Candle Making Recipes for Beginners
Are you someone who has always wanted to make your own candles, but you didn't know where to begin? Everyone knows what a pleasant ambience candles create, but candles can be pretty expensive, especially if you're shopping for specialty candles with custom colors, shapes and finishes. If you don't have money to burn, use these candle making recipes to make your own candles for much less than it costs to buy them.
Balloon Candles
This is one of the easiest candle making recipes around. The only supplies you need to make balloon candles are a balloon, paraffin or candle wax, and a wick.
First, fill the balloon with water. That's right, make a water balloon! Candle making recipes are all about having fun. Secure the top of the balloon. Use a double boiler, an old saucepan or an old electric skillet to melt your wax, being careful to keep the wax between 165 and 185 degrees until it is fully melted. After the wax has melted, let it cool until it is just about to set.
Dip the water balloon in the melted wax, pull it out quickly and let the thin layer of wax on the balloon cool and set. Dip the water balloon in the wax again, and let that layer of wax set. Continue until you have a nice wax shell around the balloon, about 1 cm thick. Use several different colors if desired, alternating colors as you dip.
When you're satisfied with the outside of your shell, pop the balloon and remove it from the center of the candle. Slowly add warm wax to the inside of the shell, rolling the wax around the edges until it covers the interior. When you get to the last pour, place a wick in the center and pour the warm wax around it. Hold the wick in place until the wax cools enough to support it.
Beeswax Candle
The recipe for making candles from beeswax is even easier than the balloon candle recipe. All you need is a pair of scissors, one sheet of beeswax, and one cotton wick.
Fold one sheet of beeswax in half and cut it along the fold. Lay one of the cut pieces out and place the wick on the edge of the beeswax closest to you. Make sure half an inch of the wick extends past each edge of the beeswax sheet.
Slowly roll the edge of the beeswax over the wick. Press the edge of the beeswax with your fingers to seal the wick into place. The warmth of your body will melt the wax slightly and help seal the seam.
Continue rolling the candle slowly , rolling tight and straight. When you get to the end, attach the edge of the beeswax to the candle you've just rolled, again using your body heat again to melt the edge of the beeswax to the candle. Trim the wick flush at one end of the candle to form a base. Trim the wick at the other end to ¼ inch.
With these simple candle making recipes, you can master these basic candles and then go on to learn how to make candles more beautiful than you can imagine.
