IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- PACTURE OF CANDLES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIGHT
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PALMER, of Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Candle
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Palmer, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Palmer, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Palmer, 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 MANU-
PACTURE OF CANDLES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIGHT;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Palmer, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
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

page_text: 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
William Palmer, do hereby declare 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, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention relates,―
First, to a mode of manufacturing candles by the application of peculiarly-
formed platted wicks.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of manufacturing candles by the
application of two or more platted wicks in each candle; and,
Thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode of applying lenses to lamps in
order to concentrate and conduct a portion or portions of the rays of the light
to a distance.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried out by a workman, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by
me for performing the same.
of
In manufacturing candles with platted wicks, as at present, the wicks are
constructed or formed by platting three or more clusters or strands of loose
threads, which loose threads are not, previously to plaiting them, intertwisted
or otherwise treated or worked in any manner to cause the various threads to
be formed or fabricated into a cord or line. Now the object of the first part
my Invention is, to apply platted wicks to candles formed by platting
together previously fabricated parts or cords in place of clusters of loose
parallel yarn or thread, by which means, when the wicks consume, they will
maintain the required stiffness, and burn more efficiently than when each
strand or part of the platted wick is composed of several loose yarns or
strands; and in carrying out this part of my Invention, supposing I am desirous s
of constructing platted wicks for candles according to my Invention, I cause
the individual threads or yarn to be formed into a cord or line by twisting
them into what is commonly called cotton cord, or by gymping them together,
or by any other suitable way by which they can be wove or combined together,
so that when a platted wick of three parts is to be made I plat together 3
three such described cords or lines in place of three clusters of loose yarn or
thread.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which

page_text: relates to a mode of manufacturing candles by applying two or more platted
wicks in each candle. It is well known that candles manufactured with
platted wicks so burn that the upper end of the wicks turn outwards, by
which means they do not require to be snuffed; and it may be remarked, that
as there is only one wick in each candle, the direction of the bending of the
wick is not material; but it will be evident that in manufacturing candles with
two or more platted wicks, it is important that the separate wicks in bending
when being consumed should not do so in such a manner as to come in contact
with each other, but that they should each turn outwards, and be at all times
separate one from the other; and I have observed that in consuming platted
wicks of candles, that that surface of the wick, when made as heretofore, or
according to the mode above described, where the strands proceed upwards
from the outer edges towards the centre is the direction towards which the
wick bends, and consequently I find that in making candles with two or more
platted wicks, that they should be so made as to cause that surface of each
wick to be outwards, whilst that surface of each wick where the strands
proceed upwards, and from the centre towards the outer edges, should be
inwards towards the centre of the candle, owing to the circumstance above
noticed, for the wicks will not be found to bend in that direction, but directly
in the reverse direction; and in order to ensure this placing of the wicks when
applying them in the manufacture of candles, I employ a rod of wire, Figure
1 of the Drawing, there being a notch or notches at the lower end, according
as two or more such platted wicks are to be applied to each candle; and in
applying two or more platted wicks to a candle they are placed parallel with
the central axis or line of the candle. The rod or wire a, Figure 1, is
intended for applying two wicks to a candle; and in placing wicks on such rod
or wire I cause one end of the wick to be fastened to the upper end of the
wire by placing it in the notch b, and then conduct that surface of the wick
where the strands of the plat proceed upwards from the centre towards the
outer edges thereof, to lie against one side of the wire rod, and then conduct
it to the lower end of the rod, where the wick passes under it in the notch,
taking care to retain the wick from twisting, and then I conduct the wick
upwards on the other side of the rod, observing the same care in keeping that
surface of the plat from which side it bends in consuming against the surface
of the rod or wire a, and then place the other end of the wick in the notch c.
The wire with the two wicks will then be ready to be placed in a mould to
have a candle made thereon; and I have only further to remark, that in
making candles with more than two platted wicks I use more grooves or

page_text: notches at the end of the rod, and observe the same care in placing the wicks
as above explained. I would remark, in respect to this part of my Invention,
I do not claim the applying two or more wicks generally to candles, it not
being new so to make candles, I having already obtained Letters Patent for
manufacturing candles, each having a series of spiral wicks, this part of my
Invention being confined to platted wicks which are placed vertically, or
nearly so, in the candles.
I will now proceed to describe the third part of my Invention. Figure 2
represents a table lamp, having this part of my improvements applied thereto;
and I would remark, that although the lamp shewn is for consuming candles,
yet this part of my Invention is equally applicable to oil lamps. Figure 3
shows a front and edge view of a lense set in a proper frame. Figure 4 shows
the gallery or holder for the chimney of the lamp in section, together with the
circular frame for receiving the lense. Figure 5 shows a plan of the circular
frame with the gallery of the glass chimney. In each of these Figures the same
letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts. A is the lense, in a frame
B, with a stem having a slot therein, by which the height can be adjusted by the
set screw C, which fixes the stem of the frame to the bolt D, the nature of
which is clearly shown in the Drawing. The bolt D is capable of being slided
more or less into the recesses formed in the circular frame E, which is placed
on the top of the lamp, and which I prefer should have the gallery or holder of
the glass chimney affixed thereto. By this arrangement it will be seen that
one or more such lenses may be applied to a lamp or removed therefrom, as
the use of the lamp may require it, and thus may the rays of light from the
lamp be collected and thrown to a distance in the direction desired.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as the
Invention secured by the present Letters Patent, is,
First, the mode of manufacturing candles by the application of the pe-
culiarly-formed wicks, as herein described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of manufacturing candles by the application of
two or more platted wicks, as herein described. And,
Thirdly, I claim the mode of applying lenses to lamps, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid William Palmer came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and spe-
cified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty.

page_text: In the Matter of a Patent granted to William Palmer, of Sutton
Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Candle Maker,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CANDLES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIGHT," bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and forty, to which a Specification was duly inrolled.
DISCLAIMER proposed to be entered by the said William Palmer with the
Clerk of the Patents of England, pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth
and sixth years of the reign of His late Majesty King William the
Fourth, intituled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for
Inventions."
I, the said William Palmer, did describe the Invention to consist of three
parts, and since the inrolling of the said Specification it has been found that
the first part is not of such practical value as to induce me to wish to retain
the same as part of my Patent, for which reason I wish to disclaim, and I do
hereby disclaim all parts of the Specification which describe or claim such first
part of the Invention. And it has been objected to the third part of the
Invention that it was not new at the date of the Patent; I believe it was new,
but it has gone out of use, for which reason I wish to disclaim, and I do
hereby disclaim all parts of the Specification which describe and claim the
said third part of the Invention. And in order that the title may be consistent
with the Invention which will remain described in the Specification, I do
hereby disclaim that part of the title which consists of the following words
"and in apparatus for applying light."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.

page_text: Patent were duly granted to him under the Great Seal of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and forty, and to which a Specification was duly enrolled; and no
sufficient objection having been made to the said application, I have accord-
ingly granted, and do hereby grant leave to the said William Palmer to enter
& file his said Disclaimer pursuant to the Statute passed in the 6th year of
the reign of His late Majesty, intituled "An Act to amend the Law touching
Letters Patent for Inventions."
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid William Palmer came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Disclaimer
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Disclaimer aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.