All about candle making

Candle-making is a fun creation. In this article, you will learn all about making candles with your own hands at home. We will tell you where to start work, what is needed for this, what recipes and types of candles exist, how to decorate finished products.

Making a wick is one of the most difficult and important moments in candle making. It is this detail that ensures even long-term burning of the product without fumes and soot.

When choosing a wick, be sure to take into account what material the candle will be of.

• A wood wick is suitable for a wax lamp. This is a thin sliver, treated with wax. When smoldering, it emits a pleasant aroma, and the flame burns with an even, beautiful light. A wax candle will last much longer with a wooden wick than with another.
• For other types of products, it is recommended to use a wick, which consists of natural threads. Cotton yarn perfectly absorbs the melted candle material and delivers it to the flame, ensuring stable combustion.
• For an expensive refined item, it is advisable to choose a high-quality cotton or hemp wick. They differ in the type of weaving.
• Flat woven wicks made from individual fiber bundles are great for loose, tapered, cylindrical, and round candles. They burn evenly and gradually.
• Square knitted wicks, round in cross-section, are best for natural beeswax products.
• Reinforced wicks made of cotton threads with the addition of particles of zinc, tin, ceramics, are good for gel and stearin candles in transparent containers.

The size of the product also plays a big role when choosing a wick. The larger the candle, the wider the cord and the thicker the yarn from which it is knitted.

• A wick made of yarn woven from 21 strands or more is suitable for candles larger than 7 cm in diameter.
• For products of medium thickness, from 3 to 6 cm, - a wick from 12 threads.
• For thin, up to 3 cm in volume, - a cord of yarn up to 12 threads.

The thickness of the weave is also an important detail. For candles made from natural wax, you need a cord made of loose, bulky yarn, where the threads are loosely tied. For products with the addition of synthetic materials, a wick with a dense, rigid and tight weaving is used.

You can buy a high-quality wick in shops for handicrafts and creativity, in a bee farm.

To get started, stock up on the necessary tools and supplies.

The list of what you will need is quite extensive. Particular attention should be paid to the shape for the candle. It can be any container that can withstand heating up to 100 degrees. A silicone baking dish is ideal for creating baked goods, but if you don't have one, a little life hack can help make other containers more convenient to work with. Treat the walls of the product with a thin layer of vegetable oil or dishwashing gel, and you will remove your candle from any container without problems. These include:

• plastic molds for making soap;
• children's sandbox molds;
• glass and metal jars for tea, coffee;
• canned food containers;
• packages from juice or dairy products;
• glass vases, glasses, wine glasses.

In addition, other things will be needed.

• Dishes. To create a candle at home, you need an aluminum saucepan and a steam bath to melt the raw materials. A good melting container will come out of an old tin can.
• Stick and weight for dipping the wick into the molten mass. You can buy a whole set of wicks with weights at the candle-making stores, or use a simple pushpin for weighting.
• Paraffin, stearin, wax and helium. For beginners, experienced candlestickers are advised to buy less whimsical paraffin in the work.
• Dye for colored candles. For this purpose, regular wax crayons are suitable.
• Aroma oils to create products with pleasant aromas, peel from oranges, tangerines;
• Decor. Shells, rhinestones, coffee beans, paper napkins and many other accessories are suitable for decorating your work.

Remember to keep yourself and your workplace safe. On the surface of the table where you work, get a silicone mat - wax drops are perfectly removed from it. Be sure to use an apron and gloves to avoid scalding.

Scented candles will be liked by aromatherapy lovers. To make aroma candles, essential oil of flowers or fruits is added to the composition. Many of them have a wonderful soothing and healing effect, help to relax after day's worries.

Products with the following aromas will have a positive effect on the atmosphere at home and well-being:

• ylang-ylang will give you a positive mood and cheerfulness;

• bergamot soothes, envelops with bliss;

• cedar restores energy and strength;

• cinnamon helps to build self-confidence;

• wormwood is an excellent antiseptic and antidepressant;

• geranium relieves fatigue, relieves negative thoughts;

• eucalyptus makes breathing easier, creates an atmosphere of peace and grace;

• orange gives vigor, excitement, determination.

Favorite scents of many are "edible" aromas of vanilla, coffee, cinnamon, chocolate.They always set people up to be positive, improve their mood.

Here are some recipes for making homemade scented candles at home.

1. Melt the paraffin in a water bath.
2. Fill it halfway through the prepared form.
3. Lower the wick with a weight attached to a horizontal stick to the bottom of the container.
4. Add 3 drops of lemon essential oil to a saucepan of paraffin wax.
5. Pour the remnants of the melted mass into the mold.
6. Remember to check that the wick is in an even, upright position.
7. Wait until the paraffin has completely hardened and wrap the candle in plastic.
8. The scented candle is ready.

Prepare:

• steam bath dishes;
• essential oil of lavender;
• soy wax - 2 cups
• wick;
• thermometer;
• a jar for a candle.

How to do.

1. Melt the wax in a water bath and heat to 70 degrees.
2. Dip the wick into the container while the wax melts.
3. Remove the saucepan from the stove and cool the mixture to 50 degrees, and then add 2-3 drops of lavender to the wax.
4. Make sure the wick is level and fill the container with wax.
5. Wait for the wax to harden completely and use the scent accessory as directed.

You will need:

• beautiful glass jar;
• jute twine;
• floating candle;
• aromatic herbs: mint, lemon balm, rosemary;
• fresh lemon and lime;
• essential oil with the scent of lemon, grapefruit, lime.

How to do it.

1. Cut the fruit into slices.
2. Place the herbs in the jar.
3. Fill the container with water.
4. Place a few drops of the selected oils inside.
5. Dip the fruit slices into the jar.
6. Submerge a floating candle in the water and decorate the neck of the jar with twine.
7. A scented candle in eco-style will make a summer evening surprisingly pleasant.

Decorative candles are a must-have accessory in every home. Handmade candles bring an element of romance into our being, make life brighter.

To create such a candle yourself is to give yourself a lot of positive emotions. By following our master class step by step, you will make a gorgeous candle.

Prepare:

• the shape (ideally, if it is detachable, you can successfully replace it with a cylindrical box of Pringles chips or take a bag of juice or milk, do not forget to grease the walls of the mold with vegetable oil to remove the product without loss);
• paraffin;
• wax crayons;
• wick with a weight;
• stick holder for him.
• ice cubes.

Progress:

Step 1. Boil the paraffin wax in a water bath.

Step 2. While the material is melting, fix the wick in the correct position on the holder. If you want to create a colored candle, it's time to put the desired color of wax crayon in the melting paraffin.

Step 3. Remove the ice from the freezer. The more delicate you want to create the product, the smaller the pieces should be. Wrap the ice in a towel and break it into smaller pieces with a hammer.

Step 4. Pour the molten paraffin into the mold. Wait a while and drain the water formed in the mold.

Step 5. Open the form. Carefully tear open the box of chips or juice bag. Be careful: if you are using a container that cannot be opened, leave a long wick with which you can pull the candle out of the container while it is still fresh. This should be done carefully, openwork candles are very fragile.

Step 6. Wait for the candle to solidify completely and enjoy the self-made beauty.

There are options for creating decorative candles for every taste:

• multi-colored "puff" candles;

• coffee shops, where there is not only the aroma of natural coffee, but also decor in the form of coffee beans;

• from natural beeswax in the form of various figurines .;

• a wide variety of forms (in the form of sweets, a cup of coffee, flowers, fruits, desserts, bottles);

• you can create an original pumpkin candle by filling it with melted wax from an old candle;

• make in a beautiful bottle;

• in the glass.

The vocation of decorative candles is to decorate our home and create a good mood. It is unlikely that you will poison yourself with such a candle in a cellar or basement. For these purposes, you can create an "eternal candle" that can burn for at least 10 hours in a row. It will be useful to you on a hike, in the country, or in case of a sudden power outage.

To make such a candle, you will need:

• tall tin or glass jar;
• any margarine or combined fat;
• household candle.

Preparation method

1. Melt the fat in a water bath.
2. Pour it into the prepared container. Pour boiling water over glass containers.
3. Leave the fat to cool in a cool place. When the mass hardens at the edges, and the middle is still watery, insert a household candle into the center of the container.
4. Wait until the fat hardens completely and you can use the ready-made candle.

The black candle is used by lovers of magic rites. It can be made in the usual way by adding black shoe wax or activated carbon to the mass. Homemade black herbal candles with the addition of wormwood, lavender, St. John's wort are considered exclusive.

Soy wax can be used to make wonderful massage candles at home. They have an excellent therapeutic effect and are excellent for softening and moisturizing the skin. The wax, which melts at the temperature of a heated body, and a large amount of organic and solid oils in the composition of the products create a comfortable feeling of warmth, relieving fatigue and negative thoughts.

Making a massage candle yourself is not that difficult. A few simple recipes for creating massage candles will help you.

You will need;

• Avocado and shea butter -5%;
• Soy wax - 85%;
• Vitamin E oil solution - 0.2%
• ylang-ylang oil - 2%;
• patchouli oil - 2.8%;

How to do

1. Melt the wax in a water bath as usual.
2. Prepare the wick and lower it into the container, fixing the free end on the stick.
3. Add aromas to the melted wax
4. Pour the mixture into a prepared container.
5. Let the product harden.

You can decorate candles in a variety of ways:

• paint with sweet mastic or acrylic paints;

• decorate with cute satin bows;

• decorate with lace and jewelry for a wedding;

• make decorations from artificial spruce branches and New Year's decor for Christmas;

• use cinnamon sticks;

• create a "bloody" candle for All Saints Day;

• gild a candle with double-sided tape and sparkles;

• transform using decoupage technique;

• in the quilling technique;

• with the help of kazansha.

• use a slice of dried lemon, jute cord and star anise star;

• paste over with shells.

You can transform your work with dried flowers. Products with such decor look very gentle and romantic.

To do such things, you need to stock up on flowers, leaves, herbs and other gifts of nature with which you want to decorate your candles.

• The collected plants must be dried in a thick book, shifting with clean leaves.
• The dried flowers are attached to the candle using a hot spoon.
• When all the flowers are attached, the candle is dipped in pre-melted wax to fix the decor.
• A product with voluminous details - twigs, cones, shells - is dipped in hot wax several times.

You can make a creative decoration of the finished product using photography. This will be an unusual present for your family and friends.

To create an original gift, you will need:

• wax candle;
• Scotch,
• scissors,
• hairdryer;
• tracing paper or tissue paper;
• wax paper;
• a printer;
• paper for printer;
• suitable photo.

Progress

1. Perform a simple operation: attach the tracing paper to a sheet of paper for printing with tape.
2. On the prepared sheet, print a photo.To do this, put the sheet into the printer so that the photo is printed on the tracing paper itself.
3. Separate the tracing paper and paper carefully
4. Cut out the photo, leaving a small white border around the photo.
5. Hold the photo upside down against the candle and wrap it gently with wax paper. Make sure that the sheet does not wrinkle.
6. Heat the image with a hair dryer until the picture is bright and clear.
7. Remove waxed paper.
8. The candle with the original decor is ready.

Decorative carved candles are unusually good. The creation of such a work requires special skill. To create such products, you need a special shape in the form of a five-pointed star, acrylic varnish, paraffin dye and a special knife for cutting.

Next, see the candle making master class.