IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBON BURNERS FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Wetter, of New Wandsworth, Surrey, for an
invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBON BURNERS FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS
A communication to him from abroad by William Stanley, Junior, of Bergen,
State of New Jersey, United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jasper Wetter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1882.
JASPER WETTER, of New Wandsworth, Surrey, "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBON-
BURNERS FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS," a communication to me from abroad by William
Stanley, Junior, of Bergen, State of New Jersey, United States of America,
It has been found that hair from the human head, as well as that taken from
the bodies, manes and tails of certain animals, is admirably adapted for the
manufacture of carbon burners for incandescent electric lamps. The present
invention consists in a carbon burner for electric lamps produced from hair; also,
in the method of preparing or producing such hair carbons, substantially as herein-
after set forth. A desirable method of forming or producing such carbons, is to
take strands of hair, preferably from the human head, and immerse them in an
alkaline bath of sufficient strength and during sufficient time, to remove the
greasy or fatty matter therefrom. Instead, however, of treating the hair with
alkalies, dilute sulphuric acid, or other weak acids may be used which will have an
affinity for the oil or fatty matter and will not materially injure the structure of
the hair; so also, by exposing the hair to a gentle heat for a considerable length of
time the larger proportion of oil and grease can be removed by evaporation. After
the removal of the fatty matter the strands or filaments of hair can be laid straight
upon a plate of glass or other smooth surface and retained in that position till
thoroughly dried by any convenient means, as by sticking the ends upon the plate
by the use of any adhesive substance adapted for the purpose, or even by the
moisture of alkalies or acids by which they have been treated. When the strands
of hair are dried, they are placed in suitable moulds or flasks provided with grooves
or channels in which the hairs are brought into the form or shape for use and are
then carbonized by heating the flasks to the required temperature in the
ordinary way for carbonizing materials for incandescent lamp carbons. When
the carbonization is complete the hair is ready for application to the lanp, and
may be attached to the leading-in wires in any desired manner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jasper Wetter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th December
1882.
JASPER WETTER, of; New Wandsworth, Surrey IMPROVEMENTS IN CARBON-
BURNERS FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS," a communication to me from abroad by William
Stanley, Junior, of Bergen, State of New Jersey, United States of America,
It has been found that hair from the human head, as well as that taken from the
bodies, manes and tails of certain animals, is admirably adapted for the manu-
facture of carbon-burners for incandescent electric lamps.
The present invention consists in a carbon-burner for electric lamps produced
from hair; also, in the method of preparing or producing such hair carbons,
substantially as hereinafter set forth and claimed.
A desirable method of forming or producing such carbons is to take strands of
hair, preferably from the human head, and immerse them in an alkaline bath of
sufficient strength and during sufficient time, to remove the greasy or fatty matter
therefrom. Instead, however, of treating the hair with alkalies, dilute sulphuric
acid, or other weak acids may be used which will have an affinity for the oil or
fatty matter and will not materially injure the structure of the hair; so, also, by
exposing the hair to a gentle heat for a considerable length of time, the larger
proportion of oil and grease can be removed by evaporation.
After the removal of the fatty matter the strands or filaments of hair can be laid
straight upon a plate of glass or other smooth surface and retained in that position
till thoroughly dried, by any convenient means, as by sticking the ends upon the
plate by the use of any adhesive substance adapted for the purpose, or even by the
moisture of alkalies or acids by which they have been treated. This drying of
the strands in a straightened and slightly stretched position tends to prevent them
from crinkling during the operation of carbonization. When the strands of hair
are dried they are placed in suitable moulds or flasks provided with grooves or
channels in which the hairs are brought into the form or shape for use, and are
then carbonized by heating the flasks to the required temperature in the
ordinary way for carbonizing materials for incandescent lamp carbons. When
the carbonization is completed, the hair is ready for application to the lamp, and
may be attached to the leading-in wires in any desired manner. It has been
found that the hair of the human head is superior to that of the lower animals for
making carbons for the purpose indicated, and that the hair of Chinamen gives the
most satisfactory results. This, is probably due to the circumstance that the hair
of the Chinese, so far as has been examined, is coarser than that of most races, and
is remarkably straight and uniform in cross-section. Heretofore, carbon burners
for incandescent lamps have been made from a great variety of materials, but, so
far as I know, nothing has been found in abundance which, in its natural state,
was of the proper size for this purpose, and a large part of the cost of making such
finished carbons has been expended in bringing the material into the proper sizes
in cross section, by moulding, cutting, shaving, and by the use of dies, and other
devices. As opposed to this prior state of the art and constituting one of the
valuable advantages of the use of hair for this purpose, is the circumstance that
this material can be found in great abundance of all the sizes in cross section,
without preparation, or deduction in the matter of size, for the manufacture of
carbons for lamps of different intensities, it being true that the hair from human
heads of the same race differs greatly in size, while a still greater difference is
found when the hair of some of the different races is compared.

page_text: Carbon burners properly made from hair are found to be superior in the density
of the carbon as compared with its size to that of most, if not all, carbons, from
other material; if made from suitable hair, which can easily be obtained, they are
also remarkably uniform in structure and in diameter throughout their entire
length, and they are less liable to crack and flaw during carbonization from the
fact that hair contains only a small percentage, of silicious matter compared with
wood fibre or most vegetable or mineral products from which such carbon burners
have heretofore been made.
Hair carbons properly made are essentially tougher, more flexible and more
durable than those heretofore made from other materials, and they can be readily
bent into desirable shapes or forms for use in lamps, even if carbonized when
straight.
In addition to the superior density of the hair carbon, its purity, flexibility,
durability, and the abundance of the supply of hair of the proper sizes for lights of
different intensities without any cost or labour of changing its natural form or size,
there is another important advantage arising from the fact that the hair is tubular,
and as a consequence the same mass of carbon will present a larger radiating
surface, than if it was in the form of a solid cylinder.
It is not intended to limit this invention to the use of any special kind or quality
of hair, or to any special way or process of carbonizing the hair, or of removing
the oil or fatty matter therefrom, but
What I claim as new is:-
1. A burner for incandescent electric lamps composed of carbonized hair.
2. The hereinbefore described method of producing burners for incandescent
electric lamps, which consists in removing the oil or fatty matter from hair and
then carbonizing the same.
In Witness whereof I the said Jasper Wetter have hereunto set my hand and