IMPROVEMENTS IN MODERATOR LAMPS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Gustave Eugene Ménage at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th November 1882.
GUSTAVE EUGENE MÉNAGE of Guilford Street East in the County of Middlesex
Lamp Maker "IMPROVEMENTS IN MODERATOR LAMPS
"
Moderator lamps as hitherto constructed for burning colza oil are unsuitable for
burning mineral oil owing to the different nature of the two oils the principal
difficulty which has attended the attempts hitherto made to use pretroleum in
moderator lamps being that when the lamp is charged the pressure of the spring
causes the plunger to sink into the oil in the body of the lamp instead of merely
forcing the said oil through the oil tubes as when the lamp is charged with colza
oil and the lamp therefore after burning for only a short time requires to be
wound up
•
The object of my invention is to provide for the use of mineral oils in moderator
lamps.
According to my said invention I use a light or weak spring for actuating the
plunger instead of a strong spring as usual and in order to prevent irregularity in
the flow of oil to the wick owing to the great difference of pressure of the spring
when fully compressed and when more or less expanded I form the regulator which
is arranged within the lower oil tube or the oil tube carried by the plunger larger
in proportion to the size of the said tube than in the case of ordinary moderator
lamps and instead of forming the said regulator as usual I form it of a cylindrical
rod the diameter of which is reduced at different parts of its length that part of
the rod which when in place is uppermost being the part of largest diameter and
that part which is lowermost being the part of smallest diameter and the inter-
The rod thus
mediate part or parts being of intermediate diameter or diameters
fashioned has the appearance of three or more cylinders or rods of different
diameter joined together end to end
By the use of the light spring the sinking of the plunger in the oil is prevented
and by the use of the regulator hereinbefore described the feed of oil to the wick
is rendered uniform notwithstanding the varying power of the spring
To provide for the overflow of the surplus oil fed to the wick and the return of
the said oil to the body of the lamp I form holes in the outer tube of the wick case
.

page_text: at a suitable distance from the upper end of the said case and around the said case
at the part where the said holes are formed I forin a box or casing into which the
over flow passes and from which it is conducted to the body of the lamp
The risk of ignition of the over flowing oil by the flame of the lamp is thus
prevented
Owing to the weakness of the spring it is necessary that all parts of the lamp
should work as freely as possible. In order to provide for the free working of the
oil tubes I use cork for packing the said tubes instead of leather which is ordinarily
used as I have found that cork is more elastic than leather when saturated with
petroleum
To provide for the free motion of the rack by which the plunger is raised I
connect the said rack by means of a universal joint at its lower end to a rod
connected to the said plunger and in order to limit the motion of the rack on its
joints I surround the lower part of the said rack and the rod to which it is
connected with a tube of a diameter sufficient to allow the rack the required
amount of play