be of a diameter just to move freely within the tube f of the candle
lamp, and of any required depth. At the top of the cup a stage or pierced
plate, somewhat less in diameter, is supported by a wire or wires from the
bottom or sides; on this stage a thin ridge of metal of a T shape is fixed,
corresponding to a similar indentation in the bottom of the candle, for the
purpose of securing it in the proper situation. From the bottom of the cup an
angular wire g or studs are fixed, which passing through corresponding perfora-
tions in the top of the spring cup.h, the candle cup is retained in the required.
position. In order to compensate for the variation of temperature, and
the different bardness or fusibility of the substances of which candles are com-
posed, I use the following contrivance (which, however, I do not claim as
novel) for allowing of an increase or diminution (within certain limits) of the
power of the spiral spring during the consumption of the candle, namely, in
Figures 19 and 20, it will be seen that studs i, i, from the spring seat ; or cup
pass through the vertical grooves k and enter the spiral groove in the outer
case 2;-by-screwing round the casing the scat or cup of the spring is raised and
the spring being thereby compressed, its power is encreased; by reversing the
action, the spring is relaxed and diminished in power. This action may be
also effected by a rack and pinion, or any other suitable means.

page_text: In Figures 27, 28, 29, and 30, the cone, the receptacle, and upper part of
the tube are shewn separately, and in Figure 31 those parts are all locked
together. m is one of two studs which keep the cone in its proper position;
n is one of two hooks passing under the studs m and into the gaps o, locking
all these parts together. In Figures 28 and 30 are shewn the arms p, p, for
holding globes or other shades. As far as my experience goes, I find the
candles may be made of any of the ordinary substances: two parts of tallow to
one of stearine make a very serviceable candle. The wicks may be round or
flat. I find those preferable that are made of a woven cotton case (somewhat
like the article known as flat bobbin); this filled with threads of cotton forms a
suitable wick; also a cotton wick, wove solid, somewhat similar to patent sash
line, answers well. The wick or wicks of the candles are to be placed centrally
in the mould, and not nearer each other than one sixteenth of an inch. I do
not mean or intend to confine myself to the use of any limited number of
wicks in one candle.
Of the different parts of my said apparatus I claim as my peculiar Inven-
tions, and as my novel contrivances, the following, namely: the wick director;
the heat conductor; my method of conducting the superfluous melted matter
from the inner part of the cone to an external receptacle; the cup on which
the candle rests, and the protecting cone or shield; and as to all the other parts
of the said apparatus, I do not claim them, except in combination for the
purposes and in manner before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Bright, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth of July, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-eight