How Candles Work

Slate and Artsmith – The flame of a candle is a beautiful little light that shines on bright in the dark as a symbol of hope, and truth. And yet, behind the symbolic importance of the candle, there is a chemical truth that is inescapable. It is the life of the fire, and the nature of the candle, and it determines whether the flame ignites and how long it lasts when it does.

A candle is composed of a wick, which is embedded in some sort of fuel which will burn when it comes in contact with a flame. Before a candle is lit, the wick is immersed in this fuel to allow it to catch flame. When a fire is brought in contact with a wick soaked in fuel, the heat melts the fuel, and then vaporizes it, allowing it to combine with oxygen in the air. The result is a fire which is just powerful enough to keep itself lit, without consuming its fuel too rapidly to be of use.

The stasis which allows a flame to remain in tact comes from the fact that the heat of the flame on the wick is enough to melt the fuel, or wax, of the candle. Once the fuel has been reduced to liquid form, it is able to move up the candle wick via a process known as capillary action. Once the wax fuel is in the wick, it can supply the flame with the raw materials it needs to keep burning brightly enough to melt even more wax.

As the fuel is burnt, the candle gets shorter. This means that the wax has to travel further up the wick to supply the candle flame. When the wick gets too long to transport enough fuel up its length to keep the flame going, the extended part of the wick is burnt off. This allows the candle to wick to constantly shrink with the shrinking size of the candle. It also allows a candle to regulate its temperature and energy, so that they do not get out of control.

When you look at a candles flame, you will notice that it is different colors in different places. In the center a candle flame will often be blue, indicating it is hotter there. This is because the flame in the center is separating hydrogen from the fuel and burning it to form water vapor. When the candle is yellow and brighter this represents the area where the remaining carbon is being oxidized to form carbon dioxide.

When you look at a candle what do you see? It is a complex and wonderful thing that can stir our emotions and inspire our souls. But it is also a process, of constant renewal and cycling stability. It is only in balance that the flame can be maintained.

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