Making a small container candle that doubles
as a decorative candle holder when the candle
has burned down can make a "little" gift into
something of longer-lasting value and sentiment.
So, here we have a "grubby heart candle" ...
it's a small candle with an elaborated
housing of sorts ... that being a recycled container.
Once the candle has burned, a votive will fit
inside the heart-shaped container, or, it can
be refilled with wax, or used as a decoration
filled with potpourri, etc.
(You can see where a votive will fit.)
The "grubby" look of wax can be an interesting
design and you'll be amazed at how quickly
this process goes. So, if you want to make a
small container candle in the shape of a heart,
you may try this "grubby heart candle."
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We'll start off with the can, which is a small
pet food can that has been "bent up" by hand.
Simply make a "pinch" in it to create a point by
pressing inward with hands wrapped around the
can. This makes the bottom of the heart shape.
The indent at the top of the heart requires a bit
more work ... you may find methods that work
better than the one I used, which was pressing a
stick into the can with some pressure to create
the indent with the can set on the floor.
For instance, the stem of a wooden spoon
... if you do this on the floor, then the candle
can't slip while you are trying to indent it.
Or, this can also be done by hand by bending the
aluminum. Some shaping and pressing can be done
by hand as well, until the desired shape is achieved,
as the aluminum has a bit of flexibility.
The next step is to "rough up" the can by crinkling
and applying some aluminum foil all around it,
like so ...
Now you are ready to give it a grubby covering.
First melt your wax and allow it to cool down
a little, using a fork to whip it a bit ...
The amount of wax to melt for this can vary,
based on how thick its applied. About a half
pound of wax pillar-type paraffin wax was
used for this candle. I used a very small amount
of a color block of "ruby" and a floral candle scent.
Of course, there are many color and scent options
that are suitable for this project, although I prefer
pastels for this type of design. After the wax has
melted, it needs to cool down a bit so it can be
whipped into a grubby mixture.
If you have read any material on how to make
"whipped cream" with wax, then you already know
how to get to this point. If not, then a quick
explanation is in order ... allow the wax to
partially cool, and then begin whisking or
whipping it. I use a fork to accomplish this,
as I find it to be easy and neat, without much
splatter, although some people like to use a
non-electric egg beater, and some may even
use electric egg beaters, which I have never done.
If you work your way around the edges of the
melting pot, pulling in partially hardened wax
from the sides of the pot, and continue to mix,
beat, or whip, you will end up with a nice,
fluffy mixture as the wax cools down.
An important note here is that when it has
reached this point, do not allow anything to
take your attention away from it, as you need
to work quickly before it hardens too much,
otherwise you will have start over by remelting
the wax.
I found the easiest way to get my first coating of
wax around the can was to "hold" the can from the
inside (fingers pressed up along the inside walls of
the can) and roll it around in my melting pot into
the whipped wax, working my way around the
can until it is completely covered. It's best to
do this with some newspaper or a large try
under the pot, as when you take it out, there
may be some wax droppings. Also, have an
old plate or pie pan ready so you can immediately
set it down somewhere safe.
Then, simply start "plopping" or "blobbing"
the wax onto the sides of the can with a fork
until it looks like this ...
After this has slightly hardened, you can trim
the sides by sliding a knife along the edges of
the can to remove the excess wax, remove the
can from the plate by putting your fingers *inside*
the can (do not hold from the outside,
as it will flatten your grubby work) ...
also you may need to slip a knife edge under
the can to remove it from the plate ... set it
down for a minute, put excess wax from
the plate back into your melting pot and place
the can back on the plate so you can do a bit of
over-pouring to make the finish "drippy" and smooth.
Secure your wick into the bottom of the can.
To over-pour, melt some wax and lightly
pour around the edges of the can, allowing
some wax to spill or splash onto the sides ...
Hopefully, you still have some wax left over,
as this can be used to line the inside (sides) of
the can with wax ... I did this with slightly
cooled spillover wax, but you can purposely
pour a bit of wax into a small plate or tray and
when it's pliable, take some strips and secure
them into the inside of the can along the sides.
This gives a smooth looking finish around the
inside top edge ... just a bit of detail work.
At this point, the candle container
looks something like this ...
After removing the waxed can from the plate,
you may find that some wax has accumulated on
the bottom of the can. This can be mended with
a flat-edged knife ... simply scrape the wax off
the bottom until it's smooth, being careful along
the sides so the can will sit level ... in other words,
do not remove too much on one side or the other.
For the candle part, I used soy flakes ... sorry,
I did not weigh them, but the amount of
flakes I used took up about two and a half
to three times the volume of the inside of
the can (filled with flakes). If you find
that you didn't melt enough, melt a bit more
and add it before your wax starts to cool.
This completes my grubby heart candle!
Coming up ... "Version 2" ... similar designwith a slightly different technique!
Note: This type of candle should be placed on a
protected surface even when it is not burning,
as scented oils can damage finishes.
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