Claims
- 1. An apparatus for making candles being comprised of:a means of holding liquid wax suspended above a volume of water held in a waterproof box, having a bottom and sides with an open top; a means for selectively allowing the liquid wax to move to and be released into the water; a means to collect the liquid wax as it falls through the water and build it up around a wick to form a decorative candle; and a means to control the rate of cooling of the liquid wax comprised of a rheostat control means to adjust the temperature of electrical heating elements in the sides of the waterproof box, in the means of holding liquid wax, and in the means of moving the liquid wax to the water, the electrical power being externally supplied through a 220-volt rated electrical cord means.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means of holding liquid suspended above a volume of water comprises:a wax reservoir, having a bottom and sides, contained in a heated cradle means, having a bottom and sides, and having a pivot arm extending from one side of sufficient length to removably engage a pivot arm attachment means on a wax reservoir support which extends upward from, and is attached to, a side of the waterproof box, so that the wax reservoir is positioned above the center of the waterproof box; a cradle heated by an electrical heat element whose temperature is varied by a rheostat control for the electrical heat element, the electricity being supplied externally through a 220-volt rated electrical cord means; and an outlet in the bottom of the wax reservoir located so as to communicate with an opening in the bottom of the heated cradle, both of sufficient diameter to allow liquid wax to flow therethrough.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for selectively allowing the liquid wax to move from the wax reservoir to be released into the water, being comprised of:a guide tube communicating from the outlet in the bottom of the wax reservoir through the opening in the bottom of the heated cradle of sufficient hollow inner diameter to allow the flow of liquid wax and having its own guide tube heat element with a rheostat control for the guide tube heat element located with the rheostat control for the electrical heat element for the heated cradle and having the same electrical supply, and extending to near the surface of the water and having an open outlet end through which the liquid wax is released to fall into the water; and a shut-off valve having one end flaring to a diameter greater than that of the outlet in the bottom of the wax reservoir so as to stop the flow of liquid wax when it is lowered into the outlet and its other end extending to above the wax reservoir to removably attach to a horizontal support which extends to above a side of the waterproof box and is attached to a vertical support which communicates to a foot pedal pivot and thus to a foot pedal which extends horizontally below and beyond the side of the waterproof box, so that when the foot pedal is depressed the shut-off valve is raised opening the outlet and allowing the flow of liquid wax into the guide tube.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the wax reservoir is made of copper.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the shut-off valve is made of copper.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means to collect the liquid wax as it falls through the water and build it up around a wick to form a decorative candle is comprised of:a base plate having a wick tied through a hole in its center and stretched to be tied to a hole in one end of a wick support arm, rigidly positioned above the center of the base plate by a vertical shaft affixed to a side of the base plate to which the end of the wick support arm, opposite to the one to which the wick is tied, is connected at the end of said vertical shaft opposite to the end affixed to the side of the base plate; a base plate holder to which the base plate is removably attached so that it remains attached as the base plate holder is manually manipulated in the horizontal, vertical and rotational planes through a flexible waterproof sleeve extending from an access means in a side of the waterproof box which is of sufficient diameter to accommodate an arm and hand of a candle maker/artist; an access means being comprised of: a large square opening in a side of the waterproof box covered on the inside by a waterproof gasket sealed against leakage at its edges by a gasket attachment frame, said gasket having a hole at its center of sufficient diameter to accommodate a rigid flared inner neck of the waterproof sleeve around which the gasket is sealed, which gasket material has sufficient excess height and width beyond the dimensions of the gasket attachment frame so that the waterproof sleeve can move in the vertical, horizontal and rotational planes without compromising the waterproof gasket water seal; a sleeve support plate, to which the end of the waterproof gasket opposite to the base plate holder is attached, having a hole in its center of identical dimension as the inside of the flexible waterproof sleeve, and having grooved rollers rotatably affixed to each corner parallel to the length of the sleeve support plate, which grooves engage a vertical rail on either side of the opening in the side of the waterproof box on the inside of the waterproof box, while the sleeve support plate is attached to a length of sleeve support plate bottom guide fabric along its bottom edge and a length of sleeve support plate top guide fabric along its top edge, which respective guide fabrics are wrapped around a top shaft at the top of the opening in the side of the waterproof box and around a bottom shaft at the bottom of the opening in the side of the waterproof box, the ends of said shafts being rotatably held in position by a top and bottom roller bearing means, and the sleeve support plate top guide fabric and the sleeve support plate bottom guide fabric being of sufficient length so as to allow vertical movement of the sleeve support plate throughout the height of the opening in the side of the waterproof box without either fabric becoming disengaged from the top shaft or the bottom shaft, while the orientation of the sleeve support plate bottom fabric to the sleeve support plate top guide fabric is maintained by a continuous length of sprocket chain stretched between and engaged with gears at one end of the top shaft and bottom shaft and another continuous length of sprocket chain stretched between and engaged with gears at the other end of the top shaft and bottom shaft, the movement of the sleeve support plate being restrained in fixed relation to the side of the waterproof box and being protected from damage by a retainer cover of rigid material spanning the area within the gasket attachment frame between the waterproof gasket and the roller bearings, gears, and grooved rollers and having an opening of sufficient dimension in its center to allow movement of the sleeve support plate throughout its vertical travel on its rails.
- 7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the liquid wax is built up around a core candle of narrow diameter and of a height equal to a desired height of a decorative candle and being retained on the base plate by its bottom being impaled on a core candle pike which protrudes through the hole in the base plate.
- 8. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for holding liquid wax suspended above a volume of water held in a waterproof box with an open top and a means for selectively allowing the liquid wax to move to and be released into the water comprised of multiple wax reservoirs with individual heated cradles contained in a multiple wax reservoir basket having a pivot arm extending from one side of sufficient length to removably engage a pivot arm attachment means on a wax reservoir support which extends upward from, and is attached to, a side of the waterproof box, so that the center of the multiple wax reservoir basket is positioned above the center of the waterproof box, each wax reservoir having an outlet, co-located with an opening in the bottom of each heated cradle, on the bottom near the side closest to the center of the multiple wax reservoir basket, through which liquid wax flows into individual wax supply tubes, having wax supply tube heat elements, which communicate into an alternate guide tube, each individual wax supply tube aligned vertically along the length of the alternate guide tube so that there is vertical separation between their connections to the alternate guide tube so that a single opening, in a solid side of an alternate shut-off valve with a hollow interior, can be positioned to allow the flow of liquid wax from only one individual wax supply tube at a time into the hollow interior of the alternate shut-off valve and through an outlet in its bottom end, while the solid side of the alternate shut-off valve blocks the flow of the liquid wax from the other individual wax supply tubes, the position of the alternate shut-off valve being controlled by vertical movement of a horizontal support, to one end of which the top of the alternate shut-off valve is removably attached and the other end being attached to a vertical support which communicates to a foot pedal pivot and thus to a foot pedal which extends horizontally below and to beyond the side of the waterproof box, so that as the foot pedal is depressed the single opening in the solid side of the alternate shut-off valve moves from one individual wax supply tube to another allowing the flow of liquid was into the hollow interior of the alternate shut-off valve and through its outlet to the water below, or to a point along the inner face of the alternate guide tube thus stopping the flow of liquid wax into the hollow interior of the alternate shut-off valve.
- 9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the means to collect the liquid wax as it falls through the water and builds up around a wick to form a candle includes a remote control arm, which extends from a base plate holder engagement plate which spans the under surface of the base plate holder and is rigidly attached thereto at the end of a remote control arm extension which spans the length of the waterproof sleeve and is restrained in the horizontal plane by an inner stop, located at a point along its length, which stop is larger in dimension than a slot in a position plate, of dimension larger than the access hole and located outside of the access hole, through which the remote control arm protrudes, so that the remote control arm extension may not be withdrawn a distance which would damage the waterproof sleeve, and an outer stop, located at a point along the length of the remote control arm extension on the portion outside the position plate to restrain the remote control arm extension from being inserted beyond the limit of the excess gasket material and the length of the flexible waterproof sleeve, and the end of the remote control arm extending outside the access hole and beyond the position plate has a left hand grip and a right hand grip flaring from its remote control arm extension.
- 10. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means to collect the liquid wax as it falls through the water and build it up around a wick to form a decorative candle is comprised ofa base plate having a wick tied through a hole in its center and stretched to be tied to a hole in one end of a wick support arm, rigidly positioned above the center of the base plate by a vertical shaft affixed to a side of the base plate to which the end of the wick support arm, opposite to the one to which the wick is tied, is connected at the end of said vertical shaft opposite to the end affixed to the side of the base plate; a base plate support means which allows the base plate to be moved throughout three dimensions by a control means, no part of which penetrates the sides of the water proof box, being comprised of lengths of metal tubing connected to each other by universal joint means with one end being a vertical support removably attached to one corner of the water proof box by a suitable means and being of sufficient length to extend above the sides of the water proof box and communicating by universal joint means to a length of metal tubing of sufficient length to span to the center of the water proof box and communicating by universal joint means to a second length of metal tubing of sufficient length to reach through the open top of the water proof box to its bottom and further communicating by universal joint means to a base plate support arm, comprised of a length of metal tubing, and rigidly attached by suitable means to the base plate; a base plate control means being comprised of a handle, of suitable design and manufacture to be easily grasped by one hand of an artist, to which is rigidly attached, by suitable means, a control arm, of metal tubing of sufficient length to reach from outside of the water proof box to above its open top and to which is rigidly attached, by suitable means, a span arm of metal tubing of sufficient length to reach the expanses of the open top, to which is rigidly attached by suitable means a vertical arm of metal tubing of sufficient length to reach and rigidly communicate, by suitable attachment means, with the base plate support arm, all so that movement of the handle by the artist results in a direct movement of the base plate.
- 11. A combination of apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means, to collect the liquid wax as it falls through the water and build it up around a wick to form a decorative candle, has a control means so that a plurality of apparatus are connected through their control means by suitable mechanical or electronic means, so that more than one decorative candle may be made at a time.
Parent Case Info
This is a Divisional Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/474,923 filed 12/29/99 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,481.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2583334 |
Dec 1986 |
FR |
64-74299 |
Mar 1989 |
JP |