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Candle Making Instructions
Thousands of years after people first made candles for the main purpose of providing light, candle making has become a popular pastime, enjoyed for a variety of reasons. With basic candle making instructions on hand and just a few candle making materials, you can start making candles yourself as a creative hobby or as a fun craft to do with the kids. But don’t be surprised if you soon branch off into making candles as unique gifts for family and friends, or if at some point you consider even making candles as a source of income.
So, It’s Simple What You Need...
Because candle making is such a popular hobby, you’ll find most of the equipment and supplies you need – wax, molds, wicks, etc. – readily available at your local arts and crafts store. For the quickest, easiest start on candle making, look into getting yourself a candle making kit. Choose one that includes all the basics you’ll need to get going: paraffin wax, candle mold, mold sealer, wicks, wick rod, pouring pot, thermometer, and manufacturer’s instructions. Many kits will also include colorants and fragrance to add to your candles.
The only other equipment you’ll need is a skewer (a knitting needle, a chopstick, or something similar will do), a pair of scissors, and a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can fashion one for yourself by putting water in a pot and fitting a slightly smaller pot on top of it. When this set up of pots is placed over heat, the water boiling in the lower pot will melt the wax you’ve put in the pot on top.
And It’s Simple What You Do...
To make a candle, follow the manufacturer’s instructions that come with your candle making kit. In general, candle making involves the following steps:
- Prepare your candle mold. Insert your wick up through the bottom of your mold and pull it up to the top of the mold where you’ll tie it to your wick rod. Rest the wick rod across the top of the mold, then pull the wick taut from the bottom of the mold. On the outside of the mold, use your mold sealer to very securely cover and seal both the hole at the bottom and the wick emerging from it. This will keep melted wax from leaking out when you pour it into the mold. Trim the excess length of wick to about 1 inch.
- Melt your wax in a double boiler. Paraffin wax should be heated to a temperature of between 180–185 degrees F. Safety Tip: Never, ever leave melting wax unattended. Always use a candle making or candy making thermometer to keep check on the temperature of your wax.
- Add colorant and fragrance. If you want to make a color candle, add your colorant once your wax is melted and stir to blend it in well. If you want to make a scented candle, remove your wax from the heat source and then add your fragrance. Stir to blend well.
- Pour your melted wax. Slowly and carefully pour your melted wax into your prepared mold. Reserve approximately a quarter of your melted wax to pour later.
- Poke relief holes. When your candle has cooled enough to form a thick ‘skin’ across its top, use a skewer to poke relief holes so that air pockets don’t form inside your candle. As the candle continues to cool and the skin forms again, poke relief holes again.
- Do a second pour of wax. Once your candle has cooled completely, you’ll notice how it has sunken in the middle. This is to be expected and is the reason why you reserved some wax from your initial pour. Reheat this reserved wax as you did the first time. Carefully do your second pour to fill the sunken area and continue pouring wax until it reaches just shy of the top of the candle and no higher. Let your candle sit undisturbed until it’s completely cooled and solid throughout.
- Remove your candle from the mold. To finish your candle, remove the mold sealer from the bottom of the mold, and slide your candle out of the mold. Tip: If your candle doesn’t slide from the mold easily, placing it in the freezer for several minutes should do the trick.
- Trim your candle wick. At the end of the candle where you tied the wick to the wick rod, cut the wick flush with the candle. This end is actually the bottom of your finished candle. The other end that was shaped at the bottom of the mold is in fact the top of your finished candle. Trim the wick at the top end to between 1/4–1/2 inch.