Specification of William Crane Wilkins : ventilating apparatus, gas burners, &c. : lamps, gas stoves, and heating apparatus : manufacture of candles.

  • Wilkins, William Crane.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of William Crane Wilkins : ventilating apparatus, gas burners, &c. : lamps, gas stoves, and heating apparatus : manufacture of candles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Wilkins Impts. in Ventilating, Heating, and Lighting in Lamps, cfc. where the burner is placed is in curvature a portion of the circle ; the air tube b is also bent or formed of a curvature agreeing to that part of the tube a in which it is placed; the lower end at the oil cup e is connected to the lamp tube in a fluid-tight manner, and the oil cup c is screwed on in the usual manner; 5 the wick holder, which, with the wick upon it traverses the curved air tube b, is likewise of a curvature agreeing to that of the air tube ; the wick holder and the wick upon it do not revolve upon the air tube, but simply traverse up or down it in the following manner ; to the upper part of the wick holder is fixed the end of the light steel rod or spring d, the other end of which is made fast 10 to the toothed rack e ; a small toothed pinion upon the spindle of the milled nut f takes into the teeth of the rack, and thus it is moved as desired; there is a small roller g placed under the rack e for maintaining the teeth of the rack always in gear with the pinion ; thus by means of the milled nut the wick in the burner may be adjusted as required ; there is a curved ring of metal i placed 15 at the burner for the purpose of guiding and keeping the wick in its proper situation; a perforated cone h is placed over the burner for the purpose of per¬ fecting the combustion; the lightness and elasticity of the steel spring d is such as readily to adjust itself to the altering position of the wick holder. At Fig. 39, I have shewn a modified arrangement of burners; the curved 20 ring i for guiding the cotton wick is hero dispensed with, and a solid piece of metal i is placed in the burner for effecting the like object; the other parts of this Figure are arranged and constructed as before described. I sometimes employ the means represented in Fig. 40 for adjusting the position of the cotton wick. I in this case employ a very quick screw or thread for this purpose, by 05 which any alteration of the wick by reason of the reaction of the steel spring d when bent is prevented. The spring d is secured to the piece k. It passes up through a slot in the lamp tube a, and through the upper end of it works the quick thread screw l, which being moved by the milled nut n, traverses the cotton holder and adjusts the wick as required. That in Fig. 41 represents 30 an elevation, and Fig. 42 a plan, of an improved lamp head ; in the proposed head I arrange three or other convenient and desirable number of reservoirs or receptacles for the oil around one burner, which may be of any of the usual constructions. I have shewn the adaptation of three of these cups or reservoirs a, a, a, to one burner b, to which the oil is supplied from all of them ; the 35 object to be attained in this construction is the production of less surrounding shadow. I will now proceed to describe my several improvements in spirit and vapour lamps : the first of these is represented in Sheet D, Figure 43, which is a sectional elevation of the head of a spirit vapour lamp; in this lamp the flame is produced by the combustion of vapour generated from spirit supplied by