You
will need:
Double boiler (or old pan with
water and melting/pouring pot)
candlemaking thermometer (or
candy thermometer), long handled
wooden spoon, wooden skewer
or knitting needle, screwdriver
and scissors.
Also,
candlemaking is messy. If you
are working in your kitchen,
I would spread newspaper all
over the floor and around the
working area. There will be
dripping for sure.
__________________
The
mold:
When
you purchase a mold at the
crafts supply store, it will
normally come as a set, meaning,
it will come with a little
bit of wick, a thin metal road
to tie the wick to, a little
screw, and some putty to seal
the hole at the bottom of the
candle.
If you are using
any other object other than
a candle mold, for example,
people make candles in milk
cartons, used tomato and vegetable
cans, flower pots etc., and
you don't have any of these
store bought kits, you can
use a pencil or other similar
object to tie the wick. Traditional
candle molds have a hole at
the bottom to thread the wick
through. If you are using a
household item, either you
will have to drill the hole
yourself, or use a tabbed wick.
Also, make sure that the mold
you choose will be able to
withstand high temperatures.
You are going to pour the paraffin
somewhere in between 180- 200°
F
Below:
Tabbed wicks. They come in
many sizes. The ones on the
right are for votives and they
measure 3" tall.
If you are using a traditional
metal mold, the first thing
you need to do is wick the
mold. Insert the wick from
the underside of the mold and
thread it through the hole
until it reaches the top of
the mold. Tie a knot with the
wick on the rod that will lay
across the top of the mold.
With the wick secured at the
top of the mold, turn the mold
upside down and pull the wick
taut, and secure it with a
wick screw on the underside
of the mold. Cut the wick about
an inch away from the screw
and completely cover it with
mold sealer, pressing firmly
to prevent leaking. Place mold
in a tray to catch any wax
which may leak out. Your mold
is now ready for pouring.
This
is what it looks like, top
and bottom. Note the putty
covering the screw hole at
the bottom. Plumbers putty
works great.
__________________________
About
the wick:
I
recommend that you use 100%
cotton wicks. Some wicks have
a thin hair-like wire going
through the center, normally
made out of zinc, that everybody
says is safe. I personally
don't use them. In the past,
that thread used to be made
out of lead, and I hear that
some Chinese imported candles,
still are made that way.
It
is up to you.
Now,
when you buy cotton wick to
make your candles, it normally
comes in spools and you buy
it by the yard. You have to
make sure that the thickness
of the wick is appropriate
for the diameter of your candle
mold. If you make the candle
with a wick that is too big
or too small, your candle won't
burn properly. Wick's manufacturers
come will all kinds of codes
and numbers for the wicks,
and it can be confusing, so
I won't start quoting numbers
here, but when you purchase
the wick, the label will say
something like: "suitable
for candles 2" in diameter,
or 3" in diameter. Just
make sure you purchase the
right one for your mold.
Making
the candle
Place chunks of paraffin in
your melting pot. You will
need a larger pot full of water,
or double boiler, where you
will submerge the melting pot.
Below
is one of my traditional, hard
working melting pots. It holds
2- 4 LB of paraffin.
Insert a thermometer to track
the temperature of the paraffin
as it melts. If you are using
any mold releasant or other
additives, add them now.
What
kind of paraffin to use? there
are many kinds on the market.
But if you are buying it from
your crafts supplies store,
that is the one!
OK,
I will give you more info.
If you are making pillars and
you want them to mottle, meaning,
they have that nice cloudy
effect, as in my Peace Candle:
:
I
recommend IGI 1343 , in fact,
this is a multi purpose wax
and you can basically make
it mottle more, less, or nothing
at all, by adding Vyvar.
As
I said, there are many paraffin
waxes out there, and you can
experiment to find your favorite
one.
The
reason candles mottle is because
of the content of oil in the
mix. Normally, the paraffin
plus the scented oil that you
will be adding to it, will
be enough to make it mottle.
You can always add more or
less oil to control how much
mottling you want. Also, the
longer it takes your candle
to cool, the more it will mottle.
As
I mentioned, if you want a
totally smooth candle with
no mottling at all, then add
a bit of Vybar. Normally 1/2
to 1 tablespoon per pound of
wax. But again, experiment
with it.
Some
people also add stearic acid,
which is a plant derivative,
and this will increase the
opacity and hardiness of the
candle.
Now,
back to making candles:
When
the wax in the melting pot
has completely melted, you
can color the wax.
The
picture below show the most
common way to color the paraffin:
color chips or liquid dye,
although you can get the dyes
in powder and bricks, but it
is more complex to figure out
the amounts to get the desired
color shade.
Here,
your creativity will be your
best friend. Add a bit of color
at the time and test for the
color shade that you want by
pouring a small amount of wax
into some water. The way to
do this is, have a small paper
cup or ceramic bowl that you
will keep for this use only.
Fill it up with water and with
your wooden soon, drop about
a teaspoon of your colored
wax on the water. The wax will
cool immediately and you will
get an idea of the final shade.
You can adjust the color intensity
by adding more color, again,
a bit at the time, and testing
it until you get what you were
looking for. This is the fun
part, and you will eventually
develop your signature colors
over time.
You
have heard about coloring your
wax with old crayons. Yes,
you can do that too.Try it.
It is fun!
_________________________________
After mixing in the color,
heat your wax to approximately
190 - 200°F. Remove from heat.
If
you are going to scent the
wax, add the scent just before
pouring. Remember to make extra,
so you can save the left over
wax to refill the well that
forms, due to the contracting
of the cooling wax.
Before
I go on, there are many techniques
to actually pouring your candle.
For example, when you pour
your paraffin into the candle
mold, it is very
possible that
it will leak through the bottom
whole, even though you had
a screw in it, and you plugged
the whole thing with putty.
Solution: make sure you have
a tray underneath the candle
mold, one of those cookie making
trays will do. Then add about
an inch of cold water so that
the bottom of the candle mold
sits on it. This will help
keep the putty cold enough
until the wax begins to harden
a bit.
About 30 minutes after pouring,
you will notice a well forming
in the cooling wax.
You
must insert a slender poking
rod (a wick rod, skewer, or
knitting needle works well
for this) to break the skin
on the cooling wax and relieve
surface tension. Make sure
that you insert the needle
close to the wick, in the center
of the candle, making sure
not to scratch the sides or
bottom. You may need to poke
and relieve surface tension
several more times, depending
on the size of the mold. Allow
at least 20 minutes between
each poke.
If
you don't do this properly,
air pockets can form inside
the candle as it cools. After
you light the candle, when
the flame reaches of these
air pockets, it might go out,
or even sink into the candle.
It is a mess and the candle
gets ruined. You don't want
that!
After
five or six hours, if you are
making a small or medium size
candle, you must refill the
well with the wax that you
set aside earlier. Heat it
again and pour at approximately
190°F. When you do this, make
sure that you don't pour over
the edges of the candle. If
the candle has started to separate
from the mold, the hot paraffin
will run between the candle
and the mold, ruining the surface
of the candle. You should not
attempt to remove the candle
until the mold is cold to the
touch. Probably you should
wait until the next morning
to do this.
By
looking closely at the edge
of the candle, where it meets
the mold, you will see a small
space. This is where the candle
has released from the mold.
To extract the candle, first
remove the rod from the top
and then the mold sealer and
wick screw from the base of
the candle. Hold your hand
over the opening to catch the
candle. Carefully hold the
mold by the base, and turn
it upside down. The candle
should drop into your hand.
If the candle does not come
out of the mold, lightly tap
the sides of the mold to help
release any stuck areas. Do
not pound on the mold. Any
dents will prevent the candle
from releasing and the mold
will be ruined. If the candle
still does not release, place
it in the refrigerator for
20 minutes, and then try again.
To
remove a seam line on the candle
surface, use a dull knife or
metal spatula. Hold it at a
right angle to the candle and
slide it down the seam. To
make the candle stand straight,
you may have to square off
the base by either cutting
and trimming with a knife,
or rotating the candle in a
heated pan, melting off the
irregularities, and leveling
the base.
SAFETY
RULES
Never
leave melting wax unattended
- not even in a double boiler.
Never overheat wax. It will
spontaneously combust when
it reaches its flash point
(usually about 375°F for paraffin).
For safety, do not heat above
212°F. The fumes from overheated
wax may cause severe illness.
If this happens, evacuate the
area and be sure it is well
ventilated before returning.
Always keep wax away from open
flames.
Always
use a thermometer. You should
always be aware of the wax
temperature for safety reasons
and good results.
Always
use a double boiler. Typical
melting temperatures can reach
200°F and a double boiler will
help control the heat. If you
don’t have a double boiler,
you can use an old pot with
water and a coffee can to melt
the wax.
Never put water on a wax fire.
Always keep a pot lid, baking
soda, and a dry chemical fire
extinguisher handy when heating
wax. Use the pot lid to smother
fires in the melting container.
Baking soda will smother small
fires, but a fire extinguisher
is essential for a major accident.
Always
use pot holders or pliers when
handling hot pots or cans.
Never
pour wax down the drain. It
will clog it as it cools. Pour
any waste wax into a can or
milk carton.
DISCLAIMER:
I am offering some basic instruction
on candlemaking free to the
public. I do not accept any
liability at all from your
use of the instructions or
products. Safety is in your
hands and is your responsibility.
Note:
How much essential oil you
use is based on your personal
taste. Start with 1/2 oz of
essential oil per 4 LB of wax
and adjust to your taste. I
If you are using synthetic
candle scents, please follow
the manufacturer's guidelines.
If
you have any questions about
candlemaking tips or techniques,
please email
me
I will be happy to help you
with any questions you might
have.
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