IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PLATTED WICKS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RALPH
KNOWLES WALLER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Candlewick
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 West-
minster, the Eighteenth day of December, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Ralph Knowles Waller, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Ralph Knowles Waller, my exors, aduiors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Ralph Knowles Waller, 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 PLATTED WICKS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CANDLES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
Ralph Knowles Waller, 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.

page_text: tion, 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 Drawing here unto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thercon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates,---
First, to improvements in the manufacture of platted wicks for candles;
and, secondly, to an improvement in the means of applying platted wicks
in the manufacture of dip candles.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, I will pro-
ceed to describe the means pursued by me.
In the manufacture of platted wicks for making candles it has been for the
most part usual to employ three strands, though in some cases larger number of
strands have been used. Now the first part of my Invention consists in making
platted wicks with two sets of three strands, in such manner that two plats of
three strands each are produced and joined together at their selvages, whereby
the central portion of the combined wick is made thicker than the two outer edges
or selvages, and although such platted wicks may be made by hand platting, I
prefer to use a braiding or platting machine, so arranged as to produce two plats
of three strands, and in the act of producing them to cause them to be joined
selvage to selvage. The nature of braiding machines being well understood,
it will not be necessary to enter into a description thereof, nor the manner of
their working, other than shortly to explain how the tappets work to cause
the pipes to inter-plat their strands so as to produce two three-strand plats
joined together. The Drawing shows an outline sketch of three braiding heads
or tables, each having six notches, there being six pipes, and the only peculiarity
of the arrangement is in the use of the tappets a, b, constantly drawn on by
their springs, as is shown. In the revolution of the heads c and d in the
direction of the arrows they will each produce a three-strand plat, and these
plats will be joined together by means of the head e, into which the pipes for
the time being which are producing the selvages or edges pass, so as to link
their strands, and by so doing join the two plats. The other working of the
machinery will be well understood by a workman acquainted with such
machinery.
The second part of my Invention relates to a mode of applying platted wicks
when manufacturing dip candles. It is well known that when making dip
candles with platted wicks, loops are either made at the upper end of each

page_text: platted wick, or else a loop is fixed on to the upper end of each platted wick;
thus in the one case wasting much platted wick, and, secondly, causing
much expence in making and fastening loops to platted wicks. Now
this second part of my Invention consists in using small hooks, wires,
or thin rods (in place of the ordinary rods), which, being pointed, are run
through the upper end of each platted wick, and thus are the wicks suspended
in a suitable manner for being dipped, by which means much expence will be
avoided in the manufacture of dip candles with platted wicks. The peculiar
feature of this part of the Invention is the saving of platted wick by passing
the instrument which suspends it through the wick, such platted wicks being
according to the first part of my Invention; or other platted wicks, according
to the judgment of the manufacturer, may be used.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention; and the best means
I am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood
that what I claim is,―
First, the making of platted wicks for candles by platting two plats of three
strands each, and joining them, as above described.
And, secondly, I claim the mode of applying platted wicks in making dip
candles, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ralph Knowles Waller, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.