How to Make a Candle in Colonial Times
Candles have been used to provide light for hundreds of years. During colonial times, candles were often made from a product called tallow. Tallow is rendered from beef and mutton fat and is the equivalent of what lard is to pig fat. Almost any type of animal fat can be used for candles, but cows and sheep were used more commonly than pigs during that time. The candle-making process used during colonial times is known as candle dipping. While there are much quicker and more efficient ways of making candles today, candle dipping can be a fun and educational activity.
Things You'll Need
- Cotton yarn
- Scissors
- Turpentine
- Alum
- Water
- Large pot
- Tallow
- Large wooden spoon
- Wooden dowel
Instructions
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1
Cut a piece of cotton yarn to your desired size. The yarn will be the wick for two different candles, so make it about an inch longer than you want each candle to be.
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2
Dip the yarn in turpentine. Turpentine will help slow down the rate at which the wick burns. Let the yarn air dry before starting the candle-making process.
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3
Mix equal parts of alum and water and add it to a large pot. Heat the mixture up and stir it until the alum dissolves. The alum will ensure that the candle hardens when it dries. Keep track of how much of each ingredient is used because it will determine how much tallow is needed to make the candle.
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4
Add tallow to the pot with the dissolved alum. Use five times the amount of tallow as the total amount of alum and water used. For example, if you used one-half cup of alum and one-half cup of water, that would equal one cup total, which means you would need five cups of tallow. Ideally, the mixture should be near the top of the pot. Add more of each ingredient if necessary.
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5
Put the pot over low heat until the tallow melts. Stir the ingredients so they are evenly mixed together.
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6
Drape the cotton yarn over the center of a wooden dowel. Each end of the yarn should hang at an equal distance, in a long upside-down "U" shape.
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7
Grab each end of the dowel and hold it over the pot. Lower it and dip the sides of the string in the tallow. Pull the yarn out immediately after it is submerged. Take the yarn off the dowel, lay it on a flat surface and straighten the sides to ensure the candles will be straight. Let them dry until hard.
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8
Drape the yarn over the dowel as you did earlier. Grab both ends of the dowel and dip the yarn in the tallow. Pull the yarn out after it is submerged for a second. Let the tallow dry and dip it again.
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9
Continue the dipping and drying process until the candles reach your desired size. Take the candles off the dowel and snip the bare yarn in the center to separate them.
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