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Making candles is easy, fun and profitable Anyone can make candles. That's the fun of it! The equipment needed can mostly be found around the house and with a little supervision, even children can create their own masterpieces. And when it comes to materials - the waxes, molds, wicks, perfumes and colors - take a look at any of the companies who advertise on this page and you'll be amazed at what is available. Making your own candles can save you a fortune! If, like me, you use a lot of candles, but like to burn ones that look good, you'll know that they can be pretty expensive to buy. Hand dipped candles can be particularly costly. But they are so easy to make for yourself! Candle making satisfies your artistic and crafting passions And think of the money you'll save on gifts! You are limited only by your imagination because even the most impressive candles that you can see on sale in gift stores are within your reach with a little practice. Everybody loves to receive a candle as a gift. they are always in fashion and can evoke any kind of sentiment, from the religious to the romantic or even the outright frivolous. Young or old, men or women, a candle always makes a perfect gift. Candle making is an inexpensive hobby to get started. There are so many different molds available for your candle making that the only limit is your imagination. Candle making is far easier than you'd expect. The basics are very simple to learn. Of course, once you've mastered the simple principles involved you will soon want to expand your knowledge and experiment with more complex creations of the candle maker's art.
At its most basic, this is how to make your first candle:
You will need:
* Candle-maker's wax. This is paraffin wax and can be easily purchased from craft suppliers. For ease of use, the granulated kind is excellent.
Note - paraffin wax on its own is a little too soft, so candle makers add a small amount of a harder wax called stearin to it at the rate of one part stearin to eight parts paraffin wax. Check with your supplier if you need to buy the stearin because some paraffin waxes from craft stores are already pre-mixed.
* A wick.
* A simple mold. The botton 4 inches of a standard cardboard milk carton will do fine.
* A toothpick.
* A small blob of plasticine.
* An old glass bowl to melt the wax in \(it is very hard to remove the wax afterwards, so make sure it isn\'t your best one\).
* An old teaspoon to stir the melting wax.
Method:
1. Put some water in a saucepan to boil.
2. Place the old bowl over the saucepan and pour in your granulated paraffin wax \(plus the stearin if you need it\) and allow it to melt. Do not allow water to get into the bowl.
3. Meanwhile, make a small hole in the center of the base of your milk carton mold and feed the wick through it. Tie a knot underneath to stop the wick from pulling out and seal the hole with the blob of plasticine on the outside of the carton.
4. Attach the wick to the toothpick and rest it across the open top of the carton.
5. When the wax is fully melted \(if you have an old thermometer that you don\'t mind getting all waxy, the wax will be ready when it gets to 182 degrees F \(83 degrees C\) very carefully and slowly pour it into the mold. If you are doing this with children, make sure to supervise carefully. Fill the mold to within half an inch of the top.
6. Set aside to cool and solidify.
7. When it is completely cold and hard, cut the wick\'s knot off of the bottom and remove your first candle from the mold.
Congratulations! You are now a candle maker!
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