Making candles at home Part 1 - Floating, Gel & Container candles

Make candles at home with easy to follow recipes and instructions to make beautiful floating candles, gel candles, container candles and more (Following series). Make sure to pay more attention to capitalised sentences and cautionary statements in red as these are for your own safety and for tips in Yellow for making better candles.

Floating Candles Recipe

· · 1/2 pound (4oz or 125 g)
· · Candle wax
· · Candle dye
· · Fragrance of choice
· · Candle wick - medium lead free wire
· · 4 Suitable candle moulds (approx 2-3 in. diameter)

Prepare your moulds and centre your candle wick into the moulds. Melt the candle wax in the double boiler or tin can in a pan of water, on your stove top

over a medium high heat and add your colour one drop at a time until the desired tint is reached.

Remove the melted wax from heat, add fragrance, and allow it to cool for only 15 to 20 seconds. Now, carefully pour your wax into prepared moulds and allow to completely cool before removing from molds.

CAUTION: Never leave melting wax unattended on you stove top, when heating as overheated wax is flammable.

*****Floating candles in a clear bowl creates an extra special lighting effect. Using distilled water eliminates mineral build up on the side of crystal or glass, preserving its unique presentation of floating candles.

Container Candles Recipe

· · ¼ pound (4 oz or 125 g)

· · Candle wax (to fit 6 oz container size)

· · Wax crayon, colour of choice

· · Fragrance of choice

· · Candle wick 1 inch longer that the height of your container

· · Heat resistant glass container

· · Double boiler or suitable tin can in pan of water

Prepare your candle container. Centre your candle wick (I prefer medium lead free wire candle wicking) into your glass container. Let a drop or two of your favourite scent roll down the wick from top to bottom.

Melt the candle wax in the double boiler or tin can in a pan of water, on your stove top over a medium high heat, add pieces of your crayon and stir into the candle wax.

Note: The colour will intensify as the wax cools.

Remove the melted wax from heat and allow it to cool for about 1 minute. Then add 6 to 9 drops of your favourite scent to it.

Now, carefully pour your wax into prepared container. Reserve some of the wax - as when your candle cools it will shrink away from the centre around the wick. When it is cold you would want to reheat the reserved wax and pour into the depression around the wick to even out your candle top. Allow it to cool.

*****A candle will burn more slowly and evenly if it's refrigerated before using it. Wrap the candle in plastic or foil before refrigerating to prevent wicks from absorbing moisture.

Gel Candles Recipe

· · Measuring Cup

· · Scale

· · Wooden Spoon

· · Thermometer

· · Stove Top Pot

· · Fragrance

· · Colour

· · Wick and base

· · 25 Grams CP9000 Resin

· · 2 Cups Mineral Oil

· · Heat resistant glass container(s)

Mix Resin and Mineral Oil together. Let the mixed ingredients be set at room temperature for approximately 1 hour.

Then, heat that mixture to 200 F (Absolutely important - DO NOT GO OVER THAT TEMPERATURE.)

After approximately 1 hour the mixture will have the consistency of corn syrup.

Add fragrance, not more than 3% as adding to much will make the gel more flammable.

Add Colour.

Dip wick base in the gel and place it at the bottom of the container and hold in place until gel sets to the glass.

Now, pour in gel. If the gel cools slightly before you pour, you will get bubbles. The cooler the wax, the more bubbles.

IF YOU DO NOT WANT BUBBLES, THEN POUR YOU GEL IMMEDIATELY.

After candle has been set for approximately 3 minutes you can drop in NON-FLAMMIBLE objects ie. Artificial fruit pieces, sea shells, beads, seeds whatever.

****Keep lit candles out of drafts as drafts create large flames and thereby shortening the burning time.