IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES AND NIGHT LIGHTS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PALMER, of Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Manu-
facturer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of Novem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Palmer, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Palmer,
my exors, admiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Palmer,
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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES AND NIGHT LIGHTS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Palmer, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Palmer, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
The first part of my Invention consists of combining resinous matter with
tallow or candle stuff in the manufacture of candles and night lights.
The second part of my Invention consists of improvements in wicks which
are made into a spiral form; and also improvements in preparing wicks for
candles by cementing thereto yarn or thread or fibrous materials.
Thirdly, my Invention consists in preparing wicks, in combination with
candle stuff, which possess the property of bending out of the flame of candles,
so that wicks may be stiffened, and, when required, slightly flattened, with the
bending side corresponding with the flattened side, by which the winding will
be prevented, and the wicks rendered fit and proper for being placed on to
spreading frames, or on to distending or preparing frames, or on to wires for
candle making, and by which the bending out of the flames will be rendered
more accurate and uniform than when not so prepared...
Fourthly, my Invention consists of improvements in the means and appa-
ratus used for spreading wicks for dip candle making, by which expedition,
exactness of length and distance apart, and requisite stiffness by coating, are
obtained.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention, I reduce white rosin or
other resinous matter to powder, and stir it with candle stuff when the same
is at as low a point of temperature as possible, and lower than the melting
point of the rosin, to admit of the compound being poured into moulds or
made into dip candles, and I apply such powder in quantities according to the
judgment of the workman, say, five to seven and a half per cent.; and I make
candles of such compounds in combination with wicks which have the property
of bending out of the flames as well as straight wicks.
In carrying out the second part of my Invention I impart stiffness to wicks
which are made into and used in a spiral form by gymping cemented or
stiffened thread or yarn in with the yarns or threads composing a gymp wick.
I take a small thread of cotton, composed of two, three, or more yarns, and
wind it on to a bobbin, and from that bobbin I.draw the end of the cord
through warm paste (which is the stiffening material I prefer, but other may
be used,) on to a reel of four arms to dry, wiping off the superfluous quantity.
of paste as it is wound, and I spread the thread oyer the reel so as to cause it

page_text: to hold the largest quantity. When dry I'wind the stiffened cord or thread
off the reel on to a bobbin, or gymp it along with the threads or yarns of
which a wick is to be composed, using one paste: or stiffened cord or thread
to each length of wicking. These lengths are then made into the spiral form;
and introduced into candles heretofore when using spiral wicks.
I will now describe the means of preparing wicks by cementing thereto
yarns or threads or fibrous material.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 is a section, and Figure 3 a front view of a
machine for carrying out this part of my Invention. a, a, is a drum or cylin-
der of large circumference, which I prefer to cover with sheet zinc, the axes
of which turn in bearings on the side framing of the machine, the axis a¹
having a spiral thread upon it which works in a female screw formed in the
bearing a², so that when motion is cominunicated to the drum a, the screw
axis a' causes it to traverse backwards or forwards according to the direction
in which the friction wheel or pulley b on the axis 6' is turned. The coil of
wicking to be pasted or stiffened is contained in the can c, the end being
passed between guides, and under what I call the trowel or pressing instru-
ment d, which is grooved at the part where the wick passes under it. The
wick is to be fastened to the surface of the drum a, so as to move therewith.
The end of a thread or fibrous material e' coated with wet paste is to pass
over a guide, and under the groove in the trowel or presser d, and thus to be
cemented to the wick as it is wound on to the drum a. The trowel or press-
ing instrument d is hinged to the end framing, as shown, and it is retained
in its proper position by the turn-button di which presses against the franiing,
so as to give the requisite pressure. By turning the handle on the axis b¹,
the friction wheel 6 will give motion to the drum a, and the wicks c' will be
wound spirally on the drum a, together with the wet pasted thread or yarn e¹
from the bobbin e, coated with wet paste or other suitable cement. The
bobbin e has a small weight e suspended to it to impart a slight degree of
friction. The thread I have used for the pasted thread is about the quality
of darning cotton when the wicks are for ordinary dip candles, and I employ
finer yarns or threads coated with 'paste or cement for platted wick and for
small cord wicks, and such yarn, thread, or fibre so coated with cement is
applied or cemented to the wicks in the manner above explained. I have
also used cotton roving carefully and evenly twisted with a yarn or fibrous
material cemented thereon. When it is required to give to cord wicks the
property of bending out from the flame, I am careful to use very lightly
twisted cord wicking, and not to stretch it while passing it under the trowel d
by too much weight. When the pasted thread is. dry, the wicking may be

page_text: taken off the drum and applied in the making of candles in the ordinary
manner.
I will now describe the third part part of my Invention, which consists in
winding wicking (which possesses the property of bending out from the
flame) evenly on to a drum (preferring a large diameter), or on to a flat
surface, and when so placed they are to be saturated with candle stuff, or
they may be saturated by passing through warm stuff, and placed, while
warm, on the surface or drum; or the wicking just described, according to the
second part of my Invention, as having been wound on to a drum, may be
saturated while in that state without removing it. The wicking thus satu-
rated or coated with candle stuff, when cold, I remove by taking hold of the
end, and when it sticks passing the thin blade of a knife under it. I then
pass it through the hand to supple it, and the wicking is ready for making
candles with one wick; or I place such wicks, or any wicking which has the
property of turning outwards, and which has been previously saturated with
candle stuff, when two or more are to be used, in straight lines, or it may be
slightly spiral, on to wires, (with the side (which in burning) is convex next
the wires, or the side on which the pasted thread or yarn is fixed (if the sort
of wick is used); or I place such or other saturated or coated wicking on to
frames to hold them distended while they are united and coated witli candle
stuff; and it will be found that wicks so prepared will possess the property of
bending or turning out from the flame while burning with more certainty and
with greater uniformity than when not saturated previously to such process of
placing them on wires or on frames.
I will now describe the fourth part of my Invention. Figure 4 shows
a plan, Figure 5 a side elevation, and Figure 6 a transverse section of a
machine for carrying out this part of my Invention. a, a', is an axis turning
in bearings on the frame b, which slides on fixed guides on the table c. d is
an upright fixed to the table c which supports the screw socket d', through
which the screw axis a¹ works. e, e, is a rectangular frame to which the
candle rods e', e¹, are attached, and the frame e is carried by and turns with
the axis a, as shown. f is a reel or bobbin containing the wicking, the end
of which is passed under a grooved roller placed near the bottom of the vessel
g containing the melted tallow or candle stuff, and thence through the guide
h, and attached to the candle rod, as shown. Motion being communicated to
the axis a by the handle a², the frame e will be caused to revolve and travel
along, winding the wicking spirally upon the two candle rods, which are to be
removed, together with the frame e, from the axis a, to be coiled, and after-
wards cut through the centre. The rods being then removed from the frame

page_text: e, the wicks thereon will be evenly spread ready for making into candles. I
would here remark, that in using the machinery here shown I prefer passing
the wicking previously prepared or otherwise through melted candle stuff, and
winding it on to the frame while warm.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the details as herein described, so long as the peculiar
character of any part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the combining of resinous matter in the state of powder with tallow
or other candle stuff when manufacturing candles and night lights with wicks
which turn out of the flames when burning as well as with straight burning
wicks.
Secondly, I claim the manufacture of spiral wicks for candles as herein
explained, and also the cementing yarns, threads, or fibrous matter on to
wicks for candles.
Thirdly, I claim the means herein described of saturating wicks with candle
stuff. I also claim the employment of two or more previously saturated wicks
that bend out from the flame when wires are used. And I also claim the
employment of two, three, or more previously saturated wicks that bend out
from the flame when such are put on to frames to be united and retained in
position by candle stuff without the use of wires.
Fourthly, I claim the improvements in the means and apparatus used for
spreading wicks as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty one