IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-LIGHTERS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Holmes, of Malvern Lodge, St. James's, New
Cross, in the County of Kent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-LIGHTERS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Holmes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th January 1882.
FREDERICK HOLMES of Malvern Lodge St. James's New Cross in the County of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE LIGHTERS AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Kent.
The Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of fire
lighters and in machinery or apparatus employed therein and relates to those
kinds of fire lighters which are made of shreds, sawings, borings or other refuse of
wood or other materials mixed with resin or other binding and readily inflammable
materials and my improvements in the manufacture of such descriptions of fire
lighters consist in forming a conical or tapered hole therethrough whilst they are
submitted to considerable pressure in a mould or die, by which means I considerably
increase their solidity thereby preventing their breakage in transit and by placing
the large end of the tapered or conical hole downwards in use a large body of
flame is caused to rise up such hole and to become concentrated and intensified by
passing out through the small end of the conical or tapered hole thereby greatly
improving the action of the lighter.
My improvements in machinery or apparatus employed in the manufacture of
fire lighters of the character above described consists of the following arrangement
of parts.
The die is constructed with a lower part or die to receive the material and two
plungers or pressers the lower one of which is formed to fit the die which latter as
also the said plunger are both formed with inclined sides to facilitate the work
and the delivery of the lighters from the die, the upper plunger is fixed to the ram
and is formed with tapered plugs of shape suitable to produce the conical or
tapered hole in the lighter.

page_text: These plugs pass through boles formed in the lower plunger and are of length
sufficient to pass entirely through the die and to just enter holes or recesses
formed in the bottom of the die in order to ensure the tapered or conical hole
being made entirely through the lighter.
For the sake of lightness the lower plunger has the various sections thereof
cored out.
In making a lighter by the aid of a die and plungers of the adove description
the die is first filled with the compound employed, the lower plunger then presses
the material in the die and the upper plunger with the plug makes the hole
through the lighter and as the plug is caused to descend whilst the material is
under pressure in the die the gradually increasing diameter of the plug greatly
aids in the consolidation of the lighter by giving a lateral pressure to the compound
forming the same. In order to enable the said lighters to be manufactured
quickly and in large quantities I form the die aud plungers so as to produce a
number (say nine) at each action of the plungers, and I employ a turntable or
rotating bed and mount therein on trunnions a number of dies so that one or
more of such dies can be filled at one part of the table another or others can
receive the pressure of the plungers at another part and another or others can
be emptied at another part of the table. The mode in which I discharge the
dies of their contents is by turning them over on their trunnions and by
giving a sharp knock to their bottoms or by causing plungers to act upon the
bottoms of the lighters therein. Suitable means are employed for supporting
and securing the dies in their required positions and for supporting them when
under pressure and the turntable or rotating bed is provided with adjusting
and locking means to ensure the dies being stopped and temporarily held in the
required position after which they are released and another brought into position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Holmes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th July 1882.
FREDERICK HOLMES of Malvern Lodge, St. James's, New Cross, in the County of
Kent." IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE LIGHTERS AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
The Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of fire lighters
and in machinery or apparatus employed therein and relates to those kinds of fire
lighters which are made of shreds, sawings borings or other refuse of wood or other
materials mixed with resin or other binding and readily inflammable materials and
my improvements in the manufacture of such descriptions of fire lighters consist in
forming a conical or tapered hole therethrough whilst they are submitted to
considerable pressure in a mould or die, by which means I considerably increase
their solidity thereby preventing their breakage in transit and by placing the large
end of the tapered or conical hole downwards in use a large body of flame is caused
to rise up such hole and to become concentrated and intensified by passing out
through the small end of the conical or tapered hole thereby greatly improving the
action of the lighter.
My improvements in machinery or apparatus employed in the manufacture of
fire lighters of the character above described consist of the following arrangement
of parts.
The die is constructed with a lower part or die to receive the material and a
double plunger or presser one part of which is formed to fit the die the plunger is
fixed to the ram and is formed with tapered plugs of shape suitable to produce the
conical or tapered hole in the lighter. These plugs are of length sufficient to pass
entirely through the die and to just enter holes or recesses formed in the bottom
of the die in order to ensure the tapered or conical hole being made entirely
through the lighter. For the sake of lightness the plunger has the various sections
thereof cored out.
In making a lighter by the aid of a die and plungers of the above description
the die is first filled with the compound employed, the plunger then presses the
material in the die and the plug inakes the hole through the lighter and as the
plug is caused to descend whilst the material is under gradually increasing pressure
in the die the gradually increasing diameter of the plug greatly aids in the
consolidation of the lighter by giving a lateral pressure to the compound forming
the same, in addition to the vertical pressure of the plunger. In order to enable
the said lighters to be be manufactured quickly and in large quantities I form the
die and plunger so as to produce a number (say nine) at each action of the
plungers and I employ a turntable or rotating bed and mount therein on trunnions
a number of dies so that one or more of such dies can be filled at one part of the
table another or others can receive the pressure of the plungers at another part
and another or others can be emptied at another part of the table. The mode in
which I discharge the dies of their contents is by turning them over on their
trunnions and by giving a sharp knock to their bottoms or by causing plungers to
act upon the bottoms of the lighters therein. Suitable means are employed for
supporting and securing the dies in their required positions and for supporting
them when under pressure and the turntable or rotating bed is provided withi
adjusting and locking means to ensure the dies being stopped and temporarily.
held in the required position after which they are released and another brought
into position.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, Figure 2 is a cross section and Figure 3 is a
plan of a fire lighter constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation and Figure 5 is a plan of machinery or
apparatus constructed according to my Invention for the manufacture of my
improved fire lighter. Figure 6 is a longitudinal section and Figure 7 is a cross
section and Figure 8 is a plan of a die or cluster of dies for producing nine fire
lighters at one operation and Figure 9 is a longitudinal section, Figure 10 is a cross
section, and Figure 11 is an underside view of a plunger or connected cluster of
plungers arranged to act with the above mentioned dies. Figure 12 is a separate
view of parts.
a is the fire lighter which according to my Invention is made with a conical or
tapered hole a¹ therethrough produced whilst they are submitted to considerable
pressure in a mould or die by which means I considerably increase their solidity
thereby preventing their breakage in transit and by placing the large end of the
tapered or conical hole downwards in use a large body of flame is caused to rise
up such hole and to become concentrated and intensified by passing out through
the small end of the conical or tapered hole thereby greatly improving the action
of the lighter.
In the manufacture of the above description of fire lighters I employ a die b to
receive the material and a double plunger or presser one part c of which is formed
to fit the die b the plunger is fixed to the ram d and is formed with tapered
plugs c¹ of shape suitable to produce the conical or tapered hole in the lighter.
These plugs are of length sufficient to pass entirely through the die b and to just
enter holes or recesses formed in the bottom b¹ of the die b in order to ensure the
tapered or conical hole a' being made entirely through the lighter. For the sake
of lightness the plunger c has the various sections thereof cored out at c³ as shown.
In making a lighter by the aid of a die and plungers of the above description the
die is first filled with the compound employed, plunger c and plug c¹ then
descend into the die, the plunger imparting a gradually increasing vertical pressure
and the plug a gradually increasing lateral pressure to the compound thereby
greatly aiding in the consolidation of the lighter.
In order to enable the said lighters to be manufactured quickly and in large
quantities I form the die b and plunger c c so as to produce a number (say
nine) at each action of the plungers, and I employ a turntable or rotating bed e and
mount therein on trunnions 62 a number of dies b so that one or more of such dies
can be filled at one part (A) of the table, another or others can receive the pressure
of the plungers c. c². at another part. (B) and another or others can be emptied at
another part (C) of the table. A fixed table f extending about two thirds around
the machine is employed to support the dies in their required positions for filling
and for receiving the pressure and another fixed table g at a lower level occupies
a position to receive the lighters as they are discharged from the dies. The
turntable or rotating bed e is formed of two rings or hoops connected together and
rotating on a vertical axis h and running on rollers h¹ mounting on the framing of
the machine, the outer of such rings is formed with notches e¹ which in combina-.
tion with a weighted lever i act to adjust and temporarily hold the turntable e
with the dies b in the required positions.
Pressure is imparted to the plunger c c¹ by means of a screw j operated by
weighted arms ¹ similar to a fly press and the lighters are discharged from the
die b when the latter has arrived at (C) and has been turned upside down on its
trunnions by plungers k fixed on guide rods and operated by a lever m which

page_text: latter is held fast by a catch n when the plungers k are required to be held in their
raised position.
The uniformity in thickness of the lighters is secured by forming lugs c³ on the
plunger c which on the descent of the plunger come in contact with the top edge
of the die b and thereby secure an equal motion of the plunger at each operation.
I would here remark that if desired the plunger c and the conical or tapered
plugs c¹ may be made to act separately as described in my Provisional Specification,
but since filing the latter I have by experiment discovered that such arrangement
is not necessary.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect I would have it understood that what I claim is,
First. Forming composition fire lighters with a conical or tapered hole therein
by the means and for the purpose substantially as herein shown and described and
Second. I claim the improved arrangement and combination of machinery or
apparatus for the manufacture of composition fire lighters substantially as herein
shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said Frederick Holmes have hereunto set my hands
and seal this Tenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
FRED. HOLMES. (L.S.)