Candles are essentially wax and wicks, but don't let that fool you. There is a lot more to an efficiently burning candle than meets the eye. If you have ever poured a candle as a grade school project, only to find the candle burned poorly, extinguished itself, or produced a lot of soot, then hats off to all past and present candlemakers for taming that lump of wax with a wick! The craft of candlemaking reflects the knowledge base surrounding the candlemakers in each generation. And, those interested in candles will find their ability to benefit from candles enhanced by a little enlightenment.
TYPES OF WAX. Waxes are oily, opaque hydrocarbons or esters of fatty acids that are insoluble in water, but soluble in most organic solvents. There are many kinds of waxes that have been and are used for candlemaking.
FIRST, tallow or hard animal fat was once the most common source of wax for early candles. Fat from sheep, cows, and pigs were the respective sources of mutton, beef, and pig tallow. Most valued for candles was mutton tallow, because it was least objectionable in terms of smell and smoke when burned, which was quite the opposite of pig tallow.
SECOND, beeswax for candles has a sweet smell and a melting point of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Retaining the pleasant fragrance from the pollination of the honeybees, the honey is first taken from the hive (of course, after the 40,000 to 60,000 honeybees, 500 to 1,000 drones, and the queen bee have been removed from the colony), then the light-colored yellow honeycomb is harvested. The crude beeswax is melted or boiled, strained for impurities, refined by solvent extraction, then bleached by chemicals or exposed to sunlight. Though more expensive than tallow, beeswax was favored for religious ceremonies for its symbolic purity, but not to be discounted, it did not leave the telltale, tallow stain on the interior of the building!
THIRD, bayberry wax from the bayberry bush was once common along the eastern seaboard of North America, and was so named by the Pilgrims of the Cape Cod Bay area. Known also as the candleberry, the common bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) is known for its fragrant odor from the resinous wax that coats its grey berries. Because of the scarcity of the bush, bayberry wax commands an even higher price than beeswax.
FOURTH, earthen or mineral waxes, such as montan, ozokerite, and ceresin are extracted from the earth. Found in Russia, Germany, and California, montan wax is derived from lignite or brown coal. Its radiance and hardness is due to varying amounts of constitutional resin. Ozokerite (Greek, ozokeros, odoriferous) wax is a light yellow to dark brown mineral wax obtained from shales found in Austria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Utah, and elsewhere. Its high absorbing power for grease, solvents, and oil is its chief characteristic. Ozokerite has a melting range of 136 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit -- one of the highest of all waxes. Ceresin or cerin wax was originally a purified ozokerite, but it is now ozokerite combined with 50 to 80 per cent paraffin wax. Ceresin wax has a melting point between 130 to 170 degrees.
FIFTH, spermaceti wax from the head cavity of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon) has been one of the chief sources of candle wax from the late eighteenth century through much of the nineteenth century, when whaling was in its prime. Refined spermaceti is white, shiny, and crystalline, but it is also brittle and greasy. The Yankee whalers of New England were capable of long voyages and their onboard tryworks (oil cookeries) enabled them to stay at sea and render into oil the whale blubber, thereby making possible sea voyages as long as four years, without the need of continually hauling the whale blubber to onshore refineries. Whalers called them sperm whales because they mistook the fluid of the head cavity for the sperm or semen of the whale. Though scientists are not sure, they now think that the fluid is used by the whale's sonar to focus its echo for navigation and communication. Spermaceti wax has a melting range of 105 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
SIXTH, paraffin wax -- the most commonly used wax of candlemaking -- is essentially a product of petroleum or crude oil. Since the first crude oil well of 1859, the oil industry has become the worldwide phenomenon of today. Paraffin wax (60%) with stearic acid (35%) and beeswax (5%) constitutes what was once called the standard commercial candle. Its melting range is usually between 120 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. As a petroleum derivative, paraffin wax has been readily available, and the great supply of the commodity has made the selection of paraffin wax an extremely economical choice. Candles made from paraffin wax may increase their hardness and opacity by the addition of the traditional stearic acid, but state of the art vybar polymer additives, e.g., Vybar 103, accomplish this, as well as economically allowing colors and scents to blend evenly in the wax, giving paraffin the qualities of more expensive waxes.
SEVENTH, and finally for our discussion, bayberry wax (previously discussed) and soy wax represent some better known choices of vegetable waxes for candlemaking. Soy wax is a product of soy beans, which are a renewable and biodegradable resource. Soy candles produce little soot, burn longer than paraffin candles of the same size, but may require additives such as organic stearic from palm oil, i.e., for additional hardness. However, a mottled or frosty appearance may result on the tops of candles, when dyes or scents are used. As with any candlemaking, personal investigation and experimentation may be necessary to check for soy's suitability, e.g., appearance, for your application. Larger square braided wicks are recommended for these candles. The melting point of soy wax is about 116 degrees Fahrenheit.
TYPES OF WICKS. One size does not fit all, when it comes to wicks. Some chandlers suggest that the wick selected, for the candle you make, should be suited to the thicker part of the candle, e.g., a tapered candle, realizing that the thinner top will burn quicker than the lower portion of the candle. There are more than a hundred wicks on the market today [2003]. The more expensive wicks are braided, while the less expensive are twisted, e.g., birthday candles. The wax and type of candle will determine the most efficient wick for good combustion. A wick burns correctly when the melting point of the wax is properly matched to the diameter of the candle. Recommendations for the best match are often found on the manufacturer's packaging for the wicks, but the only way to know for sure is to test and test, again.
FIRST, flat braid wicks are wicks that are flat and braided from three strands of cotton threads (plies). The larger the number of plies in the strand, the larger the wick, e.g., 15 ply is extra small, while 60 ply is extra large.
SECOND, square braid wicks are shaped like a square with rounded corners. Standing straighter than their flat braid counterparts, square braid wicks keep the flame centered in the candle. They are a more robust wick, commonly used with beeswax, and can handle pigment and fragrance without clogging.
THIRD, and finally, cored wicks are braided with a stiff, central core of paper, cotton, zinc, tin, or even lead. Very often, cored wicks are the choice for container candles, coming with a metal tab at the base of the wick. The two main functions of a cored wick are: (1) to facilitate pouring the candle, i.e., the wick stays upright as the wax is poured, and (2) to prevent drowning the wick, i.e., the straightness of the wick keeps the flame from extinguishing itself in a pool of melted wax in a container candle.
LEAD WICKS. Special mention needs to be made of lead-cored wicks, since beginning in October 2003, a ban voted by the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on the manufacture, sell, and import of lead-cored wicks and candles with lead-cored wicks becomes effective. According to the National Candle Association (NCA), none of its members -- which account for 90 percent of all candles made in the United States -- use lead wicks, since NCA members voluntarily agreed not to use lead wicks more than twenty-five years ago. It is believed that most lead wicks come from imported candles. Inhalation of vaporized lead, may lead to lead poisoning, especially in small children. Some candles with lead-cored wicks have been found to emit relatively large amounts of lead into the air during burning. Since lead accumulates in the body, exposure to even small amounts becomes a health concern. Again, lead was originally used in the wicks to hold the wicks upright as the candles burned. The NCA recommends the following test to determine whether a consumer has a candle with a lead-cored wick: Rub a normal piece of white paper against the tip of a suspected, unburnt candle wick. It will leave a light grey mark -- as from a lead pencil -- if the wick contains lead. You can actually see the metal in the wick. Zinc and tin also have a similar metallic appearance and are still used in domestically sold wicks. But, according to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), zinc and tin wicks do not pose any health concern to consumers. Note that zinc and tin will not leave a light grey mark from the lead test.
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