Article courtesy of me.
Gather round, everyone! Hello and welcome to the Summer Faire.
I'm Morgan, the village candle-dipper, and I sell my crafts at faires; but this is a workshop about making candles.
Candles are easy to makes. Dipping them is probably the hardest way to make them; there are many other, much easier, ways.
For instance, look at this table in front of me. See this empty milk carton, and this can, and this glass? They can all become candles. Have a large quantity of wax in the color you want your candle to be, a piece of string as long as the container that you're pouring your candle in and a bit longer, a weight for the end of the string, and a container to pour your wax in. The milk carton, since it's waxed, makes square-shaped pillar candles, but many of the other containers are are permanent homes for your candles.
Once you've tied the end of the string to the weight, dip the string in the melted was. Don't leave it in too long, or it will build up too much, but make sure that the string is entirely covered in a thin layer of wax. This will be your wick. Without the wax, most string (at least, that which I've worked with) burns too fast. Lower the weighted end of the wick into the container, and pour the melted wax into the container all around it. Let it cool, and you have a candle in whatever shape and color you chose.
You can also add to the personalization of your candle by adding herbs and oils to the wax, but do excercise caution. There may be complications, such as herbs bursting into flame or oil going poof and spontaneously combusting. However, it will probably be all right, and dried herbs and flowers can make a candle very special. This is particularly useful in spell candles.
For a lacy look, when pouring wax into a container such as a milk carton that the wax will easily be able to slide out of when cool, put some ice cubes in just befoe pouring the wax. The wax will cool around the cubes. Be aware, however, that this can result in messy pockets of water in the middle of your candle.
Another way of making candles is to use sheets of rolled beeswax (many Pagans prefer beeswax because it's natural, but be aware that beeswax has the hottest melting temperature of most wax so it should handled with caution), essential oils/herbs, and a candle wick. Spread the oil on the beeswax sheet (oil first!). Then sprinkle on finely ground herbs (leafy ones could catch fire when you burn the candle). Place the wick on one end of the sheet of beeswax and roll it up. Once again, you have a candle.
And I'm sure you've all noticed that lovely kind of candle that has the pressed herbs or flowers very near the surface of the wax, but still underneath; well, there's a secret to them, and that secret is this. Have some tall candles that you've either already made or gotten from some other source, some pressed herbs of your choice, a tall glass jar (or other tall container), a pair of tweezers (not your best), and boiling water. First, fill the jar with boiling water. Dip one candle at a time into the water, holding it there for about ninety seconds (1 and 1/2 minutes). Then use your tweezers to press the herbs/flowers onto the wax. Make sure that what you choose to decorate the candles with is fairly flat. Once the design is complete (or the wax not soft enough to stick things to), dip the candle in the boiling water again. This covers the design with a thin layer of wax. The more times you dip the candle, the more wax will cover the herbs/flowers.
That concludes my workshop on making candles. Have fun with what you learned!
exits: Back to the Faire
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