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The Oil-Wick Fountain Brush: A Can Whose Wick Is the Brush
Preston H. Clingan, Florence, Colorado · Public domain (expired patent)
Woody

Created by

Woody

6. October 2026NO
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The Oil-Wick Fountain Brush: A Can Whose Wick Is the Brush

An oil can and a rag spill, and a brush dipped in oil drips. Preston H. Clingan of Florence, Colorado, received US 787,278, dated 11 April 1905, for "a can of very simple form which is so constructed as to prevent the possibility of spilling the contents thereof": an open thimble hangs from the can's mouth to near its bottom, a rolled burlap wick inside it is frayed above the mouth into a brush, and oil in the chamber round the thimble reaches the wick from underneath. This rung works out how high a wick can lift oil, then builds the can from a jar, a tin and burlap and weighs the oil it lays on a board.
Beginner
About 2 hours

Instructions

1

How high the wick lifts

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

A wick that feeds oil before it

The embedded blueprint feeds oil to a bearing through a wick. Clingan turns the wick's frayed end into the brush.
3

Read US 787,278

"My object is to provide a can of very simple form which is so constructed as to prevent the possibility of spilling the contents thereof. The can includes a wick of absorbent material, which is constantly supplied with oil or other fluid within the can."
4

Make the thimble

Remove both ends of a tin can that passes through the jar's mouth with 6 mm to spare. Cut it 10 mm shorter than the jar's inside height. File the cut edges.

Materials for this step:

Tin CanTin Can1 piece

Tools needed:

Tin SnipsTin Snips
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
RulerRuler
Leather Work GlovesLeather Work Gloves
5

Cut the lip ring

Cut an aluminium ring: outside to fit inside the jar's mouth, inside to fit round the thimble. Drill it 3 mm for a filling screw.

Materials for this step:

Aluminium SheetAluminium Sheet1 piece

Tools needed:

Tin SnipsTin Snips
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
6

Fix the thimble

Epoxy the ring round the thimble's top and into the jar's mouth, the thimble hanging 10 mm clear of the floor. Cut a rubber washer for the filling screw.

Materials for this step:

Glass JarGlass Jar1 piece
Two-Part EpoxyTwo-Part Epoxy1 piece
Machine ScrewsMachine Screws1 piece
Rubber SheetRubber Sheet1 piece

Tools needed:

Craft KnifeCraft Knife
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
7

Roll the wick

Roll a strip of burlap tightly until it fills the thimble, 15 mm longer than it. Push it in and fray the top 15 mm with the fingers.

Materials for this step:

Burlap / HessianBurlap / Hessian1 piece

Tools needed:

ScissorsScissors
RulerRuler
8

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build, not of the patent: a 90 mm jar with a 66 mm mouth, the aluminium lip ring and filling screw, a 53 mm thimble 10 mm off the floor, the burlap wick with its frayed top, and the lid.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
Download Model
9

Oil a board and weigh it

Pour linseed oil through the filling hole to half the jar's height and wait until the wick's top darkens. Weigh a plywood board, brush it once over, and weigh it again. Turn the closed jar on its side over a rag for a minute.
Step 9 - Image 1

Materials for this step:

Boiled Linseed OilBoiled Linseed Oil1 piece
Plywood SheetPlywood Sheet1 piece
Cotton RagsCotton Rags1 piece

Tools needed:

Digital Kitchen ScaleDigital Kitchen Scale
StopwatchStopwatch
Tape MeasureTape Measure
10

A wick that stays dry, floods or leaks

Oil-wick fountain brush troubleshooting.

Flow

Loading...
11

History and honest limits

**Preston H. Clingan** of Florence, Colorado, assignor of one-half to John H. Todd of Cañon City, filed US 787,278 on 28 July 1904; it is dated 11 April 1905. His can is cylindrical with both ends contracted and threaded, so the cover fits either end; the thimble is soldered to an inward lip at the mouth; the wick is preferably a roll of burlap. He named oiling or polishing surfaces and cleaning windows among its uses. **Honest limits.** A jar with one threaded mouth stands in for his can. The notebook assumes a fully wetting wick and one pore size. Your weights are the result.

Materials

10

Tools Required

12

Design Files

1

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CC0 Public Domain

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