Colonial Candle Making
Back when our country was first established, Colonial candle making was absolutely essential due the fact that there was no electricity but the cost of oil made it unaffordable for most of the population. Commonly colonial candles were made from tallow or animal fat, and only the wealthiest of the people could afford beeswax candles, which were preferred because they smelled better and burned much longer. Eventually colonial candle making progressed to a point where the people realized that they too could make nice smelling candles that burned clean from bayberry shrubs.
The migration to bayberry shrubs was made largely due to the fact that candles made from animal fat smelled horrible and made a huge mess while they burned. Whale oil was used primarily at first for these candles. One of the downsides to using bayberry shrubs for oil was that it took many days in order for the manufactures to extract the purest form of wax. It also takes eight pounds of berries to produce only one pound of wax.
Colonial candle making though is a popular hobby for those curious as to its techniques. These days however you can get the bayberry wax from hobby or craft stores rather than having to make your own.
Another difference between today and the colonial era is the number of molds available. There are far more molds available today than back then and they can be used to make candles of all different shapes and sizes. In colonial times they used wicks made from strands of cotton and they had to be very careful to make sure they kept burning. Normally candles made for a household were tapers and were made by introducing the wick to the melted wax over and over until that right size candle was formed.
Colonial candle making may appear to be very basic, but in all actuality it takes a lot of dedication and skill to perform correctly. You too can see how rewarding it is by simply trying its techniques. Basically what you want to do is dip a non-waxed taper wick into your melted wax. You will need to exercise extra care since both parts of the wick need to be evenly coated. Another tip: don’t wait too long between dips since you don’t need the candle to completely cool. Another thing you need to be aware of is in order to keep the wax at the same temperature you are going to want to keep stirring the wax during this process. Don’t be surprised if you need to melt it again. This is quite normal. Enjoy!
