The first mention of the first modern candle appeared about 5,000 years ago and refer to Ancient Egypt. From written sources it is known that torches made of dried reeds or reeds impregnated with melted animal fat were used for lighting. Two millennia later, there is information about the use of the first wicks, invented in Ancient Rome. They were made of twisted papyrus, which was lowered into a vessel with melted fat. Often as floor lamps, atop a tripod with a fat-filled bowl and wick.
Other nations had their own versions of modern candles. In China rice paper was used as a wick and a mixture of insects and cereal plants instead of wax. In India, the combustible component was made from the fruits of the cinnamon tree, and in Japan at that time – from nuts.
In Europe, candles were widely used mainly in churches and religious ceremonies. Then and now these church candles are often made in the church and not from traditional sources. For this there are special forms, which are filled with beeswax, and after some time, produce smooth, beautiful candles.
The technology in the production of candles did not change significantly, but the need for them grew with each century. In Europe with the Xlll century came the Guild of candle masters and a whole lot of small special candle shops. Finally, in the fifteenth century in France candle makers began to molds for making candles. In the XVI century there was an alternative to animal fat – beeswax. Candles made from it were not faded, burned longer and brighter, without unpleasant smell. But because of the price they were available only to the wealthy segments of the population and the Church, the main part of the population continued to use cheap candles made from animal fats.
Meanwhile, Africa has learned to produce wax by boiling the fruits of some local tree varieties. Candles made from this wax, also had no unpleasant smell and did not produce smoke, but the process of making the wax was too time consuming and such candles did not stick. Also an analogue of this method of obtaining wax is Japanese wax.
At the end of the XVIII century, the development of whaling gave impetus to the production of candles. People have learned to extract the spermaceti from the spermaceti SAC, located in the head of a whale. As well as beeswax, spermaceti did not give side effects during combustion, and it was not expensive. In addition, it was more firm and, accordingly, the quality of candles from it was higher.
At the moment, people have learned to make candles from many types of wax:
- Bee
- Paraffin
- Soy
- Gel
- Japanese
- Palm (aka Carnauba or Brazilian)
- Bayberry
- Wax
In France, in 1820, Michel Shverol was able to extract from animal fat stearic acid, from which they began to produce stearin, which is added to the candles in their manufacture for greater strength and longer Flammability to this day. In 1834, Joseph Morgan invented a device for mass production of candles. The design consisted of a cylinder and a moving pistol that automatically removed the finished candles from the machine. In 1850, chemists were able to extract paraffin from oil, from which with the addition of stearin and produces most of the modern candles today.
Of course, technological progress and, in particular, the appearance of an electric light bulb significantly reduced the use of candles, but what could be more romantic than a festive dinner by candlelight?