Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1901 — Automatic Gas Igniter. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Automatic Gas Igniter.

The illustration shows an internal and external view of the automatic gas lighter recently patented. It is very

simple in its c o nstructlon being formed of a mixture of bone-ash and platinum black. It is well known that platinum black occludes large quantities of oxygen from

the air, and if a stream of hydrogen be directed upon the patinum the chemical combination of the two gases takes place with sufficient energy to raise the temperature of the platinum black until it becomes red hot, or sufficiently hot to render incandescent a platinum wire placed over the slot of the .gas burner. Formerly these igniters have become inefficient in a short time, on account of the atoms of one of th 3 ingredient coalescing with those of the other, when the atoms are too closely connected to occlude oxygen at the ordinary temperature with sufficient rapidity to heat the platinum wire. However, this inventor claims to have discovered a process which will overcome this difficulty. To accomplish this result the bone-ash is heated to a high temperature to purify it and is then mixed with water and platinum black to form a paste, which is subjected to a high degree of heat in a mold of the required shape. It is then ready for connection with the wire which forms the igniter.

Lights gas without match