Candle making?

Member's writings, poetry, ramblings, etc.
Post Reply
loona wynd
Banned Member
Posts: 1281
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:27 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Bath Maine

Candle making?

Post by loona wynd »

Do you know of any good videos, guides and resources for candle making? This is the next project I want to start working on but I don't quite know where to start with candle making. I have a few places book marked for supplies but the actual processes and the like I'm not sure. I've only ever made taper candles before by dipping the wick in wax.
User avatar
YanaKhan
Posts: 2155
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:19 am
Gender: Female
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria

Re: Candle making?

Post by YanaKhan »


These are two videos that I like.
You can get supplies very easy. I used to order wax online but it costs (the wax itself is pretty cheap, but when I pay for the delivery that's not the case anymore), so I buy ordinary white candles from the equivalent of your dollar stores. The wicks I use are cotton threads. I have described several things in this thread: viewtopic.php?p=201931&hilit=candle#p201931
I hope that helps.
Holdasown
Posts: 606
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:09 am
Gender: Female

Re: Candle making?

Post by Holdasown »

I use old cans to melt my wax in and I got my votive maker at Craft's 2000. I just use Olive oil to keep them from sticking. Only thing you have to watch is pouring. No matter how slowly I fill my molds I get the hole and have to do a final fill.
loona wynd
Banned Member
Posts: 1281
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:27 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Bath Maine

Re: Candle making?

Post by loona wynd »

Most of what I had read suggested using a double boiler. My fiance' suggested maybe getting a crock pot instead as the heat could be controlled a bit better and you wouldn't have to worry about being burned by the steam. has any one used a crock-pot in this way before? I'm going to be making a list of supplies I need first before I can actually do anything.
User avatar
YanaKhan
Posts: 2155
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:19 am
Gender: Female
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria

Re: Candle making?

Post by YanaKhan »

I use this small pannikin and put it in a larger pot which I fill with water. I don't really measure anything, but as Holda said, you should keep a bit of the wax when pouring the candle, because while it cools off, the candle tends to get a hole in the middle.
loona wynd
Banned Member
Posts: 1281
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:27 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Bath Maine

Re: Candle making?

Post by loona wynd »

I have made those ice candles before. Though I didn't do any of the wax melting or set up. My mom had a friend who was crafty who helped me make candles like that for Christmas gifts. I had chunks of various colored wax inside with the ice and that created the effect that was mentioned plus it was multi colored. I think I was 9 or 10 at the time. I also made sundae looking candles at the same time. Again I didn't have any of the materials or do the set up. The friend of my mom guided me in the process. It was fun.

I'll look at the second video more in-depth later. I watched the first few minutes to get an idea of the persons personality and the way they are going to teach candle making.

Thanks for the links. I'll take notes and watch the more in depth later. I just skimmed/scanned them right now to get an idea of what they were actually showing.

I have a few placed bookmarked for supplies already. When I started my business I went looking for bulk supplies for basically candles, soaps, incenses, and oils that way I would have resources available for when I started making the other products on my list. I would ideally like to find a local farmer who sells beeswax to buy locally and use locally organic beeswax candles. Though I think starting out I'll use the resources I have.

This is a starting point. Thank you very much. I do appreciate it.
Holdasown
Posts: 606
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:09 am
Gender: Female

Re: Candle making?

Post by Holdasown »

loona wynd wrote:Most of what I had read suggested using a double boiler. My fiance' suggested maybe getting a crock pot instead as the heat could be controlled a bit better and you wouldn't have to worry about being burned by the steam. has any one used a crock-pot in this way before? I'm going to be making a list of supplies I need first before I can actually do anything.
My husband makes soap in a crock pot so it would work but pouring might be an issue. I put my cans in the warm water and they melt great. I have a can for each color too. You don't need to heat it so high there is lots of steam, you can keep the heat low enough just to melt the wax but a crock pot would do a large batch at a time for sure.
User avatar
Echo_of_shadows
Posts: 1349
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:07 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Mushroom Valley
Contact:

Re: Candle making?

Post by Echo_of_shadows »

I LOVE candles and I think I can point you in the right direction. :fairy:

Echo's List of Candle DIY Guides:

Wiki-How - This site has "How to" guides for just about everything. The nice part is that most guides not only includes written instructions, they also include pictures, and in some cases, short Gifs of each step. After every guide, there are links to similar guides.
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Homemade-Candles

eHow - This site set up in a style like Wiki-How. This guide tells how to make candles in a crock pot. https://www.ehow.com/how_8788627_direct ... k-pot.html

Pinterest - You'll need an account to see the instructions on Pinterest, but at the bottom of every pin is the URL of where each was pinned from. With a little extra work, you can find the instructions from their original sources. These links include a mix of "how to make candles," and " how to make candle holders."




YouTube videos:
How To Make Candles From Scratch

DIY No Wax Candles!? Scented, Color, & Bug It

CandlePart1 (an 8 part series)

How To Recycle Your Old Candles (No Melting)

CRAYON CANDLE - How To - Home Decor - Fall Into Crafts

How to Make Soy Candles| Diamond Candle Inspired| Monogram

DIY: How to remove candle wax so you can reuse containers


Here is a bonus video if you plan to give away or sell your candles:
How to make, decorate and package pillar candles (I wish there were more verbal instructions, but it's a decent video.)



Once you've got the basics down, you can find all sorts of neat things to try out just by looking at the candles other people have made. There are lots of gorgeous candles on Etsy. Take a look at some of the ones that Kassandra found.
Image

For other candle making ideas, don't just limit yourself to candle making instructions. Making soap is a similar process. If you find a great idea for soap, you can incorporate it into a candle.
loona wynd
Banned Member
Posts: 1281
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:27 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Bath Maine

Re: Candle making?

Post by loona wynd »

Thanks Echo. I'll be busy with those links and videos for a while.
Post Reply

Return to “The Creative Corner”