CANDLE, a small taper of tallow, wax, or spermaceti ; the wick of which is corn monly of several threads of cotton, spun and twisted together.
There are two sorts of tallow-candles ; the one dipped, the other moulded : the former are the common candles.
Tallow candles should be made of equal parts of bullock's and sheep's fat. The cotton made use of in the manufacture of candles comes from Turkey. This is first wound into rather a fine thread, which is cut into proper lengths, and five, six, or more united, so as to make it of a fit size for the candle required. The machine for cutting the cotton is a smooth board, fastened on the knees, and the upper surface is the blade of a razor, and a round piece of cane, placed at a certain distance from one another, according to the length of the cotton wanted. The cotton is carried round the cane, and be ing brought to the razor, is instantly separated from the balls. The cotton is then made smooth by pulling, and spread at equal distances, on rods about half an inch in diameter, called broaches. The tallow is melted, and after it is well skimmed, it is brought to the mould, in which the cottons are dipped. The work man holds three of these broaches be tween his fingers, and immerses the cot tons into the melted tallow; these he after wards hangs up till they become cold and hard, during which others are dipped. When cold, they are dipped a second and a third time, and so on till the candles are of the proper size. During the operation the tallow is kept to a proper tempera ture, by means of a small charcoal fire. An invention of modern date has taken off much of the labour of the tallow-chandler: this consists of abeam with fixed pullies, round which ropes are made to pass, and on one end of the ropes can be suspend edsix or more broaches, the weight of which is balanced by weights in an op posing scale, and which may be increased, as the candles become larger. The work man by this means has only to guide the candles, and not to support them between his fingers. Mould candles are so called, from their being run or cast in moulds made of pewter. In these the cotton is intruded by means of a wire, and kept in a perpendicular position till the tallow is poured in, and when cold the candles are easily drawn out.
Wax candles are made of a cotton or flaxen wick, slightly twisted, and covered with white or yellow wax. Of these, there are several kinds ; some of a conical fi gure, used to illumine churches, and in processions, funeral ceremonies, &c.
Others of a cylindrical form, used on or dinary occasions. The first are either made with a ladle or the hand. To make wax candles with the ladle : the wicks being prepared, a dozen of them are tied by the neck, at equal distances, round an iron circle, suspended directly over a large basin of copper tinned, and full of melted wax: a large ladle full of this wax is poured gently on the tops of the wicks, one after another, and this opera tion continued till the candle arrive at its destined bigness ; with this precaution, that the three first ladles be poured on at the top of the wick ; the fourth at the height of three-fourths ; the fifth at one half; and the sixth at one-fourth ; in or der to give the candle its pyramidal form. Then the candles are taken down, kept warm, and rolled and smoothed upon a walnut-tree table, with a long square instrument of box, smooth at the bottom.
As to the manner of making wax-can dles by the hand, they begin to soften the wax, by working it several times in hot water, contained in a narrow, but deep, caldron. A piece of the wax is then ta ken out, and disposed, by little and little, around the wick, which is hung on a hook in the wall, by the extremity oppo site to the neck ; so that they with the big end, diminishing still as they de scend towards the neck. In other re spects, the method is nearly the same as in the former case. However, it must be observed, that in the former case, water is always used to moisten the several in struments, to prevent the wax from sticking ; and in the latter, oil of olives, or lard, for the hands, &c. The cylin drical wax candles are either made, as the former, with a ladle, or drawn. Wax candles drawn, are so called, because ac tually drawn in the manner of wire, by means of two large rollers of wood, turn ed by a handle, which, turning backwards and forwards several times, pass the wick through melted in a brass basin, and at the same time through the holes of an instrument like that used for drawing wire fastened at one side of the basin.
sale or auction by inch of, is when a small piece of candle being lighted, the bystanders are allowed to bid for the merchandize that is selling ; but the moment the candle is out, the commodity is adjudged to the last bid der.