IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES, NIGHT LIGHTS, AND CANDLE LAMPS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CHILDS, of Earl's Court Road, Old Brompton, in the County of Middlesex,
Wax Bleacher, 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 Sixteenth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Childs, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Childs, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said James Childs, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES, NIGHT LIGHTS, AND CANDLE LAMPS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said James Childs, should
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 said Majesty's High Court of Chancery

page_text: within six calender 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Childs, 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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in bleaching and otherwise
improving palm oil, wax, and sperm, used in the manufacture of candles and
night lights, by the application of oxides of chlorine. And this part of my
Invention also consists of employing oxides of chlorine to bleach and otherwise
improve tallow and other fatty and oily matters when in an acid state.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in preparing wicks, and in
the manufacture of candles, by coating such wicks with fatty acids when
making candles of tallow or other unacidified matter.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
night lights, by using different materials in strata.
Fourthly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
night lights, by employing boxes or cases of wood in place of the materials
heretofore.employed for such purposes.
Fifthly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of night
lights, by employing metal boxes or cylinders in such manufacture, in place of
the materials heretofore used.
And, sixthly, my Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
candle lamps, by employing glass or earthenware in the making of the nozels
of such lamps; and in order that my Invention may be most fully understood,
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me-
In carrying out the first part of my Invention, supposing I am operating
on palm oil (which is the material most requiring the process), I prefer to
operate on pressed palm oil, which has been bleached by the atmosphere when
kept melted in shallow pans, but I do not confine myself thereto. When
operating on a ton of such pressed palm oil, I boil the same up in a wooden
vessel by means of free steam, and allow it to settle for two hours; I then draw
off the palm oil into another vessel, and add two pounds of chlorate of potash;
after this has boiled for about a quarter of an hour by means of free steam, I
add four quarts of sulphuric acid (S. G. 1·8) diluted with an equal bulk of
water; then continue the boiling by means of free steam for about twenty

page_text: minutes, and add another pint of sulphuric acid, diluted as before with water,
and continue the boiling for about two hours more; I then allow the matters
to repose for six hours, when it is ready for use. I would remark, that I am
aware that it has been attempted to employ chlorine for bleaching palm oil
and fatty matters, but it has been found that when chlorine has been used,
candles made from fatty matters so treated give off a bad smell, and smoke
when burning; but by treating palm oil, wax, and sperm according to my
Invention, the advantages of the bleaching properties of chlorine are obtained
without the prejudicial effects thereof. And I would state that although I have
above explained what I believe to be the best means of operating, by means of
oxides of chlorine, I do not confine myself thereto. And I would state that
although I have only described palm oil, wax and sperm may be similarly
treated. In treating tallow and other fatty and oily matters when in an
acid state, supposing the matters brought into an acid state by saponification,
then I prefer to use the oxides of chlorine when separating or decomposing
the soap; in other respects the description above given will apply, and, when
operating on tallow and other fatty and oily matters which have been acidified
by the use of acids, then the process will be performed as above described in
respect to palm oil.
of
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists of pre-
paring those classes of wicks of candles which do not require to be snuffed
when used in candles made of tallow or other unacidified matter; and this part.
Invention consists of coating such wicks with stearic acid. I prefer,
for this purpose, the stearic acid of tallow, but do not confine myself thereto;
and it will be found that candles, made with tallow or other unacidified matters,
will be much improved by the application of such coated wicks..
my
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which consists of im-
provements in making night lights. Hitherto, night lights made in boxes have
cach been made of like material and substance throughout; now, according to
this part of my Invention, I make the lower part of a different material to
the upper part, by which means I am enabled materially to reduce the cost
of manufacture, as a comparatively low-priced material melting at a low tem-
perature may be used for the lower part of a night light in a case or box,
and the upper part of a better or higher melting matter.
Another improvement in the manufacture of night lights consists of
employing boxes or cases of thin wood in place of paper; for which purpose I
have small boxes made of thin wood in like manner to what similar boxes have
heretofore been made for other purposes, and I produce night lights therein

page_text: by the means heretofore employed when using paper boxes, or cases, or
by employing different matters in strata, as above explained, and it will be
found that the night lights made with wood boxes or cases are more trans-
parent than paper.
Another improvement in the manufacture of night lights consists of em-
ploying thin metal boxes or cases in place of the materials heretofore used; by
this means incombustible boxes are obtained, and for this purpose I prefer to
employ metal tin, which is capable of being made into very thin boxes or
cases, and then make night lights therein, as heretofore when using paper
boxes, or cases, or as above described in strata; the tin; when thus. used,
retaining its value as metal, and such would be the case supposing other thin
metal were used in carrying out this part of my Invention, and thus would a
saving be obtained in such manufacture in place of employing matters for such
boxes or cases, which become useless after being once made up into a night
light.
The sixth part of my Invention consists of manufacturing the nozels of
candle lamps of glass or earthenware. Heretofore the nozels have been
made of metal, which conducts heat freely to the candles, which are placed in
contact therewith; by employing nozels made of glass or earthenware, they will
be found less conductive of heat, and more useful than metal.
Having thus described the nature of 'my Invention, I would remark that I
do not confine myself to the details as herein given, so long as the peculiar
character of any part of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,―
First, the bleaching and otherwise improving palm oil, tallow, and other
matters used in the manufacture of candles and night lights, by the application
of oxides of chlorine.
.
Secondly, I claim the improvements in manufacturing candles of tallow, or
other unacidified matter, by employing therein wicks (which do not require
snuffing), coated with stearic acid.
Thirdly, I claim the manufacture of night lights of materials in strata.
Fourthly, I claim the manufacture of night lights in wood boxes or cases.
Fifthly, I claim the manufacture of night lights in metal boxes or cases.
And, sixthly, I claim the manufacture of the nozels of candle lamps of
glass or earthenware.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Childs, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
.
JAMES (L.S.) CHILDS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid James Childs came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.