candle making

tandraig

you actually burn those thick chunky candles??????????? I dont, I just decorate them with peel offs or gems or whatever and use them as ornaments. I burn the small scented ones yes, enjoy a bath by candlelight! but the really big ones - I thought were ornaments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sillyvixen

i've made 'cupcake candles' before, using left over candle stubs from the church candle lit carol service.. by cutting up and melting wax in a double boiler and colouring them by melting wax crayon into the mix (as i had candle stubs we were able to reuse unburned wick from the candle) i poured them into cake cases in bun tins and left to harden - once you remove the cake cases you are left with candles that will float in water.

shjo558

Just to add onto my earlier post, I used to buy wick in a craft shop - it's really cheap and sold by the meter.

I've also bought it on Ebay too.

sunshine6650

sillyvixen wrote: »

i've made 'cupcake candles' before, using left over candle stubs from the church candle lit carol service.. by cutting up and melting wax in a double boiler and colouring them by melting wax crayon into the mix (as i had candle stubs we were able to reuse unburned wick from the candle) i poured them into cake cases in bun tins and left to harden - once you remove the cake cases you are left with candles that will float in water.

This is really good they sell cheap silicon cases in B&M & £1 shop.

Lizbetty

tandraig wrote: »

you actually burn those thick chunky candles??????????? I dont, I just decorate them with peel offs or gems or whatever and use them as ornaments. I burn the small scented ones yes, enjoy a bath by candlelight! but the really big ones - I thought were ornaments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh no! You should always burn your candles, even the whoppers, and ENJOY them.

A bit like your posh dresses, and your fanciest jewellery, which you should wear as often as you can, rather than saving for best. Even when you feel like crap and it's miserable outside.

Never save anything for 'another day'! Every day should be considered special. xx

sunshine6650

Lucyeff,

i completly agree! you spend the most on 'best' things but never get the full value from them.

I bought some gorgeous candles last year from the good fairy who i seen on here (i now have ideas to make my own mind from this thread!!) shapes like big cakes & ice cream etc..they had a scent to them as well, i dint burn them as i would spoil the look & they are now discoloured, faded & not 1/2 as nice as when i got them & i really got no benefit from them!!

Im all for using things up now & using them as a no spend luxury...you already have them after all!!!

cant wait to make some now tho!!

x

sairy2005

I read somewhere (or heard, it might have be Kirsty's Home made Christmas) that you have to soak the wick in candle wax and let it dry before you make the candles. I have never done this but I must admit that my candles dont burn very well.
I will try it next time and hope I have more luck. At the moment I am using candle stubbs to light the fire

tandraig

but I LIKE my decorated candles and dont want to burn them! I burn the smaller ones which i havent spent ages decorating. my largest ones I have had for at least ten years. and they live on mantelpeice, and look pretty. to each their own, I suppose.

geordie_joe

Lucyeff wrote: »

Oh no! You should always burn your candles, even the whoppers, and ENJOY them.

I agree, a power cut is much more fun when you can sit and think "I burned all my candles last night when I could have put the light on, tonight I have no light and no candles".

Lucyeff wrote: »

A bit like your posh dresses, and your fanciest jewellery, which you should wear as often as you can, rather than saving for best. Even when you feel like crap and it's miserable outside.

I think there is a difference between using something that can be reused a multitude of times and using something that can only be used once.

If you wear your posh dress tonight it will still be wearable if you get invited to a party next Friday. But burn your candles tonight and you will have nothing if the lights go out next Friday.

Lucyeff wrote: »

Never save anything for 'another day'! Every day should be considered special. xx

That's fine, but only up to a point. If we followed your advice to the letter we would eat our xmas turkey on the day we bought it. Drink all the beer we bought for new years eve on the day we bought it too.

I don't see anything wrong with buying candles to use as ornaments then using them as ornaments. If you actually use them, then you either have to buy more, or live the rest of your life with none.

Kevie192

I am self-employed making and selling candles amongst other things and just wanted to warn you about melting down the candles you may already have. If you do melt them, I would HIGHLY recommend you make relief holes like this tutorial instructs you to. Otherwise, you'll have exploding candles on your hands!!

I would also say that melding down old candles isn't really suitable for filling containers - you need container wax for this. If you use the wax from old pillars, it will contract when it cools and won't adhere to the container and will come away easily. It could also create air pockets in the sides which means more exploding candles.

I'd also recommend using the correct kind of wick rather than one 'stolen' from a tealight or birthday cake candle... Wicks are all different sizes and you need the right one for the job or you'll end up with an incomplete burn or a candle that keeps putting itsself out.

Hope that helps. Please ask if you'd like to know anything else

Kevin x