| ial candle making was essential in an era where there | | | | For those of you who'd like to try colonial candle |
| was no electricity and the cost of oil made it beyond | | | | making at home as a way to satisfy your curiosity, |
| the reach of common people. The most common | | | | there is bayberry wax available in shops, so that you |
| colonial candles were made of animal fat or tallow, and | | | | don't have to prepare it yourself. The big difference |
| only the rich benefited from beeswax candles, which | | | | between modern times and the colonial era, is that we |
| smelt and burned better. | | | | now have all sorts of molds to make wonderful candle |
| Colonial candle making registered a true progress | | | | shapes. |
| when people discovered that they could make | | | | Colonial candles used strands of cotton as wicks that |
| nice-smelling and clean-burning candles from bayberry | | | | had to be taken care of in order to be kept burning. |
| shrubs. Wax is still extracted by boiling the bayberries, | | | | Usually candles made to be used for the household |
| however the process is as time consuming as it used | | | | use were tapers. They were made by repeatedly |
| to be in the past. | | | | introducing the wick in melted wax until it became |
| The colonial way to candle making | | | | candle sized. |
| Colonial candle making largely depended on whale oil, | | | | Colonial candle making today |
| which was used as a primary matter. The cleanest, | | | | Colonial candle making may appear rudimentary, but it |
| but more painstaking way to have the best colonial | | | | takes quite a lot of skill and dedication. Many people try |
| candles possible was to harvest berries from | | | | it as a hobby, and thereafter learn how rewarding it is. |
| bayberries bushes. The only problem with this process | | | | Basically you need to deep a non-waxed taper wick |
| was that you only got one pound of wax for every | | | | into melted wax. Extra care is needed, particularly |
| eight pounds of berries. Then it took manufacturers | | | | since both parts of the wick need to be coated |
| several days to prepare the berries in order to extract | | | | evenly. Don't wait too long between dips, since the |
| the purest form of wax to be used for quality candles. | | | | candle doesn't have to cool completely. Furthermore |
| Remember that their whole point was to eliminate the | | | | keep stirring the wax so that you maintain the same |
| bad smell of animal fat candles, not to mention the | | | | temperature. You may even have to melt it again |
| mess they made while burning. | | | | during the process. Enjoy it! |