THERMAL WAX-EXTRACTING EAR CANDLE AND METHOD OF PRODUCTION

EXTRACTEUR DE CERUMEN ET METHODE DE FABRICATION

English Abstract

The ear candle is in the form of an elongated tubular member tapering in diameter toward an end which is adapted to be inserted into a human ear. The tubular member is composed of unbleached cotton impregnated with beeswax which, when ignited burns and releases hot gas. The gas serves to heat and soften wax within the ear thereby aiding in the removal of the wax from the ear. The ear candle is made by providing a rectangular strip of unbleached cotton which has a length in the range of 15 to 20 times its width and in which its warp is parallel to the side edges thereof. A rod having an area coated with melted beeswax and an uncoated area is placed such that it is adjacent to one end edge of the strip and such that its coated area contacts the strip. The uncoated area of the rod is gripped and rotated in order to cause it to wrap itself spirally around the rod in a number of turns. The angle of the rod is adjusted while it rotates in order to cause the portion of the strip in one turn to overlap the portion in an adjacent turn.

French Abstract

Bougie auriculaire sous la forme d'un élément tubulaire allongé dont le diamètre diminue progressivement vers une extrémité, adaptée pour être insérée dans une oreille humaine. L'élément tubulaire est composé de coton écru imprégné de cire d'abeille qui, lorsqu'il est allumé, brûle et libère un gaz chaud. Le gaz sert à chauffer et ramollir le cérumen dans l'oreille et facilite ainsi le retrait du cérumen de l'oreille. La bougie auriculaire est fabriquée par la fourniture d'une bande rectangulaire de coton écru d'une longueur de l'ordre de 15 à 20 fois sa largeur et dont la chaîne est parallèle à ses bords. Une tige ayant une surface revêtue de cire d'abeille fondue et une surface non revêtue est placée de sorte à être adjacente à un bord de la bande et de sorte que sa surface revêtue soit en contact avec la bande. La surface non revêtue de la tige est saisie et tournée pour s'enrouler en spirale autour de la tige sur un certain nombre de tours. L'angle de la tige est ajusté pendant sa rotation afin d'amener la portion de la bande d'un tour à chevaucher la portion d'un tour adjacent.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows
1. A thermal wax-extracting ear candle comprising: an
elongated tubular member tapering in diameter toward an end
which is adapted to be inserted into a human ear, said tubular
member being composed of unbleached cotton impregnated with
beeswax which, when ignited burns and releases hot gas, said
gas serving to heat and soften wax within the ear thereby
aiding in the removal of the wax from the ear.
2. A method of production of a thermal wax-extracting ear
candle comprising the steps of: providing a rectangular strip
of unbleached cotton which has a length in the range of 15 to
20 times its width and in which its warp is parallel to the
side edges thereof; providing a rod having an area coated with
melted beeswax and an uncoated area; placing the rod such that
it is adjacent to one end edge of the strip and such that its
coated area contacts the strip; manually gripping the uncoated
area of the rod and rotating it in order to cause the strip
to wrap itself spirally around the rod in a number of turns;
and adjusting the angle of the rod while it rotates in order
to cause the portion of the strip in one turn to overlap the
portion in an adjacent turn.
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3. A method of production of a thermal wax-extracting ear
candle comprising the steps of: providing a rectangular strip
of unbleached cotton which has a length in the range of 15 to
20 times its width and in which its warp is parallel to the
side edges thereof; ironing said trip in order to stiffen it;
providing a quantity of melted beeswax; inserting a rod into
said beeswax such that a portion of said rod is coated with
melted beeswax and the remainder of said rod is uncoated;
placing the rod such that it is adjacent to one end edge of
the strip and such that its coated area contacts the strip;
manually gripping the uncoated area of the rod and rotating it
in order to cause the strip to wrap itself spirally around the
rod in a number of turns; and adjusting the angle of the rod
while it rotates in order to cause the portion of the strip in
one turn to overlap the portion in an adjacent turn by no less
than approximately one half of the width of the strip.
4. A method of production of a thermal wax-extracting ear
candle comprising the steps of: providing a rectangular strip
of unbleached cotton which has a length in the range of 15 to
20 times its width and in which its warp is parallel to the
side edges thereof; ironing said trip in order to stiffen it;
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providing a quantity of beeswax heated to a temperature in the
range of about 200 degrees F. to about 210 degrees F;
inserting a rod into said beeswax such that a portion of said
rod is coated with melted beeswax and the remainder of said
rod is uncoated; placing the rod such that it is adjacent to
one end edge of the strip and such that its coated area
contacts the strip; manually gripping the uncoated area of
the rod and rotating it in order to cause the strip to wrap
itself spirally around the rod in a number of turns; and
adjusting the angle of the rod while it rotates in order to
cause the portion of the strip in one turn to overlap the
portion in an adjacent turn by no less than approximately one
half of the width of the strip.

Description

CA 02254159 1998-11-16
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an ear candle for the extract-
ion of wax from an ear and to a method of production of the
ear candle. More particularly the invention relates to an ear
candle composed of unbleached cotton impregnated with beeswax
and to a method or production of the ear candle.
For many years ear candles have been used to extract wax
within a human ear. The candle usually consists of a strip of
fabric rolled into the shape of a hollow cone and held in such
shape by means of an adhesive such as paraffin wax. The small-
er end of the cone is inserted into an ear and the larger end
is ignited. Smoke flows through the cone and into the ear
where its heat causes wax within the ear to melt. The smoke
also causes the pressure in the interior of the cone to drop
below the pressure within the ear and melted ear-wax flows
from the ear into the cone where it hardens and collects on
the inside wall of the cone. The wax can be removed simply by
withdrawing the cone from the ear.
Ear candles have been described in a number of patents of
the United States such as nos. 3,099,263 to Palazzolo;
1,512,274 to Caramanico; 668,929 to Polish; 1,448,129 to
Kudla; and 3,734,093 to Paurice. These and other patents
indicate that material such as linen, silk, woollen sloth
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dipped in paraffin wax, woven cloth, fabrics and paper are
suitable materials for the cone. In fact such materials have
serious shortcomings. Linen in its original state is not
readily available. Dyed linen is available but it is quite
expensive and its dyes often give off noxious fumes when they
burn. Silk and wool likewise give off noxious fumes. Polyester
sputters and releases molten particles as it burns. Such
particles are intolerable in an ear. As well, polyester gives
off a choking smoke as it burns. Paper usually contains such
material as rosin or glue and lime or kaolin to give it body
and weight. Such materials give off noxious odours when they
burn and, in some cases, toxins which can cause an allergic
reaction or illness.
It has been found that unbleached cotton impregnated with
beeswax is suitable material for the cone of an ear candle.
The material burns cleanly without noxious fumes or toxins.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly described, the ear candle of the invention in-
cludes an elongated tubular member which tapers in diameter
toward an end which is adapted to be inserted into a human
ear. The tubular member is composed of unbleached cotton
impregnated with beeswax which, when ignited burns and
releases smoke. The smoke serves to heat and soften wax within
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CA 02254159 1998-11-16
the ear thereby aiding in the removal of the wax from the ear.
The method of production of the ear candle involves the
steps of providing a rectangular strip of unbleached cotton
which has a length in the range of 15 to 20 times its width
and in which its warp is parallel to the side edges thereof;
providing a rod having an area coated with melted beeswax and
an uncoated area; placing the rod such that it is adjacent to
one end edge of the strip and such that its coated area con-
tarts the strip; manually gripping the uncoated area of the
rod and rotating it in order to cause the strip to wrap itself
spirally around the rod in a number of turns; and adjusting
the angle of the rod while it rotates in order to cause the
portion of the strip in one turn to overlap the portion in an
adjacent turn.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ear candle;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ear candle and
human ear;
Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of the strip of
material, in enlarged scale, which makes up the cone of the
ear candle. An area of the strip is enlarged to show the
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CA 02254159 1998-11-16
strands of thread which make up the warp and weft of the
material;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the strip of material and a
rod for impregnating the material with beeswax; and
Figure 5 shows the manner in which the material is rolled
into a cone.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout
the description of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figure 1, the thermal ear wax-extract-
ing ear candle of the invention is indicated generally 10 and
is made up of an elongated strip 12 which is wrapped around
itself spirally to form a cone. The cone is hollow and tapers
from an end 14 of relatively large diameter to an end 16 of
relatively small diameter.
The cone is formed of unbleached cotton. The cotton is
impregnated with beeswax which serves as an adhesive to hold
the cotton to the required conical shape.
With reference to Figure 2, the large end 14 of the cone
is ignited so as to produce a hot gas or smoke within the
cone. The small end of the cone is then inserted into an ear
20. After insertion the head is tilted so that the long-
itudinal axis of the cone is roughly vertical or within about
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CA 02254159 1998-11-16
degrees of the vertical. The axis should be roughly aligned
with the longitudinal axis of the outer ear. At that angle
smoke flows through the interior of the cone and into the ear.
Wax within the ear softens or melts when it is contacted by
the smoke and may be removed by means of a cotton swab.
The method of production of the ear candle is described
with reference to Figures 3 to 5. With reference first to
Figure 3, the first step in the production is to provide a
rectangular strip 32 of unbleached cotton which has a length
in the range of 15 to 20 times its width. Preferably the
length of the strip will be about 25 inches and the width 1
1/2 inches.
The strip should be free of creases and wrinkles and if
there are any, they can be removed by ironing both sides of
the material. Ironing also serves to stiffen the material so
that the candle retains its shape as it burns. If the candle
loses its shape it may flop over and burn the ear or neck of
the person whose ear is being candled. The strip may be fur-
ther stiffened by spraying it with distilled water before it
is ironed.
The elongated strands of thread 34 which make up the warp
of the material extend parallel to the side edges 36, 38 of
the strip and the strands 38 which make up the weft are normal
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to those edges.
With reference to Figure 4, a rod 40, such as a chop-
stick, has an area 42 coated with melted beeswax while the
remainder is uncoated. The rod may be coated simply by dipping
it in a container of melted beeswax. The rod is placed such
that it is adjacent to and approximately parallel to end edge
44. The coated area contacts the strip while the uncoated area
is beyond the strip.
With reference to Figure 5, the uncoated area of the rod
is gripped manually and rotated in order to cause the strip to
wrap itself spirally around the rod in a number of turns 50.
The angle of the rod is adjusted while it is rotated in order
to cause a portion 52 of the strip in one turn to overlap a
portion 54 in an adjacent turn. The two should not overlap
each other by less than approximately one half of the width 56
of the strip. Adjacent to the small end of the cone the two
will overlie each other by considerably more than one half of
the width of the strip.
The temperature of the beeswax should be maintained in
the range of about 200 degrees F. to about 210 degrees F. If
the temperature is higher, the beeswax tends to migrate to the
outside wall of the cone and form clumps, If the temperature
is lower, the beeswax does not penetrate the cotton evenly but
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forms clumps on the inside wall of the cone. Clumps of beeswax
are not desirable because they do not burn at the same rate as
the cotton which surrounds them. It is difficult to control
the process of ear-wax extraction when the rate of burning of
the candle is not uniform.
It will be understood of course that modifications can be
made in the preferred embodiments and method illustrated and
described herein without departing from the scope and purview
of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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Representative Drawing