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Re: Candle Making Response

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On 2015-10-07 13:14:17 +0000, chalet.bauhenia@gmail.com said:

> On Monday, 25 January 1999 10:00:00 UTC+2, Cyd  wrote:
>> Okay, I'll go from beginning to end with this one.
>> 
>> First, you need to get some of the proper equipment:
>> 
>> 	A double boiler setup (this can be achieved with two pots of differing
>> 		sizes, or a pot and a coffee can. Make sure it's a pot you will
>> 		NEVER use for anything else again, as it can get supremely
>> 		messy. A cheap aluminum pot can be gotten for only a few
>> 		dollars, and you won't have to worry about mess or expense)
>> 	A long handled spoon or utensil of some kind
>> 	Wax (you can get pre-colored wax crystals or solid wax from any craft
>> 		store or Wal-Mart)
>> 	A Mold (plastic is fine for short candles, but the metallic molds
>> 		are usually much better for tall candles, and they release
>> 		easier. However, they are more expensive, and dent easily).
>> 	Wicking Material (this can be sold in either pre-coated pieces for
>> 		short candles, or they are also sold in long uncoated pieces
>> 		or rolls)
>> 	Clay (a very soft clay, similar to a fun-tack consistency is good.
>> 		Plasticine is fine. Just buy a SMALL amount of this, it can
>> 		be reused over and over)
>> 	A pencil or stick (only if using uncoated wicks)
>> 	
>> Optional materials:
>> 	
>> 	Wax Color or Scents (purchased from any craft store)
>> 	Mold Release compound (purchased at SOME craft stores, hard to find and
>> 		easy to screw up with)
>> 	Candle Glaze (only if you REALLY want to hold the shape of the candle
>> 		afterwards and don't want to screw up the outside)
>> 
>> 
>> Step 1. Take your larger pot, and fill about halfway with water. Take your
>> 	inner pot or coffee can and insert into the pot at this point into the
>> 	larger pot to make sure it doesn't flow over the edge (displacement).
>> 	Once and if there is no overflow, put over the stove. Bring to a
>> 	boil. While boiling the water, take your smaller pot or coffee can
>> 	(VERY clean coffee can, please) and either pour your wax crystals into
>> 	it, or take small chunks of solid wax into it. Once full of wax (you
>> 	can fill all the way to the top, the wax will melt smaller than the
>> 	chunks were), put inside the larger boiling pot on the stove, and
>> 	use your long spoon to stir it around every few minutes to make sure
>> 	that all the chunks/grains melt. The grains are easier to melt than the
>> 	chunks, but the grains of wax are more expensive. If you are using
>> 	clear wax, you can add either color or scent to the wax at this point
>> 	(according to the directions on the color/scent package, different
>> 	types are different).
>> 
>> Step 2. While wax is melting, prepare the mold. If you have mold release
>> 	spray compound, spray the inside of your mold very lightly. Don't
>> 	put more than a light coating, or you will totally slime up your
>> 	candle. The less release spray the better. If you are using a double
>> 	sided plastic mold (usually the Candle Magic ones), they come with
>> 	their own peculiar directions as to how to use it, don't bother
>> 	spraying, and just follow their directions. If you have an acrylic
>> 	or metallic cylindrical mold, once you have sprayed it (it doesn't
>> 	require it, just makes life a little easier), take your wicking
>> 	material and insert it through the little hole at the bottom. Pull
>> 	the wick through the bottom, and on the OUTSIDE of the mold, secure the
>> 	wick with a little bit of clay. The size of the clay wad won't matter,
>> 	but you may wish to use only a small amount for conveniences sake,
>> 	since some of the acrylic molds aren't high enough off the base to
>> 	allow for much clay. MAKE SURE the little hole that the wick comes
>> 	out of is COMPLETELY COVERED with clay, or you may find yourself with
>> 	leaking wax everywhere when you pour the candle. On the open end of
>> 	the mold, pull the wick straight until it is taut, and then tie the
>> 	wick to a pencil or small stick that is wider than the base of the
>> 	mold. Now you have a mold with clay on the bottom, and a wick that is
>> 	stretched tight between the pencil and the hole in the bottom of the
>> 	mold (another way to do this is to tie the pencil FIRST, then stick the
>> 	wick through the hole and clay it over. This produces a tighter wick,
>> 	but makes it harder to stick the wick through the hole).
>> 
>> Step 3. Once the wax is melted COMPLETELY, remove the coffee can from the
>> 	pot, and pour into the mold, starting with the mold tipped sideways a
>> 	little bit so that it doesn't splash around, and then straighten out
>> 	the mold when it's a little filled, and fill it the rest of the way.
>> 	Don't fill it all the way to the top, you don't want to risk spills
>> 	in the first few minutes of cooling, if you have a dark colored wax,
>> 	it may spill on the rug (personal experience, the rug was never the
>> 	same after that, although ice helped a little bit to get the wax out,
>> 	the color never came out of the rug). Make sure to use potholders to
>> 	remove the coffee can from the pot, as much as wax is a lower boiling
>> 	point than water, it CAN burn, and the coffee can is almost guaranteed
>> 	to be hot enough to produce some nasty burns. (yes, I've made hand
>> 	dipped candles before, literally, by dipping my hand into the wax
>> 	several times over until it was thick enough to pour stuff into, but
>> 	I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't pain tolerant)
>> 
>> Step 4. Wait a couple of hours to cool. DO NOT STICK IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR
>> 	OR FREEZER TO COOL, since when you do that the wax cools much too
>> 	quickly and is likely to crack, producing a nasty looking candle.
>> 	After about an hour, check on the candle. There should be a depression
>> 	in the top of the mold, for a three inch wide candle, it may be about
>> 	an inch deep. Take your spoon and poke a hole through the top of the
>> 	wax skin that has formed on the candle. Once a hole is poked through,
>> 	pour some more wax until the depression is filled to the original
>> 	level. WAit another half hour to an hour, and repeat the process if
>> 	necessary. Let candle cool at least 6 hours, overnight is preferable.
>> 	Six hours is not always enough, 8 is very good, and the longer it
>> 	has a chance to cool, the better the result. Again, do NOT pull the
>> 	candle out early, since if it is still warm, it may stick to the sides
>> 	of the mold and ruin all your hard work.
>> 
>> Step 5. To remove candle from the mold, pull the clay off the bottom of the
>> 	mold first. Make sure all the clay is off, it will make your life
>> 	easier and you won't screw up the finish on the mold (makes later
>> 	candle making efforts easier). When the clay is off, turn the mold
>> 	upsideown over a soft surface (just in case it slides out too easily
>> 	and falls). If you used mold release, this should be easy. If not,
>> 	you may have to give the mold  a quick run under hot water, or a quick
>> 	dip in boiling water (a VERY quick dip) to loosen it. This is NOT
>> 	a preferable thing to do, since you can also cause the finish on the
>> 	candle to be marred or the wax to stick to the side of the mold if
>> 	dipped too long. If you leave the candle cooling for long enough, you
>> 	will have no problems whatsoever. If you have a metal mold, be VERY
>> 	careful not to ding it, because as much as it is easier to remove
>> 	candles from metal molds, it also becomes much harder if there is a
>> 	dent in the mold. A mold with the slightest dent becomes useless
>> 	scrap, because it will damage every other candle you ever make from
>> 	it.
>> 
>> Step 6. When the candle has been removed from the mold, trim the bottom of
>> 	the candle (which was previously the top of the mold), trimming the
>> 	wick as close to the bottom of the candle as humanly possible (or you
>> 	willget a candle that rocks). This can be done with a pair of scissors,
>> 	but if you want to get a really close shave, so to speak, use an
>> 	exacto knife. Then turn the candle right side up, trim the top wick to
>> 	about a half inch in length, and voila! You have your completed candle.
>> 	
>> Any questions?
>> 
>> Lady Celena (The unecessarily verbose...)
>> 
>> Takest out thy REMOVE to reply to me... Spammers be not welcome here...
>> Keeper of the Repository of Useless Knowledge
>> High Priestess of the Holy Flea Market, Amazon Huntress of Bargains
>> OtterPopperina of Sarcastica, Keeper of da Weezoh Chow
>> Official Rengeek and Wench #496, OOOO mistress, pouncer and pounced!
>> "You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means..."
>> 						-Innigo Montoya
> 
> o Can you help. I am trying to make candles motteld candles. I have 
> seen candles that have a motteling effect in a darker colour than the 
> base colour. How to they get that. I would like to send you a photo but 
> dont know how. Any Advice. Marinthia

You do realize you're responding to a posting 16 years old?

-- 
John W Kennedy
Having switched to a Mac in disgust at Microsoft's combination of 
incompetence and criminality.

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Re: Candle Making Response chalet.bauhenia@gmail.com - 2015-10-07 06:14 -0700
  Re: Candle Making Response John W Kennedy <john.w.kennedy@gmail.com> - 2015-10-07 12:34 -0400
    Re: Candle Making Response chalet.bauhenia@gmail.com - 2015-10-08 01:19 -0700

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