Improvements in Firelighters and their Manufacture.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Firelighters and their Manufacture.
EDWARD PLAYER, 105, Streatham Hill, S.W., Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to obviate in the manufacture the necessity of
binding together small pieces of wood with string or similar binding material
previous to dipping into the suitable resinous or tarry material and while
providing a new composition for dipping to economise wood and labour in the
manufacture of firelighters. The composition for dipping the upper part of the
firelighter is as follows, one part of gas tar to two parts of gas tar pitch, by
bulk, this is kept melted and the upper part of the firelighter is dipped in about
halfway and immediately dipped into dry sawdust and afterwards the lower part
is dipped into the following melted composition, one part of paraffin wax to
thirty one parts of resin, by weight, and then dipped into dry sawdust.
In order to make the firelighters in the form of a hollow truncated pyramid
with square or oblong base having internal cross sections both to give support
and sufficient material to last long enough to light a fire as well as to afford a
free draught of air to effectually consume the resinous material, I proceed in
the following manner, which economises the wood used as well as the labour in
the manufacture.
The deals from which the firelighters are to be made are flatted so that they
are cut by the saw into slips at or about 3 inches wide by about 3 in. thick.
The flats are now placed together and at or about 1 in. from the edge of the flat
is bored a circular hole of about 3 in. diameter completely through the bundle
of flats, and at a distance of about four inches is bored a circular hole of
about 3/8 in. diameter, and right along the bundle of flats these holes are bored a
small and large hole alternately, and on the opposite edge similar holes are
bored, but in such a manner that a large hole is directly opposite a small hole.
The flats are now cut through in a slanting direction in such manner that the
large holes are contained in a small obtuse angled trianglar piece, while the
small holes are contained in a piece shaped like two triangles on the same base
and between the same parallels and this method prevents any waste of wood.
number of pieces of the same shape are now placed together and by means of a
bandsaw they are sawn from the edge to the hole on both sides of the hole so that
the pieces drop out and form slits and by means of these slits the pieces fit
together. Two of the double triangles and two of the triangles placed crosswise
through the slits are used for each firelighter, and between the spaces left by
them small square pieces having similar slits are placed. This makes the fire-
lighter which only now requires the dipping as above described, to be complete,
and the dipping in the composition and sawdust fixes the parts so that they do
not seperate even while burning.
1
1000
A

page_text: I, EDWARD PLAYER, 105, Streatham Hill, London, S.W., Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: —
_
My invention has for its object an improved make of fire lighter that from
its simplicity of construction shall be cheap to manufacture and that by reason
of its design shall contain sufficient material whilst allowing an ample draught
of air to pass under and up it thereby insuring when ignited a flame of sufficient
heat and duration to thoroughly light the fire even if anthracite or other hard
coal be used.
To this end a fire lighter constructed according to my invention consists of
four or more flat pieces (but preferably of four pieces) of wood slotted in their
centres and shaped substantially as shewn in the drawings Fig. 1 A, A, B, B¹ so
that they will fit into one another and form a star shaped body substantially as
shewn in Fig. 2.
For greater efficiency four square or oblong pieces slotted in their centres (as
shewn in Fig. 3) may be added. These pieces fit on the four intermediate arms
formed by the projecting ends of the pieces B & B₁, and cause the fire lighter to
take the shape of a hollow truncated cone.
The composition I preferably use for the upper half of the fire lighter is as
follows One part of gas tar to two parts of gas tar pitch by bulk, and this is
kept melted and the upper half of the fire lighter dipped into it and then into
dry sawdust. For the lower half of the fire lighter the composition I preferably
use is as follows. One part of paraffin wax and thirty one parts of resin, by
weight, into which the lower half of the fire lighter is dipped and then into dry
sawdust. The composition fixing and holding together the several pieces even
while burning.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
Fire lighters constructed (preferably) of four pieces slotted and shaped sub-
stantially as shewn in the drawings A, A¹, B, 'B',
Fire lighters constructed (preferably) of eight pieces slotted and shaped sub-
stantially as shewn in the drawings A, A, B, B and Fig. 3.
Fire lighters of the design and make and covered with an inflammable com-
position substantially as herein described and as shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 28th day of July 1899.
EDWARD PLAYER.