[Nfb-krafters-korner] candle making

[qubit]

Hi Joyce --
I also appreciate your mail on the wax...

I did candle making way back when I was a child -- we did one type of candle 
that you didn't mention.
Once I visited a tourist place in Arizona where they had a candle making 
shop. They had an attraction there -- a half dozen large vats of melted wax 
of different colors.  You would buy a white stick candle that they had made 
previously and dip several times in one color, covering the entire candle 
except the wick on top, pulling it out to let it harden a little, between 
dips. Then you would dip in a second color, leaving the top third of the 
candle  exposed so it didn't get covered.  Then dip a ways down from that in 
a third color.  The result was a tri-color candle.
I don't know what hardness of wax they used, although the sticks were hard 
so I think the wax was hard also.

As for poured candles, I did that once too with a slightly different twist: 
back in middle school a class I was in made sand candles -- which is like 
any poured candle except it is made in a trough of sand.  You hollow out a 
hole in the sand, place 3 or more wicks in the hole and pour until the wax 
reaches the surface. Then you have a tri-wick candle that you can decorate 
as you like.  As I remember, this candle turned out nice, but did shed sand, 
so when I brought it home I had to put it in a plate before setting it 
anywhere.

So that's just some ideas.
This craft stuff brings back childhood memories.
Perhaps if you have kids, your own or visiting, you can entertain them with 
such an activity.

I've never tried a molded candle. That sounds like it would be fun.

Happy krafting all.
--le



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Blindhands at aol.com>
To: <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 10:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] candle making


Hi jean,

I will tell you a little, but probably ask you more.

It depends on what type of wax you want to use on the temperature you need
to get it up in order for it to melt.  It depends then on what is the best
wick to use with that particular wax.  Then another thing you need to be
aware of is these harder waxes[take higher temps to melt] and you can not
pour  it as a one time pour.  The harder waxes take longer to cool off and
harden  and in doing this they do not melt smooth across the top.  They tend 
to
sink in the middle generally where the wick is located.  They harden from
the outside to the middle.  With the harder waxes you then have to repour
to get a smooth top.

I used a one pour container wax that I found to be easy to use.  It is  a
softer wax and melts at around 120 or 130 degrees.  You do not have to  have
anything to melt this type of wax to measure how hot it is.  I used a
pouring pot that are readily available where you get your candle supplies. 
It
is a large enough pot to hold a couple pounds of wax with a handle on it 
that
 is heat resistant.  Now I would put the pouring pot into a sauce pan or
even a frying pan that had water in creating a double boiler and I used a
wooden  spoon.  Just by stirring it I could feel when it was melted enough 
to
pour.

I would use all different type of things to pour my candles in.   Example:
glass jars, ceramic bowls, coffee cups.  I loved going to a chain  of stores
here called Christmas Tree Shop and I would pick up sugar bowls and
creamers, holiday cups and glasses, salt and pepper shakers, wine glasses, 
tea
pots, etc.  Just let your mind run while on this.  I also would go to  a 
rest
aurant  supply store warehouse and I would find great bargains on  glass 
ware
there.  The person would go out in the ware house and sell me a  box of
sample wine glasses that they had one or two of or discontinued ceramic
pitchers for cream and fill up the box and charge me $10.  These wine 
glasses
were the samples the sales people would bring around to show off and  would
cost what I got the whole box for maybe 2 or 3 of these fancy  gglasses.

With the one pour wax you just pour it in and it hardens faster and does
not sink in the ccenter.

Now for color and fragrance.I found a place that had color chips.  The
Chips would color 1 pound of wax that color.  Since it was a wax chip to 
begin
with it was easy for me to cut in half or quarters to color smaller
amounts of wax.  I used a talking food scale to weigh my wax so I could 
color it
and add the proper amount of fragrance oil.  With coloring the wax  you need
to keep in mind if you are using a clear wax or a white wax.  My  one pour
was a white wax.  So that would dilute the color and I would have  to double
up to create a true color.  Example:  1 red chip added to  one pound of wax
would make pink wax, but 2 chips would give you the red.

When I started out I would get the fragrance in 1 ounce bottles.  So 1
ounce sents 1 pound of wax.  I also used a plastic  type of eye  dropper. 
It
was special as it measured larger amounts of fragrance  oils.  By using that
I could measure amounts out example 8 ounce candle wax  or 4 ounce and I
don't remember off hand how much of the  fragrance  I  needed for the 
smaller
amount but that is how I did the smellie stuff.

The last thing I would use was one of my suppliers had these long cotter
pins available that I would use to hold the wick in the center of the
candle.  I would use a blob of wax and put that on the metal tab on the 
wick and
stick it in the bottom of the jar.  My husband would use masking  tape and
tape the cotter pin across the center of the jar[or whatever I was  pouring
into] and that would keep it straight for me.

This was a long one and I can let you know the suppliers I got these things
 from, but need to look it up for you.

I use to get when I first started out 11 pound slabs of the wax.  That  was
enough to make  a good amount depending how large the glasses  were.

If you plan on making molded candles you need to use harder wax and that is
 a hole other story.

Joyce, Misty and the doxie kids!!!
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