AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PARAPPINE CANDLES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Horatio Leonard, of the State of Massachusetts, of
the United States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF PARAPPINE CANDLES."
Sealed the 6th May 1859, and dated the 3rd March 1859.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Horatio Leonard at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 3rd March 1859, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN; that I, HORATIO LEONARD, of the State of Massachusetts, of the
United States of America, have invented "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PARAFFINE CANDLES," and I do hereby declare that the nature of
my Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say):-
The object of my Invention or improvement is to make a paraffine candle
not only with an external surface very smooth and free from cavities, but
having a regular semi-lucent or semi-pelluced appearance, or in other words to
prevent the paraffine candle when made from exhibiting a cloudy or mottled
appearance.
In carrying out my process, I prefer to employ a candle mould in which the
body and tip matrices are separate from each other, and the tip matrix is
applied to the tubular body matrix, so as to be capable of being moved therein

page_text: in a manner to enable a person by such movement to expel the candle from
the mould. Such moulds from my experience I have found to be the best in
making candles of paraffine, as, on account of its being quite rich in carbon,
the paraffine candle has to be made with a wick of very small diameter, and
of course not so strong as those employed in making wax, spermaceti, or tallow
candles.
In passing from a liquid to a solid state, paraffine is very liable to crack or
have a clouded, mottled, or irregular appearance, a very slight change of
temperature being sufficient to produce these effects. This has rendered the
manufacture of paraffine candles a difficult matter, particularly when desirable
to have them present a uniform smooth and semi-pellucid appearance.
After the moulds have been prepared with wicks in the usual manner, they
are to be heated to a temperature of about two hundred and twelve degrees
(Fabrenheit). The most convenient mode of doing this, that I am aware of,
is to fill them with paraffine at or somewhat above such temperature, and after
suffering the same to remain in them a sufficient period they should be tipped
over a vessel so as to discharge the paraffine from them. Any other method
of heating them may be substituted, however, for that above described. The
paraffine of which the candles are to be made should next, and at a temperature
of about two hundred and twelve degrees (Fahrenheit), be suffered to run into
the moulds, and after they may have been filled with it, they should be plunged
or dipped in a bath of water cooled to thirty-four degrees (Fahrenheit), the
water being supposed to come up nearly or quite to their tops. In this bath
the moulds with their contents should be suffered to remain about seven
minutes, the same being long enough to suddenly chill the paraffine in contact
with the inner surface of the moulds. Next, the moulds should be removed
from the water and be placed in a reservoir or body of air kept at a temperature
from thirty-two to forty degrees (Fahrenheit) and there suffered to remain
about twenty minutes. By the air bath, the cooling of the remainder of the
paraffine will be gradual, and at a rate which, generally speaking, will prevent
it from cracking or becoming mottled or cloudy.
. The first and sudden chilling by means of water prevents the external
surfaces of the candles from contracting or being, formed with numerous
indentations, such as will result when the melted paraffine composing a candle
is allowed to cool gradually, either in water or air, in which case the shrinkage
of the matter about the wick or in radial directions therefrom, is very liable to
cause the external surface of the candle to be irregular or to have numerous
small cavities. Although the temperature of the water bath corresponds
nearly with that of the air bath used in cooling the paraffine, yet a much more

page_text: rapid cooling of the paraffine takes place in the former than in the latter, for
the reason that water is a much better conductor of heat than air. Besids,
by the employment of the water bath it is believed that a small amount of
water is taken up by capillary attraction in the candle wick, or otherwise gets
into the mould and become vaporized, and the vapor passes up against the
inner surface of the mould, or in some manner operates to improve the
appearance or quality of the candle. On removal of the candles from the
moulds, more or less condensed vapor is generally found on the outer surfaces
of the former.
The effect to be produced cannot be brought about by the use of a cold air
bath for the surface cooling. Water, or a liquid bath only, will accomplish it,
and moreover it is necessary that the temperature of each bath should be as
herein-before mentioned. Furthermore, it becomes necessary also to have the
moulds at the temperature of the paraffine or thereabouts at the time they are
being supplied with it.
Again, the desired results cannot. be effected by the employment of water
baths for the first and second refrigerations, nor by an air bath for the first,
and an air or a water bath for the second. The water bath must first be
used, and this must be succeeded by the air bath.
I do not claim manufacturing candles by means of moulds, but what I claim
as my improvement in moulding paraffine candles is, the improved process
substantially as described, the same involving the employment of a heated
mould, and water and air baths at temperatures and in the manner essentially
as mentioned.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature and seal, this
11th day of Fehmarn 1850