Candle making has been around for a very long time and it
dates back to Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire.
Ancient Egypt and the
Romans
Tallow, which is cattle and sheep grease were used in candle
making. The Egyptians used this for wax with Papyrus as the wick. Romans also
used tallow but their candles were a bit more similar to ours. Flax, hemp
and/or cotton were used as wick.
Early Asian Cultures
The Chinese used rice paper, a specific indigenous insect
as well as plant seed in their candle making. In Japan, candles were made from tree nuts.
Indians made wax from boiling fruit.
Middle Ages
Beeswax began to be used in candle making. However, it was
in short supply and only the wealthy could afford to burn it.
Colonial America
Settler women found that if berries from the bay-berry shrub
were boiled it would give out a nice smell during burning. However, this took
a lot of work and time .
18th Century America
The whaling industry took off during this time mostly
because they needed oil to light street lamps and homes. Spermaceti wax was made from whales. This wax worked well
but it didn’t smell too great.
19th Century
Candle making machines came about during this period and
new waxes were patented. The braided wick was also invented. This wick allowed
the wax to burn evenly and the candle stayed lit longer. Halfway through the
century, paraffin wax came on to the scene which not only made candles into mass consumer product, it was also a lot cheaper.
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