Candle Soot

Post date: 24-Jun-2013 00:34:19

If you are having difficulty deciphering the brand or logo on a tool, the use of candle soot may be of some help. Covering the brand with soot from a smoking candle, transferring the soot to a piece of clear sticky tape then onto a piece of white paper gives a couple of advantages. One is to flatten out a brand from a curved surface and the other to provide a black and white contrast from what may be a uniformly rusty or bright  surface. The requisites for the process are,  candle, wire mesh (ie. tea strainer) clear sticky tape and sheet of white paper.

You can make a holder for the mesh or get someone to assist you.  Start by lowering the mesh onto the flame until it starts smoking. 

As soon as you've got a good plume of smoke going hold the tool to be identified in the smoke stream. If its a wooden or plastic tool hold it up so as not to burn it. 

Because you can't see the surface you are smoking it may be helpful to mark the opposite side with chalk, or the like, to make sure you get the smoke on the right place and to assist you to see where to put the sticky tape.

The next step is to take a piece of sticky tape and carefully place it over the soot covered brand, making sure not to move or wrinkle it.

Peel the tape off the tool and stick it to the piece of white paper, you should be able to get a better perspective of the brand which is now flat rather than curved as it was on the tool.

Believe it or not the word in the centre of the logo is BLUEGRASS which allows us to stretch our imagination to see that the word at the bottom is LOUISVILLE USA and at the top BELKNAP.

It may be found to be beneficial to take a number of tapings with varying amounts of soot, to give a better view of the brand.

Don't forget to blow out the candle when you finish.