- Animal fat (e.g., sheep or beef fat) was rendered to obtain tallow.
- Wicks made of cotton or hemp were repeatedly dipped into hot liquid tallow until desired candle thickness was achieved.
- Dipped candles were hung and cooled.
Moulded Candles:
- Wicks were placed in candle moulds before molten tallow was poured in.
- Moulds often had intricate designs that would become the shape of the finished candle.
- Cooled candles were removed from the moulds.
Spermaceti Candles:
- Spermaceti was extracted from the head cavity of sperm whales.
- Spermaceti had high melting point, creating slower-burning and cleaner-burning candles compared to tallow.