The Craft of Candle Making

Candle makers know that candles are a welcome addition to our daily dealings. This knowledge has transformed the candle making business into a multi-billion dollar industry, with big wigs like Yankee Candle Company pounding out product, small independent businesses like Kingston Candles in New Hampshire following suit, and thousands of men and women making candles from their home.

The inception of candle making is hard to trace. In ancient Egypt, candles were regularly made using beeswax in 3000 B.C. In places like China and Japan, whale fat was used for candle making. Fat from cows and sheep were used for candle making in Europe during the middle-ages. It wasn't until 1790 that a method not involving animals, or their by-products, was used. Waxy molds—specifically called paraffin, which was derived from coal—were used for candle manufacturing with the help of a machine that could produce more than a thousand candles an hour.

Paraffin wax is the primary ingredient used in candle making today. The wax is melted down, poured into the shape of the candle mold that is desired, with the wick is placed inside. This is not exactly a detailed explanation of the process, but it is, in essence, the way in which it is done (a fully-formed candle can take several days to complete between the warming and cooling of the candle; some steps involved in making the candle can't be done until it is completely cooled). This relatively easy process of candle making is garnering not only enjoyment for the crafty among us, but a great deal of money for the entrepreneurial among us. And for those who are really crafty and want to add their own special zip to their product, candles spiced with marbled colors, bi-colors, tri-colors as well as draping layers add a special flare that the ancient Greeks and Chinese could only dream about.
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