History of Candles
Torches were used for thousands of years before man made the first crude candles, but the Romans are credited with developing the first true wick candle, which was mainly used to light homes, aid travelers in the dark and light religious services. Though early candle makers made wax from seeds, nuts and even insects, most used animal fats such as tallow from cattle and suet from sheep to make their candles. Beeswax was not used until the middle ages and even then it remained an item used mostly by the wealthy due to the scarcity of beeswax. Beeswax candles burned clean with a pleasant scent, as opposed to the candles made from animal fats, which tended to smoke and fill the area where they were used with a strong odor.
Sometime during the Colonial period it was discovered that boiling berries from bayberry bushes created a wax that also burned clean—but it took a lot of berries and much labor to produce enough wax for candle making. So once again these candles were mostly used by the wealthy who could afford the high price.
Candle makers–called chandlers—were licensed to produce all the candles made in England in the early part of the18th century and, and since they were taxed and used to generate income for the kingdom, people couldn’t make them for themselves at home until the law was changed in 1831.
After the rise of the whaling industry in the 18th century, candles were made from spermaceti—wax made from sperm whale oil—which became both abundant and affordable. Spermaceti, like beeswax, burned clean and relatively odor free and as a bonus, held up better to the heat of summer than the other waxes used at the time.
The first paraffin wax was made in 1850 from residues left after refining crude petroleum. Paraffin burned clean and odor free while casting a strong and bright white light. More importantly, paraffin was cheaper than waxes used until that time, which meant it was more available to the general populace. The main problem with using paraffin as candle wax, though, was that paraffin has a low melting temperature. This problem was solved with the invention of Stearic acid, an extract made from animal fatty acids, which was added to paraffin to raise its melting point.
Candles became even cheaper in 1834 when Joseph Morgan invented a candle making machine. Before this, most candles were made by dipping the wick over and over into hot wax until the desired thickness was achieved. The new machine molded candles using cylinders and a piston that pushed the candles out as they hardened, allowing an almost continuous production of candles. And of course, a large supply of candles meant lower prices for those buying them.
Candle use and candle making began to decline when the light bulb was invented in 1879, though it took a few years for the electricity required to light the bulbs spread enough to cause a serious decline in candle use.
While candles are not necessary in most countries today to produce light, they are still sold and used during special celebrations, religious services and as home decoration. New waxes such as soybean wax and palm wax have been developed and the recent resurgence of “doing-it-yourself” has guaranteed plentiful supplies via the Internet. This new found interest in crafting has brought candle making to “light” once again.
