Wax Candle Manufacture

Abstract

A decorative wax candle which includes initially separate wax inserts having colored sculptured relief surfaces that are directed outwardly toward the peripheral surface of the candle and which colored sculptured relief surfaces are visible through the outer peripheral surface of the candle. This invention relates to candles which may be night lights, particularly decorative candles, with a candle body which exhibits decorative coloured structural forms due to the presence of coloured wax inserts around the wick or wick channel. The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing wax candles whether of paraffin or stearin or the like. Wax candles are known in which the candle body is given a variegated colouration either by inserting highly coloured wax pieces into a body of molten wax, or by inserting such pieces into a mould and casting around them the body of the candle by pouring molten wax. The colours diffuse out of the wax pieces, producing coloured effects in the candle. However this method has the disadvantage that the coloured wax pieces are of random shapes, for example they can be irregular fragments, and the resulting candles merely show adventitious effects which are inadequate for decorative candles or translucent night lights of high quality. A further disadvantage often resulting from the use of coloured wax fragments of random shape is that the resulting candle contains a large fraction of material which burns only with difficulty. The object of the present invention is to provide a candle which not only shows superior coloured decorative effects but also has the best possible burning properties. A wax candle according to the invention is characterised in that the coloured inserts are structural parts of wax, each of which has at least one surface of special shape directed outwards towards the periphery of the candle, each initially separate wax inserts consisting of an easily combustible, essentially colourless wax, whether of paraffin or stearin or the like, there being applied in a decorative manner at least to the surface of special shape, colouring matter. Such colouring matter may comprise either colouring dyes easily soluble in wax, or suspensions of coloured pigments in molten wax. The initially separate wax inserts made of essentially colourless wax do not impair the burning qualities of the candle. Only a little colouring material is used. A thin layer of colouring material applied superficially to the outwardly directed surface of each initially separate wax inserts produces an excellent decorative effect after the candle has been completed by filling the mould with liquid wax. Wax soluble dyes can be used, or pigments suspended in liquid wax. These materials do not impair the burning properties of the candle, firstly because they are used only in small quantities and secondly because the colouring materials are located far away from the candle wick. The decorative effect obtained can be further improved in that each initially separate wax inserts has a surface showing a sculptured relief, this surface being directed outwards towards the periphery of the candle. This gives remarkably attractive geode-like decorative effects even if only one colour is used. Manufacture is facilitated if the initially separate wax inserts have edges which rest in contact with each other in the body of the candle. A preferred construction consists in that the initially separate wax inserts have lower projections which rest in contact with each other in the mould, preferably near the bottom of the candle, spaces remaining however between the initially separate wax inserts in the higher regions of the candle, for receiving the poured candle wax or the like. A preferred method of manufacture consists in that initially separate wax inserts are formed of wax with outer surfaces of predetermined shape, whereupon colouring materails are applied at least to certain areas of these outer surfaces, whereupon the initially separate wax inserts are inserted into a mould around a wick or wick channel, with their surfaces of predetermined shape directed outwards towards the periphery of the candle, whereupon the remaining space in the mould is filled by pouring wax, paraffin or the like. A good method for manufacturing the initially separate wax inserts consists in that the initially separate wax inserts, with their sculptured relief surfaces, are previously prepared by casting in a mould. Preferably the structural parts are inserted into the lower part of the candle mould in such a way that the sculptured relief surfaces at least partly touch the wall of the mould. This ensures that the initially separate wax inserts do not become excessively displaced during the casting of the candle body. If necessary distance pieces, made of wax or of some other suitable material, can be interposed between the initially separate wax inserts in the mould, so that a particularly desired decorative effect is reliably obtained.

Description

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a initially separate wax inserts of wax which has a sculptured relief surface to which pigments or dyes have been applied to give the desired decorative effect in the finished candle.

FIG. 2 represents a mould containing several initially separate wax inserts and ready for the casting of the candle body.

FIG. 3 shows the finished candle in which the coloured initially separate wax inserts produce the desired geode-like decorative effects.

The initially separate wax inserts 1 represented in FIG. 1 is made by casting, using for the purpose an essentially colourless wax or paraffin. The cast initially separate wax inserts 1 has a sculptured relief surface 2 to which there are applied either dyes which are easily soluble in wax, or a suspension of pigments in molten candle wax or paraffin. Several different colours can be applied one after the other to the relief surface so that after the casting of the candle body the desired decorative effects are obtained.

In FIG. 2 three initially separate wax inserts 1 have been inserted into a casting mould 3. The initially separate wax inserts touch each other at least partly along their neighbouring edges 4 and they also touch each other at projections 5 which are preferably located near the bottom of the casting mould, so that the several initially separate wax inserts 1 are held apart and accurately positioned in the mould. Between the three initially separate wax inserts 1 there remains a space 6 of triangular cross section to receive the wick and a spacer wire or the like for keeping the wick chamber open. Between the initially separate wax inserts 1 there remain intermediate spaces 7. The initially separate wax inserts are preferably positioned with their sculptured relief surfaces 2 at least partly touching the inner walls of the mould. After insertion of the wick the candle body is formed by filling the empty spaces in the mould with molten candle wax.

The finished candle, represented in FIG. 3 has a smooth outer surface through which the coloured sculptured relief surfaces of the initially separate wax inserts show after the manne of geodes, mainly in the lower and middle part of the candle. The coloured decorations show through the wax of the candle body, giving a cloudy effect of coloured shapes. In FIG. 3 the darker regions 8 represent the coloured projections 8 of the relief surfaces 2 of the initially separate wax inserts 1, the shaded regions 9 corresponding to the coloured regions 9 in FIG. 1.

Claims

I claim:

1. A decorative wax candle having a wick and outer peripheral surface and conprising a plurality of initially separate wax inserts arranged partially spaced from each other about the wick, each of the said inserts having a sculptured relief surface facing outwardly toward the said peripheral surface and each of the said relief surface being at least partially colored; additional wax which is at least slightly transparent filling the spaces between the said inserts and the said outer peripheral surfaces and at least partially surrounding the said relief surfaces so that the said colored sculptured relief surfaces are visible through the said outer peripheral surface.

2. A candle as defined in claim 1 in which an adjacent edge of at least one of the initially separate wax inserts is in contact with an adjacent edge of another of the initially separate wax inserts at a region around the wick of the candle.

3. A candle as defined in claim 1 in which the initially separate wax inserts have projections at their bases that are in contact with projections of adjacent wax inserts at the base of the candle.

4. A candle as defined in claim 1 in which the sculptured relief surfaces of the initially separate wax inserts are colored by means of a dye which is soluble in the wax of which the wax insert is formed.

5. A candle as defined in claim 1 in which the sculptured relief surfaces of the initially separate wax inserts are colored by means of a pigment that is insoluble in the wax of which the wax insert is formed.

6. A candle as defined in claim 1 in which the initially separate wax inserts are formed of a readily combustible wax.