Hullmark Candles New Mexico: Fire Saftey, burning Tips and history

Candle Fire Safety
People have safely enjoyed using candles for centuries. Their colors and scents enhance everyday
life and evoke memories of special events. Candles are a source of light and delight when used
properly and according to manufacturers’ directions.
.
In an effort to reduce candle fires, NCA aggressively works to educate consumers on the paramount
importance of fire safety when using candles. NCA also has spearheaded the development of
voluntary national standards to further candle safety, including standards for fire safety labeling, and
heat-resistant glass containers.

The following simple candle safety tips are important to memorize when using candles:

ALWAYS KEEP A BURNING CANDLE WITHIN SIGHT.

NEVER BURN A CANDLE ON OR NEAR ANYTHING THAT CAN CATCH FIRE.

KEEP BURNING CANDLES OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN OR PETS.

To help educate consumers about proper candle use, many U.S.candle manufacturers include
directions on their candles and warning labels citing the warnings listed above.

Some additional tips that will help you use and enjoy candles safely are:

Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Trim wicks to 1/4 inch prior to each use.

Always use an appropriate candle holder place on a stable, heat-resistant surface.

Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents and air currents.

Extinguish a candle if it smokes, flickers repeatedly, or the flame becomes too high.

Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.

Do not burn a candle for longer than the manufacturer recommends.

Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.

Extinguish the flame it if comes too close to the holder or container. For a margin of safety,
discontinue burning a candle when 2 inches of wax remains (1/2 inch if in a container).

Never touch or move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquid.

Extinguish pillar candles if the wax pool approaches the outer edge.

Place lighted candles at least 3 inches from one another.

History of Candle making
For centuries, candles have cast a light on man's progress. However, there is very little known about the
origin of candles. Although it is often written that the first candles were developed by the Ancient Egyptians
who used rush lights, or torches, made by soaking the pithy core of reeds in molten tallow, the rush lights
had no wick like a candle. It is the Romans who are credited with developing the wick candle, using it to aid
travelers at dark, and lighting homes and places of worship at night.

Like the early Egyptians, the Romans relied on tallow, gathered from cattle or sheep suet, as the principal
ingredient of candles. It was not until the Middle Ages when beeswax, a substance secreted by honey bees
to make their honeycombs, was introduced. Beeswax candles were a marked improvement over those
made with tallow, for they did not produce a smoky flame, or emit an acrid odor when burned. Instead,
beeswax candles burned pure and clean. However, they were expensive, and, therefore, only the wealthy
could afford them.

Colonial women offered America's first contribution to candle making when they discovered that boiling the
grayish green berries of bayberry bushes produced a sweet-smelling wax that burned clean. However,
extracting the wax from the bayberries was extremely tedious. As a result, the popularity of bayberry
candles soon diminished.

The growth of the whaling industry in the late 18th century brought the first major change in candle making
since the Middle Ages, when spermaceti, a wax obtained by crystallizing sperm whale oil, became available
in quantity. Like beeswax, the spermaceti wax did not elicit a repugnant odor when burned. Furthermore,
spermaceti wax was found harder than both tallow and beeswax. It did not soften or bend in the summer
heat. Historians note that the first "standard candles" were made from spermaceti wax.

It was during the 19th century when most major developments affecting contemporary candle making
occurred. In 1834, inventor Joseph Morgan introduced a machine which allowed continuous production of
molded candles by the use of a cylinder which featured a movable piston that ejected candles as they
solidified.

Further developments in candle making occurred in 1850 with the production of paraffin wax made from oil
and coal shales. Processed by distilling the residues left after crude petroleum was refined, the bluish-
white wax was found to burn cleanly, and with no unpleasant odor. Of greatest significance was its cost —
paraffin wax was more economical to produce than any preceding candle fuel developed. And while
paraffin's low melting point may have posed a threat to its popularity, the discovery of stearic acid solved
this problem. Hard and durable, stearic acid was being produced in quantity by the end of the 19th
century. By this period, most candles being manufactured consisted of paraffin and stearic acid.

With the introduction of the light bulb in 1879, candle making declined until the turn of the century when a
renewed popularity for candles emerged.

Candle manufacturing was further enhanced during the first half of the 20th century through the growth of
U.S. Oil and meat packing industries. With the increase of crude oil and meat production, also came an
increase in the by-products that are the basic ingredients of contemporary candles — paraffin and stearic
acid.

No longer man's major source of light, candles continue to grow in popularity and use. Today, candles
symbolize celebration, mark romance, define ceremony, and accent decor — continuing to cast a warm
glow for all to enjoy.

Candle Burning Tips

Candle Safety is first and foremost, but the following tips will let you enjoy your candles to their fullest.
Average Burn Time will vary with room conditions. Keep you candle out of breezes and air current. Fire
needs oxygen to burn: the more air it receives the higher the temperature causing it to burn faster.

Keep your candle out of direct sunlight to eliminate color fading and warping.

Keep wicks trimmed to 1/4 inch to eliminate smoke and that familiar mushroom of carbon build up. Let
you candle cool and solidify, turn upside down to trim the wick. Never let your trimmed wick fall into the
candle.

Never leave burning candles unattended and out of the reach of children and pets.

What makes one candle fragrance stronger than others?
The size of the flame - the higher the flame the quicker the fragrance vapors burn before they can be
realised into the air
The size of the melted wax pool - more fragrance will evaporate into the air with a larger surface of
melted wax
The fragrance itself - by nature, every fragrance has its own properties
Length of burn time - over time the nose no longer senses the fragrance.
The size of the room - The degree of concentration - Larger rooms need more fragrance vapors than
smaller rooms
Air Circulation -Fragrance vapors are carried in the air - fans, air conditioning, open windows, and
humidity all affect vapor dispersement
Fragrance from other sources - including other candles
As with all our senses, smell is individual