 |
|
 |
|
History of Candlemaking
For centuries, candles have cast a light on man's progress. However,
there is very little known about the origin of candles. Although it is
often written that the Ancient Egyptians, who used rush lights, or torches,
made by soaking the pithy core of reeds in molten tallow, developed the
first candles. The rush lights had no wick like a candle. It is the Romans
who are credited with developing the wick candle, using it to aid travelers
at dark, and lighting homes and places of worship at night.
Like the early Egyptians, the Romans relied on tallow, gathered from cattle or
sheep suet, as the principal ingredient of candles. It was not until the Middle
Ages when beeswax, a substance secreted by honeybees to make their honeycombs,
was introduced. 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.
Colonial women offered America's first contribution to candlemaking when they
discovered that boiling the grayish green benies of bayberry bushes produced a
sweetsmelling wax that burned clean. However, extracting the wax from the bayberries
was extremely tedious. As a result, the popularity of bayberry candles soon diminished.
The growth of the whaling industry in the late 18th century brought the first major
change in candlemaking 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.
It was during the 19th century when most major developments affecting contemporary
candlemaking occurred. In 1834, inventor Joseph Morgan introduced a machine that
allowed continuous production of molded candles by the use of a cylinder, which
featured a movable piston that ejected candles as they solidified.
Further developments in candlemaking occurred in 1850 with the production of paraffin
wax made from oil and coal shale's. Processed by distilling the residues left after
crude petroleum was refined, the bluish-white wax was found to burn cleanly, and
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 pedod,
most candles being manufactured consisted of paraffin and stearic acid.
With the introduction of the light bulb in 1879, candlemaking declined until
the turn of the century when a renewed popularity for candles emerged.
Candle manufacturing was further enhanced during the first half of the 20th
century through the growth of U.S. oil and meatpacking industries. With the
increase of crude oil and meat production, also came an increase in the byproducts that are die basic
ingredients of contemporary candies - paraffin and stearic acid.
No Longer man's major source of light, candles continue to grow in popularity and use.
Today, candles symbolize celebration, mark romance define ceremony, and accent decor
- continuing to cast a warm glow for all to enjoy.
History of candlemaking information was obtained from the NCA.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
