AN IMPROVEMent in the Manufacture of CANDLES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Charles Sterry, of Rotherhithe New
Road, in the County of Surrey, Oil Refiner, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVEMent in the Manufacture of CANDLES."
Sealed the 27th June 1871, and dated the 13th January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Charles Sterry
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th January 1871.
I, ARTHUR CHARLES STERRY, of Rotherhithe New Road, in the
County of Surrey, Oil Refiner, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN-IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES,"
to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to improve the appearance of paraffine
and other semi-transparent candles.
In order to get a pearly transparent character of candle it is at present
necessary to use paraffine very free from color, the cost in preparing
which is great. I find however that while using a comparatively cheap

page_text: paraffine I can obtain a pearly white by simply employing in lieu of
the ordinary wick a wick having a blue or violet color, which color
subdues the cloudy character of the inferior paraffine, and greatly
enhances the marketable value of the candle without deteriorating its
illuminating property. The coloring of the wick may be effected by
dyeing the same, or printing or coating the wick with the appropriate
color or shade.
When it is desired to give to the candle a tinted hue, such, for example,
as pink, I prepare the wick of the desired color and by its use a corre-
sponding but subdued tint will appear to be diffused through the
candle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Charles Sterry in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
CHARLES STERRY, of Rotherhithe New Road, in the County of Surrey,
Oil Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Arthur Charles Sterry, Her special licence
that I, the said Arthur Charles Sterry, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Arthur Charles Sterry, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for. "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Arthur Charles Sterry, my exccutors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six

page_text: Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur Charles Sterry, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the samé
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to improve the appearance of paraffine
and other semi-transparent candles.
In order to get a pearly transparent character of candle it is at present
necessary to use paraffine very free from color, the cost in preparing
which is great. I find however that while using a comparatively cheap
paraffine I can obtain a pearly white by simply employing in lieu of the
ordinary wick a wick having a blue or violet color, which color subdues
the cloudy character of the inferior paraffine and greatly enhances the
marketable value of the candle without deteriorating its illuminating
property. The coloring of the wick may be effected by dycing the
same, or printing or coating the wick with the appropriate or desired
color or shade.
When it is desired to give to the candle a tinted hue, such, for
example, as pink, I prepare the wick of the required color, and by
its use a corresponding but subdued tint will appear to be diffused
through the moulded material of the candle.
The Invention is applicable not only where inferior paraffine or other
inferior semi-transparent material is used, but also where the best qualitics
of these materials are employed, as their appearance is thereby enhanced
though not perhaps in the same proportion as when materials of an inferior
color are used in the manufacture of candles. In coloring the wicks I
prefer to tint only those parts which are intended to be embedded in the
paraffine or other semi-transparent material, leaving white the exposed
ends. Various modes may be adopted for imparting the color. Thus for
example a length of plaited wick may be passed down to and between a
pair of printing rollers mounted in a vessel containing the dye liquor
and rotating in contact with that liquor. A tube standing upwards
through the liquor in a line with the nip of the rollers will receive
the wick as it leaves. the printing rollers and pass it out through the
bottom of the vessel. To provide for the partial printing of the wick'
the shafts of the rollers may be severally provided with a cam piece or
cam pieces, which as the rollers rotate will come into contact and force

page_text: the rollers apart, thus leaving the wick to which a continuous motion
(independent of the printing rollers) is given to pass on for a given.
distance, say two or three inches without any color being imparted
thereto. As the wick leaves the dye vessel it may be dried by being
passed over a steam heated roller or in any other convenient manner.
The dye which I prefer to use for imparting the pearly lustre to candles
is a solution of aniline blue or violet, being the color required for this
purpose. I do not propose to confine myself to the use of aniline colors
but in general they will be preferred, as they offer no difficulty to the
proper burning of the wick. The colors and tints employed may vary
according to taste.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improve-
ment in the Manufacture of Candles," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, manufacturing paraffine
and other semi-transparent candles with colored wicks, as and for the
purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Charles Sterry, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.