Colonial Candle Making A Taste Of Tradition
Colonial candle making is one common craft which produces pleasant results. In Colonial America, candle making was a necessity because there was no electricity to light up the homes of various families. And so, all women at that time needed to learn how to make candles in order to be the source of light of their families. They were definitely thankful that there was colonial candle making.
Colonial taper candles were the most popular candles during colonial times. Back then, in order to make candles, women made use of animal fat called tallows. Unlike candles today, the first candles during colonial times had an unpleasant smell and were not burning well.
Then, people from the elite class made their candles with the use of beeswax; this burned and smelled a lot better. But, at that time beeswax were not readily available at most places.
Soon after, a new discovery was held by the colonists. They have found out that bayberries could be a source of a pleasant fragrance upon adding it into the wax; in addition, these were much cleaner to burn. But bayberries also had a disadvantage; in order to make a candle, a huge number of bayberries were needed. Women took a lot of time and effort to make and finish these types of candles. Until this present time, bayberry wax is still available in most candle shops and stores.
Another chapter in colonial candle making arose in 1700s; whale oil was discovered to be a good ingredient in making candles. Spermaceti was the wax produced from whale oil. This wax burned longer and became the primary source of light of colonists during summer.
Upon knowing the origins of colonial candle making, you may want to try this type of candle making. It is relatively simple and easy. You just need a bayberry wax and pour it into any other type of wax. You also have an option to choose your own bayberries. This is more possible for residents of North Coast regions and other parts of Canada. Once decided to have your own bayberries, you will need approximately six pounds of berries to make one pound of wax.
During the colonial times, the molds that were used were comprised of wooden boxes. Unlike today, people back then did not have complete access to various types of molds.
Furthermore, colonists made use of cotton strands to be able to make a wick; the maintenance for the produced wick was definitely high.
Listed below were the materials used to make Colonial Candles.
Wax (either bayberry or paraffin)
Tin coffee can that is deep and narrow
Taper wick, non-waxed
Metal washer
Metal hanger
Small clip
Here are the complete procedures in colonial candle making.
1.First up is to melt the wax in any deep and narrow tin can. This container must be clean and dry.
2.Back then, women would need to tie one taper wick into a washer.
3.Next up is to dip the wick into melted wax for few times. Make sure that it is already covered by the wax completely after this period.
4.Afterwards, place the tin can on a heat-resistant surface.
5.Start dipping your wick into the can. Repeat this until you have already gotten your desired shape.
6.Finally, allow the candle to cool completely.
Colonial candle making is one tedious process, and we can only realize how lucky we are today to have a much convenient way to make precious candles.
