I’m not sure how it started—maybe a catalog in the mail. I didn’t know anyone else who did it, although most everyone seems to like them. I do remember that my love for them started in childhood.
It was the third or fourth grade. Our teacher gave us each an empty, half-pint milk carton, with a thin string threaded from the bottom and up through the top, and a piece of gum. While we chewed the gum, she gave us some crushed ice, which we put in through the drinking spout of the carton until it was full. She then had us take out our gum and press it firmly against the bottom of the carton, where the string was knotted.
She then poured melted wax in until the carton was full. When the wax had hardened, we were allowed to tear open the milk carton and see our candle.
It was amazing!
The ice had melted as the wax had hardened—and vice versa—making a candle full of holes! I took it home and put it on my dresser and when I went to bed, I asked my mom if she could light it for me so I could read for a while before going to sleep. She agreed, but made me promise not to fall asleep with it burning. I promised.
The candle was mesmerizing; as it burned, the light shone through the holes, turning them into tiny caverns—it seemed truly magical to me!
I awoke in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke and the sight of flames shooting up the wall from my candle—unfortunately the wall behind my dresser was paneled and was burning quite well.
I’ve never been careless with a candle since then. I’ve also never stopped loving them!
I soon found that I could make some pretty good candles without a lot of fuss, experience, or expense. (And even better than the “magical milk carton” one!)
Candle making is a hobby that requires only a minimal amount of equipment to start:
- Large cooking pot (the kind you might use to make soup or a lot of pasta)
- Melting pitcher (this is something you purchase from a candle-supply company, hobby store, or the like)
- Candy thermometer (big size)
- Stirring sticks (I use chopsticks, which you can buy in bulk cheaply.)
- Wax
- Wick and wick holders
- Scents and colors as desired
- Molds or jars
You can also invest in a double boiler if you don’t have one. I use my large pot, an upside-down pie pan (the kind with little holes all over the bottom), and a melting pitcher. The point is to melt the wax without it actually coming into contact with the heat source. (Wax is extremely flammable, and care must be taken not to overheat it)
There are many types of candles: votives, pillars (different sizes and shapes), tapers, floating candles, container candles, and so on. For a beginner, floating candles are the easiest, since they’re thin enough not to require a second pour.
The “second pour” thing isn’t a big deal once you get the hang of it, though … it’s mostly just a bit more work, and timing is important.
Containers are a good next step, as they do not require removal from a mold, and imperfections are less noticeable. Votives and pillars would be next. I’ve found that metal molds are easier to deal with than any kind of plastic. Tapers have to be dipped, which is difficult even for experienced candle makers.
Don’t be afraid to be creative. I’ve put jewelry and collectable coins inside of candles (as a gift for kids). As long as the heat won’t destroy it, you can put it inside a candle—just for decoration or for a gift-inside-a-gift!
The funniest candles I’ve made—and the most beautiful—didn’t even require melting. Beeswax sheets are available in a multitude of colors, and with a little patience, can be rolled into candles of just about any shape or size.
They’re great for holidays, kids’ crafts, gifts—and they burn so well (if they’re rolled well enough) that there’s not much but the wick holder left after the candles are gone! (You can also take pieces of the beeswax sheets—and maybe contrasting colors—and mold with your fingers to decorate your candles after you’ve rolled them.)
If you’re interested in trying candle making yourself, go online, or to your local library, and find some specific instructions for the kind of candles you want to make. Most companies that sell the supplies also have instructions that come with those supplies, as well as idea books.
Shop around: I’ve checked the prices of some online dealers, and they are not all the same. You may have to experiment with different companies since quality may not be the same either.
Buying wax from a company where it has to be mailed to you can be expensive—the shipping is costly because of the weight of the wax. Also, not all waxes are the same, so you might have to try more than one before you get the results you want. Hobby stores often sell a good, all-purpose wax, which is all I have ever used.
Remember: No one ever has to see your mistakes because you can always re-melt!
