AN IMPROVED MODE OF MANUFACTURING CANDLE MOULDS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Pratt, of Fenton Potteries, in the County
of Stafford, Earthenware Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF MANUFACTURING CANDLE MOULDS."
Sealed the 21st January 1862, and dated the 1st August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Pratt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
August 1861.
I, MATTHEW PRATT, of Fenton Potteries, in the County of Stafford, Earthen-
ware Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED MODE OF MANUFACTURING CANDLE MOULDS," to be as follows:-
Hitherto the moulds used in the manufacture of mould candles have been
composed of metal, but the chemical substances used in the preparation of the
oleaginous compounds intended to be converted into composite candles have been
found to act detrimentally on the metal, and destroy the smooth surface, which it
is desirable the moulds should maintain. Now, in order to prevent the destruc-
tion of the moulds from the above-named cause, I propose to substitute for the
ordinary metal moulds, candle moulds made of glazed earthenware, which will
be unaffected by the heated compounds they are intended to receive. As;
however, it would be impossible to make these moulds after the ordinary
manner employed by potters, that is, casting the plastic material in moulds or
forming them on the wheel, I prepare fine dry clay, and mould it by pressure

page_text: in a metal die. The die I form in two parts, which, when brought together,
will have a cavity of a rectangular or other form suitable for the exterior of
the mould to be produced. Having filled the lower portion of the die with
dry clay, and compressed it sufficiently, I introduce into the die a metal core,
the counterpart of the form the candle is intended to receive, and this core 1
bury in dry clay; I then bring down the other part of the die, and by pressure
complete the moulding of the clay. Moulds thus formed, I fire and glaze in
the usual way of treating earthenware.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthew Pratt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
February 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
PRATT, of Fenton Potteries, in the County of Stafford, Earthenware Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Matthew Pratt, Her special license that I, the said Matthew Pratt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Matthew
Pratt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF MANUFAC-
TURING CANDLE MOULDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Matthew Pratt, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Matthew Pratt, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say).:-

page_text: Hitherto the moulds used in the manufacture of candles have been com-
posed of metal, but the chemical substances used in the preparation of the
oleaginous compounds intended to be converted into composite candles have
been found to act detrimentally on the metal, and destroy the smooth surface.
which it is desirable the moulds should maintain. Now, in order to prevent
the destruction of the moulds from the above-named cause, I propose to sub-
stitute for the ordinary metal moulds, candle moulds made of glazed earthen-
ware, which will not only be unaffected by the heated compounds they are
intended to receive, but will give a better surface to the candles cast therein
than can be imparted by metal moulds. As, however, it would be impossible
to make these moulds after the ordinary manner employed by potters, that is,
casting plastic materials in moulds, or forming them on the wheel, I
fine dry powdered clay, in the manner now commonly practised in the manu-
facture of encaustic tiles, door furniture, and other articles, and mould it by
pressure between metal dies.
prepare
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn in several views an arrangement
of fly press, which I propose to employ in the manufacture of earthenware candle
moulds.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the press; Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in
section and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.
A, A, is the cast-iron bed and standard of the press, firmly secured to a
substantial wooden table B. Through the press head works the screw C of
the ordinary fly-wheel D, and to the lower end of the screw is attached a
slide C, which works in a guide A*, bolted to the standard A. This slide
carries the upper one of a pair of dies E, E*, the lower one being placed
within a die box F, firmly secured by clamps to the bed of the press.. Imme-
diately below the die E* is a discharging rod G, which works up through the
table and bed of the press, and bears against the under face of the lower die
for the purpose of raising it, and discharging the moulded article from the die
box. The rod G is operated by a hand lever H, which is keyed to a shaft I
that rocks in bearings under the table, and has keyed to it a short arm H*,
which projects into a socket formed on the discharging rod. The die box F,
shewn detached in plan view, side elevation, and end view at Figures 4, is
made of cast iron and bound with steel bands. It is pierced at one end to
receive the core K (shewn detached, and on an enlarged scale, at Fig. 5), in
a manner to allow of a little vertical play therein. This core is furnished with
a square bead or shoulder, by means of which it is withdrawn from the die
box. Within this box is an opening for receiving the lower die E*, which is
capable of sliding vertically therein. This opening is enlarged at one end to

page_text: receive a loose block L, which is intended to serve as a guide and support for
the core.
The block is pierced through its centre to receive the core; and a
series of holes is also made in the end of the block for the insertion of a peg
which is intended temporarily to support the block, and keep it just clear of
the bottom of the die box, for the purpose to be presently explained. Bolted
to the side of the table B is a bracket M, which carries the bearings for a
screw shaft N. To this shaft is keyed a hand wheel O, for imparting rotary
motion thereto, and its screwed end takes into a tapped nut attached by pins
to a link piece Q formed with a slotted end for dropping over the head of the
core and embracing its shaft. The object of this arrangement is to ensure the
steady withdrawal of the core after the operation of moulding the candle mould
has been effected. The core, it will be understood, is made of the exact form
required for the candles to be cast; the projected length of the core beyond
the block being equal to the length of the candle. At the extremity of the
core is a pin, which serves to secure a perforation in the end of the clay
mould. The dies E and E* are made with sunk half round faces, as shewn at
Fig. 2. The upper die is shewn detached in side plan and end views at
Fig. 6. It is attached to the slide C by means of a screw at the back of the
die. When the core is introduced into the die box it is slightly raised above
its true horizontal position by reason of the raised position of the guide block L.
The box is then filled with the properly prepared clay, the peg is removed, and
the upper die is brought down sharply by means of the fly-wheel D, and its
screw shaft C, and thereby caused to compress the clay between the dies. This
descent of the upper die will force down the loose block L on to the bottom of
the die box, and bring the core to a position concentric with the faces of the
dies. By this means an equable pressure will be imparted to all parts of the
moulded article. The dry clay being thus solidified the upper die is raised
by the fly-wheel D, the core is withdrawn by turning the hand wheel O, and
by the depression of the lever H the rod G is caused to lift the lower die E*,
and discharge the moulded article from the die box. Candle moulds thus
formed are next to be fired, and they are subsequently glazed on their inner
face and finished by a second firing. When it is desired to fit these candle
moulds with a moveable metal tip, which is now sometimes used by candle
moulding machine makers, the earthenware moulds instead of being tapered
at one end, as above indicated, may be made cylindrical from end to end, the
cone or tip of the candle being moulded by the metal tip, which is used as a
plunger for discharging the candles from the moulds.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Mode
of Manufacturing Candle Moulds, and explained the manner of carrying the

page_text: same into effect; I am aware it has been attempted to manufacture earthen-
ware candle moulds, but hitherto experiments to this end have proved a failure
chiefly from the impossibility of making them retain their desired shape; I do
not therefore claim the manufacture of candle moulds from green or plastic
clay; but what I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent is..
manufacturing candle moulds from pulverized clay, in the manner above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Pratt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
MATTHEW PRATT. (L.B.)