torjusg said:
Toddy
Now I have checked up the test of these wicks. There is nothing on the process of making the cords, but it looks like they have used the fluffy outher bark.
They used five wicks, the diametre was slightly different for for them. The sagebrush, juniper and jute cordage were a little thicker than the commercial cotton and the dogbane cordage. All of the candles were made by the same wax and dipped 20 times (Which I think will make errors to the results as thick cord adds exponentially more wax every time dipped).
The results were:
- Dogbane: 35min
- Candlewick 40min
- Sagebrush 90min
- Jute 150min
- Juniper 210min
This is clearly by no means scientific as wick thickness definately seems to have an effect in addition to materials.
Cheers Torjus :You_Rock_
That's a heck of a difference in the effective burning times though
Archaelogically, in wet preservation, we find pine candles, but I don't recall any info on Juniper. Interesting
I do know of Juniper as a "hearth herb", that is a herb used as a domestic, i.e. household one, used to purify the air, the bedding, etc. It does smell wonderful.
I think I need to have a play
Jon, the loch rush, schoenoplectrus lacustris (I won't swear to my spelling
) sometimes known as soft rush or matting rush, makes excellent rush lights and is the one that was gathered, cut into two foot lengths and sold in bundles to be peeled and soaked in tallow or the like for lighting. I use it when doing medieval stuff, but it pours out black oily smoke (probabaly why medieval roofs and lungs ended up black
)
Cheers,
Toddy