How to Make Votive Candles

Votive candles are simple, yet beautiful. These candles are often used to accent a center piece or design. Often it entails more than one votive candle, but not always. Votives are very cost effective because they burn for about fifteen hours. Votives must have a holder as they are not safe to use as a free standing candle.

Many individuals choose to use votive candles in their jack-o-lanterns at Halloween because they burn for a long time and illuminate the entire face of the jack-o-lantern. They are also one of the easiest types of candles to make. For beginners in the area of candle making votives provide a great learning experience to learn the basics of the candle making process.

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To get started, you will need to gather your votive candle items. This includes wax, molds, a double boiler, and a thermometer. You will need to have wick and wick tabs for votive candles. The wick tabs serve as a base for the candle. You can choose to purchase dye and fragrance if you wish for your votive candles. To ensure your candles will form properly in the molds, consider investing in mold spray to keep them clean and lubricated.

Once the wax has melted, add in any colors and fragrances. Immediately pour the melted wax into the molds, filling them to the lip of the mold. For easy clean up, place old newspaper under the wax molds before you pour the wax into them. You will need to save about 20% of the melted wax for the next pouring process.

While the wax is cooling in the molds, prepare your wicks. Attack a wick several inches longer than the mold to a wick tab. Dip the wicks into the hot wax. Keep an eye on the votive molds as they won’t take as long to cool as other types of candles. Once you can tell the wax is starting to harden, insert a wick with the tab into each mold through the bottom. As the wax continues to cool, it will meld to the metal tab, ensuring it stays in place at the base of the candle. As the candles cool, make sure your wick is staying in the center of the votive.

Once the wax has completely cooled, you will notice a sink hole in it due to shrinkage. You will want to pour melted wax into the molds again to remedy this. Make the wax about fifteen degrees hotter than the original wax you used to fill the votives. After the candles have completely cooled again, they will slide out of the molds easily. Trim the wick to about ½ an inch from the top of the candle. For safety, you will want to use a votive holder that is an inch or two taller than the candle itself.

Votive candles add class and charm to any home or special occasion. They are fun and simple to make. You can add any color or scent to your votive candles to add a personal touch to them. Votive candles burn for a long time, making them a worth while candle to use. They also make excellent gifts. To make the process even less expensive, look for votive candle holders at thrift shops and yard sales. You can further personalize your votive candles by applying pretty ribbon with a hot glue gun around the rim of the votive candle holder.

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How to Make Column Candles

Column candles are very similar to taper candles, but they are wider and usually shorter. The top of column candles isn’t pointed like on a taper candle. Instead, it greatly resembles the top of a volcano. Column candles are very pretty and distinct. They have a classic look to them that is timeless. These candles have a ridge design rather than a smooth design like the column candles. They add beauty and charm to any environment. Making your own column candles is very easy.

Column candles burn for hours on end, making them a great investment of both your time and supplies to make them. On average, column candles burn for 35 hours. Column candles do not produce smoke or dripping, making them very popular. Some people experience frustration looking for holders to put their column candles in. They will fit all standard tea light holders and spiked base holders.

You will need some basic items to start making column candles including wax, molds, wick, color, and fragrance. The fragrance is option, but definitely adds appeal to your column candles. To melt the wax properly, you will need a double boiler. You will want to make sure you use high quality paraffin wax to make your column candles. Bees wax looks beautiful, but does not hold up well with the structure of the column candle. Too much heat will cause a column candle made of bees wax to ooze all over, creating a mess as well as a candle that isn’t too pretty to look at.

To ensure the design of your column candles is perfect, coat the inside of the molds with a special spray for them. You can also get the same results using a non-stick cooking spray. After you have melted the wax, dip the wick in it. You will want the wick to be several inches longer than the top of your mold. Insert the wick from the bottom of the mold. Hold it securely in the middle of the mold by tying the top of the wick to a pencil that lies across the top of the mold.

This is the point in the process where you will want to add any color or fragrance to the melted wax. As soon as you have mixed it together, pour the hot wax into the molds. If you allow the wax to start cooling before you pour it the candles will have lumps in them. You can remove your finished candles from the molds as soon as they have completely cooled. Snip the excess wick to about 1/4 inch of the top of the candle.

If you want to be more creative, you can add leaves or pressed flowers to the candles using a thin layer of decoupage medium onto the back of the object. Immediately press it onto the candle, holding it in place for a few seconds. To make ice crystal column candles, put crushed ice in the mold before adding the hot wax. For additional craft ideas, consider looking in a book or on the internet. You will find some really neat column candle crafting ideas that are quite simple to imitate.

Column candles are very unique in their look and appeal. You can make them without any difficulty. These candles make lovely centrepieces as well as personalized gifts. You can find all the supplies you need to make quality column candles at your local craft stores as well as on the internet.

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The Best Books on Candle Making

Making your own candles is a favorite craft and hobby many individuals. They find the process to be enjoyable and relaxing. Candle makers have been know to turn to their hobby in times of stress. For some candle makers, once they learn the basics they are ready for new challenges. Purchasing books on candle making can provide you with everything from basic instructions, tips, and creative ideas to make beautiful candles. Most candle making books offer wonderful illustrations as well as step by step instructions.

The type of book you want to purchase will depend on your candle making experience, the types of candles you are interested in making, and if you are making candles for fun or to sell. Take the time to explore what each book has to offer you before making a purchase so that you won’t be disappointed. You might also check with your local library for books on candle making. If you find one there you really like then you have the option to purchase it. You can also find great discounts on used candle making books online at Ebay and Yahoo Auctions.

“The Candle Maker’s Companion” by Betty Oppenheimer and Deborah Balmuth is considered to be the “must have” candle making book. It offers information for everyone including beginners and advanced. Another great choice is “The Encyclopedia of Candle Making Techniques”. This book has gotten rave reviews for providing quality information in an easy to understand form.

For those of you who have a solid foundation of basic candle making processes, consider trying “The Complete Candle Maker Techniques, Projects, and Inspirations”. The book offers great photos of forty different candles you can make. There are step by step instructions to help you make any of them that interest you. This book includes great tips and points as well to help candle makers avoid the common mistakes that affect the results of their candles.

For those of you who enjoy making candles for special occasions and holidays, the book “Creative Candles: Over 40 Inspiring Projects for Making and Decorating Candles for Every Occasion” by Sue Spear is a great book to consider for your collection. This book features candle making ideas for Halloween, Easter, and Christmas. There are also ideas for creating candles to use as center pieces and for wedding decorations.

If you are interested in doing candle making with your children, “Great Candles” is especially designed with fun candles that are easy to do with them. The book is also written in a way that children will be interested in reading it as well. The internet is a great resource to find other great candle making books to meet your expectations.

Candle making is a great pastime. You can educate yourself on the areas of candle making by exploring various books. There are books designed for all candle making levels of expertise as well as on particular themes of candles and types of candles. The market is flooded with resources in the area of candle making, so the process of tracking down a few good books on the subject should be easy as well as fairly inexpensive. Remember to check the library, local book sales, and yard sales for these books as well. Compare prices on-line to make sure you get the best price for the ones you are interested in.

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