Candle making

Candles are not hard to make: it's very like cooking - only no-one will ever complain about their taste! The following method is for moulded candles. You can also make dipped candles, but they are harder to do.

First the materials you will need:

Wax

This comes in various forms:
Beeswax is fairly expensive, but does make excellent canalised. Paraffin wax is much cheaper and freely available. It does need the addition of Stearin though, a hard wax that makes the candles smoother and harder. About 10% stearin to paraffin is ideal. You can also recycle old candles: Just remove the wicks and cut them into chunks. It is best to also add a little new wax to the old wax, add about a quarter new to old.

Wicking

This is a specially woven cotton thread. It is usually sold in a roll in various sizes. Chose the same size as the candle diameter (i.e. 1.5 inch wick for a 1.5 inch candle)

Molds

These come in glass or plastic. The glass ones are more expensive and are of course fragile. Plastic molds are perfectly fine, and come in a wider variety of sizes and shapes.

Pans/double boilers

You will need to heat the containers of wax in a pan of water. I don't bother with a double boiler (they're too expensive) Instead I use food cans!: remove the lid, wash them thoroughly and then bend the top into a sort of spout - this will help in pouring the wax. The advantage of cans is that you can heat several in the same pan of water, with a different colour in each can!

You can also buy special colours and scents for making candles. The blocks aren't too expensive, and will go a long way.

You will also need some sticks or needles and some bluetack (or plastecine).
The sticks are to hold the wick in the centre of the mold. The plastecine is to hold the other end in the hole at the bottom of the mold, and seal the hole itself (or all the wax will leak out!)

Finally you need a large jar or pan, as tall and wide as you mold. This is to hold water, and acts as a water bath to cool the candles down faster.

Method:

1. Put the pan of water on to heat (make sure it's big enough to hold all the cans you need)
2. Prepare the wax: You can check how much you need by filling the mold with the cold wax (it's best if you use the granulated sort) I find about 2-3 molds full will give you enough wax. (remember it shrinks as it cools)
3. Fill your prepare cans with the wax and put into the pan of boiling water. Keep the pan topped up with water and do not let it dry out: if you do the wax may overheat and you have a potential pan fire on your hands!
4. Allow the wax to melt slowly. Once it is liquid you can add the stearin (if you're using paraffin wax).
5. If you are adding colour you can do this now. Shave bits off the block and add slowly: remember the colour will be a little paler in the can than in the finished candle. Try dropping some of the coloured wax onto a cool, flat surface to get an idea of the finished colour.

6. Now prepare your molds: You can coat the inside with a thin coat of lubricant, this will make it easier to get the candle out of the mold later. I drizzle a little oil (cooking oil is OK) into the mold, and then wipe it around with a paper hankie - just like greasing a cake tin, only with less oil.
7. Cut a length of wicking the length of the mold plus several inches. Dip the end into the wax and allow to cool: this will act as a needle to make it easier to thread the wick into hole in the "sharp end" of the mold. Thread through about 2 inches, and secure it with the bluetack/plastecine, plugging the hole as you do so.
8. Secure the other end of the wick to a stick (I use old chop sticks cut to length) so that the wick hangs straight in the centre of the mold.
9. If you are using glass molds, it can be a good idea to warm the mold a little before adding the wax, to reduce the risk of it cracking.
10. Put the mold on a flat surface. It might be useful to have some one help you with the pouring.
11. Slowly pour the melted wax into the mold. Be careful not to get too many bubbles in the wax, and don't slop too much wax down the sides of the mold - it will be harder to get out later.
12. Let the candle stand a few minutes, then give the side a few gentle taps to encourage any air bubbles to rise out of the wax.
13. Put the candle into the water bath. The water should come to a bout 1 inch from the top of the mold. weigh it down to stop it floating.
14. Now leave the candle to cool for 1 hour.

15. After an hour the wax will have cooled in the mold. As wax cools it contracts, so there will be a "well" in the centre of your candle. Carefully break the skin of the cooling wax (you can use a needle for this).
16. Re-heat some more wax, and carefully fill the well through the hole you just made.
17. Replace the candle into the water bath, and leave for another hour.

18. Your candle should now be cool enough to come out of the mold. The wax should be solid to the touch, but still be a little warm. Remove the bluetak/plastecine from the "sharp" end of the wick. Now pull carefully on the other end (you can use the stick to give you purchase) There will be a vacuum, so you will have to pull fairly hard, but steadily. If the candle doesn't want to come out, try putting it back into the water bath - Some water will seep down the sides of the mold, and can lubricate it more. If the candle is Really stubborn you can risk heating the mold up a little in a warm oven for a few minutes.

19. Once the candle is out of the mold, you will need to finish it. This is mostly a matter of cutting off the wick from the bottom of the candle, and trimming the main wick. You can also trim the wax at the bottom of the candle to make it flat - it depends if it's going to go straight into a holder or not!

20. Finally, you can polish the candle to remove any "burs". An old pair of silk stockings (!) work brilliantly, or you could use a hankie if you're too shy!

It is best to allow your candle to 'rest" for 24 hours before using it. If you are going to use it for a spell, why not wrap it in a silk scarf of a corresponding colour and lave it on you altar overnight?

Now charge, carve, anoint and burn!

Good luck and happy spell working.