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