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Candles
"Let there be light!"
How many of us take for granted those molded pieces of wax with string?
How many do we keep in our house in case of emergency, decoration, or for
other reasons? There is such a
variety to pick from; sculpted, colored, etc.
Yet when it comes down to it, what do you know about these,
"candles"? Do you know
what they are made from?
Do you know where they come from? Could
you make them if you really needed to? In
our fast paced world, so many skills are forgotten or professionalized that our
fore-fathers had to know. To the
reenactor this is the history we keep alive, and preserve for youth. When you have been at reenactments, have you ever gotten an
old pot and some string out to show candle making?
You would be surprised at how many people will watch, and how many
children love to participate. In
the modern society children are slowly being re-included in events which were
their chores many generations ago. Children
love to learn, and this is a chance for reenactors to do their stuff!
Anyhow, back to candles. The
history of candles: Usually in late
Autumn when beef and sheep had been slaughtered, and the honey had been drawn
from the hives was the time to make candles.
However, beekeepers were not so quick to give up their precious wax.
So, housewives would spend many hot, smelly, grueling, perspiring hours
boiling down the beef and sheep fat into tallow.
Tallow was the same base as soap, so in an upcoming issue I will deal
with that also. However, these
candles were not to be celebrated, as they gave off fumes, sagged in warm
weather, and most importantly burned too quickly.
Beeswax, as I said before was precious, and still is.
Now with technology we can
extract our honey without harming the comb (beeswax sheet) However, my grandfather had well over 18 hives and showed me
the safest way to melt the wax. After
you extract the honey, rinse it under cold water.
Next place it in a "cauldron" with water, to prevent it from
catching on fire. Gently heat the
wax for about an hour or so, until the comb has melted.
We then took the wax while it was still hot and poured it through
cheesecloth to get out all the "imperfections" and other matter.
Under the cheesecloth there was a tub of water in which the
"pure" wax fell into as
we pressed it through. After that
we normally molded it and sold it to a beeswax-comb manufacturer, and kept a
little for candles. Another type of
candle is Bayberry. I will let you
know that the Bayberry bushes are protected by laws, same as ginseng.
However, I will go through the procedure for historical significance.
The people would pick the berries, remove twigs/leaves/etc., then boil
the berries for about two and a quarter hours.
The "fat" that came to the top would be skimmed off and
reboiled. After straining, it could
be used as "wax". Now I
will tell you about mayhap the most important part, the wick. You can buy wicks now, but in revolutionary days wicks were
made by this simple solution. Take
cotton yarn and soak it in a concoction of: 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon
boric acid, and about 3/4 cup water for about ten hours.
You should keep the size of your candle to match that of the wick.
For 15 ply wick size, make the candle no larger than 2" in diameter.
To make candles, there are several different methods.
One is to make a mold. By
taking a container and coating the inside with oil (to prevent sticking) tie
your wick onto a stick over the orifice of your mold, then pour.
You will let it harden, then remove it, and let it sit for about two
weeks before you use it.
The next technique is for the reenactment, and the kids.
I would suggest using paraffin (a petrol-by-product).
Your candle mixture should be 80% paraffin, 18% beeswax, and 2% (if you
want to) powder dyes. To this add 3
tablespoons per pound of wax of stearin. Try
to keep the wax at 145 degrees to 175 degrees by use of a candy thermometer.
If by some chance the wax should catch fire, cover the top or pour baking
soda on it. DO NOT pour water on
it, as wax will float on the water! If
you are going to allow children to participate, I do offer this alternative.
Take a small amount of the wax and put it in a can.
Now suspend the can in a pot of water and let it melt, and as it does add
more wax. This will greatly reduce
the chance of fire and it will be safer for the children. Now tie a wick onto a long stick (about 18") and attach
a small bolt for weight to the bottom of the wick.
Allow the folks to dip their wick once and pull it out and cool for about
a minute. It will take about
thirty-five dips to make a candle of about an inch diameter. This is a great way to raise money as well as have fun.
Use it for your next battlefield preservation fund raiser.
You will recoup your cost very quickly, and add to the festivity.
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