IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEALING WAX, WHICH COMPOUNDS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
DAVIS, late of New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, but now of the
Poultry, in the City of London, Optician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date - at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of November, in the fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Isaac Davis, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that..
I, the said Isaac Davis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such.
others as I, the said Isaac Davis, my executors, administrators, 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 mentioned, 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
SEALING WAX, WHICH COMPOUNDS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Isaac
Davis, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her
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: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said Isaac
Davis, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following description thercof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
These improvements in the manufacture of sealing wax consist in forming
the wax into small sticks, each of which may contain a sufficient quantity for
one seal, or that the stick shall be long enough for two scals or more, by being
double in its length, with a cut in the middle. To the end of each single stick
so formed, or to the outer ends of the double stick, a detonating combustible,
or highly inflammable substance, is to be attached, which may be ignited by
friction, or by bringing it into contact with acid, or by any other known
means by which such highly inflammable compounds can be made to ignite
so as to set fire to the stick of wax to which it is attached. I do not mean to
confine myself to any one particular method of manufacturing these small
sticks of scaling wax, nor to any one peculiar chemical compound which
may be applied thereto, for the purpose of iguiting them by friction or other-
wise; but in order that the Invention may be clearly understood, I have
shewn in the accompanying Drawing several views of apparatus which will
be found very convenient for making these small sticks, as a considerable
number of them may be produced at one time, in the manner I am about to
describe. Figs. 1, in the accompanying Drawing, represent at full size two of
the small sticks of wax for scaling notes, the detonating or highly combustible
composition at the end being colored yellow. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, shew con-
venient forms of holders, in the clips of which one of the smȧ'l sticks of wax
may be held while igniting and using them for scaling. Figs. 2 and 3 are
common clip holders, the latter having the piece of scaling wax held in it.
Figs. 4 represent in two views a more ornamental holder made of silver or
other metal, and having a scal at one extremity. In this holder the forceps
or clips are slidden in and out as in an ordinary pencil case, and the jaws of
the forceps are made to collapse and hold the end of the stick of wax, as shewn,
by sliding up a small ring a, connected to the forceps. Figs. 5 represent
another construction of holder, the upper part of which constitutes spring clips
When the stick
for holding the stick of sealing wax by sliding up the ring a.
of wax has been melted in these clips and the letters sealed, it will be necessary
to discharge the remaining small piece of wax from the clips, which may be
done by pushing up the sliding shaft b, shewn best in the section. The
apparatus for making these small sticks of sealing wax is shewn in Figs. 6, 7,

page_text: 8, 9, and 10. Fig. 6 represents a horizontal or top view of the apparatus, the
cover or upper flap being raised up. Fig. 7 is a front or vertical view of the
same. Fig. 8,. a transverse section, the parts being in like positions; and
Fig. 9, the apparatus with the flap closed, or as just having formed or moulded
a certain number of sticks. Fig. 10 represents a perspective view of the
apparatus, in which the flap is closed, as in the last-mentioned Figure.
This apparatus consists of two metal plates, A and B, connected together by
a hinge joint, having a number of semicircular or it may be other shaped
grooves, so formed in each that they may be coincident when brought together,
which is done by bringing down the handle C, the grooves in the two plates,
when united, forming cylindrical or other shaped moulds or recesses, as shown
in Fig. 9. The bottom plate A is to be secured to a bench or table by screws,
bolts, or otherwise, and the upper plate B, turning on the hinge part a, a, is
moved by the handle C. This apparatus is used in the following manner :-
The plates being in the open position shewn in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, a sufficient
quantity of wax, melted or softened into a fluid or semifluid state in
any convenient manner, is placed on the lower plate A, A, when the
upper plate B, B, is brought down with force on to the wax by means
of the handle C, as before said, into the closed position shewn in Figs:
9 and 10. The wax by these means becomes moulded into the proper
forms, and when removed from the apparatus the sticks, if adhering
together, may be readily separated. After this the detonating combustible or
highly inflammable chemical compound is applied in a fluid state to the ends
of the sticks by dipping them into the fluid compound, or in any other con-
venient manner. The upper or moveable plate B, I find it convenient to.
divide longitudinally into compartments by the insertion of a thin cutting plate
of steel or other metal b, b, which is placed there for the purpose of dividing the
lengths of wax in their middle so as to produce sticks of the desired lengths. This
thin cutting plate b, b, forms a nick on each stick as seen in Fig. 8; and when
the wax is removed from the apparatus it is easily broken into the proper lengths.
For the convenience and economy of forming a very considerable number
of these small sticks of sealing wax at one operation, I sometimes employ
a larger and more powerful apparatus, is represented in the Drawing upon
a reduced scale at Figs. 11 and 12, Fig. 11 being a side view or vertical
elevation of the apparatus fixed upon a work bench; and Fig. 12, a horizontal
or top view of the same. This apparatus consists, as before, of two grooved
plates A and B, the moveable plate being raised and lowered by a long power-
ful lever C. In this instance there may not only be a greater number of flutes
in the plates, but the plates may be sufficiently broad to mould small sticks of

page_text: wax of any required lengths; and may be divided transversely into compart-
ments by the insertion of cutting slips or ribs b, b, as before described, so as to
nick or separate the sticks of wax into the short lengths required. I have
occasionally found it convenient, instead of using a detached holder, as shewn
at Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, to insert the ends of two of the small pieces of sealing
wax into a tube made of reed or quill, or some other suitable material, as shewn
at Figs. 13. In this case I prefer casting the small pieces of wax into the
tube, and for that purpose employ the apparatus shewn at Figs. 14 and 15.
Fig. 14 is an elevational section of the two fluted or grooved plates A and
B, with the block D, and pressing lever C. Fig. 15 is a horizontal view of
the grooved plate A, along the middle of which I place in a row the reeds or
quills, one in each groove; upon these the fluted bar E is laid for the
purpose
of holding the reeds securely in their positions. Then, having spread the soft
wax upon the plate on each side at the ends of the reeds, the block D, with
the upper plates B, B, is brought down by the lever C, and pressed with great
force, which causes some of the wax to enter the ends of the reeds and to
adhere thereto, as shewn at Figs. 13. I have found that the pressure which
"the wax undergoes in the moulding apparatus above described considerably
improves its quality, and I adopt the same mode of casting or moulding by
"pressure for making sticks of sealing wax of a larger size, as I find that by
Eso pressing they come out of the moulds with a beautiful external polish.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim,
First, making sealing wax in small sticks, each stick consisting of only a
sufficient quantity of wax to form a single seal, or it may be a double stick,
having a nick or cut in the middle, or nicks in several places, for separating
them, and also applying an inflammable detonating or highly combustible
'compound or substance to the ends of such sticks of sealing wax, in order
that they may be ignited by friction, or by any other suitable means, as
above stated.
".
I likewise claim the adaptation of small tubes of reed or quill, as holders
for the said small sticks of sealing wax, and the peculiar construction of holder
shewn at Fig. 5, for the same purpose.
I also claim the pressing apparatus herein shewn and described, for the
making or manufacturing sticks of sealing wax; but I do not intend to confine
myself to that particular construction of apparatus in making such sticks.
of sealing wax, as they might be made by other forms of machines. But I
claim the forming, by moulding, sticks of sealing wax under pressure, which
produces a beautiful form, and gloss or polish on its surface.

page_text: Inrolled the same Eleventh day of May, in the year above written.