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Lynnie 's journey
 In olden days candles were much more important than they are today because before the invention of the electric light candles were used to provide light in the dark hours. They can also provide heat and a method of keeping the time.
Traditionally, candles have been made from tallow or wax – sometimes a fragrance can be added. A person who makes candles is traditionally known as a chandler, and devices have been made to hold candles, from simple candlesticks to larger candelabra and chandeliers. A naked flame is used to light the candle's wick, which melts and vaporizes a small amount of wax. Once vaporized, the wax combines with oxygen to ignite and form a constant flame. This flame provides sufficient heat to keep the candle burning via a self-sustaining chain of events: the heat of the flame melts the top of the mass of solid fuel; the liquefied fuel then moves upward through the wick; the liquefied fuel finally vaporizes to burn within the candle's flame. Some wicks require regular trimming with scissors (or a specialized wick trimmer), usually to about one-quarter inch, to promote slower, steady burning, and also to prevent smoking. In modern candles, the wick is made so that it curves over as it burns. This ensures that the end of the wick gets oxygen and is then consumed by —a self-trimming wick. Ancient Romans first began making true dipped candles from tallow, beginning around 500 BC, European candles of antiquity were made from various forms of natural fat, tallow, and wax. The earliest surviving candles originated in China from around 200 BC. These early Chinese candles were made from whale fat. During the Middle Ages, tallow candles were most commonly used. By the 13th century, candle making had become a guild craft in England and France. The candle makers (chandlers) went from house to house making candles from the kitchen fats saved for that purpose, or made and sold their own candles from small candle shops. Beeswax, compared to animal-based tallow, burned cleanly, without smoky flame. Beeswax candles were expensive, and relatively few people could afford to burn them in their homes in medieval Europe. However, they were widely used for church ceremonies. In the 18th and 19th centuries, fat from the sperm whale was used to produce a superior candle that burned longer, brighter and gave off no offensive smell. Later in the 18th century, plant oil came into use as much cheaper substitutes. The manufacture of candles became an industrialized mass market in the mid19th century. In 1834, Joseph Morgan, from England, patented a machine that revolutionised candle making. It allowed for continuous production of molded candles by using a cylinder with a moveable piston to eject candles as they solidified. This more efficient mechanized production produced about 1,500 candles per hour. This allowed candles to be an affordable commodity for the masses. Candlemakers also began to fashion wicks out of tightly woven strands of cotton. This technique makes wicks curl over as they burn, maintaining the height of the wick and therefore the flame. Because much of the excess wick is incinerated, these are referred to as "self-trimming" or "self-consuming" wicks. Despite advances in candle making, the candle industry declined rapidly upon the introduction of superior methods of lighting, including oil lamps and the 1879 invention of the electric light bulb. From this point on, candles came to be marketed as more of a decorative item. |
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June 2021
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