1. The subject of the candle-maker's labors may be defined to be a
wick, covered with tallow, wax, or spermaceti, in a cylindrical form,
which serves, when lighted, for the illumination of objects in the
absence of the sun. The business of candle-making is divided into two
branches; the one is confined to the manufacturing of tallow candles,
and the other, to making those composed of wax or spermaceti.
2. The process of making candles from tallow, as conducted by the
tallow-chandler, needs only a brief description, since it differs but
little from the method pursued by families in the country, with which
most persons are familiar. The difference lies chiefly in the
employment of a few conveniences, by which the candles are more
rapidly multiplied.
3. The first part of the process consists in preparing a wick, to
serve as a foundation. The coarse and slightly twisted yarn used for
this purpose, is spun in the cotton-factories; and, being wound into
balls, is, in that form, sold to the tallow-chandlers, as well as to
individuals who make candles for their own consumption.
4. A sufficient number of threads is combined, to form a wick of a
proper size; and, as they are wound from the balls, they are measured
off, and cut to the proper length, by a simple contrivance, which
consists of a narrow board, a wooden pin, and the blade of a razor.
The pin and razor are placed perpendicular to the board, at a distance
determined by the length of the proposed wick. The wicks are next put
upon cylindrical rods, about three feet long; and a great number of
these are arranged on a long frame.
5. To obtain the tallow in a proper state for use, it is separated
from the membranous part of the suet, by boiling the latter in an iron
or copper kettle, and then subjecting the _cracklings_ to the action
of a press. The substance that remains, after the tallow has been
expressed, is called _greaves_, which are sometimes applied to
fattening ducks for market. This is especially the case in the city of
London.
6. The _tried_ tallow is prepared for application to the wicks, by
heating it to a proper temperature. It is then poured into a suitable
receptacle, where it is kept in _order_ either by a moderate fire
underneath, or by the occasional addition of hot tallow.
7. The _broaches_, as the sticks with their wicks are called, are
taken up, several at a time, either between the fingers or by means of
a simple instrument denominated a _rake_, and dipped into the tallow.
They are then returned to the frame, and suffered to cool, while
successive broaches are treated in the same way. The dipping is
repeated, until the candles have been thickened to the proper size.
8. In the preceding plate, is represented a workman in the act of
dipping several broaches of candles, suspended on a rake, which he
holds in his hands. The mode of making dipped candles just described,
is more generally practised than any other, and in this manner five or
six hundred pounds can be made by one hand, in a single day. In some
establishments, however, a more complicated apparatus is used, by
which every part of the process is greatly expedited.
9. Mould candles are made very differently. The moulds consist of a
frame of wood, in which are arranged several hollow cylinders,
generally made of pewter. At the lower extremity of each cylinder, is
a small hole, for the passage of the wick, which is introduced by
means of a hook on the end of a wire. The cotton is fastened at the
other end, and placed in a perpendicular situation in the centre of
the shafts, by means of a wire, which passes through the loops of the
wicks. The melted tallow, having been poured on the top of the wooden
frame, descends into each mould. After the candles have become
sufficiently cold, they are extracted from the cylinders with a
bodkin, which is inserted into the loop of the wick. One person can
thus mould two or three hundred pounds in a day.
10. Candles are also made of bees-wax and spermaceti; but the mode of
their manufacture differs in no particular from that of common mould
candles. The wicks for wax-candles are usually made of a peculiar kind
of cotton, which grows in Asiatic Turkey.
11. Before the wax is applied to this purpose, the coloring matter is
discharged. This is effected by bleaching the wax, in the following
manner. It is first divided into flakes, or thin laminae, by pouring
it, in a melted state, through a colander upon a cylindrical wheel,
which, at the same time, is kept revolving, while partly immersed in
cold water. The wax, having been removed from the water, is placed
upon a table or floor covered with some kind of cloth. Here it is
occasionally sprinkled with water, until the bleaching has been
completed. The process occupies several weeks, or even months,
according to the state of the weather, that being best which is most
favorable to a rapid evaporation.
12. Spermaceti is a substance separated from sperm oil, which is
obtained from a species of whale, called _physeter macrocephalus_, or
_spermaceti cachalot_. This oil is obtained from both the head and
body of the animal, but that procured from the former contains twice
the quantity of spermaceti.
13. To separate the spermaceti from the oil yielded by the body, it is
first heated, then put into casks, and suffered to stand two or three
weeks, in order to _granulate_. The oily part is now filtrated through
strainers; and the remainder, which is called _foots_, is again
heated, and put into casks. After having stood several weeks, these
are put into bags, and submitted to the action of a powerful press.
The spermaceti thus obtained, is melted and moulded into cakes. The
oil thus separated from the spermaceti, is called spring or fall
strained; because it is filtered and expressed only during those
seasons of the year.
14. The oil from the head of the whale is treated like that from the
body, in almost every particular. The difference consists,
principally, in omitting the use of the strainer, and in the
employment of stronger bags and a more powerful press. The oil
obtained from the _head-matter_, is called _pressed_, since it is
separated by the action of the press only. It is also denominated
_winter-strained_, because the operation is performed in the cold
weather.
15. The spermaceti, having been melted and moulded into cakes, is
reserved until the succeeding summer, when it is cut into thin
shavings, by means of a large shave, similar to the _spoke-shave_ of
the wheelwrights, and again pressed as before. The oil of this last
pressing is called _taut pressed_, and is the least valuable kind,
since a slight degree of cold causes it to become thick. The
spermaceti obtained from the oil of the body, and that from the
head-matter, are melted together, and purified by means of potash-ley.
16. The sperm-oil, thus freed from the spermaceti, is extensively used
in lamps as a means of illumination; and, for many purposes, it is far
more convenient than tallow. In the country, lard is frequently
employed instead of oil, especially by the German population. In some
European and Asiatic countries, vegetable oils supply the place of
animal fats, in this application.
17. The origin of the art of making candles is not known. It is
evident, however, that the business is comparatively modern, since the
Greeks and Romans, as well as other nations of antiquity, employed
torches of pine and fir, and lamps supplied with oil, in the
production of artificial light. The words in the Scriptures translated
_candle_, imply nothing more nor less than a light produced by some
kind of oil consumed in a lamp.
18. The lamps in ancient times were suspended by a chain or cord from
the ceiling, or supported on stands and moveable tables, which were
called by the Romans _lampadaria_, or _candelabra_. Many specimens of
this utensil are preserved in several museums of Europe, and some have
lately been found in the ruins of Herculaneum.
19. The Chinese make their candles from the tallow obtained from the
seeds and capsules of the tallow-tree. This tree, which is produced in
great abundance in China, is said to grow in various parts of South
Carolina and Georgia. In appearance, it resembles the Lombardy
poplar.
[Illustration: COMB-MAKER.]