120 hour candles

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120 hour candles

Postby GypsumWolf » Mar 27, 2007 8:45 am

http://www.baproducts.com/nuwick.htm

Are these good? or are they big and bulky?

120 hours = 5 days
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Postby hunter » Mar 27, 2007 10:13 am

Hmm, 8oz or 16oz. They certainly look like the cadilac of candles. I might stash one of these but would probably first carry a small solid fuel tablet stove because I like being able to make up a hot drink.
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Postby Andy Shoun » Mar 27, 2007 11:45 am

Looks good. I have not used one of those. I take a single candle
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=833&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&&ext_cat=undefined
and a lighter for emergency light and heat. I can vouch for these candles, they burn clean and long and since I have a candle lantern for camp use I have another excuse to keep some on hand.
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Postby Andy Shoun » Mar 27, 2007 11:51 am

Oh, another thing. I've heard people use the term plumbers candles before and others ask what are they. Here is more than you want to know:

Q: Why are plumbers candles called "plumbers candles"?

A: Many years ago, plumbers used the plumbers candle to join pipes together. Wax from the burning candle would be dripped onto a "wiping cloth" to form a protective coating on the cloth. Molten lead would then be poured onto the cloth and wiped onto the joint of the pipes to seal the joint. The candle wax prevented the lead from sticking to the cloth. This process of joining pipes together was called "lead wiping."

It is likely that plumbers needed a candle that would give off a lot of light while they worked in dark confined spaces. They may have asked candlemakers to create a candle that provided more light than a normal taper candle. So, another theory for the origin of the plumbers candle is that the plumbers candle was made specifically to provide light for plumbers as they worked. In the days before paraffin wax, tallow (animal fat or oil) was used to make candles. Plumbers candles used to be made from spermaceti, the oil from the head of the sperm whale. Spermaceti candles were renowned as the brightest burning candles of their times. The plumbers candle was made a bit thicker with a larger wick, which made it burn even brighter. Due to overhunting, the sperm whale become an endangered species, and use of the spermaceti became illegal. Paraffin wax quickly became a replacement for spermaceti and burns almost as brightly.
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