Candle History continued

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Candle History, continued

Beeswax candles were a marked improvement over those made with tallow, for they did not produce a smoky flame, or emit an acrid odor when burned. Instead, beeswax candles burned pure and clean. However, they were expensive, and, therefore, only the wealthy could afford them. Tallow continued to be the primary ingredient of most candles outside the church.

Early candles were made by suspending several wicks from a long rod called a Broach. The liquefied tallow was poured into a container and the wicks were dipped three times and then hung on a rack and allowed to dry. After this initial dipping, the candles would be repeatedly dipped until the desired thickness was achieved.

The practice of using molds to make candles began in the 15th century in France. The wax was poured into hollow open-ended cylinders. These cylinders had a cap with a small hole in the center for the wick. The wick was then placed in the mold and held in place by small wires. Once the mold was filled the wicks were pulled taunt and the wax left to cool. And the wires were removed. A true candle maker would bleach his candles by hanging them outside. Although he would protect the candles from the sun and the elements, he would keep them outside for 8 to 10 days.

Colonial Times to the Industrial Revolution

Colonial women offered America's first contribution to candle making when they discovered that boiling the grayish green berries of bayberry bushes produced a sweet-smelling wax that burned clean. However, extracting the wax from the bayberries was extremely tedious. As a result, the popularity of bayberry candles soon diminished. To this day Bayberry candles are made the same way, although cost is prohibitive since it takes one and a half quarts of Bayberries to make an 8 inch taper candle. Early missionaries in the southwestern United States boiled the bark of the Cerio tree and skimmed the wax to make candles.

The growth of the whaling industry in the late 18th century brought the first major change in candle making since the Middle Ages, when spermaceti, a wax obtained by crystallizing sperm whale oil, became available in quantity. Like beeswax, the spermaceti wax did not elicit a repugnant odor when burned. Furthermore, spermaceti wax was found harder than both tallow and beeswax. It did not soften or bend in the summer heat. Historians note that the first "standard candles" were made from spermaceti wax. In 1811 stearic acid was developed. This chemical is a by-product of fat and was blended into the wax to harden it. This created candles that burned longer.

When cotton began to be imported from the hot countries and the "American Plantation" (later the United States), the cotton began to replace rush wicks and linen was sometimes used as well. Wicks made simply of twisted strands of cotton burned very poorly and needed constant maintenance. By 1825 it was discovered that braided wicks were a great improvement for candles at this time. The braided wick was tightly plaited and the wick curled over as it burned enabling it to be completely consumed.

It was during the 19th century when most major developments affecting contemporary candle making occurred. In 1834, inventor Joseph Morgan introduced a machine which allowed continuous production of molded candles by the use of a cylinder which featured a movable piston that ejected candles as they solidified. His machine manufactured 1500 candles an hour from a mould. Even though by the middle of the 19th century the Industrial Revolution had transformed the way candles were made, handmade candles were still in demand, especially for religious activities.

Further developments in candle making occurred in 1850 with the production of paraffin wax made from oil and coal shales. Processed by distilling the residues left after crude petroleum was refined, the bluish-white wax was found to burn with no unpleasant odor. Of greatest significance was its cost — paraffin wax was more economical to produce than any preceding candle fuel developed. And while paraffin's low melting point may have posed a threat to its popularity, the discovery of stearic acid solved this problem. Hard and durable, stearic acid was being produced in quantity by the end of the 19th century. By this period, most candles being manufactured consisted of paraffin and stearic acid.

Candles continued to be the main source of light for the home until the invention of the light bulb in 1879. Before this invention though, candles or oil lamps were prevalent in every home. During the Civil War, men on both sides of the conflict looked forward to packages from home which would include not only food, but soap and candles. In the Confederacy, especially, soldiers would write home asking for candles. Buying candles at camp was expensive as one soldier wrote to his wife from Port Hudson, La. in January 1863, " I am sorry you troubled yourself so much about candles when we first came here we could not get them but now we can get them at from 50 to 75 cents".

Candle History, continued

Colonial Times to the Industrial Revolution

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