Basic Candle Making Equipment
If you want to begin a new hobby, try candle making. The basic equipment is very simple and readily available. Once you begin making your own candles, you may find that the you enjoy these candles much more than anything that is available commercially. You may find your own favorite scents, colors and designs. You can choose your own custom colors and custom scents that work perfectly in your home.
To get started making candles, you’ll need a few basic supplies. These include: dowel rods, paraffin, wicks, scissors, molds, candle scents and containers. It’s very important that you use a double boiler to melt the wax.
If you enjoy the craft you may want to purchase a candle making double boiler. However, if your are just trying, you’re probably better off using an old pot in an empty coffee can. Bend the edge of the coffee into a pouring spout.
Molds can be as simple as a pint milk carton or votive cups. heavy paper or plastic cups will also work. Just be sure the edges are smooth so the candle will slide out.
In order to pour the wax, it must be melted. Place paraffin in the coffee can. Set inside the larger can and add water so that it is low enough that is twill not overflow into the smaller can. Carefully heat the wax until it is melted. Once it has melted, you can add scent or coloring if you would like.
The wicks can be suspended from the dowel rods and centered over the tops of the molds. Pour in the wax, let it cool and you’ve finished your first candle.
As you can see, it doesn’t take much equipment to get started. However there’s lot of other equipment that can be used. You can find out more details at Candle Making Equipment.
When I first started making candles I was surprised (and even a little confused) by just how many different kinds of candle wax that one has to choose from. Take a look at Candle Making Wax. I bet you’ll find some waxes you never heard of before.
By the way, when you visit that site make sure you sign up for their free candle making mini course. That course is and easy way to get some free guidance starting out.
If you want even more information on candle making, then my best recommendation for you is Home Candle Making Made Easy. it’s a easy to understand e-book that covers all aspects of making a wide variety of candles. Using that book, you’ll be an expert candle maker no time. I highly recommend it.
The main thing is to get started making your first candle so you can see just how easy and enjoyable it is.
Soy Candle Wax Is This the Best Wax Yet?
Candles have been used for hundreds of years. They’re old technology, but even technology as old as this can continue to grow. Just to prove that there’s always something new under the sun, there’s a new candle wax on the scene.
For centuries, the main fuel for candles was tallow. While tallow did burn, tallow doesn’t make a good candle. They create a lot of smoke when they burn and they also give off a stench . That is why paraffin took over once it became available.
These days, however, some people object to using paraffin because it is a petroleum product. Because of this, there’s been so much interest in developing a good alternative to paraffin. Soy candle wax is the result.
Soy beans are a good source of oil. However, soybean oil isn’t solid so it’s not suitable for making candles. But if you change the chemistry of an oil you can change its consistency.
Hydrogen atoms are part of oil molecules. How many hydrogen atoms an oil contains determines when it becomes a liquid or solid. If you add hydrogen to a liquid oil, it becomes solid.
Of course I’m not a chemist so I can’t really explain how it’s done, and various soy wax manufacturers treat the soybean oil in different ways, but the only thing important to us is the outcome: soy candle wax.
Pure soy wax is soft. It works great in container candles, but isn’t very good for making tapers or pillar candles. You can adjust the rigidity of the soil wax by blending in paraffin and additives. doing that greatly increases the range of candles that can be made.
But many people want to use 100% soy wax for environmental reasons, in which case they will probably get the best results if they stick to container candles. I’m sure you’ve seen and probably even have used container candles. The most common ones are jars such as canning jars or apothecary jars filled with wax. Other styles of candles are removed from the mold when the wax hardens. With container candles, the candle remains in its “mold”.
There’s a lot more to learn about soy wax and how to use it. One the best sites I’ve found to get more information is:
And of course if you’re curious about soy candle wax you’ll probably be interested in how to make a candle with. You can pick up some soy candle making tips at: How to Make Soy Candles.
Better yet, I suggest you take a look at the e-book Home Candle Making Made Easy.
That book reveals insider secrets on all aspects of candle making from selecting what type of wax to use for specific situations, what additives to use and when, the best way to scent candles, and so much more… Getting the information this book will guarantee your success.
Candle making is a wonderful hobby. Get Home Candle Making Made Easy today and get started.
Make Your Own Candles
I think everyone enjoys the soft glow of candlelight. If you’ve made the candle yourself, the gentle light seems even more pleasant. When you take up the craft of candle making you can enjoy this pleasure as often as you’d like.
Making candles is a great hobby for a lot of reasons. Few other hobbies are as accessible. You can start out with a very simple equipment. Beginners can make great candles right away yet there are advanced techniques that they can grow into.
Another benefit of the hobby is at the final product is so useful and enjoyable. Not only do you get to enjoy the process of making the candles and enjoy their beauty, you can light them to make any occasion special.
You can make your first candle without even having to melt wax. A good beginner project uses sheets of beeswax that are pliable enough that you can make a candle by rolling them up around the Wick.
Another good project for beginners is to make a container candle. A container candle is one where the candle is formed by pouring melted wax into a suitable container with a wick in place.
When you make a container candle, there’s no need for mold. However, you do need to be little careful when picking your container. The container itself shouldn’t be flammable, and you should be able to count on it remain intact under the heat of the candle flame. Sturdy glass containers and metal tins work well.
If you want to find out more about how to make your own candles, you can get on the information you need at: Candle Making Connection.
While you’re on the site, be sure to sign up for a free mini course on candle making.
You definitely want to check out the page Candle Making Wax. After all wax is the primary ingredient of the candle. I think you’ll be surprised how many choices you have.
If you want to get the best possible results as quickly as possible, then I definitely recommend that you consider getting Home Candle Making Made Easy. This comprehensive e-book is as close as you can come to have an expert candle maker by your side giving you advice.
I hope you give candle making a try. It’s a great hobby and one it’s easy to start. And think of how much fun it would be to use and enjoy your own candles.
Learn All About Candles And How To Make Them
There is so much information with everything you want to know about candles that is available today online, and while you have to check that it is indeed good advice, the wealth of knowledge at our finger tips is unbelievable. For example, you can find out how to make scented jar candles, or you can find out why soy candles are in so much demand these days. You can find out where to get the best quality candle making supplies, and you can work out costs before you buy any supplies.
Computers have brought so much good to people, along with some negatives of course, but when you look at candle making at home, you can easily confirm advice, and choose the advice that fits your needs best. With a large selection of candles that you can make, and a variety of colors, aromas and shapes for to choose from, there are a lot of options for the candles that you make at home.
For example, bees wax is sold in flat sheets of wax in different colors, and each sheet can make two beeswax candles just by cutting the sheet in half. Basically, these sheets of wax are then rolled tightly around a wick of an appropriate length and that’s all there is to having a beeswax candle all ready to light.
However, if you are choosing to make candles from gel so that you can customize them with embedded trinkets, then you need to melt the gel in a double boiler, or equivalent, to a high temperature. The same thing applies to making paraffin wax candles, or soy candles, the wax has to be melted first.
The reason this is so important is that candles made from beeswax can be made by people of all ages at home or anywhere, since there is no heating of the wax to worry about. For beeswax candles you do need to warm the candle wax a little to seal the edge of the wax sheet to itself, but this can easily be done just with the warmth from your fingers – no stove is needed. So bees wax candles are ideal for children who want to make a craft, perhaps for a birthday as they require few supplies, and few skills.
Should the project not be to your liking, the good thing about wax is that you can just heat it to melt it so you can start over. So if the beeswax sheet of wax gets broken, it can always be carefully melted by an adult, and poured into a glass container, with a wick added of course. This means that there is little waste as far as making candles goes, because you can always just remelt the wax. You can also melt all the remaining pieces of candles left when they have burnt through, and with all the bits of wax, you will probably be able to make at least one more candle.
Whatever scented candles you prefer to make, making candles is a good pastime to do at home on those dreary winter evenings. To begin with, by heating up the wax, you will feel a little warmer, since it is not advisable for you to leave the melting wax unattended. Besides the warmth from the stove, there are the different aromas you can choose, that may bring back memories of your youth, perhaps. Without a doubt, to make candles at home on a long winter’s night, so you have something lovely to show for your efforts by the end of the evening, is a rewarding way of spending an evening.
Candle Making Wax – Do You Know Which One to Use?
Beginners to the art and craft of candle making are often confused (at least at first) by the many types of candle making wax available today. Here’s a quick run down on the different types of candle making wax on the market.
Paraffin Candle Wax
Paraffin is the workhorse of waxes. Most commercially made candles are made from paraffin wax.
Paraffin is a residual of the process of refining crude oil.
Paraffin has a lot to recommend it as a candle wax. The wax is widely available, relatively inexpensive, very stiff at room temperature, retains dyes and scents well and burns relatively cleanly.
Soy Candle Wax
Soy candle wax is a recent invention. Researchers developed it by hydrogenating (adding hydrogen molecules to) soybean oil. Hydrogenated soybean oil is fairly solid and burns well as a candle wax. The main difficulty is that most formulations are fairly soft and don’t always work well in applications such as making tapers.
On the positive side, it is a great wax to use for container candles. It holds scent and fragrance well. It is extremely clean burning – significantly more so than paraffin.
Beeswax
Beeswax is a great, albeit expensive, candle making wax. The wax comes from bee hives. Bees make the wax to form honeycombs to store honey. When a beekeeper empties the honeycomb, the wax can be used to make candles.
Beeswax has a long burn time and burns even more cleanly than paraffin. It is a firmer wax than soy candle wax so you can use it for tapers. Although it can hold fragrance, many people prefer not to add scent because they enjoy the mild, soft fragrance of the beeswax itself.
Unfortunately, beeswax is relatively expensive. It has always been so. In the past, only the wealthy could afford beeswax. It’s less costly these days, but still more expensive than most other candle waxes.
Where to Learn More
These waxes are the ones most candle makers use most of the time. You’d do just fine if these were the only ones you knew about.
However I suggest at least becoming aware of some of the other choices available. One place to start is the page: Candle Making Wax. You’ll discover some interesting waxes I haven’t mentioned here, as well as some more details about paraffin and soy wax.
Of course wax alone does not a candle make. You can learn what equipment and supplies you’ll need at: Candle Making Equipment
I want to recommend an excellent site for you to find out everything you need to know to start making candles every bit as beautiful as those you buy: The Candle Making Connection. I’ve learned the hard way that you can save a lot of time and frustration if you visit sites like that and get some insider tips and advice before you start experimenting on your own.
Making candles is a wonderful craft and I hope this information inspires you to give it a try yourself.
How to Make Beeswax Candles — A Simple Modern Method
Beeswax has always been one of the best candle making materials. People have treasured its mild aroma and clean burning characteristics since it was first used. Even with the advent of soy wax in recent years, beeswax is still considered a premium candlemaking material. Here’s how to make beeswax candles using a simple and easy to learn method.
Traditionally, the most common way of making beeswax candles is either by dipping or using a mold. I’m about to teach you a much simpler method that uses sheets of beeswax.
Beeswax sheets for candle making are typically 10 x 16″ in size. They commonly have a slight waffle pattern embossed on the surface. A characteristic of beeswax is that it remains flexible at room temperature, which makes it possible to produce a candle without melting the wax and using a mold.
Start by laying a sheet of beeswax on a smooth, flat surface. A clean kitchen counter or table works fine. The height of the candle is determined by the width of the sheet. If you want to make a shorter candle, simply trim the sheet using a straight edge and a sharp knife.
Arrange the sheet so that the edge that will become the center of the candle is toward you. Cut a piece of wick so it is an inch or so longer than the candle height. Press the wick gently but firmly into the wax.
Now gently and carefully roll the sheet of wax around the wick. take care to apply pressure evenly so you don’t distort the candle.
In cold weather, the wax may be a little stiff. If this happens, you can use a hairdryer on a low setting to warm the wax. Be careful as you do this – too much heat will ruin the candle.
If you want a thicker candle then you get using one sheet, simply continue with another. When you’re done press the edge of the final sheet into the body of the candle and smooth it out. Again, be careful as you do this to avoid distorting the candle.
After you’ve experimented with this method for while, you’ll very likely want to try some of the more traditional methods. You can find full instructions in these methods, including tips for success, at: How to Make Beeswax Candles
although beeswax is one of my favorite waxes, it is not the only material you can use to make candles. You can explore other possible choices at: Candle Making Wax.
You can find out about all things having to do with the craft of candle making at:
http://www.CandleMakingConnection.com/
Now that you know how to make beeswax candles I hope you’ll consider learning other candle making techniques as well.