Supplies

One of the easiest beeswax candle making projects is for beeswax votive candles. For this you will need a plain votive candle, beeswax, a wick, and whichever dyes and fragrances you like. Keep in mind that straight sided candles tend to work best here.

Process

Once you have all your supplies, the first thing you want to do is roll the candle. You can either roll it flush with the top of the candle or you can roll it higher than the top of the candle. Now you will need to cut the beeswax to have it ready for your beeswax candle making.

Whichever height you choose to make the candles, you will need to set the votive candle on the sheet of wax and then mark the height that you want with your knife. Then you want to use a ruler to ensure that you are cutting perfectly straight lines. Remember that you will probably need two lengths of beeswax, so the best idea here is to lay the first one on top of the leftover and cut a second sheet of beeswax, to ensure it is the same size.

The next step is to actually roll the candle, and this is perhaps the most important step in the process of beeswax candle making. You do not want to have a taper on the candle but rather have it even all the way around. This may take a few times but the more you practice the easier you will find it to be. Then you just add on the second sheet to add stability and help give the candle a longer life.

Finishing Touches

Finally you just need to trim off any extra beeswax, and decorate as desired. You may want to wrap a bow around the candle for instance, or glue on some glitter. If you are making the candle as a gift you should personalize it to suit the intended receiver. Making candles can be a lot of fun and is always a great gift idea. Everyone loves candles and beeswax candle making is something that is inexpensive and quick to do.

There is evidence that Egyptians were proficient in candle making more than five thousand years ago. Their rich history has been preserved to some extent and evidence of their candle making abilities is present in Egyptian historical records. The Chinese also made candles more than two thousand years ago to light their world. The Japanese as well as the Egyptians and the Chinese used wax to make their candles. Other people of early history made candles including the Indians, the Italians and the native people of Alaska. The Irish manufactured candles in Dublin as early as the fifteenth century. Early in history some made candles to keep track of the time.

Candle Making Remains Popular Today

Although candle making is not so important to modern people, it is still a fun pastime and a lucrative business. People do not need candles to light their homes in most places in the modern world, but many love the ambiance that candlelight gives to any room. Some people love to take a leisurely bath in candlelight because they find it extremely relaxing after a stressful day. People light their restaurants and dinner tables with candles because the soft light makes for a better atmosphere than regular electric lights.

The art of candle making has changed with the times and the needs of the population. The candles of ancient times might have provided a special atmosphere, but this was not the purpose of the candles. Modern candle makers use special colors and scents in the wax of their candles. Some use essential oils which have been known to provide a relaxing or healing atmosphere in a room. The art of candle making has progressed, but now modern inventors have made lights that closely resemble candles to avoid some of the dangers from light by candlelight. Although people who make candles do some great business, they are not as important as they were thousands of years ago.

Anyone with an internet service for their computer can take one of the online candle making courses in the privacy of their own home. Online individuals can sign up for a candle making course designed for someone with no knowledge or experience with candle making. Some of these candle making courses are offered for a fee, but there are other courses that do not charge for the instruction. A novice can have enough information to make their own candles after a few lessons. The online courses are structured so students can study at their own pace and time.

A Candle Making Course Will Produce A Wonderful Product

People have been making candles for more than five thousand years, but the products have constantly improved. In a candle making course today, people can learn to make gorgeous candles with great fragrances. People can learn to make a basic votive candle, or they can take further instruction to make creative candles. The courses offer all of the information to get started including some tips on looking around the home for molds and other materials. A good course will stress safety because making candles requires working with hot wax which could be dangerous.

The basic candle making course often starts with learning to make a candle of only one color while the more advanced courses offer information on adding additional colors. Chunk candles are very beautiful and individuals can learn the skills to produce these candles after they conquer the basics. More advanced skills also include making candles that burn longer and candles with very special scents. Some of the fragrances used in candle making are essentials oils which are good for relieving stress. A good course will provide some experience with the different types of waxes so students should be able to make a variety of candles. Once a students make a few candles, they can decide if they want to use their skills for business, pleasure or both.

Even children can follow candle making directions, but if you decide to let your kids take part in this candle making experience make sure that you just let them read the candle making directions and help you with the easy parts, not with any of the dangerous parts of the process, namely the heating of the wax because they could get hurt.

Basic Candle Making Directions

The first step to making a basic candle is to melt your wax. You should always use a double boiler, as although your oven will work fine this is the easier and safer way. Always keep a thermometer nearby which you can use to keep track of the temperature of the wax as you are melting it.

Once the wax is completely melted you want to add the dye if desired and fragrance as well if you like. You should stir and then let the wax dye melt and fragrance sink in for about five minutes. Then stir again until everything is combined together completely.

Now you pour the wax into molds, of which can be whatever you desire. There are many different sizes and shapes of candle making molds to choose from, and you should always let wax cool overnight in order to ensure it has completely cooled and will not ruin when you go to take it out of the mold.

That is all that is necessary in the most basic candle making directions, but of course you can add your own variations into this as well. Candle making has always been one of the most enjoyed hobbies, and is a great way to spend your time. Just remember not to get frustrated if your first few sets of candles do not turn out or burn perfectly, because the more you practice the better you are going to be.

Also remember that there are many candle making classes and courses that you can take if you want to get help here, and they are usually very inexpensive. This is definitely a hobby that can be very benefitting to learn, especially around the holidays when you are looking for great and unique gifts to give out to your loved ones.

Before you go out and buy wax, you need to have something to melt the wax in. Whatever you do, don’t use the microwave, and don’t just plop a block of wax into a saucepan on the stove. If you try it anyway and end up with a wax fire, be sure to keep the lid of the saucepan on hand, because you’ll have to put the lid over the saucepan to smother the flames. Never, ever pour water on a wax fire.

You Need Something to Melt Wax In

The best way for a beginner to melt wax is in a double boiler system. A double boiler has two pans that fit on top of each other, the smaller pan on top. The bottom pan is kept full of boiling water, and the boiling water creates a gentle, radiant heat that melts the wax safely without a risk of the wax catching on fire.

You should be able to find an inexpensive double boiler at a discount store for under $25. Once you use the boiler as candle making equipment, do not use it for food preparation. You will also need several other inexpensive items which you may have on hand: a candy thermometer, a kitchen scale, a ladle, and a small pan with a spout for pouring wax into molds. Again, once you use these items as equipment for candle making, they should never be used again to prepare food.

If the idea of melting wax intimidates you, then you should look into making beeswax candles. Beeswax candles are made of a sheet of beeswax rolled by hand around a wick, and they are the easiest candles to make and require no stove, no boiling water, and no melting.

Wax and Wax Additives

You can’t make candles without wax, and paraffin is one of the most favorite waxes to use. Buy high quality paraffin from a candle making equipment supplier. You’ll be tempted to use the cheap canning wax in the grocery store, but you’ll be disappointed if you do. A candle making equipment supplier will also have blocks of dyes, fragrances, and other additives on hand.

Wicks and Molds

Finally, you need a supply of wicks and molds, and any candle making equipment supplier will have a wide variety of both. Wicks are pretty straightforward, but molds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Start with a simple cylindrical pillar and work your way up to the more complicated shapes as you gain more experience working with candle making equipment.

Better Smelling And Cleaner Candles

However, candle making in colonial times really took off when it was discovered that it was possible to make candles that smelt real nice and which burnt very cleanly by using bayberry shrubs instead of the usual animal fat. In fact, it is still the practice to extract wax by boiling bayberries, and it even takes just as long today to do the extraction as was the case during colonial times.

Another notable aspect to candle making in colonial times was that to make candles largely required that they be made from whale oil. Still, people continued to harvest berries from bayberries shrubs because though it took a lot of effort, it was still the cleanest way to make candles at the time. However, it did take as many as eight pounds of berries to extract a single pound of wax, and even the process of preparing the berries for further extraction of pure wax took quite a few days. All this was however necessary as far as candle making in colonial times went because it helped to eliminate the foul smell of animal fat candles and also because burning those candles were a very messy thing as well.

However, the tradition of candle making in colonial times lives on and if you want to try your hand at this form of candle making, all you need is to buy bayberry wax that is easily available in various stores, and though you can now use molds to create different and wonderful candle shapes, the rest of the candle making process is pretty much the same as was in the colonial times. You would also need strands of cotton that will serve as wicks and along with tapers; you can create candles suitable for use in a home. Still, while candle making in colonial times may have seemed to be very rudimentary, it nevertheless required a lot of skill as well as plenty of dedication to make the candles properly.

Jars for making candles come in a wide variety of shapes and colors; there is surely a style to fit every type of décor. There are contemporary style, country style, and colonial style candle making jars. Let’s look at some of the many candle making jars available for you to choose from.

Candle Making Jars for Country Décor

The classic clear glass canning jar is one of the most popular candle making jars used today. Mason jars evoke a rural lifestyle, when mothers and grandmothers preserved the home-grown harvest by home-canning vegetables, jellies, and jams. Mason jars come with lids in gold and silver finishes and are easily decorated with country-checked ribbons and hand-lettered labels.

Candelinas: Jars Especially Made for Candle Making

Unlike Mason jars, which can be used for a variety of purposes, candelinas are jars designed especially for candle making and for no other purpose. Jar candles are so easy to make; all you have to do is mind the wick as you pour the wax, to make sure the wick stays straight.

Candelinas come in an elegant 2 oz. size. They are extremely affordable, whether purchased individually or by the case. All candelinas come as a set complete with jar, flat lid and fitment to make candle burning and candle snuffing safe activities. Glass finishes are frosted, clear, or tinted.

Apothecary Jars for Candle Making

Apothecary jars are another popular tool for candle making. Clear glass jars come with domed lids and flat fitments, so you can include a little keepsake or charm in the lid. What a great gift-giving idea!

Other shapes of clear glass jars for candle making include a fluted clear glass votive jar, and a votive jar shaped like a flower pot. Popular geometrically shaped jars for candle making include square jars, six-sided jars, 12-sided jars, tall tumblers, and squatty tureens.

Frosted Glass Eggs

Frosted glass eggs are a candle jar with a surprise. Until you open the egg, you don’t know there’s a candle inside! If you hate the look of burned wicks, frosted glass eggs are for you. Simply put the frosted egg lid back on the base to snuff the candle, contain the smoke, and hide the burnt-black wick. Whatever your decorating style, candle making suppliers are sure to offer a candle making jar that will fit in with your household décor.

The Types of Candle Making Kits You Could Choose From

The candle making kits are the simplest way to make your own candles. This is also the best way to find out whether candle making is really something that appeals to you or not. Before buying any candle making kits, you need to have an idea of what each kit offers you. For this purpose you need to research a little and find out how many types of wax are there and what are the types of candle you could make.

Only when you understand the basics you could hope to choose the right type of candle making kits for you and for the recipient (the person for whom you are planning the candle gift). The most popular types would be beeswax candles kits, gel candle making kits and marbled candle kits.

Beeswax Candle Making Kits

The beeswax candle kits are designed for adult and for professional candle makers and provide you with the material you would need to make a few candles in the easiest possible steps. The advantage with the kits is that you cannot go wrong as they have everything worked out for you with clear-cut instructions that explain clearly what to do when. There is beeswax kits designed for kids as well which need adult supervision mainly because it involved fire and has a great potential for accidents.

Gel Candle Making Kits

The gel candle making kits are the most popular among the lot because they are the easiest to do, the best to look at and the fastest to settle. The resulting gel candles are exceptionally beautiful and these can be happily presented to everyone. Besides the material required, you would also get complete and detailed instructions which would make the process a walk in the park.

Marbles Candle Making Kits

Marbles candle kits help make fancy types of candles that look like marble when they cool down. The kits contain all that you would require; all you would need to do is melt the raw material, pour it in the jar and wait for it to solidify!

As you can see making candles was never so easy. People from every age group can use these kits to learn more about the process and at the same make some great looking candles.

Most novelty candles are made with candle making latex molds. These flexible molds make it possible for a beginning candle maker to make great-looking novelty candles that look like they were professionally made.

The Hard Part: Choosing a Mold

Latex molds for candle making come in such a variety of subjects and sizes, choosing a mold can be the hardest part of the whole candle making process. If you like to change your home’s décor with the holidays, you can find candles for virtually every holiday. There are bunny candle making latex molds for Easter candles, pumpkin-shaped molds for Halloween, turkey-shaped molds for Thanksgiving, and Santa Claus molds for Christmas.

If you love animals and want to make animal candles, you can find latex molds for making candles in the shape of bears, elephants, frogs, gorillas, kangaroos, elephants, and zebra. Candle making latex molds are also available in the shape of many breeds of dogs; there are bird molds, cat molds, and even dinosaur molds.

Making Candles with Latex Molds

Once you select your latex mold, the actual candle making is easy. You’ll need to melt hard wax like you do for other candles, at 165 to 185 degrees. Set the wick pin in the mold and set the mold in a coffee can filled with sand. Slowly pour the wax into the mold.

Wait patiently for the wax to cool completely. Depending on the size of your candle, this could take several hours or even overnight. After the wax cools completely just roll the flexible latex mold away from the edge of the candle. If the latex resists, lubricate the outside of the mold with vegetable oil, and it will roll smoothly away from the candle.

Pull out the wick pin and thread the wick through the hole. If the bottom of your molded candle is uneven, level the candle by heating the boiler or saucepan you use to melt your wax and carefully placing the candle in it. Move the candle against the hot surface and carefully remove the candle when the bottom is even.

Remember Safety First

Be sure to follow candle making safety precautions any time you are making candles with latex molds. Treat wax like cooking oil and keep track of its temperature while you heat it. Never leave melting wax unattended, and don’t pour your leftover hot wax down the sink. If you do have a wax fire, turn off the heat and cover the pan with its lid. Do not pour water on a wax fire.

Practice and Raw Material Are the Key to Perfection

Depending upon what candle making material you use, you could make a wide variety of candles, such as tea light candles, aromatic candles, decorative candles, novelty candles, gel candles, luminescent candles, pillar candles, soy candles and so on. The type of candle you choose to make should be decided after you know who the recipient is.

For example, for your boss on his birthday or Boss Day you could offer decorative candles made out of gel with a few embeds that would indicate your respect for him/her. Your mother could have some of the aromatic candles or the tea light candles which would express your love and appreciation for everything she does for you, and so on.

The quality of the candle making material is very important. Hence, before you graduate to making gifts for your friends and relatives, you need to practice with the making of candles and with different candle making material so you would be prepared for any type of eventuality and deviation in the process.

Start with small experiments with the easy types of candle making and keep at it until you can make it almost without thinking. Always ensure that you follow the necessary safety rules when you do so, as candle making has a great potential for bad accidents. Have a fire extinguisher close by (you should know how to use it and it should be in working condition), use a fire retardant apron and eye protection.

Stock Up on the Basic Candle Making Material Needed

If you are planning to make candles and use them as gifts as and when occasions arise, you would need to maintain a good stock of the candle making material you generally need so you would not be faced with any shortage at the nth hour. A good stockpile would ensure that you could have some excellent gift ready in no time whenever you want to make a special impression on somebody dear to you.

Along with the candle making material you would also need some fancy gift wrap or boxes and tissue paper as the packaging of the gift is often as important as the gift itself.