Post by Mysti on Jul 5, 2007 15:01:55 GMT -5
Basics of Wax
Most candles are made of paraffin. Your probally familar with the little blocks of it you can get in the supper market for canning jelly, but this is definitaly the expensive way to go. You should order large blocks from a candle supplier, it's much, much less expensive. Wax from the supplier comes in 11 pound cakes, and you can order half a cake if you don't plan on makin a lot of candles. Don't get confussed about the melting points in the catalog -- go by the description of what you want and you should be fine. Paraffin burns cleanly, easy to color and usually doesn't drip. It's also much cheaper then beeswax, unless your lucky enough to know a beekeeper.
Beeswax has a wonderful fragrance of its own, is a natural product, burns cleanly, and can be easy to work with when you use roll up sheets. You can buy beeswax in cake form, usually in 1 pound blocks, or in the decorative honeycomb-pattern sheets. On the down side beeswax does drip and is hard to color due to it's natural honey color. It also can be extermly hard to remove for surfaces do to its stickyness.
Supplies
To melt and work with any kind of wax, you'll need a few basic tools that will need to be
decated to you purpose - not magickal dedcation, because you don't want to cook with waxy
pots and pans.
You'll need:
~Old double boiler or medium saucepan you don't need anymore
~Large Coffee Can (or #10 food can) one intact and one end opened
~Wax (duh)
~Large Knife
~Several unwanted hot pads
~Assorted molds of whatever shape you want ( You can even use old milk cartons!)
~Braided & paper-core candle wicking (string only looks like you can use it DON'T)
~Crayons or commercial dyes
~Essential oils or Commercial fragances
~Herbs
~Some heavy washers
~Ice pick
~A package of mold sealer puttey (non hardening modeling clay will melt)
Note about wicking:
There are many shapes and sizes on the market, and there are really only a few things you
to know. If you need to wick to stand up on it's own before you put the wax is poured, use
paper cored wick or, if you preffer wire core be sure that there is no Lead in the wire. The
only rule about flat or square braided wicking is "the thicker the wick the thicker the candle"
Use thin wickin for small candles and dipped tapers, thick wicking for Large molded candles.
However if you plan on multi-wicking a candle then use medium-wieght instead of thick.
Getting Started
The following method of melting wax should be used for anykind of wax. Use your large knife to break up a large cake of wax into 2-3 inch chunks. On the stove, place the coffe can inside you boiler and fill the can with the wax chunks. Then fill the boiler with water so that you have two inches before you get to the top and turn the stove to medium heat. As the water starts to boil the wax will really start to melt, turn the heat down to low and keep an eye on your wax. The water should be at a low boil and the wax should continue to melt. If the heat is too low, the wax will start getting a thin skin at the top - that's your cue to turn up the heat just a bit.
Here is a Trio of Safety rules:
1. Don't let the water boil too violently
2. Never let the pan boil dry
3. Never leave the hot wax alone on the stove, as it is very flammable and, if overheated, will burst into flames.
Check your wax, melting chunks as needed to fill your mold. More the better here - you can always reduce extra wax, but you can't fill a mold with nonexistent wax. Add your dye (or crayons) and sent (or essential oils) when the wax is all melted, stir well to blend the color and scent. When your mold is ready, turn off the stove, grap the can with two pot holders and slowly pour the wax into your mold. That's all there is to it! All thats left is to let the wax cool completely and remove it from the mold.
THE PROJECTS!
Ebmellished Novena
This is as easy as it gets for the candle part, plus you have the fun of picking the images to attach to the glass for a beautiful stain glass window effect. If using a premade candle, you'll only need the frist three items on the list.
You'll Need
~ Meduim-weight wicking
~ Small stone or large washer
~ Heavy Glass jar or premade plain novena candle
~ Penicl or stick wider then mouth of jar
~ Wax enough to fill the Jar
~ Crayons or dye (Optional)
~ Japaness rice paper, colored tissue paper, gift wrap, silk flowers.. ect
~ White glue or decoupage medium
If your making your own jar candle, tie the wicking to the stone or washer Drop it into the jar so that is it centered and tie the other end to the pencil so that the pencil sits across the mouth of the jar. Melt the wax, add dye or crayons, stir and pour in wax slowly. (Pouring too quickly can cause the wick to be off centered or even cause the jar to crack) Allow to cool and cut the wick.
Use a variety of papers, silk flowers, ect to decortate the glass; attach them with glue or the decoupage medium however you like. My examples use torn bits of tissue paper, torn scrapbook vellums, and silk leaves. Don't worry about the paper catching fire, the glass will never get that hot.
Rolled Beeswax Tapers
You'll need:
~Knife or Scissors
~Light to Med weight wicking
~Beeswax sheets, any color or pattern
~Ruler or straight edge *Opp
Cut the wick about 1 inch longer then the short side of a wax sheet and lay the wick along the edge. Curl the edge carefully over the wick and press into place, then begin rolling into the taper. If you are having problems like the wax is cracking then the room is too cold, if your fingerprints are being mushed into the wax then the room is too warm. Test the size of you candle in a taper candle holder, cut off the extra, and press on the edge frimly to make it stay.
To get a little more creative, try rolling two or more diff colored sheets together, using a ruler cut the sheet on a angle to make a spiral candle, or experment with flared edges.
COLOR CARVED LOTUS PILAR
Any design can be craved into a candle, but be sure you are getting a candle that has ben over dipped with white or a darker color then the inner wax. You can make your own overdipped candles by dipping a white candle of any shape in to a colored wax of your own choice. The number of layers should be numberous, but go by you own instinct.
You'll Need:
~ Overdipped Candle, about 4-inch for this craft
~ Paper Towel
~ Pencil
~ A small U-gouge hand craving tool
Lay the candle on the paper towel. Lighty draw the pattern provided or one of you choice on the candle with the pencil to make an ultra fine line. Follow the line with the gouge, altering the angle of the balde as needed to create a graduated groove. Go slowly and take tiny shavings with each pass. If you rush or dig too deep you with break the wax and ruin your design, cut your self, or cut too deep in the wax. By taking little by little you can see when you are getting to the white or lighter color of wax, then you can make a nice transition. Once you are done, gently pick off any loose wax and gently buff the candle with a towel or stocking
Most candles are made of paraffin. Your probally familar with the little blocks of it you can get in the supper market for canning jelly, but this is definitaly the expensive way to go. You should order large blocks from a candle supplier, it's much, much less expensive. Wax from the supplier comes in 11 pound cakes, and you can order half a cake if you don't plan on makin a lot of candles. Don't get confussed about the melting points in the catalog -- go by the description of what you want and you should be fine. Paraffin burns cleanly, easy to color and usually doesn't drip. It's also much cheaper then beeswax, unless your lucky enough to know a beekeeper.
Beeswax has a wonderful fragrance of its own, is a natural product, burns cleanly, and can be easy to work with when you use roll up sheets. You can buy beeswax in cake form, usually in 1 pound blocks, or in the decorative honeycomb-pattern sheets. On the down side beeswax does drip and is hard to color due to it's natural honey color. It also can be extermly hard to remove for surfaces do to its stickyness.
Supplies
To melt and work with any kind of wax, you'll need a few basic tools that will need to be
decated to you purpose - not magickal dedcation, because you don't want to cook with waxy
pots and pans.
You'll need:
~Old double boiler or medium saucepan you don't need anymore
~Large Coffee Can (or #10 food can) one intact and one end opened
~Wax (duh)
~Large Knife
~Several unwanted hot pads
~Assorted molds of whatever shape you want ( You can even use old milk cartons!)
~Braided & paper-core candle wicking (string only looks like you can use it DON'T)
~Crayons or commercial dyes
~Essential oils or Commercial fragances
~Herbs
~Some heavy washers
~Ice pick
~A package of mold sealer puttey (non hardening modeling clay will melt)
Note about wicking:
There are many shapes and sizes on the market, and there are really only a few things you
to know. If you need to wick to stand up on it's own before you put the wax is poured, use
paper cored wick or, if you preffer wire core be sure that there is no Lead in the wire. The
only rule about flat or square braided wicking is "the thicker the wick the thicker the candle"
Use thin wickin for small candles and dipped tapers, thick wicking for Large molded candles.
However if you plan on multi-wicking a candle then use medium-wieght instead of thick.
Getting Started
The following method of melting wax should be used for anykind of wax. Use your large knife to break up a large cake of wax into 2-3 inch chunks. On the stove, place the coffe can inside you boiler and fill the can with the wax chunks. Then fill the boiler with water so that you have two inches before you get to the top and turn the stove to medium heat. As the water starts to boil the wax will really start to melt, turn the heat down to low and keep an eye on your wax. The water should be at a low boil and the wax should continue to melt. If the heat is too low, the wax will start getting a thin skin at the top - that's your cue to turn up the heat just a bit.
Here is a Trio of Safety rules:
1. Don't let the water boil too violently
2. Never let the pan boil dry
3. Never leave the hot wax alone on the stove, as it is very flammable and, if overheated, will burst into flames.
Check your wax, melting chunks as needed to fill your mold. More the better here - you can always reduce extra wax, but you can't fill a mold with nonexistent wax. Add your dye (or crayons) and sent (or essential oils) when the wax is all melted, stir well to blend the color and scent. When your mold is ready, turn off the stove, grap the can with two pot holders and slowly pour the wax into your mold. That's all there is to it! All thats left is to let the wax cool completely and remove it from the mold.
THE PROJECTS!
Ebmellished Novena
This is as easy as it gets for the candle part, plus you have the fun of picking the images to attach to the glass for a beautiful stain glass window effect. If using a premade candle, you'll only need the frist three items on the list.
You'll Need
~ Meduim-weight wicking
~ Small stone or large washer
~ Heavy Glass jar or premade plain novena candle
~ Penicl or stick wider then mouth of jar
~ Wax enough to fill the Jar
~ Crayons or dye (Optional)
~ Japaness rice paper, colored tissue paper, gift wrap, silk flowers.. ect
~ White glue or decoupage medium
If your making your own jar candle, tie the wicking to the stone or washer Drop it into the jar so that is it centered and tie the other end to the pencil so that the pencil sits across the mouth of the jar. Melt the wax, add dye or crayons, stir and pour in wax slowly. (Pouring too quickly can cause the wick to be off centered or even cause the jar to crack) Allow to cool and cut the wick.
Use a variety of papers, silk flowers, ect to decortate the glass; attach them with glue or the decoupage medium however you like. My examples use torn bits of tissue paper, torn scrapbook vellums, and silk leaves. Don't worry about the paper catching fire, the glass will never get that hot.
Rolled Beeswax Tapers
You'll need:
~Knife or Scissors
~Light to Med weight wicking
~Beeswax sheets, any color or pattern
~Ruler or straight edge *Opp
Cut the wick about 1 inch longer then the short side of a wax sheet and lay the wick along the edge. Curl the edge carefully over the wick and press into place, then begin rolling into the taper. If you are having problems like the wax is cracking then the room is too cold, if your fingerprints are being mushed into the wax then the room is too warm. Test the size of you candle in a taper candle holder, cut off the extra, and press on the edge frimly to make it stay.
To get a little more creative, try rolling two or more diff colored sheets together, using a ruler cut the sheet on a angle to make a spiral candle, or experment with flared edges.
COLOR CARVED LOTUS PILAR
Any design can be craved into a candle, but be sure you are getting a candle that has ben over dipped with white or a darker color then the inner wax. You can make your own overdipped candles by dipping a white candle of any shape in to a colored wax of your own choice. The number of layers should be numberous, but go by you own instinct.
You'll Need:
~ Overdipped Candle, about 4-inch for this craft
~ Paper Towel
~ Pencil
~ A small U-gouge hand craving tool
Lay the candle on the paper towel. Lighty draw the pattern provided or one of you choice on the candle with the pencil to make an ultra fine line. Follow the line with the gouge, altering the angle of the balde as needed to create a graduated groove. Go slowly and take tiny shavings with each pass. If you rush or dig too deep you with break the wax and ruin your design, cut your self, or cut too deep in the wax. By taking little by little you can see when you are getting to the white or lighter color of wax, then you can make a nice transition. Once you are done, gently pick off any loose wax and gently buff the candle with a towel or stocking