Candle Making Basics

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What should you do with left over wax? I suggest saving it for reuse later. Although wax is not that expensive, recycling is important. Plus saving your wax for future sessions gives you a supply of inexpensive wax to use for experimentation.

If you MUST throw your wax away, don’t toss it down your drain, it will clog it. Allow it to cool and then scrape it off into your trash. Also, be cautious with your boiling water as well. Chances are it has wax particles that can cause drain problems. Either toss it outside or let it cool so you can sift the wax out.

If you decide to keep your leftover wax, and I hope you do, make sure to label it so you know exactly what type of wax was used, what additives, how much dye, and how much scent. If you have a lot of left over wax, like you tend to when making dipped candles, I suggest pouring it into an old ice cube tray for cooling. This gives you fairly consistent sized chunks that are easy to store and easy to remelt for later.

As a cautionary note, do not try to reheat wax that has cooled in your melting vessel. This is dangerous, as the bottom wax melts much more quickly than the top, and this can cause a hot wax explosion.

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Votive candles are typically 2-3″ cylinders 1 ½” in diameter. Votives are meant to be burned in a container, as it melts it uses itself as fuel. Votives are great in small spaces or placed in clusters to get a certain effect.

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Tealights are small candles used to warm chafing dishes, aroma lamps, and the like. Smaller than a voltive, tealights are flat cylinders about 1/2″ high and 1 1/2″ in diameter.

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Taper candles are the most common candle shape, and are specifically made to fit into a candle holder. Most tapers are made by dipping, although they can be rolled from beeswax sheets or molded.

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Novelty candles are irregularly shaped candles made by pouring, molding or sculpting. Novelty candles are some of the most interesting, and profitable, candles.

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Pillar candles are made using a mold, and are a type of poured candle. Most often they are cylindrical, though they can be any shape. To be successful making pillar candles, it’s necessary to use a hard wax mixture that will stand up on it’s own.

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