HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CANDLES
By: Ken Charnly

If you want to create a romantic atmosphere from time to time in your house, or if you like the perfumed scent some candles have and you can't always afford to buy them, you have to know that you can make them yourself, with the help of some advice.

Candles are made from old burned candles or from new ones, bought in one pound packs; they are much cheaper that way. New candles are not made from wax as it is expensive and it leaves candles with a warm dark yellow shade. Still, it burns better without any smoke.

The candles will be melted in a recipient full of water. They will never be placed directly on fire, because it is dangerous.

At the same time we have to prepare the shapes the candles will take. We can make them ourselves or we can use boxes or paper glasses (like the ones from fast-foods that go with refreshments). We turn the shape upside down; we make a small piercing that will be used to keep the top of the candle separated from the rest of it.

The straw that will keep the candle burning can be taken from an old candle of can be made out of white cotton straw. We turn the shape upside down, and with a stick, pen or pencil we introduce the straw so that it is placed right through the middle. More precisely, we wrap the straw around a stick that will be fixed by the edged of the shape.

In order to color the wax we will use oil colors or coloring dust that is dissolved in the melting wax.

If we want a candle with horizontal lines, we will pour each line at a time in different colors, waiting each time for them to cool so that the colors won't mix.

After they are completely cold we can remove them from their shapes. If we can not do this, we will place them in the refrigerator and wait an hour or so, and remove them after that.