Fort Boonesborough Candlemaker
This Fort Boonesborough candlemaker is using a piece of string, weighted on one end, and a kettle of melted wax to make a candle. When she dips the string into the kettle, a layer of wax binds to the string. With each dip, the candle gets bigger in diameter.
In order to safely demonstrate this method inside a cabin, the candlemaker is using a modern form of wax called paraffin and an electrical device to heat it. In the 18th century, the task would usually have been done outside with a kettle over an open fire. The wax would have been beeswax or tallow (animal fat).
A faster method of making candles was to use a candle mold—a series of metal tubes fitted into a metal frame. The candlemaker placed a wick in each tube and then poured wax into the mold. Because air bubbles sometimes got trapped in the mold, candles made this way were considered to be of lower quality than dipped candles.
On the frontier, candles were used mainly for special occasions. The settlers used other forms of lighting for everyday purposes:
- A grease light is a simple metal lamp which contains tallow as fuel. The wick can be a reed, a piece of string, or a piece of rag. Nicer versions of these lamps with covers and metal or wooden stands were called Betty lamps.
- A rush light is a metal stand with a clamp on the end to hold a plant stalk that has been dipped in tallow and then lit. Shown here is a mullein plant stalk. Water plants such as cattails and rushes (hence the name) were also used.
Candlemaker Photos
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Bonus Video
Length: 1:02
