Editing Candle (section)

===Wax===
[[File:7candles.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Unlit twisted beeswax candles]]

For most of recorded history candles were made from [[tallow]] (rendered from beef or mutton-fat) or [[beeswax]]. From the mid-1800s, they were also made from [[spermaceti]], a waxy substance derived from the [[Sperm whale]], which in turn spurred demand for the substance. Candles were also made from [[stearin]] (initially manufactured from animal fats but now produced almost exclusively from palm waxes).<ref>{{cite web|title=Using stearic acid or stearin in candlemaking|url=http://www.happynews.com/living/create/using-stearic-acid.htm|website=happynews.com|access-date=25 September 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000000/http://www.happynews.com/living/create/using-stearic-acid.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Stearic acid (stearin)|url=http://www.howtomakecandles.info/cm_article.asp?ID=ADDIT0003|website=howtomakecandles.info|access-date=25 September 2014}}</ref> Today, most candles are made from [[paraffin wax]], a byproduct of [[petroleum]] refining.<ref name= Ullmann>Franz Willhöft and Fredrick Horn "Candles" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2000, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. {{doi|10.1002/14356007.a05_029}}</ref>

[[File:Hentriacontane.svg|thumb|The hydrocarbon [[Hentriacontane|C<sub>31</sub>H<sub>64</sub>]] is a typical component of paraffin wax, from which most modern candles are produced.]]
Candles can also be made from [[microcrystalline wax]], [[beeswax]] (a byproduct of [[honey collection]]), [[gel]] (a mixture of [[polymer]] and [[mineral oil]]),<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Camp|first1=William R.|last2=Vollenweider |first2=Jeffrey L. |last3=Schutz |first3= Wendy J. |title=Scented candle gel|journal=United States Patent 5,964,905|date=12 October 1999}}</ref> or some [[Wax#Plant waxes|plant waxes]] (generally palm, [[carnauba wax|carnauba]], [[bayberry]], or [[soybean wax]]).

The size of the flame and corresponding rate of burning is controlled largely by the [[candle wick]]. The kind of wax also affects the burn rate, with beeswax and coconut wax burning longer than paraffin or soy wax.<ref>{{cite web|title=Candle Wax Guide: Comparing Soy, Paraffin, Coconut, and Beeswax|url=https://valiantcandle.com/post/1030204903881/candle-wax-guide-comparing-soy-paraffin|website=valiantcandle.com|access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref>

Production methods utilize [[extrusion moulding]].<ref name= Ullmann/> More traditional production methods entail [[melting]] the solid fuel by the controlled application of heat. The liquid is then poured into a mould, or a wick is repeatedly immersed in the liquid to create a dipped tapered candle. Often [[fragrance oil]]s, [[essential oil]]s or [[aniline]]-based [[dye]] is added.