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In 3,000 B.
C.
, the Egyptians used wicked candles, but the Romans dipped papyrus in melted tallow or beeswax.
These early candles burned poorly and probably smelled even worse.
The Chinese molded their candles in paper tubes, using rice paper for the wick.
In Japan, candles were made from tree nut wax.
Even in India, they used the wax from boiling the fruit of the cinnamon tree to make candles.
Candles were used for the source of light, to aid travelers at night, and for religious ceremonies.
During the Middle Ages, candles became more prevalent in worship.
It was at this time, beeswax was used to make candles.
These beeswax candles were made much like the Romans made their candles with tallow.
Beeswax was a drastic improvement from the tallow, but limited quantities were available, which made it expensive, limiting it to clergy and the upper class.
In Colonial America, the early settlers discovered that they were able to obtain a very appeasing wax by boiling the berries from the bayberry shrub.
This wax created a very sweet smelling and good burning candle; however the process of making the bayberry wax was very tedious and tiresome.
In the 18th century, the whaling industry thrived and as a result, whale oil was available in large quantities.
Spermaceti wax was derived from the whale oil and was used as a replacement for tallow, beeswax and bayberry wax.
The spermaceti wax candle did emit a rather unpleasant smell, but the wax was hard enough to hold shape in the hot summer months.
The 19th Century was a defining time for the candles and candle making.
The first patented candle making machines were introduced a this time.
This breakthrough allowed candles to reach homes of all classes.
It was also right around this same time that a chemist named Michael Eugene Chevreul identified for the first time that tallow or animal fat consisted of fatty acids.
One of the fatty acids he identified was stearine (stearic acid).
In 1825, Chevruel and another chemist named Joseph Gay Lussac patented a process for candle making from crude stearic.
This process drastically improved the quality of the candles.
The braided wick was also invented in the 19th century.
Wicks before time were made simply of twisted strands of cotton, which burned very poorly and needed constant maintenance.
The braided wick was tightly plaited and a portion of the wick curled over and enabled it to be completely consumed.
It was in the middle of the 19th century that paraffin wax was first used in a candle in Battersea, UK.
This led to the commercial production of paraffin, which is an oil distillate.
Paraffin burned clean, bright and without any odor.
The paraffin was also blended with stearic acid, which hardened the wax and created a superior and cheaper candle.
With the introduction of the kerosene lamp in 1857 and the light bulb in 1879, candles were destined to lose their reign ad the "King of Light".
Candles now experienced a secondary role as a light source and were saved for emergencies.
The 1990's brought a new type of wax to the industry.
In 1991, Michael Richards originally founded his company Candleworks to manufacture beeswax candles.
Beeswax was expensive, up to 10 times the cost of petroleum candle wax (paraffin).
In July 1991, Michael Richards experimented with a wide range of vegetable waxes and plant oils.
His goal was to find a natural wax that was cost-competitive with paraffin wax.
He continued testing natural waxes for several years, including a wider range of tropical and domestic plant oils, while researching and developing other vegetable wax candles.
In 1997, Candleworks with the cooperation of the University of Iowa, documented the testing of new soy waxes developed by Michael Richards.
This work resulted in a report entitled "Increasing the Use of Soybeans in the Manufacturing of Candles" for the Iowa Department of Agriculture.
Documentation of Michael Richard's research of natural waxes from 1991 through 1999 was submitted to the U.
S.
patent office in 2000.
In 2001, Cargill purchased the intellectual property from Michael Richard's soy wax invention.
Michael Richards continued to market the soy wax in the industry and provided technical training for other candle manufacturers in the use of soy wax.
In 2002, Michael Richards launched a nation-wide guild of candle manufacturers called "Village Chandler".
Presently, there are 62 members and 17 states and Canada.
This guild is committed to using soy wax in candle manufacturing production.
Currently, soy wax is fast becoming a new national industry and the leading alternative to paraffin wax.
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