CHAPTER 3
ALCHEMY OF LIGHT
Candles made of beeswax were used in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China, perhaps as early as 3000 BCE. Ancient candles were basically paper rolled into a narrow tube and dipped into beeswax or tallow. Today, we know more about the science of candle making. Beeswax candles are more than wax and a cotton string. They are a symbiotic relationship between, wax, wick, and oxygen.
WAX
I’m not crazy about rendering wax, so I let Karl handle the “heavy lifting” of rendering the cappings into big blocks of wax. The wax that Karl renders out is really pretty clean, but since my candle business has outgrown what our hives can produce, I also purchase wax from another beekeeper in the area. His wax varies from relatively clean to blocks with rivers of honey buried inside.
For making candles, especially pillar candles, the residual honey in the wax causes the wax to burn unevenly and to clog the wick. Even though a wax may look clean, it may still have honey in it. When the honey heats up, it caramelizes and forms dark flecks in the wax. Besides being unsightly, these flecks clog the wick and ultimately, keep the wax from reaching the flame.
The best way to get the last of the honey out of the wax is to allow it to clarify in a heated double boiler or wax tank. Admittedly, this task is easier to accomplish with the wax tank than a double boiler because the wax needs to remain as a liquid for quite a while until all the honey has settled to the bottom. I usually let mine settle for a couple days. The best way to tell if it is done is by checking the clarity of the wax. When it is first melted, it has murkiness to it. As the honey settles out, it begins to clarify. When the wax is clear, filter the wax through a clean piece of felt cloth and mold into useable portions. I usually do a variety of different sizes, so that I have the right size for whatever I am making. The resulting wax is still yellow and still has the signature honey-like scent, although the filtering may have lightened up the wax a little bit.
TEMPERATURE
When I first started making candles, I used the melted wax at whatever temperature it was when it came out of my wax tank. Sometimes, the candles worked beautifully, and other times, they failed miserably. In an effort to achieve some consistency, I bought a noncontact thermometer gun and started measuring the wax temperature right before I poured my candles. All of a sudden, my candle success rate went up significantly. I found that if I stirred the wax and allowed the wax to cool to the right temperature, I had fewer blowouts in making pillar candles and my molded tapers came out of the molds blemish free. The actual temperature needed for the different candle types will vary depending on wax, candle mold material, and environment.
WICKING
I can’t stress enough how important the wick is to the overall quality of the candle. This key feature of the candle seems as if it would be the easy part, but honestly, it can be maddening to figure out. When a candle is lit, a series of events take place. First, the match lights the wick and the wick itself begins to burn. The flame then starts to melt the wax. The wick acts as a pipeline that carries the melted wax in the form of a vapor to the flame via capillary action. Some wicks allow lots of fuel to flow quickly through a big pipe, while other wicks pump fuel more slowly through a smaller pipe. If you give the flame too much or too little fuel, it will burn poorly or sputter out. The balance of fuel and flow needs to be just right.
Wicks are made of braided cotton and the nomenclature of square braid cotton wicking refers to the number of bundles, the ply of the wick, and how tightly it is braided. The #6/0 to #1/0 range of wicks are constructed a bit differently than the larger wicks, but all of them are square, which helps to channel the wax fumes up to the flame. It is important to keep all the wicks well labeled and separated because similar sizes look identical. Often the only difference is the tightness of the braiding. Square braid wick forms a carbon cap on the top of the wick. The carbon cap radiates heat outward from the flame, helping melt wax, which is farther away from the flame. The wick also bends slightly as it burns, minimizes carbon buildup and making for a cleaner burning candle.
OXYGEN
The oxygen would seem to be the easy part—either the flame gets oxygen or it doesn’t. But the type of candle and the environment in which the candle is burned play a role in how much oxygen the flame receives. I have found that the more open to air the flame is, the better the candle burned. Taper candles are perfectly set up for this. Pillars and votive candles, on the other hand, typically begin burning beautifully, but as they burn wax and the flame travels down into the candle, the flame struggles to remain lit. Either the flame tunnels down the middle of the candle, melting very little wax and starving the flame of oxygen, or the flame melts too much of the wax, which floods the wick and extinguishes the flame.
So, how does one ensure that the candle flame gets the right amount of oxygen to sustain it? Look at the burn pool. The width of the tunnel created by the burn pool is usually determined by the initial burning of the candle. The burn pool, which is an expanse of melted wax on the candle’s surface, establishes the ultimate diameter of useable wax available to fuel the candle during subsequent burnings. The solid wax remaining around the outside of the burn pool will help the candle retain its shape. For this reason, I always tell my customers that beeswax candles are intended to be burned all evening, not just for a couple minutes and then extinguished. The combination of proper burning protocol and correct wick size should ensure that the burn pool reaches the desired width.
MOLDS
Candle molds come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. There are pros and cons to all of them, so I will share my own experiences to help with the decision-making process.
TIN MOLDS are some of the oldest molds that are still in use today. They are thin sheets of tin molded into shape and welded at the seams. The one problem I have with these molds involves the seams. Although the finished candle looks good and the molds work well, the seam is visible in the round molds. The rectangular molds, on the other hand, are perfectly suited, since the seam is hidden at the corner. One of the things I like about these molds is that a base is usually welded on as well. The base allows room for the wick to extend through the bottom of the mold, enabling the candle to sit perfectly upright and stable.
ALUMINUM MOLDS are molded rather than formed, which means that there are no seams. Because of this, all sorts of shapes are possible when using aluminum molds that can’t be made with tin. My favorite feature of these molds is that they have a molded chamfer around the top edge that gives the candle a nice finished look. Unlike the tin molds, the aluminum molds are formed without a base. With the wick sticking out the bottom, the candles will wobble a bit and lean ever so slightly.
SILICONE RUBBER MOLDS are the newest molds available. They can be molded into almost any shape and are flexible enough to allow for easy removal of the finished candle. These molds have the thickest side walls, which affect how the wax cools. I find that the silicone holds on to heat a lot longer, and for the larger diameter candles, this can pose a bit of a problem because the wax isn’t able to shrink as easily while cooling. I prefer this material for my taper molds, where the diameter is less than an inch (2.5 cm) and all the shrinkage can be accomplished in the height.
COLOR
Sometimes, it’s nice to add some color to the candles. With beeswax candles, this can be challenging on several levels. The first involves color theory, since beeswax is usually some shade of yellow. That yellow tint combined with red makes orange, with blue makes green, and with black makes olive green. Subtle colors, such as light blue, for instance, can be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. The yellow mixes with the blue to create a green shade. Adding additional color to make a darker blue will yield a candle that has a greenish tinge to it.
To counteract some of this color shift, I often mix our own yellow wax with some purchased white beeswax. I think of yellow beeswax as being a yellow-pigmented wax, whereas white beeswax is a pigment-less wax rather than white-pigmented wax. So, by blending the yellow wax with white, it is only diluting the yellow color, not changing it.
Candle dyes are what I use to color my beeswax candles. Candle dyes come in a variety of forms, including concentrated color blocks and chips, liquid dyes, and pigment dyes. I have worked with only the liquid dyes because they seemed the easiest to use and replicate. Liquid dyes are highly concentrated, which makes them very economical, but I have found that sometimes I prefer a very light color. For those times, I dilute my dyes with a vegetable or mineral oil.
I have been asked about using natural colorants in candles. Perhaps there are some that have been able to do this successfully, but I have not. Usually, the natural colorants are simply powders that are suspended in wax. Those particles then end up clogging the wick, which leads to a poorly performing candle. Also, some things are just not designed to be burned. Just because it is natural, does not mean it won’t be harmful once burned. I stick to the candle colorants that are specifically designed for candles; these colorants won’t clog a wick and are made to be burned.
HAND DIPPED CANDLES 
Hand dipped candles have been around forever, probably because they are easy to make. A leisurely afternoon can yield a couple dozen passable tapers, especially if they don’t have to be perfect. If the perfect taper is the goal, however, there is a bit more craft involved. I will first go through the basics, and then I will follow up with more details for how to achieve nearly perfect, beautiful candles.
Hand dipped taper candles are made from paper-thin sheets of wax that are added one layer at a time by dipping the wick repeatedly in hot wax. Most regular taper candles have 20 or more layers of wax. To achieve the best results, keep the following key points in mind as you prepare to make hand dipped tapers.
FIND THE RIGHT CONTAINER
To make hand dipped candles, access to a tall wax-melting container is essential. The length of the finished candle is limited by the depth of the wax in the dipping container. A coffee can, a container that many people already have around the house, works great. The only disadvantage to using it is that it will probably only yield a 3- to 4-inch (7.5 to 10 cm)-long candle. To make taller candles, look for a tall, narrow metal container. Something such as an asparagus pot works well. There are commercially available dipping pots that are really tall, and I used one early on, but then the challenge became keeping the wax evenly hot from the bottom to the top. This requires the use of an outer pot for the water bath that is also quite high. It doesn’t need to be as tall as the dipping pot, but the water level should reach at least two-thirds the level of the wax to ensure that the wax is hot from top to bottom.
HAVE A GOOD SUPPLY OF WAX
Also make sure there is plenty of wax on hand. Every time the wick is dipped in the wax, wax is removed from the pot. Once a few candles have been dipped, the subsequent candles will not be as tall as the first ones made. That means it is time to add more wax. I like to keep small pieces and flat wax flakes close at hand for these occasions.
In the above formula, I allowed a bit extra to tie a weight, such as a washer or nut, to the bottom of both wicks. This helps keep the wick straight through subsequent dippings. The extra weight will help to make a beautiful, straight candle.
WAX TEMPERATURE AND DIPPING METHODS
Temperature of the wax is very important. If the wax is too hot, the candles don’t build up properly or build up more at the top than at the bottom. If the wax is too cool, the candles will look bumpy and have an exaggerated cone shape. I keep the wax in my dipping tank (wax tank) at about 170°F to 175°F (77°C to 79°C) and this temperature range seems to work well for me. How the candles look will depend on wax composition, temperature of the wax, temperature of the room, and individual style. It is best to play around with different dipping rhythms. Try dipping slow on the way down and pulling it back out fast. Then, try the opposite. Leave it at the bottom for an extra second or two. See how the shape of the candle changes with a couple dips. Experimentation is the key.
CHOOSE AND PRIME THE WICK
Dipped taper candles are a bit more forgiving with wick size than pillar candles. I have used a variety of wicks and almost all of them have burned well. I generally use a #2/0 or #1/0 square braid wicking for my dipped taper candles.
I prime all my dipped taper wicks by dropping a good quantity of wick into hot wax and letting it absorb completely before pulling it back out again. I look at the bubbles, and once they stop, I wait a bit longer and then remove the wick. As it begins to cool, I untangle the mass and start to straighten it out. If I am dipping pairs, I use the following general formula to cut my wick into useable lengths:
PREPARE A PLACE TO HANG DIPPED CANDLES
Only one more thing is needed before the dipping can begin—a place to hang in-process candles while they cool. I like to use paint sticks. They have a width that allows the candles to hang far enough apart so they don’t to bump into each other, and the sticks are long enough that they can easily be placed across a box or between two chair backs, allowing the candles to hang freely.
EASY
HAND DIPPED TAPER CANDLES
1. When ready to begin, attach a nut or washer to each end of the primed wicks. Then, bend the wicks in half so that both sides are the same length.
2. Make sure that the wick is as straight as possible. Now, holding the wick at the bend, dip the wick into the wax. There is no need to do this quickly—I take 3 to 4 seconds to complete one dipping: 1 second down, 1 to 2 seconds at the bottom, and 1 second up.
3. Before moving on to the subsequent dipping, I wait until the wax changes color slightly, which takes 3 to 4 minutes. If I am doing multiples, I hang one up and move on to the others. By the time I complete one round of dipping all the wicks, the first one will be ready for round two.
4. Continue dipping until the candles have reached about 75 percent of the desired thickness. Wait for the wax to cool a bit longer, maybe 10 to 15 minutes, and then take a very sharp knife or scissors and cut the nut or washer off the end of the wick.
5. Complete a couple more dips to finish the candle and hang up to cool completely. If the dipping vat is on the stove, make the last dip a slightly hotter one (around 180°F [82°C]). The candle will be smoother and shinier, enhancing the overall look.
BIRTHDAY CANDLES
Birthday candles can be made a couple different ways. In essence, they are really thin taper candles, so they can be made the same way, stopping when the approximate diameter reaches 1/4 inch (6 mm). However, I prefer to make them to look more like the traditional birthday candles, which are squared off at the top and bottom. To achieve this, the candles are first dipped to a longer length and then trimmed to the desired length. Here is my technique.
EASY
HAND DIPPED BIRTHDAY CANDLES
1. I begin by using a slightly thinner wicking: #2/0 or #3/0. I cut and prime the wick and stretch it out as I did for the tapers. I don’t bother with a weight because I am only dipping them 6 to 8 times total.
2. Dip the candles 5 to 6 times and measure the diameter. If they are close to the thickness desired, dip one more time for good measure and let them cool until they just begin to turn from the pastel yellow to the more gold color, but are still a bit warm to the touch.
3. Use a scissors to cut the wick just above and below the desired length of the candle.
4. To make the 7-inch (18 cm) candles shown above, I cut my candles into 71/2-inch (19 cm) sections with a sharp pair of scissors. Then, I roll the cut sections between two sheets of wax paper on the table top to straighten and smooth the imperfections. The candles also need to cool a bit more before continuing to the final trimming.
5. Measure 7 inches (18 cm) from one end of the candle and with a sharp knife, cut into the beeswax while rolling it to cut the wax, but not the wick. Pull the little chunk of wax off the wick and the candle is completed. Repeat the process until the desired number of candles have been made.
MOLDED CANDLES
Candles have been molded since the fifteenth century. Candle molds were originally made from metal, such as pewter, tin, and later aluminum. A recent addition, silicone rubber, has significantly expanded the number of possible candle shapes. I have candle molds made from a variety of materials. In this section, I will go into making each candle using my favorite type of mold.
EASY
TAPER CANDLES
As far as candles go, molded tapers are by far my favorite! Over the years, I have made thousands of taper candles, easily and relatively effortlessly, using my silicone taper molds. Although metal molds were available, I made the decision to purchase the silicone ones instead because I had heard stories of candles not always releasing from the molds easily.
One of the reasons I like molding my taper candles instead of dipping them is that 100 percent of the melted wax can be used for making the taper candles. With dipped candles, I always need to have that reservoir of wax. Molding also allows me to make candles in different colors, tinting only the wax needed for a specific project.
1. Set up the molds by pulling a length of wicking through the bottom of the mold. I like to leave the wicking really long because the mold automatically re-wicks by pulling up the next candle length of wicking as the hardened taper candle is pulled up from the mold. The silicone mold holds the wicking tightly enough on the bottom, so there’s no need to apply any kind of mold sealer. To hold the wick taut at the top of the mold, I like to use traditional bobby pins.
2. Place the molds in something that will hold them upright without allowing them to bend. Once in place, I give each mold a quick spritz of silicone mold release spray. I have found that the mold release spray is more important with colored tapers than the uncolored natural tapers, as the colorant can sometimes stick.
3. Now, it’s time to pour the candles. For silicone candle molds, I find that the wax temperature needs to be quite a bit hotter than for other candles. I generally aim for temperatures around 190°F (88°C). Give the wax a final stir with the stir stick and pour the wax down the middle of the mold. Try to keep the wax from running down the sides of the inside of the mold, as those drips might cool more quickly and mar the finish of the candle.
4. Allow the candles to cool. I usually wait about 30 minutes before trying to unmold. As they cool, the wax will shrink and create a divot at the top. Top off the candles with additional wax as needed. Once that wax cools, unmold the candles and pull up on the wick to remove the candle. The wicking for the next candle will automatically pull up from the additional wicking below the mold.
5. If the candles are still slightly warm, I like to pull them out of the molds and hang them by the wick off the side of the mold until they have cooled completely. Move the bobby pins from the bottom of the cooled candle to the top of the mold and cut the wick to the desired length.
6. To finish the candles, trim the wick as close to the bottom of the candle as possible. Smooth and straighten the bottom by heating on an electric skillet or do what I do and use a candle fluter.
EASY
TEA LIGHTS
Honestly, before I started making beeswax tea lights, I really didn’t see the need to make them. At the time, I considered tea lights as purely utilitarian candles that were sold in bags of 100 for a couple dollars. Why would anyone buy tea lights made from beeswax? A wholesale customer insisted, so I made a trial batch. I used the clear polycarbonate tea light cups and the finished effect was magical. What surprised me even more was how long they burned. They burned brightly for 2 to 3 hours or more!
My technique for making tea lights is a bit more involved that other methods I have seen, but because I sell these, I want to make sure that there are no surprises when the end user burns them.
1. To prepare the tea light cups, use the hot glue gun to adhere the wick assemblies to the bottom of the tea light cup. Take care to make sure they are centered.
2. Arrange the cups up on the edge of the table. Make sure the wicks are relatively vertical. Slight adjustments can be made after the wax has been poured.
3. Check the temperature of the wax before pouring. With tea lights, it’s not as critical to get exactly the right temperature as when making other candles, but if the wax is too hot, it may overflow the cups more easily. If the wax is too cool, the surface may develop bubbles that will mar the top of the candle. I like to pour the first candle when the wax is around 170°F (77°C). The wax will cool as I continue to pour, so I stop and refill when it seems to be setting up a bit in my pouring pitcher. After pouring a couple tea lights, I nudge the wicks above the wax to make sure they are vertical and in the center and then proceed to pour wax into the next couple tea light cups.
4. Allow the candles to cool completely. Set aside for 1 day to cure before using the tea lights.
EASY
VOTIVE CANDLES
Together with tea lights, votive candles are the workhorses of the candle world. Votives are not intended to be burned by themselves, but should be set in a votive holder before lighting. This means that the candle should fit the holder reasonably well and the candle should be wicked so that the wax pool extends all the way to the edge. Most votives burn at least 6 to 8 hours.
1. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler or a wax melter. Do not melt beeswax directly on the stove, without the water bath. When I first started making candles, I used a clean coffee can set inside of a pot of water to melt my wax.
2. While waiting for the wax to melt, prepare the molds. If using metal molds, spray the inside with a mold release spray (silicone). Make sure to spray the bottom of the wick pins as well. Also make sure the pins are properly seated on the bottom of the votive mold.
3. Once the wax is completely melted, use the thermometer to check the temperature of the melted wax. I like to pour my candles when the wax is in the 160°F to 165°F (70°C to 74°C) range. If it is hotter than that, let it cool a bit before pouring into the molds.
Optional: Wrap a layer of felt cloth around the molds to insulate them. I also use a heat gun to heat the mold right before I pour the hot wax in, to ensure that the wax doesn’t harden too quickly where it touches the mold. Use the pouring pitcher to pour the hot wax into the molds.
4. Let the wax cool completely before trying to remove from the mold. Pull up on the wick pins to remove the candle and then tap the wick pin against a solid surface to dislodge it from the votive.
5. Thread a pretabbed wick up the hole left by the wick pin, trim the wick, and let it sit a day or so before doing a test burn.
PILLAR CANDLES
Pillar candles are the longest burning candles. Even shorter pillars measuring 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) have been known to burn sixty hours or more. They are well worth the investment in beeswax.
MODERATE
TRADITIONAL METHOD
1. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler or a wax melter. Do not melt beeswax directly on the stove, without the water bath. Check the temperature of the wax occasionally to make sure it does not get too hot. Remember, the required pouring temperature is only 160°F to 165°F (70°C to 74°C).
2. While waiting for the wax to melt, prepare the molds. If using metal molds, spray the inside with a silicone mold release spray.
3. Most pillar candle molds come with a hole at the bottom of the mold for the wicking to pass through. I find it is easiest to first dip a part of my wicking in beeswax and let it harden and then trim the end at an angle to facilitate threading the wick through the hole and far enough into the mold to be able to retrieve it from the open end. A pair of pliers can help with this if the mold is a bit deeper than can easily be reached.
4. Pull the wick so that it extends about an inch (2.5 cm) or so above the candle mold. A wooden dowel, toothpick, or even a bobby pin can be used to hold the wick in place and to keep it centered. Just wrap the wicking around the holder and make sure it is tight inside the mold, yet not stretching the wick. The bottom of the mold will also need to be sealed where the wicking extends through the mold. There are a number of products that can be used for this. My favorite is high temperature metal tape that I buy in the heating section of the home improvement store. Another sealer that I sometimes use is something called wick putty, which is malleable dough that conforms to the bottom of the mold and seals the mold around the wick, preventing the beeswax from leaking out the bottom.
5. Wrap the molds with a layer of felt cloth and set them in a configuration that will best facilitate the pouring of wax into the candle molds quickly and efficiently. I like to do a dry run with my pouring pitcher to make sure I don’t have to pour the hot wax from a point that is too high up because I have placed another candle in the way.
6. Once the molds are prepared, check on the wax. The target temperature should be in the range of 165°F to 170°F (74°C to 77°C). If it is hotter than that, let it cool a bit before pouring into the molds.
7. Use a heat gun to briefly warm the inside of all the pillar molds and immediately pour the wax into the waiting molds. Stop pouring when the wax is about a half inch (1 cm) from the top of the mold—do not fill the molds all the way to the top. Also, make sure there is enough wax in the pouring pitcher to fill the mold completely. The line between pours will be visible if the candle is poured in several stages.
8. Allow the candles to cool completely before trying to unmold. I like to do this the following day, especially when making a larger diameter candle.
9. To unmold, first take the tape or wick putty off the bottom of the mold. Then, lightly tap the side of the mold against a soft surface, rotating the mold while tapping. Once the candle is loosened from the mold, tug gently on the wick and remove the candle. If it isn’t cooperating, don’t force it. Put the whole works in the freezer and let it cool for an hour or so. Then try again. This trick should work. Trim the wick flush at the bottom and to a length of 1/4 inch (6 mm) at the top.
10. The bottom of the candle may be bumpy and uneven. To fix that, I like to use a dedicated electric skillet to melt the bottom of the candle. Start with the temperature of the skillet on low and see if that will melt the wax on the candle. Electric skillets vary by manufacturer, so a bit of experimentation is necessary. If low doesn’t melt the wax, increase the temperature until it starts to melt the wax relatively quickly. Place the candle in the skillet and spin it so that the high points in the candle bottom become more evident. Failure to do this will result in a leaning candle that will burn unevenly. Once the bottom is smoothed out and even, let it cool slightly and then clean up the edges by running fingers around the edge to get rid of errant bits of wax.
11. Now comes the hard part: the cure. Wait at least a day or two for the candles to cure before lighting them. That will allow enough time for the beeswax molecules to align and settle down. With pillar candles, a burn test is imperative to make sure that the right wick size is used. It could take five or more tries to get the wicking right.
ADVANCED
QUICK COOL METHOD
I just recently discovered this method for making pillar candles, and it has changed my life. Rather than making sure that the candles cool as slowly as possible and monitoring them for cavities to be filled, the quick cool method relies on a fan to remove the heat from the surface of the candle molds. The candles cool on all sides rather than just the top. The wax shrinks just enough to prevent cavities from forming on the inside and the candles can be unmolded after only a couple hours. This is not the same thing as putting the candles in a cold environment to cool them quickly; instead, you simply remove the hot air that surrounds the candle.
This technique requires quite a bit of experimentation and knowledge of how wax responds as it cools, so I consider this an advanced technique. I recommend that novice pillar candle makers use the traditional method first to acquaint themselves with the candle making process.
Most of the steps involved with this process are the same as with the traditional method, but instead of insulating the molds, the fan is used. This technique requires quite a bit experimentation to get the setup right. The resulting candles are a bit thinner than the more traditionally made ones because the wax is allowed to shrink, but once the kinks have been worked out, this method produces an equally nice candle.
To set up the candle making area, I arrange my empty prepared molds in a line perpendicular to where my fan will be. The fan placement will vary depending on how powerful the fan is and how far from the molds it is. My fan is an inexpensive small stationary fan that I place approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) from the molds. I use the lowest setting and check the air flow with a thin strip of paper. The paper moves when it is in the range of the air flow of the fan. Once the fan is in the right location, I temporarily turn the fan off and then turn the fan back on after I fill my molds.
1. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler or a wax melter. Do not melt beeswax directly on the stove, without the water bath. Check the temperature of the wax occasionally to make sure it does not get too hot. Remember, the required pouring temperature is only 160°F to 165°F (70°C to 74°C).
2. While waiting for the wax to melt, prepare the molds. If using metal molds, spray the inside with a silicone mold release spray.
3. Most pillar candle molds come with a hole at the bottom of the mold for the wicking to pass through. I find it is easiest to first dip a part of my wicking in beeswax and let it harden and then trim the end at an angle to facilitate threading the wick through the hole and far enough into the mold to be able to retrieve it from the open end. A pair of pliers can help with this if the mold is a bit deeper than can easily be reached.
4. Pull the wick so that it extends about an inch (2.5 cm) or so above the candle mold. A wooden dowel, toothpick, or even a bobby pin can be used to hold the wick in place and to keep it centered. Just wrap the wicking around the holder and make sure it is tight inside the mold, yet not stretching the wick. The bottom of the mold will also need to be sealed where the wicking extends through the mold. There are a number of products that can be used for this. My favorite is high temperature metal tape that I buy in the heating section of the home improvement store. Another sealer that I sometimes use is something called wick putty, which is malleable dough that conforms to the bottom of the mold and seals the mold around the wick, preventing the beeswax from leaking out the bottom.
5. Once the molds are prepared, check on the wax. The target temperature should be in the range of 165°F to 170°F (74°C to 77°C). If it is hotter than that, let it cool a bit before pouring into the molds. (See step 1 shown here.)
6. Use a heat gun to briefly warm the inside of all the pillar molds and immediately pour the wax into the waiting molds. Stop pouring when the wax is about a half inch (1 cm) from the top of the mold—do not fill the molds all the way to the top. Also, make sure there is enough wax in the pouring pitcher to fill the mold completely. The line between pours will be visible if the candle is poured in several stages.
7. Make sure that the stationary fan is in the correct position and turn it on.
8. The wax on the top of the candle mold will start to solidify soon after the wax is poured. Once most of the top has skinned over, after about 5 to 10 minutes, I rotate the mold about a third of the way. After another 5 to 10 minutes, I rotate the candles another third of the way in the same direction. I keep checking and turning at regular 5 to 10 minute intervals until the molds feel cool to the touch.
9. At this point, the wax will be pulled away from the sides of the candle mold and the wax height will have shrunk down slightly from where it was when the wax was poured initially. It should now be safe to unmold the candle. I untape the bottom and carefully remove the candle. Take care to ensure that the wick stays put; the inside of the candle may still be quite warm, so the wick may pull through instead of staying inside the candle. Once the candle is removed from the mold, allow it to cool completely before finishing it using the same technique as with the traditional method.