Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Fire-lighters.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Fire-lighters.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM GRAINGER, of 2 Myddleton Road, High Street, Hornsey, in the
County of Middlesex, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to he
as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of fire lighters, of the kind or class known
as wheel fire lighters, and is designed to expedite and cheapen such manufacture, and
to construct the fire lighters in such a way that they do not require any
circumferential binding and will hold together when burning in a much more efficient
manner than heretofore.
The main feature of my invention that the component parts of my improved
fire lighters are jointed together, for example, by feather and groove connections, or
by dove-tailing or otherwise connecting them so that they will hold together firmly
without requiring extraneous fastenings.
According to one part of the invention instead of forming the fire-lighters as
heretofore, that is by building them up piece by piece and securing the rim or
felloe portions in position by a cord or other suitable binding, I form the fire lighters
in long lengths which are afterwards cut or sawn transversely to obtain the separate
fire-lighters. To this end the lengths which are to form the fire-lighters are built
up of radially arranged strips which carry other strips arranged circumferentially,
the object being to form a cylinder or tube of approximately the same cross-section
as the fire-lighters are intended to have, say for example octagonal. The radial
strips or pieces may if desired be notched, dove-tailed, or otherwise jointed
into a round rod or bar, forming when cut the hub or centre pieces of the fire-
lighters. The circumferential strips and the radial strips are also notched dovetailed
or otherwise jointed together, and their surfaces may be rounded or curved as
desired. These circumferential strips may abut against each other at their edges or
may be separated by suitable spaces or intervals, so that the rims of the wheel
fire-lighters will either be continuous or interrupted. The ends of the strips
where two or more abut against each other may be notched or otherwise jointed
together.
According to another part of the invention instead of forming the jointed fire-
lighters in lengths, I form them with radial pieces arranged cross-wise or in the form
of an X, and notched or recessed into one another at the centre, thus dispensing
with the usual centre-piece or hub. The rim segments or portions may be jointed
to the ends of the arms in any suitable manner. In some cases two pairs of crossed
pieces may be connected side by side, either parallel with or alternating with each
other, and pieces of bast, matting or other suitable fibres or materials may be
inserted between them. The segments or rim pieces of one set of arins may be
adapted to fit into those of the other set or be suitably jointed to them.
After the jointed fire-lighters are formed they are placed in a cage or tray and are
dipped in melted resin or other inflamniable material.
The notches or recesses for the joints may be formed by a set of circular or band
saws working side by side, or by any other suitable tools, and the cutting up of the

page_text: tubes or cylinders into the separate fire-lighters may also be performed by a series
of saws working side by side so as to cut off several fire-lighters at a time.
arnis.
The shape of the fire-lighters may be modified by varying the length of the radial
Thus square fire-lighters may advantageously have four longer diagonal arms
alternating with four shorter ones.
5
Manufacture of Fire-nighters.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM GRAINGER, of 2, Myddleton Road, High Street, Hornsey, in the
County of Middlesex, Builder, 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 the manufacture of fire-lighters, of the kind or class known
as wheel fire-lighters, and is designed to expedite and cheapen such manufacture, and
to construct the fire-lighters in such a way that they do not require any circumfer-
ential binding and will hold together, when burning in a much more efficient manner
than heretofore.
The main feature of my invention is that the component parts of my improved fire-
lighters are jointed together, for example, by feather and groove connections, or by
dove-tailing or otherwise connecting them so that they will hold together firmly
without requiring extraneous fastenings.
An important feature of the invention is that instead of forming the fire-lighters as
heretofore, that is by building them up piece by piece and securing the rim or felloe
portions in position by a cord or other suitable binding, I formn the fire-lighters in
long lengths which are afterwards cut or sawn transversely to obtain the separate fire-
lighters. To this end the lengths which are to form the fire-lighters are built up of
radially arranged strips which carry other strips arranged circumferentially, the object
being to form a cylinder or tube of approximately the same cross-section as the fire-
lighters are intended to have, say for example octagonal.
In order that my invention may be easily understood and readily carried into effect
I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of an octagonal fire-lighter constructed according to my
invention.
-
Figure 2 is an isometric elevation of the built up cylinder from which hexagonal
fire lighters are cut.
A A are radial strips having grooves a a to receive the circumferentially arranged
strips B B. The strips A are dovetailed at a¹ into the central rod or hub C which is
pierced longitudinally at c. The dotted lines D D in Figure 2 show the points at
which the built up cylinders are cut transversely to form the separate fire-
lighters.
In some cases the circumferential strips B are arranged so as to abut against each
other at their edges or they may be separated by suitable spaces or intervals, so that
the rims of the wheel fire-lighters will either be continuous or interrupted. The
ends of the strips where two or more abut against each other may be notched or
otherwise jointed together.
Although I prefer to construct the fire-lighters in lengths as above described I in

page_text: some cases construct them separately. When so doing I form them with radia
pieces arranged cross-wise or in the form of an X, and notched or recessed into one
another at the centre thus dispensing with the usual centre-piece or hub C. The
rim segments or portions may be jointed to the ends of the arms in any suitable
manner. In some cases two pairs of crossed pieces may be connected side by side,
either parallel with or alternating with each other, and pieces of bast, matting or
other suitable fibres or materials may be inserted between them. The segments or
rim pieces of one set of arms may be adapted to fit into those of the other set or be
suitably jointed to them.
After the jointed fire-lighters are formed they are placed in a cage or tray and are
dipped in melted resin or other inflammable material.
The notches or recesses for the joints may be formed by a set of circular or band
saws working side by side, or by any other suitable tools, and the cutting up of the
tubes or cylinders into the separate fire-lighters may also be performed by a series
of saws working side by side so as to cut off several fire-lighters at a time.
The shape of the fire-lighters may be modified by varying the length of the radial
arms. Thus square fire-lighters may advantageously have four longer diagonal arms
alternating with four shorter ones.
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 :-
1. A method of manufacturing fire-lighters consisting in building up a cylinder of
strips jointed together substantially as described and then cutting the said cylinder
transversely into separate portions.
2. A fire-lighter comprising a number of radially and circumferentially disposed
portions jointed together substantially as described.
3. A fire-lighter constructed substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawings.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.