From necessary labor, candlemaking has evolved into an art practiced by creative people who enjoy learning new skills. Once you learn these basic skills, detailed in the pages that follow, you will be able to make candles of all shapes, sizes, and designs, and let your imagination take flight.
Before we begin, let’s review the various types of candles and some common candlemaking terms that you should know. The following definitions have been provided by the National Candle Association.
Candle: One or more combustible wicks supported by a material that constitutes a fuel, which is solid, semi-solid, or quasi-rigid at room temperature (68–80° Fahrenheit or 20–26° Celsius). Candles can contain additives, which are used for stability, color, fragrance, or to modify the burning characteristics of the wax base. The combined function of these is to sustain a light-producing flame.
Candle Accessory: An object, such as a candleholder or tray, designed for use with a candle or candles.
Filled Candle: Also called a container candle, this is a candle produced and used within the same vessel, or container. Many containers can be refilled and reused.
Freestanding Candle: This term refers to a rigid candle (a pillar-shaped, column-shaped, or novelty candle in the shape of a figure). Freestanding candles are safest when placed on a heat-resistant, nonflammable surface, such as a plate or metal pan, or special candle accessory made for the purpose.
Taper Candle: A taper candle is a slender candle, usually 10”-12” in height, intended to be supported by a candle accessory, usually a candlestick made of glass, crystal, or metal, with a well in the center that matches the circumference of the candle’s base. Purchased taper candles come in standard sizes to fit standard candlesticks.
Tealight Candle: A cylindrical filled candle produced with a diameter and height of approximately 1.5” (38 mm) and 0.75” (19 mm), respectively. Tealight candles are commonly used as food warmers, but they can also serve as fillers for candle shells and small receptacles.
Votive Candle: A candle produced for use inside a candle accessory, usually a standard votive candleholder, which is a cylindrical vessel
(ordinarily made of glass) of the same size as the votive candle. Votives can also be placed on a hard, nonflammable surface like freestanding candles. They are nice to use in groups of a single color or in several colors to match a particular décor or seasonal theme.
Votive Holder: A small open vessel designed to hold a votive candle while it is burning. The votive holder must be capable of containing the melted candle wax.
Wax: A solid or semi-solid material consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons and/or hydrocarbon derivatives.
Wax Candle: A candle that contains petroleum wax, vegetable wax, animal wax, or insect wax as the primary fuel.
Wick: A string-like object that delivers fuel to a flame through the process of capillary, or wicking, action.
When one thinks of making candles, the first thing that comes to mind is wax. Although in times past candles were made of tallow (animal fat), those days are long gone. Modern candles are all made of wax, and the home candlemaker relies on wax exclusively, or along with various additives. Therefore, we begin our discussion of what you need to get started with wax, the basis to modern candlemaking.
What exactly is wax? It is, put simply, what your candle burns for fuel. As the wick burns, the candle wax melts and is “wicked” into the flame to feed its fire. Although other types of wax exist (as you’ll see), most candles these days are made of beeswax or paraffin, or a combination of the two.
As we have already seen, in colonial times candles were sometimes made of bayberries. The Pilgrims found bayberry bushes growing along the shores of Cape Cod Bay, and that’s how they got their name.
Bayberry wax is still available today; it is extracted from the berries by boiling them. When boiled, the abundant wax in the bayberries floats to the top of the water, from where it can be skimmed off and used for making candles.
In addition to bayberry, candelilla and carnauba are plants that produce wax. Candelilla is a reed-like, scaly native of northern Mexico and southern Texas, while carnauba is a fan-leaved palm native to Brazil. Mostly used in wood and leather finishing and polishing, these vegetable-based waxes are expensive and brittle, with a high melting point. Their use in candlemaking is limited: they can be used to harden a soft wax (such as paraffin) by raising the melting point of the mixture.
Although we associate bayberry candles with New England, these bushes are found as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as the Carolinas. In fact, they can be found as far west as upstate New York.
Today, most candles sold as “bayberry” are actually made of paraffin that has been scented with the spicy odor we associate with bayberry. True bayberry wax is naturally a lovely sage green color and already scented by nature. Real bayberry wax is expensive, and can be difficult to find, although if you are fortunate enough to have bayberry bushes in your area you can collect your own and make you own bayberry wax. To make your own bayberry wax for candles, you’d need ten to fifteen pounds of berries—for a pound of wax! A pound of wax would be enough to make about five or six pairs of tapers by the dipping method, or several small molded candles. First, you have to boil the berries, and then filter out the skins, seeds, and other impurities. If this is impracticable, and you want to use bayberry wax, there are specialty candlemaking-supply houses that sell it. (See the list of suppliers on p. 69.)
Instead of dirt and poison we have rather chosen to fill our hives with honey and wax; thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light.
—Jonathan Swift, The Battle of the Books
Beeswax is the most elegant of the waxes available for candlemaking. Just as silkworms are famous for making fine silk, bees make excellent wax. The bees are essential to life’s natural processes, for they pollinate plants, including those that provide us with food.
As everyone knows, beeswax is produced by bees as a byproduct of their honeymaking. It is actually a secretion that they use to create the combs where the honey is stored and where the larvae are incubated. Though it may seem odd than an insect can manufacture wax in its system and then secrete it for building purposes, this is simply another of nature’s miracles by which we are continually awed and astounded.
Amazingly, these little creatures not only make the wax and exude it, they shape it into perfect hexagonal shapes that are the tiny boxes that make up a honeycomb’s structure. Each tiny hexagon has angles that are so accurately made, their margin of error is a mere 3 or 4 degrees from the average, an architectural marvel that results in the perfect use of space. This structure is so cleverly engineered that 1 pound of hive wax holds 22 pounds of honey, which is the optimal weight for the comb. Not only that, but bees all over the world, of whatever country or type, create hexagons out of their wax in the same structural proportions! Add to this capability their indispensable function of pollinating trees, fruits, flowers, and vegetables, and you’ll never swat a bee again!
Beeswax, because it is permeated with honey during its preharvest life, naturally has a wonderful, sweet fragrance. Its odor will vary depending on what the bees are feeding on—which might be wildflowers, clover, avocados, or various herbs. Unrefined beeswax in the natural state has a golden yellow to brownish or reddish-brown color. It also contains plant parts and bits of the bees themselves.
Harvesting and purifying pure beeswax is a time-consuming, difficult process, so it is not surprising that beeswax is far more expensive than paraffin. However, one of its advantages is that it is long-lasting. Most pure beeswax is used in church candles, where it has been a standard for hundreds of years. (My father used to buy our candles for use at the dinner table from the local Catholic cathedral to which our family belonged; he believed that pure beeswax candles were the only permissible candles for the home.)
Beeswax ranges from pale yellow to darkest brown in color, according to the age and food supply of the bees. The raw wax smells of honey and has a taste reminiscent of balsamic vinegar. In the natural state, beeswax is soft to brittle. Technically, it has a specific gravity of about 0.95 and a melting point of about 140° Fahrenheit (60° Celsius). It consists primarily of free cerotic acid and myricin (myricyl palmitate) along with some high-carbon paraffins.
Beeswax is indeed lovely when it burns: It creates a warm, golden glow that nothing else can match, and the sweet honeyed smell permeates the house and the people’s hair and garments. However, for budgetary purposes, beeswax can be combined with paraffin to make candles that will be long-lasting yet less expensive.
The average bee consumes between 6 and 10 pounds of nectar (honey) to make each pound of the wax it secretes in small flakes from glands on the underside of its abdomen. After the beekeeper removes the honey from the honeycomb, the honey is melted and strained to remove impurities. Some artisan honeys are sold unfiltered and may have bits of wax in them. The waxy residue is pressed to obtain the beeswax. Honeybees that live in the United States and the Western World produce a distinctive wax that is somewhat different from wax obtained from the bees of East Asia.
After purifying, the beeswax is poured into molds to harden into blocks for commercial sale. Some beeswax is bleached to make a white product, but the natural honey color is much preferred by those who appreciate the qualities of beeswax.
Long ago, candlemaking was such an arduous affair, requiring careful and long attention to many details, that gossipy women—who apparently had time to take off from their domestic duties, including making beeswax candles—were sharply told to, “Mind your own beeswax.”
Insoluble in water, beeswax can be dissolved in such substances as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, or warm ether. Because it is soluble in these chemicals, it is used as an ingredient in the manufacture of furniture and floor waxes, leather dressings, waxed paper, inks, and cosmetics.
Sheets of beeswax were originally invented by beekeepers. These were, and are, used (in their natural color only) to line the beehives. This wax liner gives the bees a firm foundation on which to build the honeycomb. Thus, the beekeepers call beeswax sheets “brood foundation.” Beeswax candles can be made from foundation sheets. If you have a friendly neighborhood beekeeper, you might obtain them that way.
Store beeswax sheets at room temperature. When exposed to excessive cold, they can become brittle and crack, making the sheets unusable for rolled candles; excessive heat can melt beeswax. Don’t leave it in a closed car trunk in summer.
Since pure beeswax is a rare commodity and pure beeswax candles are so expensive, most beeswax candles available on the market today are mixed with paraffin, a byproduct of the refining process that turns crude oil into motor oil on the way to becoming gasoline.
In the oil-refining process in which paraffin is produced, crude oil is heated from the bottom of a pipe still (a tall pipe), and as it heats, it separates according to the temperature it reaches: heavy oil at the bottom; then light lubricating oil; next, fuel oil; and, lastly, gasoline. At the top, it becomes hydrocarbon gas. Waxes produced from the light lubricating oil are further processed by chilling, sweating, and additional distillation, based on the various melting points. Afterward, the waxes are refined further through hydrogenation, which allows them to end up with quite specific chemical properties.
Paraffin waxes used for candlemaking are classified by their melting points: low, medium, and high. In general, most homemade candles need to be melted to 125–150° Fahrenheit.
Never buy grocery-store paraffin to use in candlemaking—it is not the same as paraffin wax used to make candles. It has a lower melting point and does not harden sufficiently to make a candle stand up straight.
Some paraffin wax comes with stearin already mixed in, usually 10 percent. Alternatively, you can buy stearin separately and mix it into the paraffin to suit your needs. Stearin, or stearic acid, is added to paraffin to make it harder and to increase opacity.
Paraffin waxes can be used without additives, but they burn much faster and are less opaque. However, paraffin wax used alone gives a lovely translucent quality to the candle, an advantage that can make up for the shorter burning time of the wax.
Paraffin is normally sold by suppliers and craft shops in 11-pound slabs; the next standard size up is a 55-pound case. Depending on your needs—that is, how many candles you want to make—you may want to bypass your local craft shop and go to a wholesaler for your paraffin wax, thus saving money and having more options available. Don’t hesitate to contact your supplier for additional information. (See “Suppliers” below.)
You can buy paraffin wax in pellets or powered form, which is easier to measure or weigh, and easier to handle. However, bulk is cheaper. The best way to break up the 11-pound slabs is to put one into a heavy-duty disposable trash bag and drop it from shoulder height to the floor.
Wax purchased from candlemaking suppliers, or from craft stores, are labeled with the melting point range and the use for which they are intended. Do not use paraffin waxes in any way contrary to the label instructions and guidelines.
Wax is heavy and costly to ship. Therefore, it is economical to have a local supplier. Your craft shop is the place to start. However, if it cannot fill your needs, ask the manager for the names and addresses of local wholesale suppliers who sell to individuals. Also check your yellow pages. Here are some regional suppliers:
You can save money and help protect the environment by recycling old wax, including cheese coverings and sealing wax. Save all your candle ends, as well as any scraps left over from making candles, and store them either in zippered plastic bags (away from heat) or in an airtight tin such as the type in which Christmas cookies are sold. Also, chip or scrape or melt the dregs of votive cups and save them as well. And, of course, any failed homemade candles with which you weren’t satisfied can be reused to make new, successful candles. You can remelt everything (keeping colors separate, if necessary). Strain melted candle ends through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove burned bits.
You can separate your candle scraps by color if you like, or throw the whole bunch in together—if you are in the mood to experiment, melting different candle colors together can be the way to go. A yellow cheese coating mixed with a green deodorant candle might give a nice lime color. Be sure to save all of the wax that gets spilled during your candlemaking efforts—a putty knife kept handy is a good tool for scraping spills up. When melting different colored leftovers together, if you don’t like the result you can dilute it with new wax to lighten it, or add dye to darken it. As always, your imagination rules the day.
If you are looking for pure vegetable wax to make kosher candles, you will have to find a special supplier because all-vegetable waxes and/or additives such as stearic acid are rarely available at craft shops. Read labels carefully: wax labeled “vegetable” may not be.
If the first component of a candle is wax, it follows that the next is the wick. Indeed, the wick is the heart of the candle, not only in that it lies at the center but also in that it is what determines if a candle will burn, and how well it will do so. One might even make a case that the wick is the single most important part of the candle. In fact, one can make—not a candle—but at least a light with only a wick and some oil. Remember, in earlier times, before candlemaking was discovered and evolved, these puddles of oil with a wick immersed in them, called rushlights, were one of the few sources of illumination indoors after dark.
How are wicks made?
Today’s wick is a braided (sometimes cored) bunch of threads, usually made of cotton but sometimes of linen or other fabric. The braided material is then subjected to a process known as “mordanting,” which means that it is pickled in a chemical solution that is intended to make it fire-retardant.
Choosing the correct wick for your candle is most important. However, it can be difficult to determine precisely what wick is best for a particular candle.
Few people make their own wicks these days. Candlemaking suppliers sell packaged wicks to those who choose to make their own candles. These prepackaged wicks will usually have recommendations printed on the label, such as, “Use this wick for 2”-diameter candles.” Unfortunately, although such instructions are a useful guide, they aren’t always the complete story. Other considerations besides the candle’s diameter must be taken into account, especially the wax, with its various components.
Braided wicks come in a flat type and a square-braided type, in a full range of sizes. The flat-braided type is just like a braid of hair: a three-strand braid made of many tiny threads. Flat-braided wicks are sized according to the number of these small threads, called “plies,” in each wick. It follows that the larger the number of plies, the larger the wick. When flat-braided wicks bend while burning, they may get off-center on the oxidation side of the flame.
Square-braided wicks look like square columns with rounded corners. They are available in various sizes and are classified according to different numbering systems. Square-braided wicks are labeled “for use in beeswax candles, also pillars, blocks, and novelties.” One writer says that her experience is “that a ” square-braided wick is roughly equivalent to a 30-ply flat braid,” and that square-braided wicks tend to stand straighter and remain centered in the burning candle.
Candlemaking suppliers ordinarily classify their wicks by the diameter of the candle:
0–1” = extra small; 2–3” = large;
1–2” = small; 4” or greater = extra large.
Special wicks for container candles are available in small, medium, and large sizes.
A third type of wick is known as cored. These wicks are woven around a central core—made of paper, cotton, zinc, or lead—that holds them upright. These are metal-core wicks designed for longer-burning candles. Floating candles require a special floating-candle wick.
In choosing wicks, your supplier is your best friend. In the beginning, follow the instructions that come with your supplies, or that you find in the suppliers’ catalogs. As you experiment—especially with waxes other than beeswax and paraffin, or if you use very large containers—you may find that you need further information about wicks and how to use them. Your supplier is usually happy to provide any additional information and help you with troubleshooting if your candle doesn’t burn well.
One source reports using primed, all-cotton shoelaces as wicks in very large block candles. However, unless you are trying to recreate a Colonial lifestyle, you are advised to use purchased wicks. The chemicals used for the mordanting process are apparently a closely guarded trade secret.
These are little metal disks that are used to anchor the wick in container candles, votives, and tealights. Wick sustainers are available wherever candlemaking supplies are sold. To use, you push the wick through a small hole in the sustainer and pinch the metal together so that it sits flat on the container base.
Wicking needles are made of steel and come in sizes from 4”–10” long. With an elongated hole in one end, they look a lot like darning needles, and you can even use a large darning needle for wicking. You’ll need several sizes of this useful tool.
Prior to use, all wicks need priming. This is a process that saturates the wick with wax in advance of its being placed in the candle mold, or dipped. Priming is done to eliminate air that may have become trapped in the plies of the braid.
Priming the wick
Ordinarily, when you pour the wax over the wick, or dip the wick, the air is forced out naturally. However, as this can’t be relied on, it’s best to prime the wick before use. This is especially important for molded and novelty candles. To prime the wick, heat some wax to 160° Fahrenheit (using your thermometer to check the temperature). Then, dip the length of wick into the wax. Air bubbles will form as the air escapes. Continue to hold the wick in the wax until you don’t see any more air bubbles (this usually takes about five minutes). Remove the wick from the pot of wax and stretch it out. Allow it to cool thoroughly. When completely dry, it will be stiff. At this point, it is ready to use.
Always trim the wick to within ½” of the wax surface before lighting the candle. For larger candles, especially pillars, allow the candle to burn at least two hours before extinguishing to distribute the liquid wax evenly. Don’t burn large diameter candles longer than three hours at a time.
To check your wicks, you can do a side-by-side burning comparison. Using the same wax formula and candle diameter with two or more different type wicks in two or more candles, set the finished experimental candles in muffin cups next to each other and light them. Keep notes.
Burn rate is a term used to determine how well a particular combination of wax and wick is working. It can happen that by altering the wax mixture and using a different wick you can have a longer-burning candle that is therefore less costly.
To find the burn rate, first weigh the candle. Then, burn the candle for a specific length of time; put it out and weigh it again, with any drippings. Unburned wax was not consumed as fuel by the flame.
Burn rate is usually figured in grams. Here’s an example: your candle weighs 340 grams. After burning 1 hour, it weighs 40 grams. Therefore, each minute it burned (burn time) consumed 5 grams of wax. Your burn rate is 5 grams per minute.
The most well-made candle with the perfect combination of wax and wick will burn poorly and drip if it is subjected to a draft. What a draft does is to create more oxygen on one side of the flame than on the other, causing uneven burning. If your candle is not burning properly, check the air flow and move it to a draft-free location.
Another form of draft is oxygen deprivation—this occurs when a container or large pillar candle has burned down sufficiently so that the hole made by the melted wax’s consumption in the flame is so deep that not enough oxygen can get in to feed the fire. This is a common and regular problem with pillar and container candles.
To correct oxygen deprivation in large candles, use paraffin instead of wax or a mixture that produces a soft wax with a lower melting point. Don’t burn the candle longer than three hours per session so that the pool of wax can resolidify in between use.
It might seem odd that a wick, which has as its essential characteristic the ability to burn, would be made fire-retardant. But, the idea is that the fuel (usually the melted wax) should burn up before the wick does. If the wick were entirely flammable, it would go up in smoke and the candle wouldn’t burn at all!
Prior to the invention of the braided wicks, wicks were simply twisted, using whatever fibers were available, including unrefined natural fiber such as hemp. Many natural plant fibers were twisted together to improvise wicks in ancient times.
Twisted wicks were unpredictable—they might fall over into the pool of melted wax and extinguish themselves, and they couldn’t be relied upon to curl in a constant manner. With the coming of the braided and mordanted wick, all that changed. Our modern wicks are remarkable in that they bend at exactly 90°!
Braiding plays a vital role in wick preparation. Without it, the wick would not burn properly. Technically, what happens with braiding is that the air space between the braids permits air into the zone of combustion. This makes a better fire (as oxygen is needed for fire to burn). Also, the structure formed by the braid forces the wick to bend as it burns, which in turn removes the wick from the combustion zone into the oxidizing zone, where, due to the mordanting process, it burns slowly and decomposes fully as it burns down, allowing the melted wax to serve its function as fuel for the wick.
Prior to 1850, the long-handled candlesnuffing device with a bell-shaped metal cup on a long handle, used to extinguish the flame of candles, was called a douter, from the expression “to do out (dout) the candle.” This item came into use rather late in candle history, after the advent of the braided and mordanted wick.
Prior to that time, a snuffer was a sort of scissors, with a small cup attached to one of the blades. The scissors was used to snip the wick and the little box-like cup caught the trimmings so they didn’t spill into the melted wax pool. An experienced person could trim the wick neatly without putting out the flame.
The term “snuff” originally did not refer to putting out the candle, as it now does. It meant trimming the wick, usually to about ½”, periodically (while the candle was burning), to prevent excess smoke from forming. A special gadget was used for this purpose.
In addition to wax and wicks, making candles at home requires some basic equipment, most of which is neither expensive nor complicated. Your kitchen and your household probably already contain most of the bare essentials. Once you are aware of what you need for candlemaking, you will begin to realize that much of what you have on hand is “just right.” Items you don’t already possess are easily available and usually inexpensive.
If you choose to use any of your cooking implements and/or pots for making candles at home, dedicate any and all candlemaking equipment to that end only. Not only will you avoid confusion, but you will keep your food safe from contamination from wax, additives, dyes, and the like.
Candlemaking equipment
Descriptions follow of everything you will need to make the different types of candles discussed in this book: sheet wax, poured and dipped candles, rolled and novelty candles. Unless you are already an experienced candlemaker, it’s important for you to review and thoroughly understand the supplies before you begin to make your own candles. As you’ll see, you will need to decide exactly what type of candles you are going to make (you may refer back to the description of the different types of candles in Chapter 4) before you gather the appropriate equipment. For example, if you want to make molded candles, you will need molds of the size and shape you intend the finished candle(s) to have. In later chapters, for your convenience and quick reference the materials and equipment needed to make each type of candle are provided in brief form at the beginning of each set of candlemaking instructions.
Copy the list of materials and equipment needed for each type of candle you regularly make on a card and keep a file of these “recipes” handy in a file box. You can also use cards to make notes to yourself and keep records of your candlemaking experience and results.
Though a small item in your candlemaking equipment collection, your thermometer is vital. You can buy a special wax thermometer or use a candy or other cooking thermometer that covers a scale from 0 to 300° Fahrenheit. It should have a clip so that you can immerse it deep enough into your pot of melting wax to get an accurate reading. Make sure your thermometer is accurate. You must always know the precise degree to which your wax has been heated. Even a few degrees hotter than the burning point is a danger. Check your thermometer regularly and discontinue use if it is no longer accurate.
All temperature instructions in this book are given in Fahrenheit. To convert, follow the following formula: For given temperature in x° Fahrenheit, (x – 32) ÷ 9 x 5 = degrees Celsius. Also remember:
1° Celsius = 1.8° Fahrenheit
1° Fahrenheit = .56° Celsius
0° Celsius = 32° Fahrenheit
Obviously, a system for melting wax is the primary consideration in candlemaking. There are two methods commonly used: the double-boiler and the concealed element (a slow cooker for example) method. Both systems work equally well as far as the actual melting of the wax is concerned. However, with the concealed element method you are forced to ladle the hot wax either directly into a mold, or transfer it to a pouring tool such as a measuring cup. On the other hand, unless you use an insert to the double-boiler with a handle (such as a large can) the same problem can arise. My suggestion is that you assess your skills at physical coordination before deciding which method to use. If you tend to be a bit of a klutz in the kitchen, by all means use the double-boiler method with a pot that has a sturdy handle. If you can balance and carry four full dinner plates to the table with ease, you are a candidate for the concealed element method, or the handle-less double-boiler system.
Keep on the lookout for candlemaking equipment, especially when you visit garage sales! This way, you can build up your supplies bit by bit at minimum cost. For example, I once bought a terrific electric wok at a yard sale for $5.00—a can insert made a perfect double-boiler system.
As you can see, double-boilers are extremely easy to improvise. You need only an outer pot to hold water and an inner pot (insert) in which to melt the wax. The outer pot must be large enough to hold an amount of water sufficient to rise two thirds of the way up the inner pot.
Ideally, the inner pot will have a handle (a metal pitcher is excellent). A large can, such as the kind fruit juice is sold in, will work if you are willing to ladle out the wax. You can pour from such a can if you use mitts to protect your hands from the heat and are very careful.
If you improvise your double-boiler, you will need a support for the inner pot, such as a metal trivet (the kind used on the dinner table to protect it from a hot dish). A support can be improvised as well, for instance by using three short cans (tuna fish or cat food cans will do). Cut out both ends and wire them together to make a three-pointed support. Or, cut out one end only and fill them with water so they don’t float.
You can buy ready-made double-boilers of many sizes. Some inexpensive, while others are quite pricey. Cast aluminum and stainless-steel double-boilers for cooking are readily available wherever cookware is sold. There is a marvelous utensil called a bain marie (literally, “Mary’s bath”) that you can get at specialty cookware shops. A bain marie has a copper bottom with a porcelain insert. The porcelain is heavy but has a long handle and makes for easy cleanup as wax won’t stick to it, and the copper bottom retains heat. To my mind, this is a good investment.
Whichever kind of double-boiler you use, you will need to replenish the water in the bottom pot frequently in order to keep your boiling water at the correct level. Once again, experimentation will reveal just which type of setup works best for you.
Your working surface must be level and have ready access to a water supply. (I have a small stainless-steel sink in my art workroom.) You also need a heat source that is not an open flame. Your electric stove will work fine; a steady hot plate will suffice as well.
If you want to use the concealed element method, you will need a vessel that allows you to melt the wax directly in it, without the wax’s coming into contact with the heat source. A slow cooker, an electric wok, or deep-fat frying kettle will all work fine. If you use one of these (remembering that it will be off-limits for cooking food), make sure that it has an accurate dial-type temperature control device marked in degrees (i.e., 0–450° is usual), not “Low–Medium–High.”
You can use a concealed-element vessel as the bottom pot of your double-boiler. Set your wax-melting pot inside on a trivet or other support. Follow the instructions for the double-boiler method. It’s necessary for you to know how much wax you have in your melting pot and to be able to judge how much solid wax to use to reach the level you need for the type of candle you are making (2 inches below the top of the can for dipping, for example).
To calibrate your can, first melt a pound of paraffin and score the can at the level one pound reaches. You can use any sharp instrument to make a mark—but be sure you don’t puncture your can!
Continue the process with 2 pounds, 3 pounds, 4 pounds, and 5 pounds, marking each level separately. This will allow you to gauge the amount of wax in the can as you work.
As a precaution against water getting into your melted wax, always wipe dry the bottom of your melting pot when you lift it out of the water to pour off wax. Keep a roll of paper towels handy for this purpose.
If you are making dipped candles, you will need a tall, cylindrical insert to hold your liquid wax. These are available at craft shops and from candlemaking suppliers. Your dipping can must be 2 inches deeper than your longest taper candles.
For making poured and molded candles, you can use a shallow round pot, big enough to melt as much wax as you will need. You can put one saucepan over another, or rest a fireproof bowl on a saucepan, but your wax may melt unevenly. Clean your melting vessel with paper towels after each use.
These ancillary but necessary items are listed more or less in the order of importance, but you will need most of them sooner or later, depending on the extent of your candlemaking efforts and the types of candles you make. If, for example, you start with dipped candles you won’t need molds until you want to make molded candles, and vice versa—if you make only molded candles, you don’t need a rack for hanging dipped candles. This list is not necessarily all-inclusive—you may think of other tools or implements that will be useful. Be innovative!
Molds. Molds come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes. Anything that has a hollow center can be a mold—half an orange shell, a sea shell, even a rock with a convenient depression. You don’t need to buy molds, though you can purchase fancy ones at craft stores. Supermarkets sell plastic food storage containers (usually in multiples) that are inexpensive. (Just be sure you get hard plastic ones that are impervious to heat. If in doubt, put your container in the sink and pour boiling water into it.)
Any glass jar or jelly glass will work as a mold. (I am addicted to saving jars of all types and even buy food in pretty or odd-shaped glass jars just to get the jar!) Jam and jelly jars come in interesting shapes—octagonal, square, round, short and fat, or tall and slim.
Wine bottles come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and interesting colors—from deepest forest green to pale aqua and from dark brown to honey, and other shades in between. They make wonderful holders for container candles and can also be used for molding.
To use a wine bottle as a container you have only to slice off the top with a glass cutter and smooth the rough edge down. If you are handy with tools, and either own or can borrow a glass cutter, you can do the job yourself. (As many craftspeople work in more than one medium, you may already have a glass cutter or know someone who does. Otherwise, an experienced glass cutter can do it for you. Check your yellow pages or ask your craft salesperson for a reference.)
Mold-Release Spray. You can use nonstick pan spray made of vegetable oil to prevent the wax from adhering to the mold. Or, you can put some vegetable oil in a spray designed for the purpose (for making salads and coating cooking pans with your own oil instead of the commercial spray can). These special spray cans are available through household outlets. Any vegetable oil will work; you can spray or wipe the mold with an oil-soaked paper towel. Just don’t use a heavy hand—too much oil will mottle your finished candle.
You might also need a mold sealer or masking tape. They might be used to hold the wick in place.
Cake Pans and Cookie Sheets. Cake pans and cookie sheets are multipurpose. You can line them (as above) and pour unused melted wax to cool. You can use them for molds (see the instructions on how to make a wedding cake candle). They are also useful as pads for containers of hot wax.
Scale. A scale is an important piece of equipment as well, one you can’t do without. Chances are you already have a kitchen scale that will do. It should have a range of 0–10 pounds, in ounces. Or, and this is the most accurate, you can use a gram scale (as do all European cooks—in Europe, recipes are given by weight in grams). If you do, however, you will need to convert between grams and ounces and pounds. A scale is necessary for weighing not only wax but also additives such as stearic acid, colorants, and scent oils. For the latter, a gram scale can have the precision of ±1 gram.
A scale with a knob that allows you to turn it back to zero after you have set your measuring container on it is handy. It will allow you to weigh only the wax without having to do the math to subtract the weight of the container each time.
Measuring Container. The ideal container for measuring in ounces and cups is an ordinary Pyrex measuring cup of the kind you no doubt already have. These come in 1-cup, 2-cup, 4-cup, and 6-cup sizes, and are heat resistant. Your measuring container has two uses: you can determine the volume of wax by displacement: for this you will need two measuring cups. Put wax in one cup in a block or chunks; then put water in the second cup and note the amount it takes to fully submerge the wax in the first cup. Subtract the volume of water added from the level of water needed to cover the wax. The result is the volume of wax you have just measured. Since Pyrex measuring cups can be heated, you can use such a measuring cup (or any heatproof calibrated vessel, such as a flask used in chemistry) as a wax melting insert when melting small amounts of wax.
Oven Mitts and Pot Holders. Oven mitts or pot holders are essential when it comes to protecting your hands when you handle a pot of hot wax. I hang an assortment of them on hooks hear the stove where they are easily accessible.
Metal Ruler or Straightedge. An artist’s T-square is good, as are the heavy metal rulers they use. It’s even a good idea to have both— for cutting and for calibrating lengths of vessels, candles, and wicks. These tools are available at art supply shops, which often also sell craft materials. The straightedge is used to cut sheet wax, for rolled and stacked candles. T-squares and metal rulers come in various lengths: a 3-foot length is more useful than the ordinary l-foot length.
Cutting Surface and Tools. A cutting surface can be a laminated kitchen counter that can’t be cut-marked or a wooden or plastic cutting board such as those used for chopping food. You can even use a piece of heavy cardboard such as the backing from an artist’s sketchpad.
For cutting tools, I like Exacto knifes (as I am a graphics artist). The blades are extremely sharp and run cleanly along a straight edge. They come in different sizes, both handle and blades. You can use a single-edge razor blade as do artists, or a very sharp paring knife. Your cutting tool is for cutting sheets of wax for rolled and stacked candles, and for trimming the seams of finished molded candles. Scissors are also useful, especially for cutting wicks.
Ladle. You might also need a ladle—choose one impervious to heat, with a deep bowl and a comfortably angled handle to avoid spilling. A glass meat-baster is the perfect tool for sucking up melted wax and squirting it around loose wicks, or in other small spaces. Don’t use a plastic one—it may melt!
Greaseproof Paper and Paper Towels. This includes waxed paper, parchment, brown craft paper (or brown paper bags flattened out), and foil. Keep a good supply on hand to cover work surfaces. And don’t forget about paper towels—they are essential for cleanups, to use as oil wipes, to mop up water spills, and many other chores. I use up a lot!
Water Container. This can be almost anything—a plastic dishpan or a bucket—large enough to hold your finished molds for cooling. A cat litter pan works well for short molds, a dishpan for taller molds.
Dowels. Dowels are used to make a rack from which to hang dipped candles for drying. A short piece of narrow dowel can be used to hold the wicks of dipped candles apart while you dip them. A folded piece of cardboard will also work.
Wicking Tool. This can be a wicking needle made especially for candlemaking, an ice pick, a metal skewer, or a knitting needle. It is used to make a hole in hardened candles for the wick. A wicking needle looks like a darning needle: The hole at one end is elongated so that the wick can be threaded through it. You will need a long enough wicking needle to insert at the base and push through to the top.
Pliers. Pliers are used to grasp the wicking needle and pull it through the candle; to pull wicks through molds; to secure a candle that is being overdipped (by holding its wick in the jaws of the pliers); and to pinch the tabs on wick sustainers—it is a most useful implement! Regular pliers will work well, but needle-nose pliers will let you grasp and hold a wick more firmly.
Hammer. You might use a hammer to break blocks of wax into pieces. A sharp cleaver will also do this work well.
Use an old pillowcase to hold your block of wax while you hammer it into chunks. This will catch the crumbs and keep the pieces from flying about. But don’t put the used pillowcase your washer/dryer—the wax may clog the pipes.
Paint Scraper. A paint scraper is excellent for easily scraping spilled wax off a hard surface, such as a counter. You might also use a putty knife.
Screwdriver. Some molds have screw-type wickholders. You will need a screwdriver to deal with these if you use them.
Weights. You’ll need something heavy to keep a wax-filled mold submerged in its water bath. Depending on the size of your mold(s) you can use a brick, an iron boot scrapper (I have one that is a duck with a large flat bottom), unopened cans of food, an empty food can filled with quick-setting cement. Use your imagination!
Small weights with a center hole are required to weigh down wicks that are being dipped. Washers, curtain weights, and nuts will all do.
Plastic Bags. The zippered plastic bags work well for storing hard wax; open topped ones are best for measuring mold volume.
Before you begin to work with wax, it must be heated to its particular melting point. Take care not to overheat your wax. The “burning point” of wax is that temperature at which the properties of the particular wax have been stretched beyond the safety mark. For example, paraffin should not usually be heated hotter than 200° Fahrenheit. Never leave melting wax on the heat source unattended—it is as volatile as cooking oil and can catch fire if overheated. Always keep a large pot lid handy to smother a fire, should one start. Also keep damp cloths handy for the same purpose.
Remember that waxes, including beeswax, are highly flammable (that’s why candles burn!) and can catch fire. The temperature at which they will combust is the “flash point.” This is approximately 440° Fahrenheit, depending on the type of wax you use. NEVER heat wax to the flash point. Watch your thermometer carefully.
Although candlemaking is rewarding, like any other craft it must be done with care. Remember that you are working with a flammable substance and a heat source. Don’t use an open heat source if you can avoid it. For safety’s sake, follow these precautions at all times:
Always heat (melt) your wax in either a double-boiler or a concealed element heat device (both discussed above).
Never put your wax-melting container directly on the heat source.
Keep a careful watch on the water level in your outer pot. Never let it boil dry. Add water frequently while melting wax.
Make sure you have the following fire-extinguishing items and are familiar with how to use them:
A fire extinguisher of the ABC type (available at hardware stores).
A large metal pan lid to clap on your melting pot should it catch fire. The lid will smother the flame by depriving it of oxygen.
Several large cloths—old terry towels are best—to cover and smother a fire.
Lots and lots of baking soda (I buy it in 2-pound boxes at the supermarket) to dump onto a fire. It will smother flames immediately.
Baking soda’s use is not only limited to smothering a fire; it can also soothe a burn on your skin, and works almost instantly. To use, make a smooth paste with water and baking soda and spread on your burn. Let it dry thoroughly before rinsing off. Repeat if necessary.
Hot paraffin, if not heated beyond its melting point, probably won’t cause a severe burn, but caution is the rule. Keep a bucket of cold water handy in case you should splatter hot wax on your skin. If you spill a lot of hot wax on yourself, don’t panic. Run cool—not cold or iced—water on your skin, or get in the bathtub or shower. If the burn is severe, call 911 and continue to keep the skin cool to avoid shock. If you get hot wax on your hand, plunge it immediately into the water until the wax cools.
Cooled paraffin will chip off, but sticky beeswax won’t. If you get hot beeswax on your skin, cool it in the water thoroughly; then apply baking soda paste. If the burn is severe, consult your doctor.
Always remember that the wax you are pouring is hot, and that it can burn you if spilled on your skin. Don’t pour when you are feeling jittery or are distracted. Teach yourself to pour in a smooth steady stream by practicing with water, using the vessel in which you plan to melt the wax.
If the candle isn’t taking proper shape, don’t shift to an odd angle to correct the problem. It’s best to start over. Never risk dropping the wax container or a spill for the sake of a perfect candle. And always keep plenty of pot holders and cloths accessible for grasping hot handles, and for cleaning up any spills.
Craftspeople are by nature orderly—it is inherent in the work, and the very word “craft” implies professionalism and careful procedures. Originally, one learned a craft by apprenticing to a master craftsman. Today many of us are self-taught, but the same principles still apply.
The first of these is based on the old nostrum that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” The less mess you have around you, the better—and more safely—you can work. The fewer items you have around to clutter counter space, to trip over, to move aside, or to spill, the better you will function and be able to focus on what you are doing.
Line a shallow baking pan with greaseproof paper and pour your leftover melted wax into the pan after you have finished your candlemaking for the day. Leave the melted wax to harden, break it apart, and store for later use.
Always cover your work surface with disposable non-newsprint paper. Don’t use old newspapers to cover working surfaces as the newsprint may transfer to the undersurface if wax spills on it. Use brown wrapping paper or tin foil (use foil on stove) to facilitate cleanup. Or, if you can devote an entire countertop to your candlemaking, get a laminated one with a smooth surface from which you can easily scrape up cooled wax.
After each candlemaking session, be sure to clean up your workspace—especially if it’s in your kitchen. Then you won’t have to clean up before you start another candlemaking session. It’s like getting the dishes washed and out of the sink after lunch so you don’t have to deal with a mess before you can cook dinner.
If you commit the following procedures to memory, you’ll have an easy time of the tidying-up process:
Gather all your tools and materials—knives, scrapers, wicks, colorants, scent bottles, etc.—wipe or scrape any waxy residue, and store them in the place you regularly keep them.
Always keep rags and paper towels handy. Use them to wipe any waxy surfaces while they are still warm.
Think about how you want to reuse leftover wax. If you want to save different colors, pour each color into a muffin tin cup. If you want to mix everything, just pour it into a flat pan.
Pour the water from your double-boiler in the yard, or let it cool until you can skim off the congealed wax before pouring it down the drain. Never pour water with wax in it down the drain!
When your poured leftover wax has cooled, pop it out of its container, bag, and label with wax content and color mixes. You may want to match the color later and not remember exactly the proportions of colorant you used.
Peel any spilled wax off the paper you covered your work surface with and either save it or throw it away.
After you have cleaned up all waxy containers and surfaces, dispose of the paper/rags. Do not incinerate.
If you can’t get all of the wax out of a container by wiping, you can fill the container with very hot water so that the wax melts. After it has cooled, the wax will float on top making it easy to remove.
To clean your utensils, molds, etc., simply line a large cookie sheet with heavy-duty foil and place everything upside down on the sheet. Put inside a preheated warm oven (no hotter than 170° Fahrenheit) until the wax melts and runs onto the foil. While warm, wipe clean with paper towels; dispose of foil.
With any activity, there are some things that are “no-no’s.” Candlemaking is no exception. As you get underway creating candles of your own, there are some things to do and others to remember to never, ever do:
Don’t ever pour liquid wax down your drain. It will solidify and cause severe blockage—not to mention a huge plumbing bill. Don’t learn this “no-no” the hard way!
Do pour leftover melted wax into muffin tins or other small cups. Metal ice-trays are good for this purpose. You can then pop out the hardened wax and store it in plastic bags for future use.
Don’t throw away your leftovers, even the small scraps, including candle ends or the bottoms of container candles. Wax costs money. Recycling saves money and work.
Do recycle all the wax you can save. You can ask non-candlemakers to give you their candle ends. Your church deacon may be happy to give you burned-down beeswax candles.
Don’t pour your hot double-boiler water down your drain. It may have wax in it unbeknownst to you, which could clog the drain.
Do dispose of the water outside. Or, let it cool until the wax hardens and then remove the wax before pouring the water down the drain.
Don’t allow yourself to be distracted while making candles. Let the answering machine answer the phone if it rings while you are pouring or melting.
Do make candles at a time when you can concentrate fully on the task at hand (maybe while the children are in school).
Don’t begin candlemaking without first assembling all of your materials and equipment in an orderly fashion, so that you can proceed step by step—safely.
Do school yourself to know for certain exactly what you are doing at all times, where you are moving, which step you are taking when. Practice is the key to safety.
As there is always a risk of getting wax on your clothing, don’t wear anything you aren’t willing to throw away! Old T-shirts make good aprons—loose but not floppy enough to catch on pot handles. Smocks are available for cover-ups. Popovers—loose, shapeless dresses—are also good. Make sure your clothing is not flammable. Cotton is a good choice. Old jeans and denim shirts also work well.
Suppose you do get wax on a garment you don’t want to discard. What to do? Here are some suggestions:
Remove the garment and let the wax cool. If you get a small spot of wax on a washable garment, use an ice cube to freeze it. If the spill is large, or on a “dry-clean only” garment, put the garment in the freezer. Examine it—if the wax has not penetrated the fiber of the fabric, you can usually snap it off by bending the fabric around the wax.
Iron the fabric with a warm iron using several layers of paper toweling on both sides. The iron will melt the wax and the paper towels will absorb it. You may have to repeat this procedure, changing the paper towels each time.
Freeze the garment until the wax is brittle; then chip it off.
If all home remedies fail, take the garment to a good dry-cleaner. Advise the dry-cleaner that it is a wax stain.