372 



CANDLE. 



Candle, ness with which the tallow is collected by the but- 

 cher, as upon the species of animal from which it is 

 derived ; but, even where the greatest care is em- 

 ployed, parts of the tallew must necessarily be mix- 

 ed with impurities, which cannot afterwards be com- 

 pletely separated from it. The extensive manufac- 

 turer will therefore select not only the tallow for the 

 finer candles, and for those of common use, but will 

 separate from his stock the inferior pieces of tallow, 

 and such as are mixed with impurities, in order to 

 dispose of them to the inferior dealer. After the 

 tallow is properly sorted, it is then put into a wood- 

 en vessel and cut into small pieces preparatory to the 

 first melting, which, in the technical language of the 

 workmen, is called rendering. Much depends upon 

 this operation being performed as soon as possible 

 after the tallow comes from the hands of the butcher. 

 If the tallow is allowed to remain for several days 

 exposed to the action of the air, which must often 

 happen to the inferior dealer, who receives his tallow 

 in small quantities, and at considerable intervals, part 

 of it will corrupt and infallibly injure the whole mass ; 

 but if the tallow is rendered soon after it comes from 

 the slaughter-house, it may be kept for months or 

 years, . and even improved by keeping, provided the 

 temperature is moderate. The object of this opera- 

 tion, is to separate from the tallow the skin and fleshy 

 parts which always adhere to it, and expel, by eva- 

 poration, the aqueous particles or other liquids which 

 are combined with it. With this view, the tallow, 

 after being cut into small pieces, is thrown into a 

 large boiler, and heat gradually applied. As the 

 tallow melts, new portions are added ; and particular 

 care is taken to stir it frequently, in order to prevent 

 the more solid parts from adhering to the bottom of 

 the vessel. After boiling a considerable time, the 

 more solid parts collect at the surface in the form of 

 a cake, which is called the crackling ; part of the 

 liquids have been driven off by the boiling, and the 

 remainder subsides to the bottom after the boiling 

 ceases. The cake is then put into a strong press, 

 and a great pressure applied, in order to extract from 

 it every particle of tallow ; it is afterwards set aside 

 to -be sold for food to dogs and other animals. The 

 liquid tallow is now taken from the boiler and put 

 into an adjoining vessel, by making it pass through 

 an iron sieve, by which means any of the solid parts 

 which have not united with the cake are separated 

 from the liquid mass. Still, however, many foreign 

 substances will remain blended with it. In order to 

 purify it still more, the tallow is now put into another 

 vessel, and a certain quantity of water mixed with 

 it. The water being specifically heavier than the 

 tallow, sinks to the bottom, and carries along with 

 it any impurities which may have escaped the opera- 

 tion of the sieve. After standing a sufficient time 

 for the impurities to settle, this tallow is transferred, 

 by means of tinned iron buckets, into tubs of a mo- 

 derate size, and allowed to congeal. It is then ta- 

 ken out of the tub in a solid state, and piled up for 

 future use. In transferring the tallow from the large 

 vessel into the tubs, great care must be taken not to 

 agitate it too much, lest the slimy matter collected 

 at the bottom rise and mix with it again. To pre- 

 vent this inconvenience, the workmen usually cease 



emptying the vessel when they come within an inch Candle. 

 or more of the slimy matter, which they readily disco- 

 ver by its muddy white colour. The residue of the 

 tallow is allowed to remain in the vessel during the 

 night, and in the morning it is taken out in a solid 

 state, and set apart to be re-melted with new tallow. 



From this statement, it appears, that in the pre- 

 paratory process of render ing , water is an indispen- 

 sable requisite ; and that in one stage or other of the 

 process, it must be mixed with every portion of the 

 tallow. We are at a loss, therefore, to understand 

 the meaning of that caution uniformly given to can- 

 dlemakers by our fellow Encyclopaedists, not to mix 

 water with the tallow intended for the three first 

 dips. To those who have seen the gross impurities 

 which are disengaged by the water, it must appear 

 obvious that water, or some other agent of a similar 

 nature, must be employed to remove those foreign 

 substances, which, if allowed to remain blended with 

 the tallow, would produce consequences far more de- 

 structive to the candle than the spitting, of which 

 they seem so much alarmed. But, in this case, there 

 is certainly no occasion for a balancing of evils ; for, 

 if the water, after being mixed with the tallow, be 

 allowed to subside, and if the tallow be taken off in 

 the manner above described, scarcely any moisture 

 will adhere to it ; and whatever may happen to remain, 

 will infallibly be driven off by the new boiling, pre- 

 paratory to its being used for making either dipped 

 or moulded candles. This caution seems to have been 

 suggested by a practice not unusual with the small 

 manufacturer, of putting water into the dipping 

 mould in order to supply the want of tallow. In this 

 case, the caution is certainly well-timed, and highly 

 deserving of attention, but quite inapplicable to the 

 trade in general, who, it is to be supposed, have no 

 necessity for having recourse to such expedients. 



After having sorted and purified the tallow in the. 

 manner above described, the candlemaker now pro- 

 ceeds to cut and arrange the wicks, which, with the 

 exception of such as are intended for the coarser 

 dipped candles, are made of fine spun cotton. The 

 cotton usually employed is chiefly obtained from 

 Turkey, and comes into the hands of the candle- 

 maker in the form of skeins. Four or more of these 

 skeins^ according to the intended thickness of the 

 wick, are wound off at once into bottoms or clues, 

 and afterwards cut by means of a very simple ma- 

 chine, into pieces of a particular length, correspond- 

 ing to the size of the intended candle. Before put- 

 ting the wicks into the moulds, or placing them on 

 the sticks for dipping, it is usual to dress them, by 

 slipping them between the fingers and thumb, with 

 the view of laying the threads smooth, and removing 

 knots and such foreign substances as might injure the 

 candles. Even after " this dressing," it is difficult, 

 in consequence of the shrinking of the cotton, to 

 keep the wicks, when placed upon the broaches, 

 completely separate from each other. To obviate 

 this inconvenience, it is usual to take a great number 

 of wicks into the hand, and dip them into melted 

 tallow. After rubbing them .between the palms of 

 the hand, and allowing the tallow which adheres to 

 harden, they may be arranged with perfect ease upon, 

 the broaches. 



