Candle Making For Dummies

There are many different types of soy candle making supplies in the present market. Obviously, there are various factors like the equipment chosen, the type of dye, fragrance used and the kind of soy wax to be considered while ordering for soy candle making supplies. The right form of soy wax should be used to get effective output. They can be purchased in any kind of forms such as blocks, flakes or even slabs. For making less number of candles, flakes would be the best fit as they can be easily melted in the microwave and also easier to handle.

Wicks are the important consideration while making the candle. This will determine how well the candle will burn. The size must be appropriate to accommodate in the container. The best way to buy the exact wicks is through trial and error method. There are no appropriate wicks which can suit any type of containers. Different containers need different wicks.

The containers have got varying factors according to which they should be chosen. Jar candles are the most common ones found in the market. Apothecary jars have a classical look while jelly jars have the traditional and customary looks. For people, those who prefer to have modern looks will opt for Tureen jars and cube jars. They are more portable in nature.

Fragrance oils play a key role in making candles that emit sweet fragrance. Blueberry muffins, floral scents that have jasmine are some of the potential options. The availability of naturally available oil will give a natural and pleasant feel.

The color agents will determine the color to be applied for the candles. One may prefer to leave it as white in color. The presence of several dyes offers enormous choice of color options for the soy making candle supplies to use. There are specific color dyes made for soy wax. Some of them are dye blocks, dye chips or liquid dyes.

There are overwhelming options to choose for the soy candle making supplies. It is important to know which container can be conglomerated with what kind of wax. People can make ready made gifts with these options and it can be very well developed in to a perfect business idea too. One need not be an expert to make a perfect job and through experience he might learn the art of perfection.

The prominent ingredient in making candles is wax which is a hard material that has to be melted to give a proper shape. This material can be bought from all kinds of shops and is a very common product available in the market.

However, the preparation of candles involves some back breaking job. The process of creation has altogether taken a new dimension and the whole new brands of candles can be easily made. Candles play a vital role when ever there is a power cut and during the emergency times when people do not have the access to torches, lights etc. The process of candle making wax has undergone a tremendous change in the recent times. Various plant materials and vegetables such as palm, soy, and bayberry are being used as the raw materials in preparing this wax. Soybeans are hydrogenated to obtain the soy wax which is the most suitable form to prepare wax. They are eco-friendly in nature and burn completely.

Candle making business can be very profitable when people deploy pal wax as their main ingredient. It is a natural source available which is again an eco-friendly product. Beeswax is another major ingredient used and it is a type of animal wax. However, people have shifted their focus to the wax prepared from natural sources as they are harmless. The entire industry is gearing up to offer candles made from these elements and they come in various colors like, yellow, red etc. The price of the candle is very much dependent on the raw material used. Beeswax is quite expensive as they have extra-ordinary physical attributes in burning. They have a pleasant fragrance.

There is yet another way of preparing candles with the help of gel. The looks are very much rubbery and have got a clear texture. However, this material has more flexibility than the normal wax and cannot be used for preparing pillar candles. The gel is available in different densities. The selective kind of gel is dependent on the purpose and type of candles and their fragrance that would be made.

Candle making has become a prime time hobby for most of the people. It does not require hectic efforts and can be a fun loving job. People can present anyone as gifts or to keep it in the show case. How to make candles? This is a very simple question and one need not be an expert to do this stuff. Once learned, this can be a good time pass activity. Some of the basic requirements to be involved in this process are

• Wax
• Wicks
• Mold
• Wax melter
• A thermometer
• Extra fragrances
• Dyes and
• Putty

There are generally 3 types of wax available. They are

• Paraffin wax
• Soy wax
• Beeswax

So, one should decide the right kind of wax to start with the works. Paraffin was is the most commonly available wax and Soy wax is a natural product made from soybeans. It can be easily cleaned up with soap and water. Beeswax can be easily made by wrapping it around a wick and sealing it with the help of thumb. This does not require any melting.

• First spread a newspaper around that area and start melting the paraffin or kind of wax which should be double-boiled.
• Place a half filled pot on a burner and apply moderate amount of heat.
• Place a melter and drop the wax pieces into it.
• The wax gets heated and melted. Add some fragrances according to the desire.

The procedure to make molded candles is little bit different. The wick is to be cut two inches taller than the candle’s height and insert a thread through the hole at the bottom of the mold. Apply putty on the outside of the hole. Attach a pencil to the top of the mould and the wick is to be tied with this. Generally, heat the wax up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit if the mold is cardboard, plastic or glass. If it is a metal, then heat it up to 190 degrees. A thermometer is used to measure the accurate temperature here. On reaching the temperature point, the melter is lifted and now pour the wax in to it. It is
then left for 12 hours to cool and then refrigerate it for another 12 hours. Now the candle is made ready.

Soy candles are natural and burn cleaner then paraffin candle wax.  The popularity of them is growing.  Although soy wax is a little bit more expensive then paraffin wax, people who have used and made soy candles are quickly becoming addicted to them.

Soy wax is a vegetable wax that is made from soybeans.  The oil is extracted from the soybean flakes and hydrogenated.  The majority of the world’s soybeans are grown in the United States in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.  It is believed that soy candles burn cleaner then paraffin candles.  This is true to an extent.  All candles emit soot.  There is no way around that.  But, paraffin candles emit black soot while soy candles emit white soot.  While soot is not harmful to people, white soot is a little cleaner then black.

The only thing that is really different about making soy candles then paraffin candles is the wax.  They both use the same techniques and equipment.  You can use a double boiler to melt the soy wax.  A double boiler is a smaller pot with the wax is placed in a larger pot full of water that is placed on the stovetop.  Heat the soy wax to 150 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  Be careful not to keep the melted wax above 150 degrees Fahrenheit for too long because it could burn which will give the wax a yellowish appearance.  Ounce the wax is fully melted you can add the color you would like.  You can then remove it from the heat and add the fragrance.  It is best to use 7% fragrance by weight.  That simply means that for every one pound of soy wax, you can use 1.12 ounces of fragrance oil.  If the fragrance concentration is too high, it may bleed through the candle.  The soy wax can be about 140 – 150 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can then pour the wax into the mold to cool.  Be careful not to pour the wax at too low of a temperature or the candle could crack.  The wax should be between 95 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  You should also not use water to cool the candle quickly.  This could also cause the candle to crack.

Although soy wax candles and paraffin wax candles are mostly the same, there are a couple of differences.  Soy wax is a softer wax so it is not suitable for some types of candles.  For instance, soy wax does not work well when you are trying to make novelty candles.  It also do not work well for pillar candles.  You can also not make taper candles with soy wax.  Floating soy candles can be made if they are up to 3 inches in diameter.

If you can make candles with paraffin wax, you can make candles with soy wax.  Making candles is kind of like trying out a new food recipe; sometimes you have to try things one way then the other to see which works best for you.  The bottom line is that soy wax and paraffin wax both hold scent and color the same in candles but, it is great to learn how to make a new kind of candle and offer a variety in your candle making whether you are making candles for pleasure or a business.

Gel candles exude a beauty of a different kind when lit. These transparent candles glow and burn for longer periods, as compared to the wax ones. Gel candles are perfect for decorating your home or as gifts. If you are conversant with making gel candles, you can also start selling them, as homemade gel candles are very much in demand. You can enhance the beauty of these candles by adding some unique fragrances and embeds, like glitter, shells, glass beads, etc. It is very easy to make gel candles, provided you have all the materials required. Let us take a look at how to make gel candles.

Materials Required

Making gel candles is not exactly like making wax candles and so, the materials required are also different. You need gel, zinc wicks, fragrance or essential oil, liquid color dye and embeds, the last one being optional. You may not get all these materials from a local store. If you could not get these materials, go online and purchase them, or else buy a gel candle making kit. Such kits are very much suited for beginners, as these kits contain everything needed for making gel candles. If you are purchasing the materials from suppliers who do not specialize in the field of gel candle making, then you have to make sure that the colors and fragrances are suitable for gel candle making.

You should have some sort of container to pour the gel into. Glass is the best option, as it can display the transparency of the gel as well as the embeds. The containers should have a minimum diameter of 2 inches. If you don’t have a glass container, any non-inflammable container will serve the purpose. The same is applicable for embeds too. The materials should not be flammable. Unlike wax candles, zinc wicks are used in gel candles, as cotton wicks absorb too much gel. Gel candles are made of gel, which consists of 95% mineral oil and 5% polymer resin. The resin, which is in the form of a powder, transforms to a more solid state like jelly, when mixed with mineral oil. This gel comes in three different forms, according to the density. Namely low, medium and high density. As the density of the gel increases, it can hold more fragrance and embeds, but it takes more time for a thicker gel to melt and pouring thick gels is difficult, as compared to the lighter versions. However, unlike paraffin wax, gel takes very long time to melt.

How to Make Gel Candles?

You can make your own gel candles with the required material and a little patience. But the whole process has to to be done very carefully. The following are the various steps regarding how to make gel candles.

• You can start with adding some hot glue to the center of the container’s bottom. Now, stick the wick to the glue and let it set for awhile.
• In case you are making a scented wax candle, a double cooker is used to melt the wax, but it will take a very long time to melt the gel. Hence, it is better to use a multi cooker for this purpose. Even though a multi cooker is attached with a temperature control and heating element, it is advisable to double check the melting point and pouring temperature with a separatethermometer.
• Cut the gel into small pieces and let it melt in the cooker. Stir the gel with a metal or hard plastic spoon. Wooden spoons should be avoided as they can create bubbles in the mixture. Also make sure that you have a fire extinguisher handy, as the gel is more combustible than wax. The fire extinguisher should be the chemical kind and not the water kind, as water can augment the fire in this case. You must also use a heat-resistant apron and gloves along with safety glasses for fire safety.
• Check the temperature regularly and once it reaches 200° F, wait till the gel becomes smooth and syrupy. Now you can add the liquid dye, specifically meant for gel candles. Water-based dyes, paste dyes and color blocks can’t be used for this purpose, as these dyes won’t mix properly with the gel and can make the gel cloudy. Only a small amount of dye (less than a drop) is used to maintain the transparent look of the gel and also to make the embeds visible.
• If you want to make scented gel candles, you can add essential oil to the gel. You can also add fruit fragrances to get fruit gel candles. The fragrance you use should have a flash point of at least 170° F and should be non-polar, to avoid clouding the gel. It is always better to make sure that the fragrance is suited for gel candles, at the time of purchase. The recommended measurement is ½ ounce for one pound of gel. You can decrease or increase the amount as per the fragrance.
• Now you can pour the gel into the container. You can heat the gel in the microwave for a minute before pouring it, to avoid air bubbles. If you want any embeds at the base of the container, place them before you add the gel. Now pour the gel slowly into the container, and add the embeds, like fruit-shaped ones, shells, etc. Once the pouring is done, you have to quickly position the wick to the center of the container. Even the position of the embeds can be changed. It is always better for the embeds to be placed near the glass. Trim the wick and let the candle cool for at least four hours.

Your scented gel candle is ready. If you are satisfied with the results, you can practice till you find yourself conversant with the art. You can even get some gel candle ideas from the Internet or from your friends. Now splurge your creativity and create your own unique gel candles.

By Sonia Nair
Published: 8/25/2009