[Sca-cooks] Candles

[Mark.S Harris]

Kiriel said:
> Stefan wrote:
> Okay. In period about all you had for candles were beeswax and tallow.
> Sometimes a mixture of both. The beeswax candles got used in the Church
> and perhaps some of the wealthy folks. Everyone else got stuck with
> the slightly more smoky and stinky tallow candles.
>
> Just to note; very very slightly more stinky and not at all smokey tallow candles.
>
> My friend Tanw heard that tallow candles were smokey and smelly.  He wondered if it was really true, and in true Tanw style decided to make some to find out*. Certainly I gather that the processing of the tallow was smelly in a kind of "lamby" fashion, but I can testify from my own experience that the finished candles burnt with a good clear smokeless flame, and you could only detect a smell if you got close to it. (ie. almost burn your nose close)
>
> Tallow candles being smokey and stinky is a myth.
> Kiriel
>
> * that sense of curiosity is why Mr Nw (as he iis affectionately known) is now Master Nw. (pronouced sort of like Tahnoo; for short Mr Noo)

Ok, this is good to hear. I have heard, and I think seen in a period
text,
that sheep fat is the best source for candle tallow, whereas pig fat
is to be avoided. But what little I've heard from folks who have made
tallow candles was that they were more smoky. Perhaps Master Tanw has
a better technique than these others.

Both for my own experimentation, and for the Florilegium, I'd love to
find out if this Master Tanw has ever written his experiences up on
this. I'd like to have an article on tallow candle making for the
Florilegium, but a set of class notes I can use or even a message
that I can add to the candles-msg file would be appreciated.

Would you please relay this to him, or send me some contact info
for him?

Thanks,
 THLord Stefan li Rous
 stefan at texas.net