How Were Candles Made in Colonial Times?

Gathering Supplies

Candle making in Colonial times wasn't a hobby or a luxury--it was a necessity. Without candles, there was no light at night for sewing, reading the Bible or almanac, or, indeed, being able to see your hand in front of your face. Colonial women usually had the job of making candles or tapers, but in more populated areas, a chandler made and sold candles. To begin the process of making the much-needed candles, the candle maker first had to gather wick material (thin strips of cotton or linen), animal fat called tallow, a pole or rod for lowering the wick material into the heated tallow, and a large pot for melting the tallow. Beeswax could be substituted for animal fat, but was a costly item, and therefore not commonly used. Women found that rendering bayberries yielded an aromatic candle wax, but the ratio was eight pounds of bayberries to one pound of bayberry wax, so the amount of work involved in gathering the bayberries often wasn't worth the small amount of wax yielded.

Dipping

Once the tallow was heated, the colonial candle-maker dipped and re-dipped the wick into the hot fat until the candle reached the desired size. The consistency of the tallow was important. Too hard, and the candles would crack as they dried; too soft, and the lit candles would sputter as they burned. Often, several wicks were dipped at the same time. While the forming candles cooled and awaited another dipping, other wicks could be dipped, creating a kind of assembly line. If available, some colonial candle makers used metal molds. The process was much easier than dipping and re-dipping candles. A wick was inserted into the mold and the hot wax or tallow was poured into the mold. Then the candle was left to cool and set.

Drawbacks

Once the candles had hardened, the unbraided wicks were trimmed. Because braided wicks were still a thing of the future, a burning, single-stranded cotton candle wick had to be tended regularly. Burning tallow candles gave off an unpleasant smell, which is why colonial women may have gone to the trouble of picking endless baskets of bayberries--burning bayberry candles were fragrant. As the whaling industry began to boom, wax made from whale oil became available, and could also be used to make candles. However, the smell of a burning candle made from whale oil wasn't much better than the smell of a candle made from animal fat. While a burning candle may seem charming today, making and burning candles in colonial times was a messy, time-consuming, smelly business. And, if you've ever been burned by a drop of hot candle wax, a painful one as well.