680 



CANDLE 



402 



water has settled to the bottom, the purified tallow is lifted out, by means of tinned 

 iron buckets, into tubes of moderate size, where it concretes, and is ready for use. 



It is a remarkable circumstance, that the wicks for the best dipped candles are still 

 cotton rovings imported from Turkey, notwithstanding the Tast extension and perfec- 

 tion of cotton-spinning in this country. Four or more of these Turkey skeins, according 

 to the intended thickness of the wick, are wound off at once into bottoms or clues, and 

 afterwards cut by a simple machine into lengths corresponding to those of the candles 

 to be made. The operations for cutting, twisting, and speading wicks, are performed 

 upon a series of threads at once. The apparatus is placed in a box, in front of which 

 the operator sits. A reel extends across the box at the hinder part, upon which the 

 cotton threads have been previously wound : from this reel they are drawn off into 

 proper lengths, doubled, and cut by an ingenious mechanism. By dipping the wicks 

 into the melted tallow, rubbing them between the palms of the hands, and allo\vi.; r ; 

 the tallow which adheres to harden, they may be arranged with facility upon tho 

 broaches for the purpose of dipping. The dipping room is furnished with a boiler 

 for melting the tallow, the dipping mould or cistern, and a large w'heel for supporting 

 the broaches. From the ceiling of the workshop a long balanced-shaped beam is 

 suspended, to one end of which a wooden frame is attached for holding the broaches 

 with the wicks arranged at proper distances. The opposite arm is loaded with a 

 weight to counterbalance the wooden frame, and to enable the workmen to ascertain 

 the proper size of the candles. The end of the lever which supports the frame is 

 placed immediately above the dipping cistern ; and the whole machine is so balanced 

 that, by a gentle pressure of the hand, the wicks are let down into the melted tallow 

 as often as may be required. 



The following is a convenient apparatus for dipping candles. In the centre of tho 

 dipping-room a Strong upright post A A, (fig. 402) is erected, with turning iron pivots 



at its two ends. Near its middle, 

 six mortices are cut at small dis- 

 tances from one another, into each 

 of which is inserted a long bar of 

 wood, B B, which moves vertically 

 upon an iron pin, also passing 

 through the middle of the shaft. 

 Tho whole presents the appearance 

 of a large horizontal wheel with 

 twelve arms. A complete view of 

 two of them only is given in the 

 figure. From the extremity of each 

 arm is suspended a frame, or port, 

 as the workmen call it, containing 

 6 rods, on each of which are hung 

 18 wicks, making the whole num- 

 ber of wicks upon the wheel 1,296. 

 The machine, though apparently 

 heavy, turns round by the smallest 

 effort of the workman ; and each 

 port, as it comes in succession over 

 the dipping-mould, is gently pressed 

 downwards, by which means tho 

 wicks are regularly immersed in 



melted tallow. As the arms of the lever are all of the same length, and as each is 

 loaded with nearly the same weight, it is obvious that they will all naturally assume 

 a horizontal position. In order, however, to prevent any oscillation of the machine 

 in turning round, the levers are kept in a horizontal position by means of small 

 chains, a a, one end of which is fixed to the top of the upright shaft, and the other 

 terminates in a small square piece of wood b, which exactly fills the notch c in the lever. 

 As one end of the levers must be depressed at each dip, the square piece of wood is 

 thrown out of the notch by the workman pressing down the handle D, which com- 

 municates with the small lever c, inserted into a groove in the bar B. In order that 

 the square piece of wood fixed in one extremity of tho chain, may recover its position 

 upon the workman's raising tho port, a small cord is attached to it, which passes over 

 a pulley inserted in a groove near c, and communicates with another pulley and weight, 

 which draws it forward to the notch. In this way the operation of dipping may be 

 conducted by a single workman with perfect ease and regularity, and even despatch. 

 No time is lost, and no unnecessary labour expended, in removing the ports after 

 each dip ; and, besides, tho process of cooling is much accelerated by tho candles 

 being kept i.O constant motion through the air. The number of revolutions which 



