Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-16
IN A CANDLE FACTORY.
AN INOUISlTVe REPORTER GIVES
DETAILS OF WHAT HE SAW.
Treatment of Commercial Tall"w
MoIding the Stearins Treatment of
Paraihne How Christmas Candles
Are Made Packing In Boxes.
New YORK Mail end Exnress

A reporter recently visited large candle
factory at Clifton, Staten island. The noise
uf the machinery first attracted his Atten-
ton Heavy presses with steam for motive
power We're at work on al sides. The re-
porter's attention was first called to the
ordinary, dirty, yellow looking substance
known as commercial talluw. This was
taken out of the hng>hrads and thrown into
tanks capable of holding from 500 to +,uO
pounds each. Lime was then added L. the
tallUw, and the mass allowc, Ia boil about
eight hours The quantity uf lime added Is
about 10 per cent The lin takes up the
oleic and stearic acids. and the mass forms
4 kind of lime soap, almost as hard as
rock Ii is then transfe red To another
tank, where it is again boiled for three or
four hours by the aid of It. I'm. about 10 per
'ent. of suphuric acid h- X added. This
lecumpnse> the lime, which falls tn the bot
tom. leaving the purified taliow at the top
This is taken off and transferred 20 open
metallic pans, sixteen inches long by ten
wide and two deep
PREPARING THE STENRINE-
After remaining i'll these pans for twelve
hours aud becoming hardened, the tallow
Is transferred to lags and submitted to
heavy pressure IN cold press worked by
strong steam and hydraulic power. This
takes out the oil and lad color. This oil Is
saved and used in making soap and other
materials for wOulru- mills. In order to get
the stearinc perfectly white the solid matter
which Is left Is again submitted to pressure
In a hot press, the leaves Of which are heated
by live steam FROM "A boiler. This takes out
all the oil the pressure Icing at times equBl
to GO tons The stearine is then again
melted. for by this time it has become al
most as hard rock, and run into moldS
The molds are in strong frames about as
high as II mans chest There are ninety SIX
moIds i'll a frame Under each mold Is Il
plstun-rod fastened to platform, beneath
which are the bohhinS containing the wlcks.
An oritre in each piSton-rOd enables the
wick to pass through When the wiCks are
in place i'll the mold the hot stearine Is
poured into reservoir on the top of the
mOlding frame, from IA can holding about
thirty pounds of the melted substance,
taken from tanks which have been heated
10y steam. The stearine flows readily into
the mods. which when cooled Otf-tOr they
are heated by steam lefure the Stearine is
allowed To flow into them-aLuw the candles
to come ont easily.
The surplus stearine having been SCraped
off from the bottom of the candles, a woIden
rack is placed over the mulds. By the aid
of a crank the platform holding the piston
rod is raised. and the rods forced through
the molds. This thru>t> the candles, ninety
! six at a time, into the rack, and at the same
time draws up more of the wick from the
/ bobbin The complete candle holds this wick
/ in place until the mold is again filed with
stearine When the candles i'll the rack are
sufficiently hardened sharp knife separates
! the wicks connecting them with those in the
molds and they are sent away to be boxed
up for shipment And this process is con-
tinued as fast a. the candles can be colored
MAKING CHRISTMAS CANDLES.
Parsffine is the residuum of petroleum,
and is therefore cheaper than tallow. 1t
has, however, to he treated with naphtha
| instead of sulphuric acid. and by the same
process As with the stearine. The pressure
to which it is submitted for the purpose of
extracting the oil is very great, The "akeS
/ Of purified paratiine are of clear white
and almost transparent The substance Is
often used for chewing gum, and is quite
sweet after being purified Vet prior to be-
ing submitted to the naphtha process it has
both bad taste and odOr.
After publication it is placed i'll steam,
heated watts and again melted Aniline dyes
of all shades are added, each color being in
a separate vat Similar mOlds and frames
to those used i'll the making Of stearint
candles are employed 1t takes as much
time to make a Christmas candle running
IA 10 the pound as those that are larger ii
size. One frame will lie required to max,
one pound OF the small candles, while {
similar frame could, in the same time anC
with about the same amount OF labor, pro
duce sixteen pounds Of stearine candles
Youths can, however, be employed for thi'
paraffine work After the candles are mad,
they are taken to benches where girls pacl
them in groS. and half-groSS paper boxes
the different colors being carefully arranged
side by side, thus showing the six colors il
each layer