The word “candle” comes from candela, meaning “a light or torch,” and also from the Latin candere, a verb translated as “to shine or be bright.” In this chapter, you’ll learn more about candles and how to use them correctly, before we embark on the exciting journey of making your own “bright torches.”
U.S. candle consumer retail sales for 2001 are projected at over $2.3 billion, not including candle accessories. Since the early 1990S, the industry has averaged a growth rate of 10–15 percent annually. In recent years, this growth has doubled. There are more than 300 known commercial, religious, and institutional manufacturers of candles in the United States, as well as many small craft producers for local, noncommercial use.
Candles are sold principally in three types of retail outlets: department stores, specialty and gift shops, and mass merchandisers, including drugstore chains, supermarkets, and discount stores. The U.S. market is typically separated into seasonal (Christmas, holiday) business at roughly 35 percent, and nonseasonal business at about 65 percent.
What is the National Candle Association?
The National Candle Association is the major trade association representing candle manufacturers and suppliers in the United States. Founded in 1974, NCA acts as the collective voice for the candle industry to promote the safe use and enjoyment of candles.
Typically, a major U.S. candle manufacturer will offer 1,000 to 2,000 varieties of candles in its product line. Types of candles manufactured in the United States include: tapers, straight-sided dinner candles, columns, pillars, votives, wax-filled containers, and novelties. Many of these come in different sizes and fragrances, and all come in a range of colors. Candles can range in retail price from approximately 50 cents for a votive candle to around $75.00 for a large column candle, although a specialty candle could cost as much as $200.
Candle shipments increase substantially during the third quarter of the year because of the seasonal nature of candle sales during the end-of-year holiday celebrations (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa), since candles play a large role at this time of year—they are used for religious purposes, and as gifts and decorations.
Candle industry research findings indicate that the most important factors affecting candle sales are color, shape, and scent. Fragrance is the most important element when it comes to selecting candles for the home. Candles are used in seven out of ten American households. A majority of consumers burn candles for less than three hours per occasion, between one and three times per week, with about half of them burning one to two candles at a time. And here is another interesting finding: Candle manufacturers’ surveys show that 96 percent of all candles purchased are bought by women. For more information on candle manufacturing statistics, contact National Candle Association, 1030 15th Street, Suite 870, Washington, D.C. 20005; www.candles.org.
The National Candle Association Directory of Members, which includes manufacturer and supplier members, is published annually by the National Candle Association. Listings include company background information, contacts, plant locations, and descriptions of candles manufactured or products and services offered. Supplier members are also indexed by product.
Note: To find out more information, including price and payment options, or to order the directory, visit www.candles.org. Or, if you do not have Internet access, you can write to the NCA and obtain an order form by mail at: National Candle Association, 1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 870, Washington, DC 20005. The directory is a valuable addition to the library of anyone seriously interested in pursuing candlemaking as a hobby or for arts and crafts teachers and others involved in making candles or teaching about candlemaking.
The National Candle Association offers a wide range of papers for purchase. These papers have been presented at past Association spring and fall meetings and cover a variety of topics. For complete details you can call NCA at (202) 393–2210.
Many people buy candles, light them, and that’s it. But if you go to the trouble of making your own candles, you should learn the principles of burning them correctly to get the best effects from your work.
A well-made candle burns evenly with a smokeless flame if you follow these basic rules:
Your handmade candle should be a day old before use.
Do not burn your candles in a draft or breeze.
Before lighting the candle, trim the wick to ½”.
Bear in mind that even the best-made candles can drip. The best way to avoid dripping is to keep the burning candle out of drafts and to keep the wick trimmed. Observe the flame. If it flickers, there is a draft affecting it. The flame should be absolutely still and shaped like a teardrop. If candle wax drips on your tablecloth, here’s what to do: rub the cloth between your hands until most wax flakes fall off (do this over a covered surface or in the yard). Then iron the cloth between several sheets of paper toweling or brown craft paper, which will absorb the melted wax.
To avoid candle wax dripping on your table or table cloth, use decorative mats or leaves—banana leaves work well—to prevent a mess. Alternatively, place candles on plates or in shallow bowls, or on hard nonflammable and washable surfaces, such as a cutting board. Add decorations.
If you have a smoking candle, that is a signal that the candle is not getting enough oxygen to feed its flame. The fire in the fireplace needs a proper supply of oxygen, and so does a candle. Don’t burn candles without adequate ventilation, such as in a small, closed room. Not only will the candle fail to receive sufficient oxygen, but you will use up oxygen that you need to breathe. This is important for asthma sufferers or those with chronic respiratory conditions.
Observe your burning candles to determine their combustion qualities. A well-made candle will have a 1–2” flame that burns steadily and does not flicker. A good performing wick will bend 90° or remain straight. The melted wax should pool around the wick without spilling or guttering the wick.
It is best not to simply blow the candle out. You may get soot in your eye or in your lungs. Using a snuffer made for the purpose is ideal, but you can also pinch it out with wet fingers, if you are quick about it. Another way to put out the candle flame is to stick two fingers out sideways, so you can’t see the flame, about an inch in front of the flame, then blow hard directly at your fingers. The flow of air will jump over your fingers, hit the flame, and put it out. Alternatively, you can turn a soup spoon over the flame until it is extinguished.
For candles you plan to light again at another time, snuff the candle rather than blowing it out.
The best way to put out a container candle, a refillable candle, or any large-diameter candle with a large well of melted wax in the center is to simply push the wick down into the molten wax with a match stick, burned end down. You can also use a pencil or a metal skewer, or the handle end of a spoon. Push the wick into the hot wax, which will extinguish it, and then lift it out of the wax so you can trim it for relighting. If any bits of burned wick get into the pool of wax, just fish them out with your utensil.
The best place to store your candles is in a wooden box (such as a cigar box) or a closet or drawer. Don’t store candles in the refrigerator. When the weather gets hot, find a cool place for them, such as the basement. Keep your candles out of the sunlight—otherwise, colors may fade. So when you burn candles outdoors after dark, make sure to take them back inside with you after they are distinguished. Otherwise, they will soften and become unusable (except for remelting) under the next day’s burning sun.
Although it is not advisable to store candles in the fridge, you can give them a longer burn time by putting them in it for a few hours before you plan to use them. This will harden the wax (especially in summer or hot climates), making the candles burn longer.
There are seven basic methods of making candles, whether by hand or commercially. Familiarize yourself with these terms and you’ll be on the way to fluent “candlespeak.”
Rolled—An excellent method for the home candlemaker, this consists of merely rolling a sheet of wax around a wick. It’s a good method for novelty candles as well as ordinary shapes such as tapers and pillars. The beauty of this way of making candles is that you don’t have to melt the wax.
Poured—This is a method favored by home candlemakers, and is, along with dipping, the easiest one to use in a small space such as your kitchen. This very old-fashioned method consists of pouring the melted wax in layers over the wick until the size you wish is reached.
Cast and Molded—This type of candle is made by pouring the liquefied wax into a mold or shape. Candle molds can be purchased, improvised from what’s on hand (empty cans, muffin tins, etc.), or created (such as a roll of corrugated cardboard taped together into a cylinder or other shape).
Milk cartons of all sizes make great molds. So do sea shells and sand. A garage sale is a great source for things that can be used as molds—anything made of metal or hard plastic (the kind that doesn’t melt). Rubber and latex are good materials for making your own molds.
Dipped—Candles that are dipped are made by simply dipping the wick over and over again into the pot of liquid wax, letting it drip-dry between layers. You can dip candles to any thickness you prefer. The term “taper” comes from dipped candles, for they naturally form a tapered shape while being dipped and dripped. A simple rack for drying dipped candles can be made by fixing a small dowel or other round stick on two holders. Dipping frames can also be purchased.
If you’re handy with woodworking, you can easily make your own dipping frame by boring or cutting a small circular hole in each of two upright boards, supported by a horizontal board, with the dowel or bar inserted in the holes. You can make it as tall or as short as you want.
Drawn—This method is very old but still in use today. To make drawn candles, you literally draw a very long wick through the liquid wax. This is a good way to make small diameter candles such as birthday candles. It is also used to make “wax matches,” or long waxed wicks that are used for lighting multiple candles.
In earlier times, special lamps existed to hold a wound length of drawn candle, which as it burned down unwound itself. This simple, easy method let the candlemaker produce a long-burning candle with a minimum expense of wax, as the wick did not need to be thickly coated.
Pressed—Not for the home candlemaker, this is a commercial method of recent development. The hot wax is atomized onto a cooling drum, during which process it forms small beads that are compressed (pressed) into molds. The “pressing” binds together the small beads into a candle form. From a commercial standpoint, the advantage is that pressing is quicker—because the wax is already cool, the candles can be removed from their molds without the waiting time needed for ordinary hot-wax poured candles.
Extruded—Generally used by commercial candlemakers, this method requires a machine that pushes the wax out through a template, or different templates, rather like a cookie “gun” presses out dough. Once the wax is extruded, the long candle can be cut to any size desired, short or tall. Extruded candles require strict control of the wax’s heating and cooling so that the wax retains the proper shape as it is extruded through the die, or template.
In this chapter, the delights of handmade rolled and poured candles are explored.
Candles are commonly identified by their shape—tapers, pillars, etc. Let’s review a list of the most common shapes used in candlemaking today.
Container—A container candle is set in the shape of the mold in which it is made by pouring.
Pillar—A popular candle shape, the pillar is a thick candle (usually 3–4” in diameter). If the pillar is 3” in diameter and 6” tall, it is called a “three by six,” and so on. Most pillars are cylindrical, but they can be made in any shape—oval, hexagonal, square, etc. Commercial pillar candles come in standard sizes, but you can make a pillar candle any size or shape you choose.
Novelty—This term refers to odd-shaped, usually colored candles that are made by pouring and/or molding and then sculpting or shaping. Novelty candles are practically unlimited in their possibilities—from bananas to snow balls and beyond. They let you get as creative as you desire.
Tapers—As the name implies, these are tapered candles that most of us think of first when we think “candle.” The most common candle shape—often found on the dinner table during festivities—tapers are expressly made to fit into a candleholder of some sort, whether for a single candle or for multiple candles. Tapers are made by dipping (the most common method), pouring into a mold, or by rolling, and are generally sized to fit standard candleholders, between ½” and ” in diameter at the base. Exceptions are the so-called Danish tapers which are smaller and shorter than regular tapers: ¼” in diameter at the base. Birthday candles are also designated tapers (” is standard, but the home candlemaker can vary the size to suit herself—I personally like a larger, thicker birthday candle as they stay put in the cake better than the store-bought size).
Tealight—Used to keep chafing dishes warm or to fit some novelty candleholders (I have a fat, hollow pink salt candleholder that takes a tealight and gives off a lovely rose-colored glow from within.). Tealights are similar to votives, but they are much smaller, flat cylinders usually only ½” high and l½” in diameter.
Votive—The term votive comes from the Latin for “to vow”; votive candles were originally used in church to light in front of an icon or a sculpture of a saint while asking for intercession. In church, they are generally placed on a multiple rack holder and are often in little red glass cups. In recent years, this type of candle has become very popular to be lit at home as well, especially as scented candles of different colors. Votives are cylinders 2–3” high, ordinarily 1½” in diameter. Again, the home candlemaker can vary the size—and shape—of votives as he or she pleases. As the votive burns, it melts in its container and uses itself as fuel, so you get a longer burn-time than if you set the votive candle on a plate or other flat surface. Votives are designated by the length of burn-time: ten-hour, fifteen-hour, etc. You can check the burn-time of your handmade votives by burning one down while watching the clock.
Votives are especially useful in small spaces, such as bathrooms, or on home altars. You can use them singly or in groups to get the desired effect. If you color your votives, it’s best to use a clear glass holder. Scent them for special purposes.
Candles of different colors have always been used for different purposes, whether mundane or spiritual. We set the Christmas table with red and green candles to represent and harmonize with the holiday season, and burn white candles at Easter. Metaphysicans use candles of different colors to achieve the desired results.
Here are some general ideas on what each color represents, and how a candle of that color might best be used.
White—Self-protection; purity; sincerity; truth; peace; purification; innocence; moon magic; increased spirituality
Red—South; fire (element); energy; strength; health; vitality; courage; power and willpower; passion; enthusiasm; overcoming obstacles
Yellow—East; air (element); intellectual progress; creativity; education and learning enhancement; mental renewal; harmony
Blue (dark)—West; water (element); psychic development and protection; fidelity; meditation; inspiration; truth; dreams
Blue (light)—Tranquility; healing; patience; happiness; intuition; antidepression; domestic harmony; peace; safe travel
Green—North; earth (element); money; growth; gardening; earth magic; herb and nature magic; luck; prosperity; healing; balance
Lime—Reconciliation of disputes; healing discord; overcoming anger; negating jealousy; facing danger bravely; optimism
Orange—Stimulation; attraction and the attraction principle; encouragement; mind-clearing; good luck; opportunity
Purple—Spirituality; intuition; spirit communications; angels; occult developments; idealism; higher powers; honor
Pink—Love and romance; feminine power; affection; healing the heart; togetherness; better relationships; friendship
Lavender—Spiritual development; divination; blessings from the other world; psychic intuition; emotional calmness
Violet—Self-development; spiritual guidance; intuitive growth; creative work; clairvoyance; mental calm
Magenta—Spiritual healing; soul work; quick changes; exorcism rituals; high vibration. Magenta is best when combined with other colors
Indigo—Meditation; balancing karma; spirit contact; antidefamation; meeting spirit guides; learning ancient wisdom
Gray—Contact with the Other World; quest of vision; out-of-body travel; cancellation rituals; overcoming doubt; non-nature spirits
Black—Endings; closure; death; overcoming negativity; end discord or confusion; banishing rituals; releasing
Silver—The Goddess; lunar magical work; psychic protection against negative forces; astral travel; meditation; money
Gold—The God; solar principle; physical stamina; mental development; good health; fortunate circumstances; wealth
Think of making candles as a learning process. Even experienced candlemakers are always learning from both their successes and their failures. And, even though you may think you’ll never forget that disaster, you won’t remember the details. The solution is to write everything down immediately after your candlemaking session. Note the wax formula you used. Specify the type of wick. Fill in every single step you took along the way. Keep a record of your moldmaking and exactly how you did each one. Indicate the results, good or bad, any problems you encountered, and what solutions (if any) you found.
A loose-leaf notebook is a good choice, one that you can insert dividers into. Make a section on each type of candle you make—container, molded, dipped, etc. Then, use a separate page for each candlemaking session. Date the page and note any other pertinent information. One day you might wonder just how you made that wonderful candle, but chances are you won’t remember. In our hectic lives, it’s often difficult to remember what happened yesterday, let along a few weeks, or months, ago.
Keep careful notes of anything unusual that you do—if you made a two-part mold, for example. List the materials you used, with comments about how they worked for that model. You can’t jot down too many details, and it’s best if you get your notes recorded as soon as possible after your candlemaking session. Even a day or two later you may not remember exactly what percentage of what you used—of wax additives, colorants, scents, and the like. You may want to duplicate a scent that turned out differently than you expected—if you know exactly what perfumes you used, and in what proportion, you’ll be able to duplicate it. Otherwise, it will be hit or miss next time around. The same applies to color. One candlemaker recounts how she achieved a beautiful color by sheer accident. She wanted a particular scent, and she used an herb that she thought would do the trick. However, it turned out that the resulting candle was not fragrant at all—but it was tinted a great color! So, take this advice and follow it even when you’re making your very first candle.
When making a large batch of candles, from whatever formula you have chosen, always test, test, test. Make a small batch of wax with color and scent, for one or two candles, perhaps using different wicks. Allow to harden and test-burn before making a quantity.