Oilwick Lamps/Graves Patent Copper Spout Liner

Oilwick Lamps

Graves Patent Copper Spout Liner.JPG - GRAVES PATENT FRICTION FIT SPOUT - Hard to find tin face lamp with removable copper spout liner and brass spout cap, 2 in. to top of lid, 1 5/8 in. base dia., 1 11/16 in. spout length, unmarked [This is an early model of the Graves patent oil wick lamp. Ralph L. Graves of Sumpter, OR was awarded three patents all of which dealt with a means to keep a paraffin-type solid fuel in a liquid state by using a heat conducting spout liner assembly. His first patent No. 853,078 was issued May 7, 1907. A second patent No. 886,204 modified his first by adding a removable perforated heat-conducting wick tube. His final miner’s lamp patent No. 942,823 was issued Dec. 7, 1909 and modified both earlier patents by adding a rotating disk on the spout cap to adjust the heat being provided to the fuel. The lamp shown here uses a copper wick tube perforated with several holes to transfer heat from the burning wick back to the fuel. It is thought this is an early model based on his patent that used a threaded recessed brass spout cap through which the copper wick tube protrudes. It seals through a friction fit on the spout tip ring perhaps using a gasket made of non-combustible material as described in his claims to keep the liquid fuel from spilling out the spout. Another later version of the wick tube assembly found on other lamps (shown elsewhere in my pics) uses the same copper wick tube and brass spout cap but the cap is threaded into the spout to provide a better sealing option than the friction fit. Graves’ original patent feature used copper wires rather than a tube to transfer heat. The difficulty of fabricating the spout assembly with wires and the expected breakage and/or damage of the wires in use made the copper tube a preferred option. There are two aspects of the Graves miner’s lamp patent that I find interesting. The first is that Graves lived in Sumpter, Oregon, far from the coal fields in the east where oil wick lamps were in heavy use and where nearly all the major lamp makers were located. The second is that Graves’ patents all use a “typical” lamp font, lid and spout attachment for his improvements as described in his claims. It would appear that he decided to use a rare Husson No. 3-style lamp with a stick sleeve on the screw-on lid as the typical lamp, certainly not a typical lamp from my viewpoint.]

Graves Patent Copper Spout Liner | GRAVES PATENT FRICTION FIT SPOUT - Hard to find tin face lamp with removable copper spout liner and brass spout cap, 2 in. to top of lid, 1 5/8 in. base dia., 1 11/16 in. spout length, unmarked [This is an early model of the Graves patent oil wick lamp. Ralph L. Graves of Sumpter, OR was awarded three patents all of which dealt with a means to keep a paraffin-type solid fuel in a liquid state by using a heat conducting spout liner assembly. His first patent No. 853,078 was issued May 7, 1907. A second patent No. 886,204 modified his first by adding a removable perforated heat-conducting wick tube. His final miner’s lamp patent No. 942,823 was issued Dec. 7, 1909 and modified both earlier patents by adding a rotating disk on the spout cap to adjust the heat being provided to the fuel. The lamp shown here uses a copper wick tube perforated with several holes to transfer heat from the burning wick back to the fuel. It is thought this is an early model based on his patent that used a threaded recessed brass spout cap through which the copper wick tube protrudes. It seals through a friction fit on the spout tip ring perhaps using a gasket made of non-combustible material as described in his claims to keep the liquid fuel from spilling out the spout. Another later version of the wick tube assembly found on other lamps (shown elsewhere in my pics) uses the same copper wick tube and brass spout cap but the cap is threaded into the spout to provide a better sealing option than the friction fit. Graves’ original patent feature used copper wires rather than a tube to transfer heat. The difficulty of fabricating the spout assembly with wires and the expected breakage and/or damage of the wires in use made the copper tube a preferred option. There are two aspects of the Graves miner’s lamp patent that I find interesting. The first is that Graves lived in Sumpter, Oregon, far from the coal fields in the east where oil wick lamps were in heavy use and where nearly all the major lamp makers were located. The second is that Graves’ patents all use a “typical” lamp font, lid and spout attachment for his improvements as described in his claims. It would appear that he decided to use a rare Husson No. 3-style lamp with a stick sleeve on the screw-on lid as the typical lamp, certainly not a typical lamp from my viewpoint.]

Original Image

Total images: 770 | Last update: 3/30/24 6:41 PM | Help