Candle Making

Candle Making

If someone ask me to make them a candle, I will try and do it.  This was one of the candles that I made for a client.  It is poured in a glass bowl and I must say, I had various issues before I could be satisfied with the result.

The bowl takes 4 liter of water, so I had to prepare 4 liter of melted wax.  That is a lot of wax!  But to my dismay, 4 liter wax was just to fill it initially.  I had to melt another liter to fill it up later when it cooled off completely.  It shrunk so much that I nearly panicked!

I had various things to think about, as logic told me that glass might crack under the heat.

The trick was ...

1. Place the glass bowl in the sink filled with warm water ... gradually fill the water while the bowl is in the sink.  If it floats, it's fine.
2. Heat the wax in a double cooker.  If you don't have one, a pot in a pot of water bringing to boil, will do the trick too.
3. Make sure you have a BIG ENOUGH pot for the total wax you have to melt ... no good if you have to melt a color and you don't have enough to complete your project.
4. Always melt extra, just in case the shrinkage is leaving a ugly hollow that needs to be filled up.
5. Pour the melted wax slowly into the already warm bowl, there will be no cracking.
6. The wick is the is always a problem and you might have thought that I forgot about it.  No, I only insert it later after I have poured my wax.  I thread my wick through a straw, with a knot at the bottom.  Then I push the straw in the middle of the melted and poured wax.  I make sure it sticks to the already setting bottom. It is easier to support the straw between two pencils or kebab sticks.
7. Once it is cooled off enough to touch, you can lift it carefully out of the cooled down water. 
8. When the top has set, then you can pull out the straw.  Don't pull the wick, as it will be a hard job to insert it again.
9. Once completely cooled, you must reheat the wax that is left over to fill in the hollow.  Be careful not to spill it over the brim of the first pour, as it might have pulled away from the sides and it will seep in and spoil your hard work.  (I know ... I had to redo mine because I made the mistake!)
10. Once cooled and set, then you can trim the wick.

Now I hope this will help you make your own round candle that will bring some glowing pleasure in your room.