US3424540A - Colored flame candle - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 28, 1969 c, J, SWEDENBERG 3,424,540

COLORED FLAME CANDLE Filed March 15, 1967 INVENTOR CLYDE JOHNSON SWEIINBERG United States Patent 3,424,540 COLORED FLAME CANDLE Clyde Johnson Swedenberg, La Plata, Md. (P.O. Box 186, Indian Head, Md. 20640) Filed Mar. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 623,424 U.S. Cl. 431126 4 Claims Int. Cl. F2311 3/16, 1/02;C11c 5/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A single or multicolored flame candle is produced by enclosing a jelly composed of ethylene glycol and cotton fiber in a rigid, nonflammable casing. A portion of the cotton fiber extends from an opening at the top of the casing and acts as a wick. One or more metal salts are placed in a partitioned cup at the base of the 'wick. These metal salts react with the flame producing a single or multicolored flame.

This invention relates to a candle producing a flame of one or more distinct colors and the method of making the same.

Numerous attempts have been made to produce colored flame candles. All of the known products of this nature are produced by one of the following methods: An oxidizer such as potassium chlorate is mixed with candle wax to produce complete burning of the carbon in the flame and leave a colorless flame that can then be colored by a metal salt present in the candle wick. This results in a candle that burns in an unstable manner and produces sputtering. Also an oxidizer such as potassium chlorate when mixed with candle wax may produce an explosion when burned in a confined area. An organic compound that contains enough oxygen to assure complete burning of the carbon in a flame such as ethyl oxamate has also been tried as a base for making colored flame candles. This method offers many advantages over the previously cited method but has the disadvantage that the organic material used is highly soluble in water and presents grave handling and storage problems. A candle made by this method may even be effected by the perspiration from the hands of one holding it.

It is the object of this invention to produce a colored flame candle Without the above defects.

A further object is to produce a candle capable of emitting a flame composed of two or more distinct colors.

In the accompanying drawings FIGURE 1 is a vertical view. FIGURE 2 is a top view. A jelly mass 1 consisting of cotton wadding and ethylene glycol is enclosed in a plastic, metal or glass casing 2. A portion of the cotton wadding is used to form a wick 4. The top of the casing 3 is concave with a hole in the center for the wick. The flame produced at the wick is 3,424,540 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 ICC blue and of very little intensity. By placing certain metal salts 5 such as sodium chloride, barium chloride, strontium chloride, etc. in the depression 3 so that contact is made with the wick 4, a brilliant colored flame is produced. The color depending on the metal salt used. A multicolored flame can be obtained by placing partitions 6 between several different metal salts in the depression 3. Different metal salts mixed in granular size and placed in the depression 3 without using partitions 6 will also produce a multicolored flame with a play of colors as opposed to several distinct colors when the partitions 6 are used.

I claim:

1. A colored flame candle comprising:

a nonflammable, non-melting and rigid container, a jelly mass of 20 to 40 parts by weight of ethylene glycol and one part by weight of cotton wadding enclosed in said container,

said container having a concave top with an aperture centrally located therein, said aperture providing for the exit of a portion of said cotton wadding to be used as a wick, and flame coloring metallic-salts in said concave top surrounding and in contact with said wick.

2. The colored flame candle of claim 1 is made to produce a multicolored flame of distinct colors by the use of partitions in the concave top seperating several different metal salts and so exposing different metal salts to different parts of the wick and so producing several distinct colors in aflame.

3. The colored flame candle of claim 1 is made to produce a play of colors by mixing in granular size several different metal salts and placing these metal salts in the concave top and so exposing different metal salts to the same part of the wick at the same time and so producing many different colors of short duration distributed throughout the candle flame.

4. The colored flame candle of claim 1 is made to produce a single colored flame by placing one metal salt in the concave top and so exposing only one metal salt to the wick and producing one solid color throughout the flame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 984,029 2/1911 Scheuble 6722 1,608,518 11/1926 Minrath 6722 2,184,666 12/1939 Fredericks 6722 3,107,511 10/1963 Hamsag et al 6722 FOREIGN PATENTS 881,551 11/1961 Great Britain.

CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner.

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