US2647279A

US2647279A - Candlemaking apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2647279A
Application number: US171420A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl J Schroeder
Original assignee: Standard Oil Co
Current assignee: Standard Oil Co
Priority date: 1950-06-30
Filing date: 1950-06-30
Publication date: 1953-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 1970-08-04
Also published as: US2647282A

Description

Allg 4, 1953 c. J. scHRoEDER 2,647,279I

CANDLE MAKING APPARATUS- Filed June 30, 1950 iiga [I-Q@ /4'2 /42 lINVENTOR /47 Carl J. .Sc/meder- B .M a@

lllll Patented Aug. 4, 1953 CANDLEMAKING APPARATUS Carl J. Schroeder, Hammond, Ind., assigner to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, Ill.,.a corporation of Indiana Original application June 30, 1950, Serial No.

1959, Serial No. 171,420

3 Claims.

This invention relates to candle making apparatus and it pertains more particularly tok an improved method and means for making dipped candles.

In making dipped candles heretofore, it has been the practice to attach a number of wicks by means of individual springloaded clamps to a rack and lower them manually into a bath of molten wax. The wax for this purpose is usually parairi that has been modified with stearic acid, dye, etc. The wicks' and the adhering wax are withdrawn from the bath and cooled until the wax layer has solidified. In this operation a certain amount of tangling occurs which must be corrected byv the handworlr of the operator. The dipping operation is repeated until the desired diameter of the candle body is obtained. Normally partial dips are necessary in order to obtain the desired taper of the candle body. The number of layers of wax may vary between 15 and 30 depending on the temperature of the molten wax, the air temperature in the dipping room and the desired diameter of the candle. The candles are usually melted to proper length on a hot plate andl the butts are shaped to rlta standard candle holder. Usually the candle is' given a nishng dip in a higher melting wax in order to obtain a more pleasing surface appearance and to improve the burning qualities by giving a non-drip effect. If desi-'red the candle can be given a surface color dilerlent' from the core color by a nish dip in wax that has been dyed the desired color.4

A specific. object of the invention is. to provide an improved device for forming a tapered butt on. candles.

Other objects of the invention will become' apparent from the following detailed' description of a specific example. thereof.

A clearer understanding of the invention and the various features thereof. will be gained from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, wherein similar parts are designated by like reference characters throughout the several views,l

Figure I is a plan View of a portion of the guide plate. of the candle butt forming machine.

Figure II' i's a plan View of a' portion of' the mold plate of the butt forming machine.

Figure Ill is an elevational view through a section of the butt forming machine showing the guide plate, the mold plate, the carrier, the heating elements and the molten wax drain.

Divided and this application June 30,

A preferred embodiment of. my improved butt tapering machine comprises. a carrier |45 see Figs. I and III) which is made of metal that has a high heat conductivity, and is not corroded by stearic acid, such as, Carrier Mil is provided with thermostatically controlled heatm ing' means; the preferred heating means, elec' trical resistance elements |42, are illustrated. Although steam or hot water may' be used for heating purposes electrical heating provides more accurate control of temperature, permits wide and rapid variation in the heat input and per-Y mits a simpler' construction of the carrier.

Mold plate |43 which is made of metal, such` as aluminum, is provided with. holes Mt which are in the form oi'- a frustrum of a cone, i. e. the shape of the socket of a candle holder. mold holes |44 are bottomless (openb'ottomed) soI that no obstruction occurs to the rapid 1removal of the molten wax as the candle butt is lowered into the hot mold hole as happensi when a perforated bottom exists in the mold hole. The upper surface o1' the heating element com taining carrier |40 is provided with. serrations forming interconnected channels |46 which. carry the molten wax' away to the drain Ml. The raised portions |248 of the serrati-ons support the mold plate |43. The supporting ridges M8 and the mold plate l'ware' held together tightly' by screws |49 in order to insure good heat transfer from' they not carrier mi to the mold plate |43; Spacing mem-bersv |3541 preferably made of low heat conductivity material, support above the mold plate |43 a guide plate |54 whichis made of material having a low co'eilicient of heat translfer. Particularly good results were obtained when the guide plate was made from a Philippine mahogany plywood sheet 1%. inches thick that had been saturated with. molten'. par'a'in wax. However, the guide plate" may be n'ia'd'e' of any material that is a poor heat conductor and that'- can be molded or worked readily, for example, Bakelite or asbestos cement.

The guide plate |54 is provided' with` holes" |55 which are. made in. an inverted bell shape. These" holes |55 equal in number the' inol'd holes ME and" are placed directly above and on the same ver-fl tical axis as the corresponding mold' hole; The numberv ofV moldv holes and guide holes normally will. bevthe same as the maximum number df' candles carried by the dipping rack'. The guide holes |55 are shaped to curve gradually from a diameter, at the mouth of the bell |56, that is substantially greater than the butt end of the candle to a diameter, at the throat of the hole,

I5? that is just perceptibly larger than the butt end of the candle. The thickness of the guide plate is such that the candle is supported vertically in the guide hole for a substantial portion of the thickness of the guide plate; this supporting height must begreat enough that no marring of the surface of the candle occurs when the candle touches a portion of the guide hole during the butt forming operation. The mouth |50 of the guide hole must be large enough to permit the entrance of the candle even when the candle is swinging somewhat from the vibration of the carriage as it comes to rest above the butt tapering machine; about 11/2 times the butt diameter is a satisfactory mouth diameter. The guide plate must be thick enough to provide a slope of the guide hole that will permit the edge of the butt to pass into the throat quickly and without deformation; the guide plate thickness should be between 11/2 to 21/2 times the butt diameter for good results.

The advantages of this type of guide plate are that the candle is not deformed or marred by the guide plate because this is relatively cool as a result of its low heat conductivity; the smooth surface of the guide holes and steep angle of the sides of the hole directs the candle end to the mold hole without marring the surface of the candle; the thick plate permits the candle to be supported vertically in the mold hole and produces a'uniformly tapered end. These advantages increase the production rate and decrease the number of candles that must be rejected because of defects.

The carriage holding the candles which have been cut or melted to the properlength, so as to leave a substantially flat butt end, is positioned directly over the butt tapering machine 32. The butt tapering machine is mounted on a vertically movable platform, not shown, which may be adjustably raised to any elevation dictated by the candle length being processed. When the carriage is directly over the tapering machine, the operator elevates the platform; as the platform mounts upward the guide holes 55 direct the candle butts |60 into the tapering molds U34 and hold the candle vertically until the butt taper has been completed. The molten wax passes through the bottom of the mold hole IM to theY drain |41 and is recovered elsewhere. When the butt has been tapered to standard size, the machine is lowered and the shaped candles ll are ready for the finishing dip.

While I have described a preferred embodi ment of my invention, many modifications and alternative arrangements and procedures will be apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. l

This application is a division of my copending application Serial Number 171,419, filed June 30, 1950, and entitled Candle Making Apparatus.

I claim:

l. A candle butt forming device which comprises a carrier, conduit means for removing molten wax from said carrier, a moldplate supported by said carrier. in spaced relation to the upper surface of the carrier thereby providing drainage channels between the moldplate and the carrier, said carrier and said moldplate being made of a metal having a high heat conductivity,

which moldplate is provided with bottomless moldholes, the axis of said moldholes being perpendicular to said moldplate, said moldholes consisting only of tapered sidewalls shaped so as to form a candle butt to iit the socket of a candleholder, means for heating said carrier and said moldplate to a` temperature above the 'melting point of candle wax, a guideplate in vertically spaced, parallel relation above said moldplate, said vertical space being less than the length of the candle whose butt is to be formed, which guideplate is provided with guideholes, which guideholes are coaxially arranged over said moldholes and which guideholes are curvilinearly tapered from a diameter at the end at which the candle butt enters of about 1.5 times the candle butt diameter to a sliding t, and the vertical height of said guideholes is between about 1.5 and 2.5 times the candle butt diameter, wherebi7 the axis of the candle whose butt is being formed is maintained coincident with the axis of said moldhole and said guidehole, and-said guideplate having a heat conductivity approximatingthat of wood.

2. The device of claim l wherein said heating means are thermostatically controlledelectrical resistance elements.

3. A candle butt forming device which comprises a carrier, conduit means for removing molten Wax from said carrier, a moldplate supported by said carrier in spaced relation to the upper surface of the carrier thereby providing drainage channels between the moldplate and the carrier, said carrier and said moldplate being made of a metal having a high heat conductivity,

which moldplate is provided with moldholes, the

axis of said moldholes being perpendicular to said moldplate, said moldholes being shaped so as to form a candle butt to fit the socket of a candle holder, wherein the lower end of said moldhole consists of a single opening coextensive with the bottom surface of the formed candle butt, means for heating said carrier and said moldplate to a temperature above the melting point of candle wax, a guideplate in vertically spaced, parallel relation above said moldplate, said vertical space being less than the length of the candle Whose butt is to be formed, which guideplate is provided with guideholes, which guidehcles are coaxially arranged over said moldholes and which guidelioles are an inverted bell shape in cross section tapering from a mouth diameter of about 1.5 times the candle butt diameter to a sliding nt at the throat, and 4with a height between about 1.5 and 2.5 times the candle butt diameter, whereby the axis of the candle Whose butt is being formed is maintained coincident with the axis of said moldhole and said guidehole, and said guideplate having a heat conductivity approximating that of Wood.

CARL J. SCHROEDER.

i References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,993,709 Chamberlain Mar. 5, 1935 2,478,202 Moore Aug. 9, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS y Number Country Date 22,819 Great Britain Sept. 29, 1900 had"