Since the opening of fire, mankind has been looking for ways to maintain it. At first, this function was performed by a torch in which the resin was burning. She was poured into the recess of the handle of wood. However, the torch was short-lived due to burning of the handle. The resin began to be poured into clay and glass vessels. Along with the resin, animals and vegetable fats were burned . Moreover, a piece of moss, a bunch of plant fibers, and then a piece of twine or a strip of fabric were lowered into the burning material. This prototype of the wick laid the foundation for wick lamps.
Lamp history
The first lamps were not perfect. They smoked terribly, and the light from them was weak and often went out.
Later, the clay bowl turned into a closed kettle with a wick inserted into its spout. So there was an oil lamp, several hundred years becoming the best source of lighting. Her flame was brighter, but when burning, the lamp smoked. Soot helped to overcome the invention of lamp glass.
Candle story
Another descendant of the torch is a candle. First, candles were made of wax or lard. They appeared in the X century of our era. The easiest way to make sebaceous candles. The wick fell into the molten fat, was taken out, the fat froze on it. And this procedure was repeated several times to create a candle of the required thickness. Much later, special forms for candles appeared in which molten wax or lard was poured.
There was not much light from the grease candle, but a lot of soot. Because of this, several such candles were usually lit simultaneously in a room. Then a candelabra was invented - a candlestick having branches for fixing several products.
Material for replacing fat was required for a long time, but was found at the dawn of the 19th century. For candles, stearin was used, which was an integral part of fat. So the stearin candle was born. When she appeared, she instantly gained popularity, displacing greasy. She burned brighter, without giving a deposit and not soiling her hands. Stearin candles surpassed the predecessor in all respects. And they began to be applied everywhere.
Many argue about what appeared before - a kerosene lamp or a stearin candle. Stearic acid, from which candles began to be made almost immediately, was invented in 1816. Kerosene, however, replaced the oil in the lamps only in the middle of the 19th century.
Candle Properties
At first, wax and paraffin served as the material for candle production. Later they began to use stearin. Paraffin and stearin have different physical and chemical characteristics, which leaves an imprint on the difference in the candles made from these materials.
Paraffin is an oil refining product that is a mixture of a variety of hydrocarbons. And stearin contains glycerin and stearic acid. It refers to esters. This led to different melting points: for paraffin - from 36 to 55 ° C, while for stearin - from 55 to 72 ° C. This makes stearin products firmer, making it possible to better maintain their shape. In this case, the flame temperature of the stearin candle reaches 1500 ° C, and paraffin - 1400 ° C.
In candle production, paraffin and stearin are hardly used in their pure form. More often they are mixed in various proportions. Stearin suppositories are usually used, the composition of which is 96% palm oil and 4% paraffin.
Differences
How to distinguish a stearic candle from a paraffin? In life, paraffin is distinguished from stearin by the use of alkali. When the alkali reacts with stearin, the result is a soap that precipitates under the action of acid. Paraffin is neutral with respect to the alkali solution, so nothing will change.
Stearin most often serves as a raw material for the manufacture of a variety of decorative products.
DIY making
If in the old days candles were used in order to ensure normal lighting of rooms, nowadays stearin candles more and more take on the role of an interesting element of decor that can create a romantic or solemn atmosphere.
Now in specialized stores a lot of candle-making items are sold, both simple and amazing, with their bizarreness and originality. At the same time, such jewelry lends itself to self-production using simple materials that are freely available. Do-it-yourself creation of this decor element does not need too much financial expenses and does not take much time. At the same time, giving free rein to your indomitable imagination and putting your soul into your work, you will create an unprecedented thing that can give joy to you and others.
Material
We will work miracles from stearin, paraffin or wax. For people first starting to create candles, it is best to start their experiments with paraffin, since working with it is the easiest. Paraffin is either bought in a store or obtained from ordinary household candles of white color or their cinder.
Also, stearin can be easily obtained from ordinary laundry soap. To do this, grate the soap on a coarse grater or cut it with a knife. Next, the resulting chips are placed in a container of metal, completely filled with water and sent to a water bath for melting. After dissolving the soap, it is removed from the fire, after which vinegar is added to the resulting composition. A mass of thick consistency will appear on the surface, which after final cooling can be removed with a spoon. This substance is stearin. It should be washed with running water and wrapped in a clean cloth to remove excess moisture.
Wick
The best wick can be a cotton thread of large thickness. You can use twisted or woven floss. Artificial materials for creating a wick are absolutely unsuitable, as they quickly burn out, creating a disgusting smell. The easiest way to get the wick from ordinary candles.
Form, dyes, dishes
A form can serve as a variety of containers. These can be sand forms or coffee cans. If you want to make an ornament narrowed up or round, you need to take a container that is used as a shape, for example, a ball made of plastic. It is necessary to make a longitudinal section and make a hole in the upper part of the mold, having a diameter of not less than ten millimeters, so that the composition can be freely poured there.
As dyes, you can use wax crayons, food coloring or natural substances, such as cocoa. Dyes based on water or alcohol are not suitable.
You will also need utensils: a pan or bowl of small dimensions is quite suitable. It is important that it fits comfortably in a water bath.
Additional materials are necessary in order to give beauty to your work. In addition, you can use any aromas. The use of additional substances can limit only your imagination. It can be beads, shells, sparkles, and from the smells - cinnamon, vanilla, essential oils.
Progress
It is necessary to grind the raw materials that are selected for work and expose them to a water bath. When using household candles, the wick is removed from them. In the case of applying the remnants of already used candles, it is necessary to clean them from dark soot. Slowly stirring the mass, achieve its complete melting. A pre-cooked wick must be lowered several times into the mass so that it is well saturated.
The composition must be added paint and flavor. When using wax crayons, they must first be crushed using a fine grater. If two or more colors are used immediately, it is possible to achieve a marble color. When the mass is divided into several parts and they are painted in various colors, it becomes possible to manufacture a multi-colored product.
The shape that is chosen for the crafts must be lubricated with vegetable oil or a dishwashing detergent. To fix the end of the wick, use a pencil, toothpick or stick. It is installed on the form so that its free end runs approximately in its middle part and reaches the bottom. To make the design more reliable, the free part of the wick is supplied with a weight.
The melted mass is poured into the mold, after which it is necessary to wait until it completely hardens. Next, the candle is pulled out by the wick. If it is difficult to remove the product, it is necessary to immerse the mold in a vessel with hot water for a short time.
Stearin candles are decorated in different ways. You can place dried flowers and seeds on the edges of the form. Then gently pour the heated mass into it. To make a coffee candle, it is necessary to sprinkle the bottom of the mold with a layer of coffee beans, pour them with a liquid mass, and again place the coffee beans at the top. Decorating with shells, beads and rhinestones is done, waiting for the product to freeze and remove it from the mold. The fastening of decorative elements occurs through glue. Such a stearin candle, the photo of which is given above, will give a holiday to you and your loved ones.