History
of Candle Making
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
first candles were developed by the Ancient Egyptians who used rushlights, or
torches, made by soaking the pithy core of reeds in molten tallow, the rushlights
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 honey bees 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 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.
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 which
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 shales. 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 period, 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 by-products that are the basic ingredients
of contemporary candles -- 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.
So
When you want to
...
attend to the little
things:
Ambient mood enhancers . Luscious body
indulgences . Good feelings
. Shared experiences .
Conversations . Voloptuous Ambience!
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