A Simple Sensitive Flame

Abstract

A USEFUL sensitive flame may be obtained from a Bunsen burner with the usual gas supply by completely excluding the air and lowering the gas pressure until the flame becomes lop-sided but quiet. Its range of sensibility extends for singing over the three octaves of the bass and treble clefs, for whistling over the middle octave of these three. The recovery is prompt enough to allow of a response to each note of a slow staccato passage. The type of burner found best is one with a brass tube three-eighths of an inch bore, with one side hole for air which is quite closed by a half-turn of its tightly-fitting sleeve.