Colonial Candle Making Brightened A New World

Colonial candle making was very important to the people who came to the New World. These people left their comfort zones to sail on dangerous seas to a very rough environment. There were no amenities for these people, and electricity would not be invented for many years after these colonists died. People in this new place had learned to make candles in their original homes, and they used their skills to light their new homes, churches and businesses. Thousands of years before, people in ancient lands had made candles for their own benefit. People in Egypt, India, Italy and many other places made candles before the art of Colonial candle making began.

Colonial candle making was important for there was no other light that was available at night. Tallow was the main ingredient in Colonial candle making. Tallow is animal fat that was smelly and unreliable when it burned. There were not many rich people in the Colonies in the early years, but the rich people could afford more efficient and pleasant smelling candles made out of beeswax. The people who came to the Colonies in the early years were adventurous and creative people. They looked to improve the Colonial candle making, and they did.

Colonial Candle Making Improved With The Colonies

When people first arrived in the Colonies, they had very little, and life was difficult. The conditions and the land constantly improved. Colonial candle making improved with the progress in the land. The Colonial candle making eventually used materials to rid the candles of their awful smell. The people boiled berries and added these to the wax made for the candles. Although this procedure was time consuming, it made for better candles. This procedure also required many pounds of berries for a small number of candles. As a result, the candles made this way were very limited.

Whaling became an important industry in some of the Colonies, and the whalers returned from their trips with whale oil that could be made into wax for candles. The candles made with this wax smelled better than the ones made with tallow. These were not perfect, but they were a welcome improvement. The candle makers in the Colonies sometimes used wooden molds to form their products. Other candles were made by repeatedly dipping the wick into the wax. Most people today would never have the patience required to make candles as they were made in Colonial times.