Make beautiful candles at home

If you love candles then making your own candles would be an exciting craft. Candle making is an old craft that is still alive today. Making candles is a creative, fun, and an easy to do. Not to mention there is no end to the various decorating possibilities that can be created. Candles are the most easy and inexpensive way to decorate your house and even work place. 

Few tips for making candles:

• The basis for all candles is wax, and depending on the type of wax candles you want to make you will need to collect paraffin wax, bees wax, soy wax, or candle gel.

• If you have wax candles that no longer can be used, can be a good place to start. Not only can you use the wax from these candles you can also use the wicks if they are in good condition.
• To melt wax you will need a wax melter which is a seamless durable pot with a secure handle.

• For taper candles you will need a dipping frame; this will keep the wicks taut while they are being submerged.
• When making taper candles you will need a wick rod for holding wicks in place while the wax is hardening. Instead of a wick rod try using a wooden skewer or even a pencil to do the same job. This is cheaper and it will work just as well.
• Do not forget to lay in a supply of wicks, candle dyes, fragrances, molds (this is optional), and candle wax holders. Maybe you have some China tea cups and China tea pots; these are also beautiful candle holders.
• When putting together your candle making kit you will need supplies for decorating, cutting, and holding things in place. Some good supplies for this would be a glue gun, hair dryer, ruler, paper, and a cutting board. A knife and some scissors will also come in handy too. You will also want to keep some tape, straight pins, and a few close pins handy to.
• One of the most important things that you will want to have around is a fire extinguisher, because if the wax gets too hot it can become flammable!
• Your kit should contain some spoons, cookie cutters, polymer clay, and leaf and flower cutters. You can make decorative leafs and flowers to add to your candles, and you can create polymer clay decorations to enhance your candle.

Steps to make candles:

•  Easy Beginner Candle: Dip the wick in the wax, and let it cool. Repeat. Do this until you have a candle size of your choice.
• Candles Using the Molds/Containers:  Pour the heated mixture into the molds.  Cut the wick approximately one inch in length longer than the mold. Place the wick in the mold straight, as you carefully pour the wax into the molds/containers.  Glass jars are also an easy, excellent container touse that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy touse for candle making.  After the wax cools in the container, it will sink around the wick. Reheat the left-over wax and pour it into the concave area. Let cool.  This is how you can easily enjoy your homemade candles!

Precautions while making candles:

• Waxes used in making candles are very similar to cooking oils, they are flammable and they are poured at a high temperature. By taking certain precautions, accidents will be avoided.
• For safety, wax should be melted over boiling water in a double boiler. Wax should never be heated directly over an open flame or burner. Direct heat can cause was to explode, resulting in serious injury.
• Use of an accurate thermometer is advised to ensure proper wax pouring temperature.
• Never leave hot wax unattended. Keep young children away from the area where wax is being melted and poured. Remove container of molten wax from the heat if you plan to leave the room for any reason.
• Never pour water on a wax fire. Water will cause the fire to spread. To extinguish a fire, cover the pan with its lid. Use a dry chemical fire extinguisher if available.

Just be creative and you will find that not only is making candles practical, but it is a lot of fun too. As you can see, the variations of candles you can make are only limited by your imagination and your willingness to experiment.

(Sources: happynews.com, googobits.com, hawbay.com.au)