Improvements in and relating to Fire Igniters or Lighters.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec.,' 1888
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Fire Igniters or Lighters.
1. JAMES AYTOUN, of 7 Polwarth Terrace, Edinburgh, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to a device for igniting or lighting fires, and it has for
its objects, first, economy, as it saves the use of firewood entirely, secondly, efficiency,
as it burns sufficiently long to kindle the coal itself, and thirdly, simplicity, as no
skill trouble or time is required or occupied in lighting a fire after the lighter is onco
ignited.
1 attain these obj cts in the following manner :-I take a block of any suitable
form and shape, and of any suitable porous or absorbent material or substance.
This material or substance niay be a mineral, or a combination of mineral and other
substances, such for instance as animal or vegetable matter-charcoal for instance-
and such material or substance may be either in a natural state, or have been
artificially treated, manipulated, or combined.
This block of porous or absorbent material is soaked in oil, turpentine, or other
inflammable liquid, and when it has takon up, or absorbed, as much of the oil or
other inflammable liquid as it will hold, it is ready for use. It is not intended
that the block itself shall be burned or consumed but that it shall. only act as a
reservoir and burner, though it may if desired be allowed to burn away. I however
prefer that the material or substance of which it is constructed should be
incombustable-such for instances as brick-so that it may be used over and over
again.
In order to allow a free passage of air round and about the block when it is acting
as an igniter to ensure perfect combustion, I make the block of an irregular shape,
or I perforate or serrate it.
In igniting or lighting a fire, the saturated porous block is placed in the bottom
of the grate, and ignited in several places. The coals are then placed over and
about the block and aro soon ignited by the flames. When the coals are well
alight the block may he withdrawn, but I prefer to allow it to remain in the grate
until such time as it is necessary to disturb the fire or even longer, as it gets
red hot and acts as a centre of heat spreading the fire slowly around it.
After the block is removed from the grate and has cooled, it is again
placed to soak in oil, turpentine or other inflammable liquid, to prepare it for further
use.
Dated this 17th day of December 1888.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.c.,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Fire Igniters or Lighters.
I, JAMES AYTOUN, of 7 Polwarth Terrace, Edinborough, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My improvements relate to a device for igniting or lighting fires, and it has for
its objects, first, economy, as it saves the use of firewood entirely. Secondly, efficiency,
as it burns sufficiently long to kindle the coal itself, and thirdly, simplicity, as no
skill, trouble, or time is required or occupied in lighting a firo, after the lighter is
once ignited.

page_text: I attain these objects in the following manner :-I take a block of porous or
absorbent material or substanco, of any suitable form or shape. This block of porous
or absorbent material is-soaked in oil, turpentine, or other inflammable liquid, and
when it has taken up or absorbed as much of the oil or other inflammable liquid
as it will hold, it is ready for use. It is not intended that the block itself shall
be burned or consumed, but that it shall only act as a reservoir or burner, so that
it may be used over and over again. In igniting or lighting a fire, the saturated
porous block is placed in the bottom of the grate and ignited in several places.
The coals are then placed over and about the block and are soon ignited by the
flames. When the coals are well alight the block may be withdrawn, but I prefer
to allow it to remain in the grate until such time as it is necessary to disturb
the fire, or even longer, as it gets red hot and acts as a centre of heat spreading
the fire slowly around it. After the block is removed from the grate and has
cooled, it is again placed to soak in oil, turpentine, or other inflammable liquid,
to prepare it for further use.
I
The most suitable absorbent material is brick, and kindrid substances, prepared
in a manner to give it the necessary porosity, and many attempts have already
been made to obtain this porosity. In one case artificial cavities have been formed
by burning out combustible matter, such as sawdust, which has been mixed with
the clay of which the brick is composed. I find by experiment that the natural
porosity of brick is sufficient in itself for the purpose, if the material is prepared in
a proper manner. Brick in the ordinary state of preparation is generally too hard
to allow the liquid to escape in sufficient quantity to maintain a continuous or at
least a good flame, and even when soft enough for this, it gets softer after being
exposed to the action of the fire, and so takes up more liquid than before.
overcome these defects by roasting the bricks thoroughly in a fire or furnace till
they are reduced to their permanent state of softness and porosity, or this state may
be produced by due regulation of the original firing process, though this plan is
not so reliable, it being evident that the permanent state of the material will be
produced most exactly by placing it under the precise conditions to which it will
be afterwards subjected in actual use. When this ultimate state of absorbtiveness
is known for brick of any certain composition, the size of the firelighter can be
regulated so as to absorb the amount of liquid necessary for kindling firos,
according as economy or quickness is most desired, or according to the differing
ignitibility of various kinds of coal. In many places combustible matter, such as
coal, ashes, or dust, is mixed with the clay of the bricks, in order to assist in
burning them thoroughly. Those ashes ignite under the great heat to which they are
subjected, and burn the brick throughout in a more complete manner than if hoat
were applied only from the outside, but they do not leave cavaties in the bricks, as
to do so would injure the strength and solidity of the material, and their porosity is
therefor not increased by this process.
Since filing my provisional specification, I find that the broad principle involved
in the use of a solid absorbent body soaked in imflammable liquid as a firelighter, is
not new, but is set forth in several prior specifications, for instance in that of
Alexander Milville Clarke, No. 1404", I therefore do not broadly claim such, but
having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
--
A fire igniter or lighter consisting of a block of brick, or other kindred substance,
brought into a permanent state of softness and porosity by firing or heating, whereby
it is adapted to absorb a given quantity of any suitable inflammable liquid, and to give
it out freely, as and for the purpose set forth..
Dated this 12th day of June 1889.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, 10, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.