Category:Candle Making
From Eurêka
Contents |
Candle Making
Candle making Process of making candles from various waxes or animal fats. There are three methods of making candles, dipping, molding and rolling. The cheaper kinds of tallow candles are produced by dipping; stearine, composite and paraffin candles are molded; and those produced from wax are basted or rolled.
- Candlemakers row Group of houses outside a town’s limits where tallow-chandlers carried on their noxious trade which was highly prejudicial to the general health of the community.
- Tallow chandler (Candler) (EnE. archaic) Candle maker/seller.
Rushlight (Rush candle; Tallow dip) Cheap candle made by dipping a dried rush stem into tallow.
- Sieve Used for making rushlights, Cumbria.
Lard Fat of pigs used in candle making, the quality of which varied with the animal’s food.
- Stearic acid (commonly Real stearin; Stearin; Tallow stearin) Solid portion of fats which was the basis of candle making.
Chromo process Process of rendering palm oil with chromic acid invented by Charles Watt in 1830.
D'Arat's method Way of processing crude fat by being boiled in steam with sulfuric acid.
Mincing Process of cutting up rendered tallow ready for boiling.
Boiling Process of heating tallow in an open pan or copper and removing the melted fat by means of a swimmer before being passed through a brass sieve, or wicker basket.
- Swimmer Ladle.
- Cracklings Residues caught in the sieve or wicker basket.
- Greaves Residual waste after the cracklings have undergone secondary processing.
Pickling Process of dipping wicks in subnitrate of bismuth, ground up with oil, or a weak solution of borax or boracic acid.
Dipping Process of making candles by repeated submerging into melted tallow.
- Broach Wooden rod holding candles.
- Broach frame Frame holding broaches for dipping into melted tallow.
- Post Dipping frame over a shallow tray which receives the drippings from the wicks.
Pounding Weighting of candles which were sold by the pound weight, usually 6 or eight candles to the pound, known as 6s or 8s.
Tying Passing a short piece of string through the loops of the wicks of a pair of candles, ready for sale.
Basting (Rolling) Method of making candles from wax in which was is poured over a wick with a small ladle giving the wick a slight turn with a finger, so that the material may flow equally on all parts of the wick.
Candle Issues
(alphabetical listing)
Chatter marks (Stuttering) Result of pouring wax too cool, leaving bubbles and horizontal lines in the finished candles. Jump lines (Skip lines) Horizontal lines formed in wax as it is poured into a cold jar.
Mottling Snowflake appearance in wax.
Mushrooming Incomplete combustion causes carbon mushrooms to form at the top of a wick. Caused by the type of wick, or cooler burning additives and some scented oils.
Wet spots (Delamination) Areas where wax has pulled away from parts of a glass container leaving spots, mostly in container candles.
Types of Candle
(alphabetical listing)
Floating candle Candle with a convex bottom design to allow floating on water.
Freestanding candle Stand-on-it's-own candle to be used only on heat resistant, non-flammable surfaces or on a candle holder.
Fragrance Oil Blends of oil with natural/ synthetic or just synthetic.
Gel candle Transparent candle made from gelled mineral oils or gelled synthetic hydrocarbons poured into a container or stand-alone-candles if hard gelled.
Hurricane candle Candle shell mold where the center is hollow and filled with wax that can be replaced. The outside is separate and decorated, the decorations cannot burn.
Pillar candle Self standing candle with one or more wicks, usually square and thick but can be round or hexagonal; burned in/on heat resistant surface or holder.
Specialty candle Meant as a decorative work of art, usually free-standing, unusually shaped, painted.
Taper candle Slender candle that thins toward the burn end, to be used with a holder.
Tealight candle Small candle in aluminum or clear container, needs to be in a proper holder before burning, usually 1.5" (38mm) in diameter and .75" (19 mm) in height.
Votive candle Generally a 2 oz candle, which is best burned in a tight fitting container, a votive holder.
- Votive holder Vessel that can hold a votive candle while burning and contain the melted wax.
Candle Wax
Candle wax (Wax) Materials used for candle making derived from animal, vegetable and mineral sources.
- Molten Wax Hot, melted liquid wax.
Wax formula Combination of wax, additives, dyes and fragrances used to make a candle.
Wax glue Soft sticky wax used to glue two pieces of wax together or to apply decorations.
Whipped wax Wax whipped with an egg beater/blender to make if fluffy.
Additives Anything added to wax to enhance its performance.
Clear crystals Additives that can prolong burning time, enhance colors and raise melting point.
(alphabetical listing)
Bayberry wax Natural wax derived from bayberry bushes. Boiling the berries removes their waxy coating which floats to the top where it can be collected.
Microcystalline wax Highly refined wax, soft and pliable for adhesion or hard, brittle for durability.
Palm wax Derived from palm, 100% natural, hard wax, high melt point with crystalline look. Comes in flake form and used straight or as an additive to other synthetic or natural waxes.
Paraffin wax Wax obtained through the distillation of petroleum. Its illuminating power in greater than that of any other candle-making material.
Pe-la (Chinese wax) Material formed upon the young branches of Fraxinus chinesis by the insect Coccus pe-la and used for candle making in China.
- Fraxinus chinesis (Wax tree) Provider of material for Chinese wax.
Ozokerit (Fossil wax) Mineral found in tertiary coal measures.
Polyethylene wax Wax made from low molecular weight, high-density raw materials, to produce desired characteristics required by the industry.
Recycled wax Pieces of leftover candles that are reused.
Refined paraffin Lower oil content waxes which is harder.
Scale wax Semi-refined wax with lower oil content.
Slack wax Semi-refined wax with a higher oil content used for religious candles.
Soybean wax Natural wax made from soy bean. Generally clean burning waxes, several melt points for various applications non-toxic, biodegradable, environmentally safe and long burning.
Spermaceti Fatty material obtained from oil taken from the head of the sperm whale.
Vegetable wax (Veggie Wax) Natural wax which encompasses the soy, bee and vegetable families.
Wicks
Wick Fibrous or spongy material by which flame is kept supplied with liquid fuel.
- Flat wick Wick made by plaiting cotton. Used mostly in taper and pillar candles, a flat plaited wick that curls, to allow self trimming by the flame.
- Plaited wick (Braided wick) Wick used for candles made of stearin, paraffin, etc., that bends over and thus doing away for the necessity of snuffing.
- Twister wick Wicks used only for tallow or wax candles.
Taper (EnE, archaic) Candlewick maker or seller.
(alphabetical listing)
Coreless cotton Cotton braided wicks with no core material.
Cored wicks Designed to stay straight while burning, braided with round cross section. Cores contain either zinc, cotton or paper for effect.
Hemp core Cotton braid with 100 % hemp core.
Paper core Cotton wicks with core of stiff paper or cardboard.
Specialty wick Used in Oil lamps and insect repellent flames.
Square wick Used in pillars, beeswax, and tapers and candles with non-combustible materials like pigment or fragrances in them. Braided so they curl or self-trim in the flame, inhibits clogging of the wick.
Wick dipper Tool that is used to dip the wick (while the candle is lit) into the wax melt pool. This eliminates smoke and the possibility of sparks flying. The wick is recoated with wax which aids in the burn time of the candle.
Wick tabs Flat metal discs with holes in the middle for a wick, holds wick at the bottom of the candle.
Wicking needle Thin metal poker used to make wick holes in candles.
Zinc core Cotton wicks with a thin metal (zinc) wire core.
Candle Molding
Molded candles (Novelty candles) Free shaped, free standing candles made by sculpting or molding or poured into a shaped mold. Some are used and some are just for decoration and not meant to be burned.
Molding Process of pouring material into molds.
- Jack Small can used for pouring melted stearin, tallow, paraffin wax or other material.
- Bodkin Small hooked implement used to pull candles from the mold.
Pouring temperature Temperature the wax is when poured to make the candle. This is not the melt point and determined by the effect wanted and the type of mold used.
(alphabetical listing)
Mold release Additive in wax or spray that pre-coats the inside of a mold to help the candles come out of the mold easier. Mold seal Reusable putty-like sealing compound used to secure the wick in the mold and to prevent leakage of molten wax. Also prevents water from leaking into the mold while in a water bath.
Universal additive Helps with mold release, hardens wax, binds oil to wax increases opacity and lengthens burn time used in all types of candles.
Water bath Placing hot mold in a container of cool water to help cool and harden candle.
Candle Fragrance
Scent oil (Fragrance oil)
(alphabetical listing)
Scent throw Candle’s ability to disburse fragrance into the room.
- Cold scent throw Fragrance strength when the candle is not burning.
- Hot scent throw Fragrance strength when the candle is burning.
Triple fragrance Amount of fragrance oil that is mixed in with the wax is limited depending on the wax. If too much fragrance oil is used, the fragrance oil will seep out of the finished candle and it won't be safe to burn.
Candle Accessories
Candle accessory Item designed to hold a candle in some manner.
Candle snuffer(Snuffer) Item used to extinguish candles. The entire flame and wick is covered with the snuffer. This eliminates the opportunity for sparks to fly when the candle is blown out.
- Snuffer maker Maker of candle snuffers.
- Douter Small conical device used to extinguish a candle.
Candle-box Wall-box often made of pewter containing candles.
Candlestick Stand with socket for holding a candle that can be made of wood, metal or porcelain.
- Bobeche Flared cuplike part of the candlestick, used to catch melted wax, sometimes removable.
- Drip-pan Disk projecting from the stem of a candlestick to catch molten wax.
- Girandole Ornamental branched candlestick.
- Mortar Candlestick with bowl or saucer to catch the grease.
- Pricket Candlestick with a pointed spike upon which the candle was stuck.
- Sconce Upper part of the candlestick into which the candle fits.
Candelabrum Candle holder or lamp with several arms or branches.
Chandelier (Fr, = candlestick) Lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling, with two or more arms bearing lights (originally, candles) or two or more pendent lights. Many chandeliers have faceted lead glass arms, candle cups, shafts, and prisms, which reflect the light and sparkle like tiny mirrors.
Container Not a mold, anything used to pour the wax in that will remain as part of the finished candle.
Candle Lexicon
(alphabetical listing)
Appliqué Applying an item to a finished candle for decorative purposes.
Double broiler Small pot placed above a larger pot that contains boiling water.
Dye Oil soluble colorants used for coloring the wax.
Essential oils Plant matter extracts.
Layering Pouring two or more layers of colored wax.
Luminaria Votive candle used in a sand-filled container for outdoor use.
Luster crystals Additive that brightens colors, makes colors opaque, raises the melting point and prolongs burn time.
Mineral oil (White oils) Chemical inert oils free of nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen and aromatic hydrocarbons, common in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics. plastics, textiles and foods.
Overdip Dipping a core in wax, usually colored for effect.
Petrolatum additive (Vaseline; Petroleum Jelly) Used in container candles, lowers melt point, softens wax.
Pigment Colorants, non-soluble type, colored particle suspended in wax used for overdipping.
Tart Small shaped disc of scented wax used to melt in a tart burner or used to melt in a potpourri. Can come in various shapes but is usually 2.5 inches round.
Vybar 103 Additive that reduces air bubbles, reduces mottling, and enhances fragrances and color, for melting points over 130 degrees. Can cause shrinkage and rippling.
Vybar 260 Additive that reduces air bubbles, reduces mottling, and enhances fragrances and color, for melting points under130 degrees. Can cause shrinkage and rippling.
