Posts tagged: homemade candles

The Home Made Candle Process

authoradmin | February 21, 2011

Candles are wonderful things, and even though we now really only use them for decoration or for creating a specific mood, they once kept society going after dark. We see the lighting value of the candle if there is a power-out: though it takes some getting used to, candle light can provide enough light to go about our business without needing to use electricity. In fact from the time it was invented about three millennia before Christ to the end of the Eighteenth Century it was a key lighting source in any home after sunset.

Candles are not hard to make, and they are generally cheap to buy. What’s more they last for ages, and many are beautifully scented. In this article we will take a quick look at how candles work and how to make them, so you can decide if you think the home made approach is best.

The candle is a fairly simple structure. The source of fuel is the solidified wax and this wax can be derived from a number of different sources - paraffin (crude oil), palm wax or beeswax for example. Crucial to the design of the candle is the wick, the string that goes through its center. Wax itself is hard to light and it does not readily burn. Wicks are covered with wax and they are the means for the wax to be turned from solid into gas that burns. As candles generate heat they can also be used to maintain the warmth of dishes prior to serving. However, using candles to cook by could be frustrating!

Candle making needs some consumables - wax and wicks, mainly - and some basic reusable materials - a mold and a pouring and measuring jug made from metal. Additional equipment you can improvise from things around the home. Like the double boiler - all this is a pan with boiling water into which you place the metal jug. Usually a piece of metal is placed in the bottom - something like a cake ring - so the jug sits on that and does not touch the metal of the pan. By keeping the jug only in contact with the water it is easy to control the temperature for ease of use and for safety.

You secure the prepared wicks in the candle mold, then carefully fill with the liquefied wax. As this wax re-solidifies it shrinks. The remedy is one further pour that helps straighten the finished candle. And there you have your hand crafted candle. Colors can be changed or mixed and you can mix up some scents to add. The advanced candle maker can create their own unique designs. Exploring your creative side is the most enjoyable aspect of home candle making. This is not really a hobby that will save you lots of money since commercial candles are well priced. Supplies are easy to obtain from one of the many great internet supply stores. You will also find inspiration from the great ideas on enthusiastic internet sites.

As hobbies go, making candles is fairly simple and it can be fun to look at your creations when you use them. Moreover, you will be doing something that has five thousand years of history behind it. Alternatively, if you think that candle making is not for you, there are lots of great candles to be bought over the Internet or in stores around town. They will be a bit more expensive, but will be perfect.

About the Writer: Sandy Vansteel is a freelance writer who writes about toys such as Wooden Dolls Pram and Syma S107 Helicopter.

Making Candles - How to Get Started

authoradmin | March 4, 2010

Candlemaking is an ancient art, one that has endured various centuries and is expected to endure a lot more. What was once a night time necessity is now a source of pleasure and enjoyment.

Learning Wax Candle Making is something that is being passed down from parent to child with each new generation. They aren’t only quick to make but working on this project will also be a feat to be proud of. To think you have just molded something from nothing with your own hands!

You will be able to find everything you need at your local arts & crafts shops. The basics you will need from them are wax, wicks, and of course molds. You will have the other required items on hand as they are ordinary household gadgets.

With the recent interest in candle making, craft suppliers now stock many candle accessories. For example, wonderful fragrances, interesting decorations and attractive colors.

For this project, your work starts with preparing your wax. This is done by using a double boiler for melting the wax. After wax is completely melted, put the wick in its place & pour the wax in the mold that has been prepared.

Let the was cool for six hours before attempting to remove the candle from its mold. Put the mold in your freezer for an hour & the candle will release easier from the mold. Spraying the mold with cooking oil will improve mold release.

A few people have even gone as far as creating their own mold-making methods such as utilizing special liquid latex.

Many have succeeded in building their own home business with candle making. These people are fortunate since they could now earn from doing something they absolutely love. Even part time candle making is a skillful way to make extra income.

You can do all these by contacting a craft supplier and purchasing the required items at huge discounts.

Packaging products attractively is something that they should consider putting extra time and energy into as eye-pleasing wrapping sells.

Not unlike any other endeavor, the key to creating a successful candle business is personal commitment. Passion, originality, and persistence.

While learning Making Candles at Home is an old tradition it can often be used to establish a new business!

Beeswax Candle Making Recipes

If you’re looking for an easy way to get started, check out this candle making recipe for a beeswax candle!

Supplies include: 1 pair of scissors, 1 sheet of beeswax and 1 cotton wick.

Instructions? Just as easy!

Carefully wrap the edge of the wax around the candle’s cotton wick over and over until it’s firmly in place. The heat of your hands will soften the wax enough to assist in seaming the wax candle

• Follow through by rolling candle wax slowly, all the while being sure it is straight and tight

• Upon reaching the end of your wax sheet, the heat of your fingertips will be able to meld the edge to your wax candle

• Snip the cotton wick flush at the base, while cutting the wick on top part of the candle to about 1/4 inch

With a little practice, you will soon master the art of making beautiful candles with these short and sweet candle making recipes!

Visit this website to get additional information about Candle Making Workshops.

Making Beeswax Candles - A Great School Project

authoradmin |

Making Beeswax Candle Tips - Candles with the Kids

The warm illuminating glow it emits. That wonderfully sweet scent as your candle dims. Sigh! Few people are aware of how fun creating beeswax candles can be!

Creating candles from beeswax is a practical but exciting project for the younger ones to learn. In this activity, the younger ones will have nothing to do at all a burning stove or even scorchingly-hot wax.   There is no mess and the amount of items needed for making beeswax candles is just about nil.

Making Beeswax Candles Tips - Items that You Do Need

  • 8 inch by 16 inch sheets of beeswax
  • Primed wick sliced for a one inch candle
  • A small paring knife from your kitchen
  • Flat open surface

How to Make Beeswax Candles

  1. Lay out your sheet of beeswax
  2. Slice wick approximately 3/4 inches longer than wax sheet (allowing excess on both sides of candle)

Leaving available wick at each ends allows you the choice to decide which side of the candle you prefer as the top and which side the bottom.

Lay the wick on the tip of the sheet and then, after folding it on top of 1/8 of an inch of wax, proceed with rolling. You can ensure that the wick would be properly enclosed by the seam.With the tips of your fingers, roll the wax around the wick in a straight and secure line while pushing both sides at the same time. This is probably the most difficult step thorughout the process of making candles.

An alternative is if you flip over the beeswax, fold down the wax creating a 1/8 inch seam using either the counter corner or a cutting board. Whether you go with the first or the latter, do be sure your efforts produce a textbook-quality seam.

In candle making, you need to determine how thick you’d wish your candle to be. To increase the candle’s thickness, use more beeswax. This is done by aligning the new wax sheet edge to edge with the original & using your thumb to meld the pieces together. Rolling beeswax into a straight line can be tricky so make sure you only stop when it’s wrapped around itself completely.

Press the edges gently down with your thumb once you have reached the end of the beeswax.As you continue working on other parts of the candle, imagine making a seam as you go.

Pick out what would serve as the best candle top then cut the wick half an inch over the wax. Remember to take the residual parts of your wick from the end.

Even if the children don’t understand the true pleasurable part, you do. So no more dilly-dallying—light up your candle and enjoy the amazing feeling of completion as you gaze upon the result of your hard work! And as for your little ones? And there it is — candles that your kids made by themselves!

As you work on beeswax candles, do remember that the art of candlemaking is almost as old as time. In the beginning the purpose was to create light…something you can’t forget during such moments. These days though majority of its enthusiasts view making beeswax candles as a leisure. There could be a number of other reasons for it. As mentioned above, this activity is often taken up for personal purposes. There are also occasions when they can serve as the ideal gifts. A craft project like wax candle making is considered kid-friendly by most parents. Lastly, there’s the money-making potential to consider. Some people create candles to sell for their own individual business venture.

Continue to this link to find out more on Candle Making Ideas.

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