History of candle making

Article by hi joiney

3000 – 1 BCThe clay candle holders found in Egypt date back to 400 BC.Qin Shi Huang (259210 BC) was the first emperor of the Chinese Qin Dynasty (221206 BC). His mausoleum, which was rediscovered in the 1990s, twenty-two miles east of Xi’an, contained candles made from whale fat. The word zh in Chinese originally meant torch and could have the Warring States Period (403221 BC); some excavated bronzewares from that era feature a pricket thought to hold a candle. The Han Dynasty (202 BC 220 AD) Jizhupian dictionary of about 40 BC hints at candles being made of beeswax, while the Book of Jin (compiled in 648) covering the Jin Dynasty (265420) makes a solid reference to the beeswax candle in regards to its use by the statesman Zhou Yi (d. 322). An excavated earthenware bowl from the 4th century AD, located at the Luoyang Museum, has a hollowed socket where traces of wax were found.Wax from boiling cinnamon was used for temple candles in India.Generally these Chinese candles were molded in paper tubes, using rolled rice paper for the wick, and wax from an indigenous insect that was combined with seeds.Japanese candles were made from wax extracted from tree nuts. 1 AD – 1500 ADThere is a fish called the eulachon or “candlefish”, a type of smelt which is found from Oregon to Alaska. During the first century AD, indigenous people from this region used oil from this fish for illumination. A simple candle could be made by putting the dried fish on a forked stick and then lighting it. In Rome, they used tallow, derived from suet, a crumbly animal fat to make their candles. Although the tallow was extremely smoky, the smoke was forgiven for light and used for prayer. They were at altars, shrines, used in temples and were very common. The technique was simple; the tallow was put into the melting pot, then poured into molds made of bronze. A trough underneath would catch the excess wax and return it to the melting pot. For the wick, a cord, usually made from the pith of rushes, is suspended from a horizontal rod over the mold when the tallow is poured in.Excavations at Pompeii discovered several candelabra[citation needed].Yak butter was used for candles in TibetIn Europe, the earliest surviving candle was discovered near Avignon in France, from the first century AD. Manufacturing of candlesThe oldest candle manufacturers still in existence are Rathbornes Candles, founded in Dublin in 1488. Making candles for timekeepingAlthough candles could not be used to find a specific time they were instrumental in able to indicate passage of predetermined periods of time. For example the Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great (c. 849 – 899) used graduated candles also know as candle-clocks. He used this candle to divide up his day into equal periods of study and prayer, royal duties, and rest. There were lines around the side to show the passing of each hour. Later, 24-hour candles were invented based on the same concept. During the Sung dynasty in China (9601279) calibrated candles and sticks of incense measured time. The concept of this clock utilized six different threads with weights on the end. These were draped over an incense stick at regular intervals and as the incense burned, the threads simultaneously burned one by one and the weights dropped onto a sounding plate below. Sometimes the sticks of incense had varying so that hours were marked by a change in fragrance.The candle clock was also used as a timer. A heavy nail inserted onto the candle at the indicted mark would fall down onto a hard surface after the wax surrounding the nail melted. Profession of Candle MakingCandles were also commonplace in many households scattered throughout Europe. In England and France candle making had become a guild graft by the 13 century. These candle makers (chandlers) went from house to house making candles from fats saved from the kitchen or sold their own candles from within their shops. 1500 AD – presentCandle moulding machine in Indonesia circa 1920During the Middle Ages in Europe, the popularity of candles is shown by their use in Candlemas and on Saint Lucy festivities. Tallow, fat from cows or sheep, became the standard material used in candles in Europe. The Tallow Chandlers Company of London was formed in about 1300 in London, and in 1456 was granted a coat of arms. Dating from about 1330, the Wax Chandlers Company acquired its charter in 1484. By 1415, tallow candles were used in street lighting. The trade of the chandler is also recorded by the more picturesque name of “smeremongere”, since they oversaw the manufacture of sauces, vinegar, soap and cheese. The unpleasant smell of tallow candles is due to the glycerine they contain. For churches and royal events, candles from beeswax were used, as the smell was usually less unpleasant. The smell of the manufacturing process was so unpleasant that it was banned by ordinance in several cities. The first candle mould comes from 15th century Paris[citation needed].The first American colonists discovered that bayberries could be used to make candles, but the yield was very poor. Fifteen pounds of boiled bayberries would provide only one pound of wax.By the 18th century, the Chinese designed weights into the sides of candles; as such a candle melted, the weights fell off and made a noise as they landed in a bowl.The growth of the whaling industry in the late 18th century brought about Spermaceti, oil that comes from sperm whale. This was the first major change in candle making since the Middle Ages. Spermaceti was a wax obtained by crystallizing the oil of a sperm whale. It became available in mass quantities. Like beeswax, the spermaceti wax did not elicit a repugnant odor when burned, and produced a significantly brighter light. It also was harder than either tallow or beeswax, so it wouldn’t soften or bend in the summer heat. Historians note that the first “standard candles” were made from spermaceti wax. By 1800, a much cheaper alternative was discovered. Colza oil, derived from Brassica campestris, and a similar oil derived from rape seed, yielded candles that produce clear, smokeless flames. The French chemists Michel Eugne Chevreul (17861889) and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac (17781850) patented stearin, in 1811. Like tallow, this was derived from animals, but had no glycerine content. Manufacturing of candlesJoseph Sampson was granted a United States patent for a new method of candle making in 1790 (this was the second patent ever granted by the US).In 1834, Joseph Morgan began to industrialise the production of candles. He devolved a machine that allowed for continuous production of molded candles by using a cylinder with a moveable piston to eject candles as they solidified. This more efficient mechanized production produced about 1,500 candles per hour which allowed candles to become an easily affordable commodity for the masses.A chemist called Laurent distilled Paraffin from schist in 1830. Another chemist, Dumas, obtained paraffin from coal-tar in 1835. Not until 1850 did paraffin become commercially viable, when James Young filed a patent to produce it from coal. Paraffin could be used to make inexpensive candles of high quality. Paraffin was also processed by distilling residue left after crude petroleum was refined. It was a bluish-white wax, which was able to burn cleanly, and leave no unpleasant odor, something the predecessor could not achieve like the tallow candles. Although paraffin had a low melting point the discovery of stearic acid solved this problem. Stearic acid was hard and very durable which helped elevated the melting point of paraffin. It was being produced in mass quantity by the end of the 19th century. By this period, most candles being manufactured consisted of paraffin and stearic acid. Decline of CandlesDespite advances in candle making, the candle industry was devastated soon after by the distillation of kerosene (an excellent fuel for lamps). (In Britain, kerosene is known as paraffin oil or paraffin despite having little to do with paraffin wax). From this point, candles became more of a decorative item.In 1829, William Wilson of Price’s Candles invested in 1,000 acres (4 km) of coconut plantation in Sri Lanka. His aim was to make candles from coconut oil. Later he tried palm oil from palm trees. An accidental discovery swept all his ambitions aside when his brother George Wilson distilled the first petroleum oil in 1854. In 1919, Lever Brothers purchased Price’s Candles and in 1922, a joint-owned company called “Candles Ltd” was created. By 1991, the last remaining owner of “Candles Ltd” was Shell Oil Company, who sold off the candle-making part of business.Also the invention of the light bulb in 1879 reduced the use of candles as a main lighting source, since the bulbs provided vastly superior light and were easier to manage. Candles for timekeepingA form of candle-clock was used in coal-mining until the twentieth century.Candles here are used to celebrate a birthday. 20th CenturyAs candles started to wane as the major light source due to the introduction of the light bulb, they became a more decorative item. Candles were suddenly available in a broad array of sizes, shapes and colors, and consumer interest in scented candles began to escalate. During the 1990s, new types of candle waxes were being developed due to an unusually high demand for candles. In the U.S., agricultural chemists began to develop soybean wax which was a softer and slower burning wax than paraffin. On the other side of the globe, efforts were underway to develop palm wax for use in candles. References^ a b Malbrough, Ray T. (1998). The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 68. ISBN 1567184561. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0gc3AMU7U2IC&pg=PA68&dq=candle+making+egypt+3000+beeswax&sig=yAGS_CtljoU3cZa9-rDDk1OQzcw. ^ a b c d e Telesco, Patricia (2001). Exploring Candle Magick: Candle Spells, Charms, Rituals, and Divinations. Career Press. p. 10. ISBN 1564145220. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ogHORLtm3KAC&pg=PA10&dq=wax+boiling+cinnamon+candle&as_brr=3&sig=tiI6EMFlQa8qc-8HN8J7qfUXS3k. ^ Acaysha (2004). Show Me, Teach Me, Heal Me: A Beginner’s Guide to Natural Answers. Trafford Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 1412001315. http://books.google.com/books?id=PthnonxyTgcC&pg=PA83&dq=candle+clay+egypt&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ZfaeqLTBgh8rN4Oc1FNB_uWRjqE#PPA83,M1. ^ Dawson, Raymond. (2007). Sima Qian: The First Emperor; Selections from the Historical Records. Preface by K.E. Brashier. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199226342.^ a b c Needham, Joseph. (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 1, Physics. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd. Pages 7980.^ http://picasaweb.google.com/mishalin77/082702#5111013648927170082^ Tappan, Eva (2006). In the Days of Alfred the Great. Yesterday’s Classics. pp. 226227. ISBN 1599150352. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YXK5ZdBGJqkC&pg=PA227&dq=%22Alfred+the+Great%22+candle&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=Lkwq0bHXxPUcg3Q4-B9RAVWUcKA#PPA227,M1. ^ Dohrn-van Rossum, Gerhard; Thomas Dunlap (1996). History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders. University of Chicago Press. p. 59. ISBN 0226155102. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=53K32RiEigMC&pg=PA59&dq=twenty+four+hour+candle&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=A_aJCvReonRsbiofOwNSwynihJg. ^ Bedini, Silvio A. (1994). The Trail of Time: Time Measurement with Incense in East Asia. Cambridge University Press. p. 54. ISBN 0521374820. http://books.google.com/books?id=xdVkzs6iI1YC&pg=PA54&dq=dynasty+sung+candle+clock&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=TBfC05FfyGa9GZ7WhgyPFGijoxU. ^ Mays, Dorothy A. (2004). Women in Early America: Struggle, Survival, and Freedom in a New World. ABC-CLIO. p. 438. 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ISBN 0674012860. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kQhYsAmcj-EC&pg=PA90&dq=james+young+patent+paraffin&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=GVRHQw_E_JpKCMJyDIHh_0mY8uI#PPA90,M1. ^ Ball, Michael; David Sunderland (2001). An Economic History of London, 1800-1914. Routledge. pp. 131132. ISBN 0415246911. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MI6JfTiEcdAC&pg=PA132&dq=Prices+Candles+Coconut&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=So7CcAanBJha_PZuwQsHDyhgyeo. ^ http://bestonlinecandles.com/article/the-king-of-candles Categories: Candles | Industrial history | History of technologyHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from February 2008