The History of Candle Making
Over time, Candle Making [http://candle-making-ideas.blogspot.com/]has come into being independently in locations over the globe. It appears that, from as far into the past as the year 3000BC, Egyptians utilised beeswax in their candle making produced from gland on the abdomens of worker bees. Countries elsewhere in the world used fat from animals, known as tallow as an ingredient for candle making. The first emperor of the qin Dynasty of china, Quin Shi Huang, was buried with candles that used whale fat in 200BC. Beeswax, a main ingredient the Egyptians used in candle making also arose in China somewhere from 40BC in the Han Dynasty to 420AD. Fragrance as a component in candle making appeared around the world much in the same way, with candles discovered in Indian temples using cinnamon as a scent.
As early as the year 1AD, candle making by the native inhabitants of Alaska used oil as a main ingredient obtained from the eulachon fish, named quite appropriately the "candle fish." The simplest candles seem to be based simply on a dried fish impaled on a stick and ignited. The first Roman candles utilised tallow as a primary ingredient obtained from suet. Candle making using tallow gave a candle that produced a lot of smoke, however, and as a result was more often used in giving off light for prayer.
Candle making based on tallow was a simple concept. The tallow was liquefied over a heat source and poured into a metallic mould into which wicks produced from the pith of rushes were located. Extra wax would drip out of the mould into a trough below to be recycled. Other locations around the world shows evidence of candle making such as the Avignon area of France dating far back to the 1st century AD, with candles produced from Yak butter being found in Tibet. What can be seen from this is that candle making originated all over the world, however, the way they were made, along with the items used their production shows great variety.
Rathbornes Candles established in Dublin in 1488 is the first company that applied the trade of candle making. Candles found other uses apart from in producing light, including as a simple clock to tell the passage of time. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex used a candle clock that could stay alight for 4 hours. By scoring the wax quarterly the passing of each hour could be measured. This clock candle could be lengthened allowing for the measuring of 24 hours. Candle making in the Sung Dynasty of China from 960 to 1279AD gives another example of how candles could be used to help tell the passing of time.
The industry of candle making grew larger in the Middle Ages correlating to their use in religious ceremonies. Tallow as a primary component in candle making was still used with cows and sheep providing the fat used. In 1300 The Tallow Chandlers Company was established along with the Wax Chandlers Company. Such candle making organisations were set to make large profits when candles were introduced as street lighting by 1415. The use of tallow candles in religious ceremonies lessened in preference to those using beeswax as a main ingredient as the glycerine found in tallow candles gave off an undesirable smell. The first moulds enabling mass production of candles appears to come from Paris in the 15th century.
Candle making evolved further with the ingredient called Spermaceti oil from the Sperm whale and then the cheaper Colza and rape seed oil. These oils burn clear and smokeless in comparison with tallow. Two French scientists, Michel Eugene Chavreul and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac went on to patent a tallow that contained no glycerine called stearin.
Candle making became more industrialised in 1834 when Joseph Morgan built a device that could produce 1,500 candles in an hour. The products used in candle making evolved even more in 1850 when James Young patented the extraction of Paraffin from coal. This product allowed for the making of candles of high quality that were also cheap.
Candle making as an industry suffered greatly with the distillation of Kerosene and the lamp. Since this discovery, candles have become more decorative than anything else, with candle making adapting to this changing role.
As early as the year 1AD, candle making by the native inhabitants of Alaska used oil as a main ingredient obtained from the eulachon fish, named quite appropriately the "candle fish." The simplest candles seem to be based simply on a dried fish impaled on a stick and ignited. The first Roman candles utilised tallow as a primary ingredient obtained from suet. Candle making using tallow gave a candle that produced a lot of smoke, however, and as a result was more often used in giving off light for prayer.
Candle making based on tallow was a simple concept. The tallow was liquefied over a heat source and poured into a metallic mould into which wicks produced from the pith of rushes were located. Extra wax would drip out of the mould into a trough below to be recycled. Other locations around the world shows evidence of candle making such as the Avignon area of France dating far back to the 1st century AD, with candles produced from Yak butter being found in Tibet. What can be seen from this is that candle making originated all over the world, however, the way they were made, along with the items used their production shows great variety.
Rathbornes Candles established in Dublin in 1488 is the first company that applied the trade of candle making. Candles found other uses apart from in producing light, including as a simple clock to tell the passage of time. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex used a candle clock that could stay alight for 4 hours. By scoring the wax quarterly the passing of each hour could be measured. This clock candle could be lengthened allowing for the measuring of 24 hours. Candle making in the Sung Dynasty of China from 960 to 1279AD gives another example of how candles could be used to help tell the passing of time.
The industry of candle making grew larger in the Middle Ages correlating to their use in religious ceremonies. Tallow as a primary component in candle making was still used with cows and sheep providing the fat used. In 1300 The Tallow Chandlers Company was established along with the Wax Chandlers Company. Such candle making organisations were set to make large profits when candles were introduced as street lighting by 1415. The use of tallow candles in religious ceremonies lessened in preference to those using beeswax as a main ingredient as the glycerine found in tallow candles gave off an undesirable smell. The first moulds enabling mass production of candles appears to come from Paris in the 15th century.
Candle making evolved further with the ingredient called Spermaceti oil from the Sperm whale and then the cheaper Colza and rape seed oil. These oils burn clear and smokeless in comparison with tallow. Two French scientists, Michel Eugene Chavreul and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac went on to patent a tallow that contained no glycerine called stearin.
Candle making became more industrialised in 1834 when Joseph Morgan built a device that could produce 1,500 candles in an hour. The products used in candle making evolved even more in 1850 when James Young patented the extraction of Paraffin from coal. This product allowed for the making of candles of high quality that were also cheap.
Candle making as an industry suffered greatly with the distillation of Kerosene and the lamp. Since this discovery, candles have become more decorative than anything else, with candle making adapting to this changing role.
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