Improvements in Lamp Wicks or Burners.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 1st June, 1895
Zealand, Clerk in Holy Orders.]
Improvements in Lamp Wicks or Burners.
I ALBERT JOHN AITKENS of Lower Camden, Chislehurst in the County of
Kent Colonial Broker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to improvements in the wicks or burners of those lamps in
which the oil or other combustible liquid is fed to the burner by the capillary
action of cotton or other wicks. It is well known that the end of such a wick
which is nearest the flame soon becomes charred and such charred portions-has
frequently to be removed and the end of the wick trimmed so as to ensure an even
flame. One object of this invention is to produce a wick which shall require less
attention and shall last for a considerable time, and for this purpose I proceed in the
following manner. Having wound the ordinary cotton or other wick down in its
tube until its end is a convenient distance below the top thereof I fill up the
remaining upper portion of such tube with a suitable refractory powder, such, for
example, as crushed or ground pumice stone. This is packed more or less lightly
on to the top of the cotton or other wicks, the oil from which permeates the said
powder, which itself forms a more or less indestructible channel for conveying the
oil to the point of combustion of the burner.
Dated this oath dow of Talw 1904
Improvements in Lamp Wicks or Burners.
00
I, ALBERT JOHN AITKENS, of Lower Camden, Chislehurst, in the County of
Kent, Colonial Broker, 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, that is to say:
This invention relates to improvements in the wicks or burners of those lamps in
which the oil or other combustible liquid is fed to the point of combustion by the
capillary action of cotton or other wicks. It is well known that the end of such a
wick which is nearest the flame soon becomes charred and such charred portion has
to be frequently removed, and the end of the wick kept trimmed or cut so as to
ensure the production of an even and steady flame.
The chief object of this invention is to produce a wick which shall require very
little attention and shall last for a considerable time, and for this purpose instead
of continuing the cotton or other similar capillary wick to the point of combustion,
I interpose between such point and the upper part of the cotton or other similar
[Price 8d.1

page_text: capillary: wick & quantity of any suitable more or less refractory or incombustible
powder such as crushed or ground pumice stone, for example, or a mixture thereof
with any other suitable powder.
In applying my invention to a lamp of the ordinary construction provided with
a cotton wick for example I lower the said wick in its tube until its upper end is a
convenient distance below the top thereof, and I fill up the upper portion of such
tube with the beforementioned powder, and as soon as the oil or other combustible
liquid has sufficiently permeated the cotton or other capillary wick, and the powder,
press the latter more or less lightly towards and on to the upper end of the cotton
wick and level the upper surface of the powder and make it even.
The lamp may
then be lighted at the said upper surface of the powder, and that portion of the
wick being practically incombustible will last a considerable time without requiring
any attention. When the upper portion of the compound wick, that is to say the
powder portion, has been once arranged so as to give the required amount of flame,
no winding or other adjustment of the wick is afterwards necessary.
In specially constructed lamps I prefer that the wick tube should be extended
downwards nearly to the bottom of the oil reservoir, its lower portion being
preferably perforated in order to admit oil to the wick. The lower perforated
portion of the tube may be filled with a cotton wick, cotton wool or other suitable
material capable of raising the oil by capillary action, and I fill the upper and
unperforated portion of the tube with the powder hereinbefore mentioned, or if
preferred the cotton or other capillary material at the lower end of the wick tube
may be dispensed with and the powder alone used as the wick to convey the oil to
the point of combustion. I prefer also to slightly taper the extreme upper end of
the wick tube inwards so that the area of its upper orifice shall be slightly less than
its area say one half inch below the top.
If desired any suitable means may be provided for regulating the flame but such
provisions are not usually required for the reason before stated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
--
First. The improvement in lamp-wicks or burners which consists in the employ-
ment of refractory or incombustible powder interposed between the point of
combustion and the cotton or other capillary wick, substantially as described.
Second. A lamp-wick or burner composed of refractory or incombustible material
placed at the point of combustion and of cotton or other similar capillary material
arranged and adapted to deliver the oil to the said refractory or incombustible
material, substantially as described.
wick or
Third. The employment of refractory or incombustible powder as
burner for oil lamps, substantially as described.
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