Year: 1859

Since the manufacture of candles from the stearic
acid of palm oil has become an important business
IN this country, many patents have been granted
for alleged improvements in molds, whereby the
wicks might be placed in, and the candles elected
from them in more convenient and expeditions
manner; but think the molds now introduced
into one OF the most extensive manufactures in
England cannot be beaten by our fast Yankee in
ventors. We find the following description of this
process Of molding in Oacea- Week.:


"a room, l27 by l04 feet, is fitted up throughout
its entire extent with parallel benches running from
one end of the department to the other. In these
benches ranged close together in perpendicular
direction, the candle mOds How MANY thou
sands OF these may be counted we scarcely like to
say; but, viewed from above their open mouths must
present the appearance of a vast honeycomb com
mensurate with the size of the room itself Alone
the top of each bench l04 feet in length there runs
a railway, and working this railway is what may
be termed candle locomotives large car run
ming on wheels, containing hot candle material
The wicks having been adjusted truly in the long
axis of the mold, the locomotive now adyan2
ces, and deposits in each line of molds exactly
enough material to fill them, proceeding regu
larly from end of the bench to the other set
ting down at different stations its complement of
passengers. After sufficient time has ELAPSED to
allow them to cool, preparations are made to with
draw them from their mOlds This is done in the
most ingenious manner: in apartment close at
hand iron boiler of great thickness is filled with
highly compressed air, by means of pump worked
by steam engine; pipes from this powerful motive
communicate with every distinct candle-mold, and
convey to it pressure of air equal to As pounds to
the square inch, about the surface of the diameter
of candle. The candle-molds and the air-pump
constitute an immense ar-gun, containing thousands
of barrels, each barrel loaded with candle. The
turning of a cock by boys in attendance lets off
these guns, and elects the candles with slight hiss
ing noise. This fusade is going on all over the
room throughout the entire day, and in the course
of that time no less than lSS, 160 candle prOiectes
weighing upwards of fourteen tons, have been shot
forth. The intelligence and care with which the
attendant boys catch these fatty missiles, is ac-
counted for by the fact that Prices Patent Candle
Company rectify their labor as well as their raw
material the excellent schools established by the
toelec the careful lads for those departments
requiring particular attention.


E'The visitor should notice particularly the
wicks of these candles, as upon their method of
preparation the abolition of the snuffers that grand
reform in the matter of domestic light, depends.
These wicks, in the first place, made very fine
the high illuminating power of the stearc acid en-
abling fine wick to give far light than the
wick of the common dip Again, the par
ticular twist given to the wick when it is plated
and the wire with which it is bound, causes it to
project from the fame when burning Palmer's
cande-wicks it will be remarked, are twisted upon
each other, the relaxation of the twist as it burns
answering the same end-the projection of the
which Immediately oxdises it, or causes it to
crumble away, thus obviating the necessity of
snuffing. Here we see extraordinary example
of the manner in which a very simple improvement
will sometimes interfere with very large trade
the simple plating of a wick doing away with one
of the most extensive branches of hardware in Bir
mingham and Sheffield"