The Candle-Finishing Die: From Tapered Casting to True Cylinder

"Candles after casting, and particularly paraffin candles, frequently have a surface which is not sufficiently smooth and polished for the market. They are also slightly tapering from the necessity of making the molds tapering to permit the candles to be drawn out of them." "The invention which is the subject of this patent is an apparatus for the purpose of paring and polishing the candles after they are taken from the molds, so as to render them cylindrical and impart an even polished surface to them." "This apparatus consists, essentially, of a combination of a candle guide and circular die so arranged relatively to each other that the candle is guided in a straight line through the die".

Thread a wick through the candle mould and melt paraffin gently in a double boiler (never over a bare flame). Pour, let it set, and draw the candle out. Measure its tip and butt with the ruler. Drill a hole the size of the tip through a piece of steel sheet and file its edge smooth and slightly sharp. Clamp it upright at the end of a grooved wooden board. Warm the candle a little and push it along the groove through the hole with a wooden block. Weigh the candle before and after and compare with the notebook.

**Antonio Meucci** of Clifton, Richmond County, New York, assignor to the New York Paraffine Candle Co., received US 30,180, dated 25 September 1860. The drawing sheet is titled "Candle Mold"; the specification calls it an apparatus for finishing candles. Strips of vulcanized india rubber on the receiving bed hold the candles. **Honest limits.** The notebook treats the candle as a perfect frustum and the die as cutting exactly to its bore. Sizes and wax density are examples. Your weighings are the measurement.