IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO
ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PALMER, of Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-sixth day of January, in the sixth 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, adñors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Palmer, my exors, adñiors, 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, usc, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES;" 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 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 niy said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained
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 Improvements in the Manufacture of Candles,
both dip candles" and "mould candles," by the application of certain
.descriptions of platted wicks hereafter described.
And, secondly, my Invention relates to.a mode of manufacturing candles by
applying in each candle two platted wicks in such manner that they bend out
of the flame in the same direction. And in order that my Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the Drawing hereunto 'annexed and the means pursued by me in carrying out
my Invention.
I will first describe that part of my Invention which relates to improvements
in the manufacture of dip candles and mould candles, by applying in such
manufactures certain descriptions of platted wicks. In the manufacture of
candles, as heretofore practised, when platted wicks have been used, in making
each of those wicks three strands (each composed of several yarns) have
been platted together. Now the object of this part of my Invention is to
manufacture candles with platted wicks, each wick being composed of one or
more strands (composed of several yarns, either loose or previously made into
a cord or otherwise combined) formed into a linked plat, the wicks being
formed larger or smaller according to the description of candle to be made.
These linked or looped wicks offer the advantage of cheapness, and freely
conduct up the melted matter to the flame, and will be found to turn out of
the flame and be consumed without snuffing.
Figure 1 shews part of a wick of one strand (composed of several yarns)
suitable for this part of my Invention. The best means I am acquainted with
for making the linked plat is by means of what are called warp lace machines,
which are well known for making looped fabrics, and consequently form no
part of my Invention. In using this machinery, only employ one row of
guides, one guide to each pair of needles on the needle-bar; and I use machines
of a coarse guage, that is of about six or seven guage, and I cause each guide
to lap over two needles in order to form one loop thereon, which being carried
under the beards of the needles the work previously on the stems of the
needles are forced off the needles; by this means each pair of needles across
the machine will make a cord, such cords being varied in substance according
to the size or description of candle to be made thereon; and it will be found
that candles made whether of tallow or other suitable material, having com-.

page_text: bined therein linked wick or wicks made up of loops, that such wicks in
burning will turn out of the flame, and be consumed without snuffing. I
would remark that although I have described the best means I am acquainted
with for making linked or looped wicks, I do not confine myself thereto, so
long as looped or linked platted wicks are combined with suitable tallow or
matter in the making of candles; and such wicks may be used, either one or
two, or more, to each candle, as heretofore practised when using other
descriptions of wicks.
Another part of my Invention consists in manufacturing candles with platted
wicks, each wick being composed of five or more strands platted together in
such manner as to get a less flat or more cylindrical wick than when using
only three strands, or when using more than three strands, where each strand
alternately passes diagonally under and over only one strand in the manner of
braiding, see Figure 2, which shows what I believe to be the best means of
platting five strands into a platted wick; but I do not confine myself thereto.
And there is considerable advantage in thus making candles with platted wicks
of a more round or cylindrical character, as such wicks, although they will
turn out of the flames of the candles in which they are combined, and thus be
consumed without snuffing, yet for the same quantity of material they will not
be so liable to drop down, and will retain a more upright position for some
distance in the flames of the candles before turning outward than is generally
the case with platted wicks made of three strands, and the more round or
cylindrical platted wicks. also otherwise burn with advantages. In making
such platted wicks of five or more strands, cach strand may be composed of
a single cord, or other sufficiently thick manufacture of fibres, or each strand
be composed of several loose yarns, taking care to platt them as round as
possible; and these platted wicks may be very advantageously used when
making large candles for table candle lamps, and one, two, or more such wicks
may be used in the same candle.
may
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to making
candles wherein two platted wicks are used in the same candle, whether a dip
candle or mould candle, and this part of my Invention consists in so combining
the two platted wicks as that they shall bend in the same direction, as shown at
Figure 3 in the Drawing. It is well known that in using platted wicks in
candles, the same are too weak when the melting temperature of the matter
composing the candle is low, such as tallow; and it becomes desirable to give
strength to platted wicks for such purposes; and this part of my Invention
consists in combining two similar platted wicks, the face or bending surface of
one wick coming against the back of the other; and the most convenient

page_text: manner of accomplishing this combination is, to combine the wicks by binding
a thread or yarn spirally round, rather than putting the wicks into a candle
without first combining them together, or the platted wicks may be otherwise
combined, so that they bend out of the flame together when being consumed;
and it will be found that in addition to the advantages consequent on getting
stiffer wicks for low melting materials, these compound wicks will be found
very useful when making large candles for candle lamps, as the wick will be
made thicker, and, in fact, as thick or thicker than the wick is wide.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I make no claim to any of the parts of the apparatus herein described,
nor do I confine myself to the details thereof, nor of the other means herein
described as being resorted to by me in carrying out my Invention, so long as
the peculiar character of either part of my improvements in the manufacture
of candles be retained. But what I claim is, first, the mode of manufacturing
candles by making them with linked or platted wicks, each composed of a
series of loops. And I also claim the mode of manufacturing candles by making
them with platted wicks, each composed of five or more strands, as above
described.
And, secondly, I claim the mode of manufacturing dip or mould candles by
applying two similar platted wicks in the same candle, and in such manner that
they both turn together and in the same direction out of the flame, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, One thousand eight