Scented Crafts

Stacked Hearts Candle

2012-02-05T15:48:00.016-06:00

Stacked Hearts Candle

Let's say you have a particular shape
for a candle in mind ... like a heart
for instance, that you have found
appealing in the form of a mold,
or even a little porcelain jewelry dish,
such as I have and you would like to
make a candle out of it, but it's too
shallow to be a candle mold in itself ...
can a candle be made from this?
Quite possibly ... but in the form
of a stacked candle, since it's not
a tall enough mold to be a candle.

First, you must determine that the
dish will allow you to pour wax into
it that can easily be removed.
Once you know that you can do this,
you may proceed. For my candle, a
little bit of mineral oil was applied
to the inside of my dish before
pouring the wax.

Here are the three layers for my
candle ... each one in a different
shade of pink ...

Note that I was experimenting
with polka dots on the sides of
these, with some on top of one
of them ... the design on top
ended up being covered up in
the long run, but the dots on
the sides, which were "tap marks"
made with a piece of metal,
seem to have served well in
the end, creating a rough surface,
which you will see later.

Once these are made, you need
to pierce a hole in the center of
each one ... making sure you
have it in the same spot for each
piece. Pierce a hole into one
of them (with a heated metal rod),
then, before going onto the
second one, set the first layer
on top of the second and thread
the rod into the hole on the
top piece to make a mark in
the center of the second one.
This gives you the position of
your wick so all of the layers
will line up correctly when the
candle has been put together.
Repeat this process for the third
layer, using one or both of the
other pieces (layers) for
placement guidance.

Your wicking needs to be cut
longer than your candle height
so you have room to work ...
about three inches should be
enough. After you have cut
your wicking, dip it in wax to
prime it and then secure a
wick tab onto one end.

Here is the type of wick tab
I used for this candle ...

Now, stack the three pieces,
threading the wick through the
three layers, making sure you
have a nice fit and that all
of the layers line up.

Heat some wax ... sorry,
I did not record my temperature
this time around, but it's well-melted,
as it needs to be on the "hot side"
to serve as glue for the layers.
Place the candle on a ceramic or
metal plate and when the wax
has melted, pick up the top
two pieces (together) and pour
some wax between the bottom
layer and the middle, quickly
pressing the middle layer to
the bottom, doing the same
with the top layer and the
middle. Note that there is
going to be a pool of wax
on the plate from this,
which will need to be peeled
off of the bottom of the
candle when cool enough
to handle. Now the candle is
one piece.

If you wish to do a bit of decorating,
there are lots of different things
you can do at this point ... I went
with slightly grubby for this one,
as it seemed to bring it all together.
The flakes for the top were taken
from the candle itself in the form
of a little shaving off the sides to
even up the layers ... they were
applied to a bit of whipped wax,
with just a little wax poured over
them and lightly pressed into
the top of the candle. Flakes can
also be made from some of the
wax that dripped off into the tray
when the layers were being
"glued" together.

This example was the first candle
I made with this design, so I'm
curious as to some of the color
varieties I can try for in the future.
Heart candles are certainly not
only for Valentine's Day, so all
sorts of fun things can be done
with this design. This example
simply shows that you do not
necessarily need a traditional
candle mold to make a candle ...
shapes can also be cut out of
wax that has been poured into
a tray, making this a great project
for using up remnant wax ...
no need to throw old wax away
when there is opportunity to
make a candle!

Chimney Candles

2011-12-19T17:46:00.010-06:00

What a fun way to celebrate the season!
Chimney candles offer the glow of a warm
fire with the look of an old brick chimney
in the midst of a winter snow, dripping
with icicles and clumps of snow.

If you would like to make this type
of candle, you will first need a square
pillar mold about four inches tall ...
if you don't have one of these, you
can use a pint or quart milk or cream
carton with the top portion cut off.
Start the cut with a sharp knife
and then use scissors to snip off the
top of the carton. This should leave
you with a mold that is about four
or five inches tall ... make sure
it's clean and completely dry
before using it.

To achieve a deep, brick red,
a liquid concentrated dye works
best, but you can also mix the
color yourself ... whatever works
well for you. A deep color is
easier to attain if you use
concentrated liquid dye, but
you can also use dye blocks,
or a combination of the two,
which is what I have done with
these candles, which was a
mix of red, wine or cranberry,
and a hint of brown. My own
colors vary batch from batch,
to a reddish-wine color to
brownish-red ... but really,
any color is acceptable and
you don't even have to do
it in "brick red" if you
don't want to, but the snow
shows up nicely on the deep,
dark red. Your wax should
include sterine for an opaque
look, as well as vybar.
For the snow portion of
your candle, a nice white
can be obtained without the
use of any colorant, as often
white colorant may cause
wicks to clog. Also, be
careful when selecting
your scent ... you do not
want a fragrance oil that
is dark or yellow in color,
as this will tint your wax,
making your snow yellowish,
so clear or very light
in color is best.

Now for the pouring, snowing,
and weather distressing ...

First, the candle is poured at
about a height of three and a
half to four inches, or greater.
Once the candle has hardened,
a layer of snow may be added
prior to the candle being
removed from the mold, such
as shown in the photo above.

Remove from the mold and now
it's time to do the brickwork ...
you will need a metal rod for this.
If you have an old metal clothes
hanger, these work very well ...
simply use wire cutters to make
a metal rod about ten inches
in length. This rod can also
be used for creating wick
"tunnels" ... either by
placing the rod in the
candle when it's in the
mold before it's fully
hardened, or by heating
the end of metal rod on
the stovetop and using it
to "drill" through the candle
in order to thread your wick.
Once your candle is out of
the mold, the wick should
be set in place with a wick
tab ... secure it from the
top by pouring a bit of white
wax down the tunnel where
the wick has been threaded
through and lightly tug on
the wick in an upward
direction to make sure
there are no kinks in it.
(As a final step, which
will be explained later,
the bottom of the candle
gets a few finishing touches
to cover up the wick tab.)

You will want to have a paper
towel available to wipe off
any melted wax that adheres
to the metal rod while you
are melting the mortar rows
for the bricks ... the next
step in creating your chimney.

To make your rows of bricks,
heat the metal rod before
pressing it onto all sides
of the candle at the same
height all around. Start at
about 3/8ths of an inch to
1/2-inch up from the bottom,
and continue making the rows
until you reach the top of the
candle. These are the
horizontal rows of bricks.
To see the pattern, do a
little search for the term
"stretcher bond," which is
the style of brick work
I am trying to describe.
Of course, you may find
yourself doing all kinds
of fancy designs, but this
is a nice basic one that
is fairly easily applied
by heating the metal rod
and creating the rows.
If you find, upon reaching
the top of the candle,
that you do not have the
space for another row
of full-sized bricks,
simply use your creativity
to make a trim with a
shorter row of bricks.
After the rows are
completed, you are ready
for the vertical indentations
that turns your rows into
bricks. Again, please
refer a picture of the
pattern, as the vertical
lines are placed to
create brickwork. If needed,
you can use the tip of
your metal rod to deepen
the indentations.

Once your bricks are in place,
you are ready to distress your
chimney with some "age" and
"ice." For instance, the photo
below shows the candle when
some "ice" was poured over it ...
although some of it is allowed
to remain, parts of it are scraped
off and another round of ice is
poured, which gives a layered
effect.

A little preparation tip ...
place your candle on a tray
that will catch the shavings.

Everyone's chimney is going
to meet with the elements
differently ... mine, for instance,
have endured many a cold winter,
so they are pretty old and rustic.
To start with, you will want to
try to get some mortar (white wax)
between the bricks (into the
rows of indentations you have
melted into the wax) ... there
are a couple of ways to do this.
One is to pour some white wax
over the walls of the chimney,
and when the wax is partially
hardened, with a sharp-edged
knife or dough scraper,
"wear away" some of the wax
from the brick face, allowing
the white wax to remain in
the "gutter" to create the
mortar. Or, allow some
white wax to cool, then
apply only to the
indentations and scraping
off the excess when the
wax has hardened.

Now for the distressing part ...

You will find that you may
enjoy some distress techniques
over others, so I'm only going
to give you some ideas of how
to do it and leave the rest
up to you. For instance,
I like to apply wax, allow
it to cool, then scrape some
of it off ... this gives a
shiny finish to the surface
of the "ice" that forms
on the chimney wall.
But, for snow chips of ice,
I like to allow wax to
cool a bit, pour some
into a tray, and "flake"
it a bit with a fork
before applying (smearing
it around with a butter
knife), then scraping
some of it off before
it hardens. As stated,
you will find what works
best for you!

At this point, the chimney
now has bricks, mortar,
some ice, and a bit of
snow on top ... it still
has a way to go, as the
ice needs to be applied
in layers, with some
chipping-off in between,
which is done with by
repeatedly dripping wax
down the walls, distressing
as you go along. For the
snow on top, whipped wax
is used, which is simply
wax that has been allowed
to partially cool before
whisking with a fork.
This gets a bit messy,
so the use of trays
under the candle is
once again beneficial.
And, when working with
whipped wax, remember
that you have to work
very quickly ... the use
of a spoon, the back
of a spoon, and a fork
will give you a snowy look.
In areas where you wish
a "glazed over with ice"
look ... you can drip
some wax over it for
the next step.

Note ... the shavings and
excess drippings can be
melted down to create a
pink candle, or dyed to
use for another chimney!

Now for the snow ... remember
that some of the snow is
hard and icy and some is
fluffy and wet. I think a
chimney candle should have
both, so I do this "step"
several times over, with
the snow (whipped wax)
and ice (slightly cooled wax) ...
the combination of which
provides a nice build up
on top of your candle,
with sheets and drips
of ice along the sides.
Clear glitter can be
used to create a
shimmering-wet look,
as shown in the photo
above, which is a first
layer of snow that has
been applied.

Now for some finishing touches ...
I have learned that in order
to keep a "square look" about
the chimney, that the snow
needs to first be level
with the sides of the
chimney walls, then piled
up upon the edges, falling
inward only slightly.
The top of the chimney
should have a dip in the
snow where the wick goes,
as you do not want your
snow to appear mounded.
If you want your chimney
to be built up with snow
and ice, once you have
some snow on top, pour
a bit of wax over it ...
very slowly, allowing
it to drip down onto
the sides of the candle,
which you may need to
tilt a bit, but be careful
when pouring hot wax in
such a way, making sure
your hands are not in
the way of the snowmelt.
If too much white wax
sticks to the walls,
allow it to harden a
little and scrape it
off either entirely or
partially.

When your last dripping is still
hot, sprinkle a bit of clear glitter.
The wick should be clipped
to about 1/4-inch, and the bottom
of the candle can be cleaned
up by pouring a bit of wax
into a metal tray and dipping
the bottom into the wax so
a bit builds up upon the bottom ...
another tray that has been
heated can be used to even
out the underside by quickly
placing the candle on the hot
tray, giving it a swirl and
quickly setting it onto a
smooth surface. Although
this step is not always
necessary, it really makes
for a smooth finish on the
bottom of the candle
and can help it sit
more squarely.

When all is complete, a
quick water rinse at room
temperature will help the
candle cool more quickly,
making it shinier, while
cleaning off all of the
wax fragments. Just make
sure that the water is not
cold, as this can cause
cracks in your candle.

These candles may take
some time to make, but they
are relaxing to work with
and a lot of fun when they
are completed. As time
goes on, I plan to work
with more designs in
this direction, as I'm
finding myself becoming
a lover of chimney candles.

Chim Chim Cheree !!
Kathy

Layered Gel Candle Using a Heat Gun

2011-07-28T12:57:00.041-06:00

This is a perfect way to use
up some of your left-over pieces
of candle gel!

Here we have a layered candle
that has been made entirely
with pieces of colored gel,
using a heat gun. This is
not a "poured" candle ...
it's a "melted candle" inside
a glass. If you wish to try
your hand at this, the two
most important things are
the quality of your glassware
and your knowledge of how to
safely use a heat gun.

Look for glassware that has some weight
to it and is not real light and thin, as it may
crack from the heat. Make sure to read all
of the instructions that came with your
heat gun prior to using it ... now you are ready!

In this example, chunks of
colored gel were specifically
made for this candle. However,
you may have some scraps of gel
that you would like to use, which
is perfect for this type of project.
If you want to make pieces of gel
intentionally, simply pour colored
and scented gel into a small tray
and when it's set, tear it up into
chunks or cut it into pieces.

The glass we are using here is
a little more narrow than what
is truly advised, as it's difficult
to clip the wick on a candle in a
glass such as this one when it's
burning down, but this glass has
a unique shape, so for personal
use, I thought it was fine.

I used a 51/32/18 zinc core,
unwaxed wick, which was cut
so the length was about a half
inch or so above the height of
the glass ... this allows enough
extra while working with the
candle as it is setting, which
comes in handy. For instance,
lightly tugging on it to keep
it straight while the candle is
being worked with and while it's
cooling. If a pre-cut wick is
used, it should extend over the
height of the glass a bit.

If the wicking is not pre-tabbed,
it will need to be secured to a
wick tab and well clamped.
I personally prefer to do this
myself rather than to purchase
pre-tabbed wicks. When crimping
the stem of the wick tab, just
make sure you haven't bent the
bottom platform of the tab, as
it needs to sit level in order
to stick well to the bottom of
the glass, which it can't do
if it's bent. If you crimp
with slow, even pressure at
the top of the stem, you are
less likely to bend any of the
metal besides the stem.

Now it's time to secure the tab
to the bottom of the glass,
which can be done a few ways,
although, with gel candles,
I simply use hot candle gel.

If you place your wick tab into
hot gel, then very quickly get
it into position in the bottom
of the glass and press down all
around the tab (I like to use a
metal poultry lacer), it will
stick. After a few minutes,
test it to see if it is secure.
If it doesn't stick, simply
clean it all off and do it again.
Once you get in the habit of it,
it's quite easy and looks very
clean from the outside of
the glass.

(Wick in bottom of glass.)

Once the wick is secure, it's
time to place the gel chunks
into the glass. Wherever you
place the color is where it's
going to stay, so you can build
the chunks up diagonally, in
straight layers, randomly, etc.

Also, for an optional note ...
you may add glass beads up
against the sides of the glass,
or glass marbles amidst the
gel chunks, as well as other
embedding of glass or metal
objects, for instance. Just
remember that these need to be
completely non-flammable designs.

You will want to work on a
non-flammable surface, such
as tile, ceramic, or laminate,
in an area where you are safely
away from any flammable materials,
such as paper towels, etc.
This is NOT a project that
should be done on newspaper.

After everything is in place,
it's time to use your heat gun
to melt it all together. When
using a heat gun, make sure to
read the safety guide that came
with your equipment. You can use
the low setting for this and just
make sure not to hold the heat
gun too close to the glass ... at
first it will seem like it's
never going to melt, but then
after about five minutes, you'll
find that it's all melting
pretty quickly. Start at the
bottom of the candle, heating
it all around by either rotating
the glass by using a pot holder
held safely away from the heat
gun (for instance, rotate glass
by holding it at the top with
your left hand while using the
heat gun at the bottom portion
of the glass with your right
hand.) Never attempt to
handle the glass without some
sort of protection, as it will
become very hot.

As the gel starts to melt at
the bottom of the candle,
begin to work your way
upward by pointing the heat
gun at the middle of the glass,
then, finally at the top until
the gel is all melted. As you
work your way around the glass,
always keep moving the glass
or the spot where your gun is
pointed in order to not over-heat
any one area. In other words,
never stay in the same place
for too long ... you only want
to melt the gel. Speaking of
heat, this project will put
out a bit of heat, which makes
it a good project for cool day.

Some important points ...
remember to use a pot holder
when handling the glass, always
keep at a distance of about four
inches from the glass, keep your
face and hair at a safe distance
from your work, do not point
your heat gun at the wick.
If you have quality glass and
you keep the heat evenly
distributed, chances of any
shattering are minimal, but
keep at a distance anyway;
and, you don't want your
wicking to catch on fire,
so it's important to keep
at a distance. Again, as
with any project, common
sense is your best friend!

You may find that some air
bubbles will work their way
upward right along with you ...
as long as you continue to
apply heat, the bubble will
surface. When it gets to
the top, you may need to
poke it, or further heating
will also pop it.

Be careful when applying heat
to the top (surface) of the
candle, as the force of air
can "blow" your gel, which
could get onto the sides of
the glass. So, keep at a
distance and make sure the
heat gun is on a low setting.
The surface should not
require much, but you may
have some bubbles appear
soon after you feel as
though your project is
almost complete, which may
need attention ... very
quick "spurts" of heat
applied to the surface
usually does the trick.

Once your candle is completely
melted, allow it to cool before
clipping your wick. You want
your wick to be about 1/4-inch
and a clean way to clip it is
with nail cutters.

Clean any excess gel from the
clipped wick and for your
finishing, it's always nice
to clean the glass.
Simply hold the glass at an
angle under a faucet in such
a way so water doesn't get
into the glass, just onto the
sides of the glass. A bit of
dishwashing liquid dabbed
around the glass can remove
any smudges, then simply rinse
and dry. Specialty glitter
can be sprinkled around the
edges of the candle and as
a finishing touch.

Remember to set your heat gun on
a non-flammable surface when you
are finished, as it remains very
hot for awhile. If you have not
read our Candle Making Safety Tips,
please do so.

Here are some additional tips
for heat gun safety ...

• Always turn it off before
setting it down on any surface

• Allow gun to cool before storing

• Keep nozzle away from skin and clothing

• Keep all pets away from your work area

• Never allow nozzle to sit next to
anything while it is hot

In doing some reading about heat
gun safety, I found the following
safety instruction rather interesting ...

• Do not look down the nozzle while
the gun is turned on!

A Grand Idea !!

Happy melting!

Making Waxed Scented Critters

2011-02-28T22:26:00.041-06:00

A fun and decorative twist on scented
air fresheners is waxed stuffed animals,
which can hold quite a bit of scented
wax and send scent through a room very
efficiently. There are only a few
tricks to making them, but once you
are aware of what those are, you'll
find this to be a quick and easy project,
providing amazing results.

(This little teddy smells link butter mints.)

Stuffed animals that are a bit shaggy
are the best type to work with, as the
plush type may not acquire the "raggedy"
look as much, which is part of the appeal.

"Beanie Babies" can also be dipped.
Birds, such as the puffin shown below
make decorative little air fresheners.
This type of stuffed critter also works
well with a higher melt point wax
(around 150+ degrees) or hurricane
candle wax, as these waxes tend to
be leave a shiny finish, so the pieces
come out almost "ceramic-looking"
when completed.

Here is one example of a "Beany Baby"
that was done with regular pillar candle
wax,which is the same wax used with
the other projects on this page.

Before Dipping ...

The silver ribbon tied to this
peppermint scented puffin in the
next photo allowed it to be hung.

After Dipping ...

Here is some information on how
these are made ... please note,
the initial guidelines for doing
this are not a "step by step"
instruction guide, but an overall
idea of how to do it, such as
initial preparation, safety, and
a general idea of what you can
expect along the way.

To start, you will need to prepare
your workplace in order to minimize
the mess wax can make, especially
when it's being "splattered around"
such as what can happen when dipping
stuffed animals. So, you may wish
to cover the area you'll be working
on with newspaper. Some safety
preparations for handling and working
with your stuffed object are also
necessary, since you'll be working
with hot wax, such as a pair of
tongs for lifting the wax-drenched
item out of the melting pot, and,
possibly, a pair of heavy gloves
for any additional handling that
may be required. Old pie tins,
or brownie pans, or plates and
an old fork, and, possibly, a
large spoon will also be needed.
I have read that some people like
to use a wire rack over the pan,
which may be useful to you.

Of course, you will require a melting
pot and a spoon for stirring the wax,
as well as the fragrance oil you will
be using for your project.

A note about amber-colored fragrance
oils ... if you are dipping a white
critter, you may wish to make sure
that your scented oil is clear, as
an amber oil will most likely add
color to your wax and your finished
project may turn out with a yellowish
tint in this case. Often, before
purchasing your oil, you may be able
to ask your supplier and some suppliers
have charts that include information
on the color of the oil. As for
flashpoints or polarity issues of
scented oils, for this project, you
needn't concern yourself with these
in the way that they are considered
with candles. However, for safety
reasons, you must ensure that you
only heat your wax to its
recommended temperature and only
add your scented oil after your
wax has been removed from the heat
and is at a temperature below the
flashpoint of your oil.

The size of your melting pot will
depend on the size of the project
you wish to work on, as the object
should fit nicely into the pot so
the entire piece can be dipped
without wax spilling over, but if
you don't have one large enough
to handle the piece you wish to dip,
it can be dipped in sections,
without dipping the entire
object at once.

Another way to do this is to
dip as much of the object as you
can fit into the pot, then, set
the piece in a brownie pan or
an oblong pan with the side that
did not receive any dipping faced
upward. Carefully pour wax onto
this area, either directly by
pouring from the pot, or with
use of a large spoon. This
method was used on some of
the pieces shown here, including
the little dog (shown below),
which measured approx. nine
inches long, 5 inches wide,
and 4 inches tall ... by the
way, when complete, this piece
weighed one and a half pounds.

As for the pie tins, brownie
pans or old plates ... these are
wonderful to use for positioning
the dipped-wax critter ... a
couple may suffice, but sometimes
it's nice to have three available,
which gives you one to use when
removing the piece from your
melting pot, which is also used
for draining; one for positioning
and fluffing, which catches all
the excess wax; and one for the
final positioning and cool down.

On this piece, the underside
was dipped first and here it
is sitting for a few moments
to drain ...

When the object is first removed
from the melting pot, it will not
only be very hot, but it will also
drain a bit of wax that it has
absorbed. This is why it's
necessary to immediately place
the object onto a pan for "landing"
directly after being "lifted" with
tongs from the melting pot.
Wax may begin to pour out from
it right away, so it's best if
you position the pie tin close
to your melting pot when first
moving it from the pot to the pan.

As for using a wire rack over
pan and setting the saturated
critter on top of the rack to
allow the excess wax to drip off
onto the pie tin or plate ...
this is a personal preference.
It seems that perhaps the weight
of the wax-wet object on the
wire rack may create some marks
on the bottom of the piece,
making indentations after the
piece has been sitting on
the rack with the wax cooling.
Perhaps if it is not allowed
to sit for very long this
does not occur. To use
only pans and no rack, allow
the newly-waxed critter to
drain a bit within the first
pan, then, after a few minutes,
transfer it to another pie tin
or plate, turn it over and
fluff it up before setting
it down, all of the excess
wax will have drained out
onto the first plate, with
any additional wax falling
off onto the second plate.

As the wax cools, some
positioning is usually
required. For instance,
for this little puffin,
toothpicks held the wings
up during the cooling process,
so when it was completely
hardened, the wings were
not droopy.

When first learning, it is
highly recommended to start
with smaller pieces ... ones
that fit comfortably in your
melting pot. Larger pieces
are much trickier to work with,
and until you have a good idea
of where you are headed, it's
best to start small.

After removing any tags from
the stuffed animal, it's a good
idea to see if you can tape up
the eyes, and nose, if possible
(the tape does not always
"stay put," but it's worth a try!)
... this will make it easier
to keep the eyes from getting
wax on them. If wax does get
on them, you will need to
remove the wax after your
project is complete, using
dish soap and hot water,
making sure to not scratch
the finish on the eyes.
When dipping is completed,
the tape can be easily
removed and the eyes need
very little cleaning.
This bunny will be shown
below after it was completed.

Here it is prior to dipping,
with the eyes taped ...

(Before dipping ...)

(This protective tape remained
on the eyes throughout the
dipping process.)

After dipping ...

This is another piece with the eyes
taped prior to dipping ...

The tape remained on the eyes
throughout the dipping process -
this is how it looked after the dipping ...

And, after the tape was removed ...

After you have prepared both
your work space and critter,
you're ready to melt your wax.
The amount of wax you will
use can vary, but normally you
can start with the weight of
the wax being three times
that of the object to be
dipped. Usually, the finished
product will weigh about
three times more than before
it was dipped, so this is
how this guideline was
arrived at. Since larger
objects may be dipped in
sections, you will know if
you need more wax as you
move along with your project.

Smaller items are usually
dipped by submerging the entire
stuffed animal into the
melting pot and turning it
with tongs so wax soaks into
all parts of the project at once.

Note ... if you are dipping
in sections, you just want
to try to not get any wax
on any sections that you
are not working on ...
in other words, if you are
doing the under sides, try
to not get any wax on
the ears, for instance.
The process needs to be
done with one covering
(dipping) to look the best
and "over waxing" or
getting wax on areas more
than once (where wax
has already been applied)
can ruin the look and make
for lots of waxy patches.

Here is an area of the
underside of a larger
critter that has been
dipped and is in the
process of being "fluffed"
with a fork (it is still
rather matted at this point) ...
the bits of hardened wax
are removed by hand
when completely cooled ...

The above piece (which is
the little dog previously
shown with its eyes taped)
was done by first dipping
the underside, fluffing the
wax and allowing it to cool
somewhat, then dipping the
front legs, head, and backside,
making sure to not get any
additional wax on the underside
that already had fluffed wax on it.
Once completely covered with wax,
the ears were positioned as the
wax cooled in order to avoid
any drooping from the weight
of the wax. You will find that
with some objects, a little
bending may be necessary as
the wax is cooling to assist
in the "setting" of certain
features, such as legs,
ears, wings, etc.

As it cooled, the front legs
were positioned ... the hind
legs were already set into
place directly after dipping
the underside. Since this was
a larger piece and the bottom
was done first, positioning
of the hind quarters was done
directly after dipping the
under parts to get a good feel
of how the finished critter
would sit. This also ensured
that the part of the critter
that was dipped first was
attended to before it cooled
too much ... in other words,
"worked with" before dipping
any other areas.

Since these are made to scent
the air and are not candles,
you can add as much scent as
the wax will hold. Every wax
may have a different threshold
as to how much scented oil will
bind to the wax, but for the
most part, approx. an ounce
and a half to two ounces per
pound can be added without
over-saturation of the wax.

As for color ... normally,
no color is necessary, but
in some cases, a light addition
of color may be useful. For
instance, if you are dipping
a dark-colored object, a
wax that has a bit of the
same color blends much better
and gives a richer look.
If it is a brown teddy bear,
adding a hint of brown to
the wax may work better.
But, you need to be careful
in your decision, as if it
is a brown teddy bear with
ivory fur on the ears,
then you would not wish
to use the dark wax on that
particular area.

Another thing to think about
when preparing to dip ...
NO interruptions!!
Anything that you can foresee
as being an interruption to
your work should be attended
to beforehand. The wax will
start to harden very quickly
and before it does, you need
to get to it with your fork
to fluff it up ... otherwise it
will become a sloppy, matted
mess that you will not be
able to fix. If you do not
do this quickly, it will
begin to harden, making
clumps on your critter and
the fur will look matted,
so this is very important.

After your critter has been
saturated with wax, set your
pie tin next to the melting pot;
reach in with tongs and grasp
the object firmly ... you do
not want to drop this and
possibly splash hot wax,
so make sure you have a good
hold on it before transferring
it to the pan.

Since there will be hot wax
pouring from the object when
it is first removed from the
melting pot, and it will be
too hot to handle at first,
it's important to transfer
it to a pan that can hold
the excess wax, rather than
a flat plate, which could
spill over. After it has
been moved, there is no
need to try to position it
at first ... just let it sit
a few moments so it can
cool down a bit.

This is the time to start
fluffing up the upper parts,
back, and head areas with
your fork. Simply take your
fork and lightly "brush"
through the fur to separate
the fibers and "fluff" it
up by running your fork
"against the grain" of
the fur so it forces the
fibers to stand up rather
than lie flat. Handling
will become easier after a
few minutes, so you can work
on the underside. Then, you
may wish to move it to a
clean plate and position it
in preparation for the cool
down process.

This is when some toothpicks
may be helpful in tilting the
head, holding up a ear, a wing,
a tail, etc. ... simply prop
up the part you wish to position.
Continue to work over the entire
object with your fork, including
under chin, under ears, etc.,
repositioning until you achieve
the pose you are looking for
and allow it to cool.

Once it has completely cooled,
your item may be wrapped.

Here is an example of the
text for a tag, which
is recommended ...

"Enjoy your scented critter!
This air freshener should never
be placed directly on furniture,
as the scented oils can damage
finishes ... use with a plate or
tray, which you may wish to
cover with a paper napkin or
other protective barrier.
Flammable ... never set
near burning candles or
fireplace. Keep out of reach
of pets and children."

Although you need to be careful
while working with these projects,
the process goes fairly quickly
once it gets underway, and it
results in a fun rejuvenation
of old stuffed animals in a
very interesting way!

Happy dipping !!

© scentedcrafts@blogspot.com 2011

Grubby Heart Candle - Version 2

2011-01-27T22:22:00.039-06:00

This candle is a little different than "Version 1"
in that is has whipped wax around the heart-
shaped can. Also, some candle gel and glitter
were added just under the surface of the top layer
of wax, so when the candle burns, the brighter
color emerges. As with Version 1, it serves
as a candle holder for future candles ... a
votive or tealight candle will fit into the body
of the candle once it has burned.

The can (a shallow aluminum pet food
can) was molded by hand by gripping
the can in palms of hand and bending it
to create a point on one end, although
when first bent, both sides of the can
will fold to a point. One of the points
becomes the bottom of the heart, and
the other one gets indented to create
the shape. To create the indent into
the top of the heart, a stick or wooden
spoon handle can be used, which is
most safely done on the floor so the
can won't slip while applying pressure
to create the indent. I set the can on
the floor, and, with pressure, made
an indent into the can with the spoon
handle pressed into the side of the can.

For the trim, using a "typical" box of
aluminum foil (with a built-in cutter),
a little over two inches of foil was cut,
for a piece of foil approx. 2 inches by
12 inches, which was folded over for
double thickness, making the strip
about a half an inch by 12 inches.

This was then wrapped around the can ...

You can begin wrapping around the edge of
the can at any starting point you like.
One strip of foil almost made it completely
around the can, although it came up just a
little short, so another piece of foil was cut
and folded ... about a half an inch by 5 inches.
To add the piece, simply overlap just a bit
with the foil that is already in place and
"crunch" it up so it holds. Also, as you work
around the edge of the can, pinch some of
the trim around the lip of the can, or overlap
in areas so the foil holds onto itself, as this
is not secured in any other way until the wax
is applied.

For the sides of the can, a band of foil was cut
and crinkled before wrapping. This piece was
cut to be just a little wider than the height of the
can and it crunches up under the trim to secure.

If you want to make these to give as gifts
or to sell ... an optional step is to cover the
bottom of the can with wax, giving it a
cleaner finish. I must mention that some
wick tab adhesives do not hold the tab on
through this waxing process due to the
heat on the bottom of the can, so the wick
needs to be mounted later ... after the can
has cooled down. And, as with all candles,
instructions should be given to set this on
a plate while burning ... but this should be
set on a plate at all times to not harm
finishes, especially if this wax is scented.

To get the wax on the bottom of the can,
I used an old ceramic plate. Wax was poured
into the plate so it formed a pool of wax and
then the can was set into the hot wax and
pressed down into the plate. This needs
to be allowed to cool completely before
removing. Also, splashes of wax were brought
up onto the sides of the can with the wax that
was poured into the plate. This shows the
bottom of the can (left side of photo) after
the wax has cooled, with remnant pieces
of wax still on the plate.

Then, the wick was secured with a wick
tab stuck to the bottom of the can, and,
I also lined the can with some wax,
which is another optional step.

For coloring, I started with a dark burgundy
and lightened it as the project moved along.
This gives a bit more contrast to the layers
of wax on the sides of the can, which I feel
has a nice look to it. In other words, I melted
enough of the dark color to cover the bottom
and sides of the can, with just a bit left over.
Then, using the leftover wax, I added more
wax for the next layer, without adding any
more colorant. This gave me a wax a shade
lighter than the first batch.

For the candle part, I used a soy container
wax, with some of the retained dark wax
mixed with a hint of blue ... here is the
candle when it was poured, with the use
of a poultry lacer, one of my favorite
candle making tools, bridged across the
can to hold the wick in place.

If desired, this candle can be topped with
some whipped wax and called completed
at this point. But, I was curious to try
something ... what I ended up with was
a candle that "colored up" a bit more
upon lighting. Of course, you could do
this simply by pouring a darker wax.
Although the pastel wax is pretty and
with even just a thin layer of candle
gel, the candle may burn a little longer,
especially if the container wax is a
regular candle wax and not a soy wax.
This candle burned for a little over
20 hours. So, the gel can serve a
purpose in this case, beyond adding
a layer of color, since it adds to the
burn time. I must also mention
that you could use candle gel to
fill this candle completely, if desired.

I chose to experiment with the
mixture of waxes a bit, so here is
how this process went ...

After the soy cooled, the center of the
candle sunk just a bit, in the shape of
a heart in the center ... I filled this with
a dark red candle gel, which I then
needed to "distress" to create a bit of
a "rough" surface for binding with
the other waxes, as it was too slippery.
In other words ... it could slide right off!
After that, I covered it with candle
wax mixed with soy, which was then
purposely cracked upon cooling and
pressed together to give a bit of
decorative look to the center of the
top of the candle.

Here is how it looked ... this is the
center of the candle (a little hard to
see the wick from this angle ... can
be seen better in pictures below. )

Here are the holes and perforations in
the gel layer ... by pouring wax on top
of this, the wax pours through sections of
the gel, melting with the container wax,
holding the gel in place.

This is what this looked like ... pretty, huh?

Once this was completed some white
wax was poured into the heart shape
in the center of the candle (over the
gel layer), with some bright pink glitter
sprinkled around the edges of the gel.
Before it was completely hardened,
I poured a bit of soy wax over the wax
and "roughed" it up a bit as it cooled ...
punching a fork into it a bit and
making slash marks with a knife,
which made it into little flakes, that
were quickly pressed together
while still warm (as mentioned
above.)

To finish the candle, whipped
wax was applied around the
outer edge on top of the foil.
This was done in little "clumps"
all around, working in an outward
direction so that most of the
wax would fall toward the outer
edges of the candle.

Here is the finished result ...

The center of the candle ...

After the candle burned for a
little while, it started to color up ...

I hope you have enjoyed my
experimental grubby candles ...
not an everyday project, but
a variation of a container candle.

Grubby Heart (container) Candle

2011-01-18T22:05:00.030-06:00

"Grubby" Heart Candle

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."

~~~~~~~~

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 design
with 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.

Candied Fruit Toppings Candle

2011-01-05T23:03:00.011-06:00

Candied fruit candles are fairly easy to
make thanks to candle gel. Your candle
can be made with wax, with a wax icing
and gel fruit pieces on top, or, if
preferred, gel pieces can also be
incorporated within the body of the
candle for more color while burning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It used to be that if you wanted to make
a candle that looked like it had toppings,
such as a dessert or sundae candle, that
the toppings would solely be created
with wax ... this works well for nuts,
dried fruit, cake frosting or icing, but
not as well for jellied candies or fruit
pieces. To make the wax pieces a
bit more shiny, mineral oil could
be rubbed on the pieces or icing,
but achieving a "jellied" look was
not an easy task. Then ... along came
candle gel, the dessert candle
wonder material! Candles were
never going to be the same again!

Icings and syrups of all kinds can
be made with candle gel by using
a liquid dye in a higher concentration
than you normally would use to
make a candle, giving the gel a rich,
deep color, such as butterscotch,
caramel, or chocolate. The same
goes for making candied fruit,
although you don't need quite
as much coloring. You can make
cherry pieces in red or green, citrus
in yellow or orange. Simply pour
some "overly-colored" gel in the
bottom of a pie pan or smaller
container to about a quarter of an
inch thick and allow it to harden.
Then, with a sharp knife, slice through
it in one direction and then the other.
You can cut squares, triangles, or
diamond shapes. Or, you can make
little "chunks" if you pour the gel
into the pan a little deeper than a
quarter of an inch. After cutting,
simply lift the pieces out of the pan
and place them on your candles
where you want to apply some
candied fruit.

To get the "fruit pieces" to stick to the
top of the candle, you can either use a
heat gun to melt some of the wax on top
of the candle and then quickly apply the
pieces ... or, you can melt some wax that
has been colored white (and scented) for
an "icing" and then immediately set in the
fruit pieces after dripping the icing along
the top and sides of the candle.

These are at least a couple of ways to
make a candied fruit topping candle that
almost looks real. The fruit pieces
can be mixed with wax chopped nuts for
a fruit and nuts topping. It's best if all of
the pieces have been scented in your
dessert flavor of choice. Also, for best
color results while burning, I suggest
keeping green at a minimum, or making
it light, such as shown, as when if you have
too much green along with red, when they
burn together, you can end up with too
much brown as the colors mix.

A tip for scenting the pre-made pieces ...
if a vanilla or spice is used, then you can
scent your candle with just about any
bakery type of scent and the scented
pieces will work well, making for a
flavorful combination.

Happy Toppings!

Holiday Votive & Gel Chunk Candle

2011-01-01T15:09:00.008-06:00

This little candle was made in very similar
fashion to the "votive ice candle" design
featured on another post, with the difference
being that instead of using small chunks of
ice, colored (and pre-scented) candle gel
was used around the top edge, with wax
embeds along the sides ... in this example,
a candy cane ...

When the candle was removed from the
(tear-away) mold, a heat gun was required
to melt some of the wax from off the side
of the candle to expose the embedded
wax shape ... in this photo, the candy cane,
which you can (sort of) see on the left.

The main difference (beyond the
visual) between this design and the
votive-ice design is that this candle
burned for over twice as long due to
the candle gel, streaks of color
from the gel emerged within the candle
as it burned, and there were many little
"see-through" areas from the use of
the gel, making this a very pretty
little candle!

If you should decide to make such
a design, just remember to go lightly
on the candle gel, as the wax is what
holds this all together, just as with an
ice candle ... the gel is simply an
embellishment. A great way to use
leftover scraps of candle gel too!

Cookies in a Jar Candle

2010-12-28T22:42:00.028-06:00

I made an entire tray of enjoyable cookies that were completely fat-free, calorie-free and sugar-free ... it should be mentioned that they are great for "dunking," although, of course, they were made with wax.

These candles are easy to make and burn very nicely. My "recipe" calls for paraffin or a soy blend pillar wax for the cookies and container wax for the candle. Giving it a wonderful "flavor" and scent throw are scents such as Sugar Cookie, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, any type of sweet vanilla, cinnamon-spice, clove, or other bakery-type scent, including, but not limited to Apple Pie, Cinnamon Bun, Candy Cane, Peppermint, or other cookie or candy-types.

For this candle, you will need candy molds that resemble cookies, or little tart molds ... you could also make "cookie cutter cookies" by pouring wax in a tray to approx. 1/8-inch or so in depth and then cutting out shapes, although I personally prefer the little candy molds, which offer more detail in their dainty designs, as well as small size.

It is best if you can decide on your scent before making the cookies so you can scent the cookies to match the candle ... sometimes, you can use vanilla or spice in the cookies and then use a different scent for the candle that goes well with the cookie scent. If you use glitters, specialty glitters are best in a fine or medium grade, as extra-fine glitter can sometimes clog wicks while burning. The glitter is lightly sprinkled in the candy mold before pouring gel ... if you want to add more color to the cookies, sprinkle some grated colored wax in the molds before pouring, or tiny bits of wax.

For instance, this was done on some of my cookies ... little pieces of bright pink wax, for instance, with a pale yellow cookie.

Once your (primed) wick has been secured into your jar, pour your scented container wax and allow it to cool. Make sure to leave room at the top for your cookies.

To inset your cookies, you may either pour a little hot wax or use a heat gun to melt the top of the candle so you can secure the cookies. When this is being done, some heated wax should be waiting, as some "over-pouring" will be necessary, but not over the cookies ... just between them a bit. The cookies placed on the candle first will be on the bottom and will get covered up by more cookies, or hot wax, so save your best cookies for last (for the top of the candle.)

The retained hot wax can be used to splash in between cookies so they all adhere to one another ... just don't allow the wax to spill over too much, otherwise, you cover up your cookie designs. If wax should drip upon the cookies, wait a moment until it has slightly cooled, then see if you can lightly scrape or peel the drip off the face of the cookie. A heat gun can also be used for this step, as long you do not over-melt the cookies. Once all of your cookies have been applied, allow to cool and clip wick. I also like to clean off the glass as a finishing touch, just in case I got smudges all over it from sticky cookie fingers!

These are simply fun candles ... they are not intended to be elegant, only yummy! The addition of the cookies turns a simple container candle into a theme candle and the winter holiday cookies can be exchanged with designs for other holidays, such as hearts, shamrocks, pumpkins, and so forth. It is merely a twist on an old favorite ... milk and cookies.

Happy dunking!

P.S. A nice place for candy molds ... www.candylandcrafts.com

2010-12-15T23:51:00.002-06:00

It's always nice to give handmade candles as gifts.
One of the challenges can be trying to mail candles
to friends or relatives that weigh under a pound in
order to make it possible to send candles off to as
many people as will fit within your candle shipping
budget! Of course, if you have a sufficient budget,
this does not apply to you ... but, if you do have one,
then creating fun candles on the smaller side can
have its advantages. Since wax is heavy, this may
leave you feeling that you have very limited options.
But, with creativity on your side, you can easily
make pretty candles on the small side, without
simply sending plain votive candles.

This candle design is actually an "embellished
votive" in a sense ... it's a votive candle dressed up,
and it shines in a very unique way ... with an inner
color that softly lights up behind a curtain of "lacy"
wax and dripped wax. You may be familiar with
ice candles, but if you are not, then here is your
first experience with how to make these on a
small scale.

Ice candles are typically seen in a large design
with lots of holes in the outer wax layer ... they are
typically made with a pillar candle in the middle and
an outer shell of wax, with the outer mold being
either round (using a candle mold), or square ...
often using a tear-away recycled mold, such as
a half-gallon paper milk carton. On these lines,
the votive candle design can be used with a
quart milk carton (or cream container) ... votive
in the center and the outer mold a square.
In this design, I've gone with a round outer mold,
using a plastic sour cream container as the mold.
Of course, if you have molds for these, you are a
step ahead, but for a "on the fly" candle design
with on-hand materials, you can use this for your
candle, with a paper cup as your votive mold.
If you haven't had a chance to invest in molds yet,
then here are a couple you most likely can find
fairly easily.

The finished result of this candle weighs about
7 ounces, and if you use a soy-paraffin wax for
your votive, the burning time is about ten hours.
A nice little gift ... very pretty while it's burning too.
Of course, you can come up with plenty of other
design ideas, but for this candle, I went with a
"snowy" or "icy" theme. My finished candles
are a light blue in the center, but my first practice
candle ... the one I initially took photos of during
the process, was not colored, but the candle
scent was amber, so it turned the wax yellow.
This is one thing you will need to watch out for,
by the way ... so, for my blue candles, I will be
using a fragrance oil with minimal to no color.

Here is the process ... first for the votive.
I used a "Dixie Cup" for this candle, poking a
little hole in the bottom of it with a poultry lacer
(thin metal pick) and threading a pre-waxed wick
through the hole. Sufficient extra wicking is left
available at both ends of the candle ... this will
make more sense later. Once the wicking is
through the hole, if you pour just a little wax in
the bottom and allow it to harden around the
base of the hole, it should seal up adequately
enough to be able to pour the candle without
any wax dripping through.

Once this candle has molded, it's time to make
the ice candle. For my outer shell mold, I have
also poked a hole in the center bottom, however,
this hole needs to be poked through with the tip
of a knife or the like.

When this is done, then the votive is set inside
the mold, with the wicking threaded through the hole ...
you may need to play with this a bit to get it right,
but if you left yourself some extra wicking, it's not
difficult to do. Remember that the top of your votive
is going to go into the "bottom" of this mold.
If you string the wick through this way, then
you will have a cleaner finish when your candle
is coming out of the mold.

At this time, you will want to be melting your
wax for your outer layer. It can be a bit tricky
to determine how much to melt, but a basic
guideline would be as much as will loosely fit
into the outer mold ... this should be an adequate
amount, with some left over for over-dripping.

Making sure your votive is well centered, small,
broken pieces of ice can be set within the container.
Ideally, the pieces should simply be randomly
scattered ... it should not be too thick with ice, as
you must remember that wherever there is ice, there
will be no wax and for burning purposes, you want there
to be as many areas of wax as possible, with just small
holes here and there. In bigger ice candles, with a
larger center core candle, large holes may be desired,
but in this little candle, it's best if we give the votive a
bit more support. In this way, your candle will burn
without losing it's wax as much through the holes.

However, ice candles normally do tend to drip through
the holes, so they must be placed on a plate or candle
holder when burning. While on this note, if you want
your votive to be a bit thicker, or if you want to give it
a frosted look, dip it in wax a few times before mounting
it in the outer container mold.

This part can either be done at this point or later ...
the clipping of the wick for the bottom of the candle.
I used a square wick tab that sets into the wax.
If you do not have these types of tabs, you can simply
leave it without a tab.

Now that the ice is arranged, it's time to pour the outer
layer. Make sure you have colored (if wished) and scented
your wax. This wax was not colored, but some stearic
acid was added to give it a little more opaque quality.
Simply pour the wax around the votive and onto the ice
pieces until the level reaches just to where the bottom
of the votive is ... make sure your candle is sitting on a
level surface while it cools.

When hardened, it's time to see what happened ...
always the fun surprise part of candle making. Take
the candle out of the mold (or tear the mold away if
using a milk container, etc.) For finishing touches,
place the candle on an old plate or pie plate that you
don't mind pouring over, and do a bit of over-pouring.

Final wax touches ... wax was lightly poured all
around the edges of the candle, with excess wax
"mopped up" from the spilled wax with a small metal
spatula, smearing the wax along the sides of the candle.
During this process, I also "topped up" the center of
the candle, pouring over the votive so there was a
clean, smooth surface on top.

Now is a good time to mention embellishments that
may sit on top of the candle. Certainly, you can come
up with many ideas of your own ... mine, for this candle
was a snowflake. A snowflake candy mold was used
to create these, with some glitter placed in the mold
ahead of pouring. Although this got a bit covered up
when I dripped wax over the candle near the completion
of the candle, the glitter made its presence known while
burning, which is a pretty effect.

To place the embellishment on top of the candle, heat
a thin metal rod to poke a hole in the center of the
wax embellishment, then string the wick through it
and center it on top of the candle. There should still
be sufficient "additional" wicking available for you at
this point ... enough to raise the wax embellishment
up off of the candle just a bit so you can pour just a
bit of hot wax underneath it. Press down immediately
to form a bond between the wax embellishment and
the top of the candle.

You may wish to finish up with a few slow drips
of wax around the edges and some glitter (I used
clear glitter) sprinkled along the outside edge.
If you let your wax cool down a bit in your
melting pot, you can drip wax down the sides of
the candle that will create a true drip effect
(in other words, the wax won't run down as quickly).

Once all is cooled down, your wick can be
clipped and your candle is ready for wrapping
and sending off ... but, remember, for your first
one, it's very important to burn it yourself as a
test burn so you know for a fact that all is well
with your candle design.

(After I make some more of these, I may post additional
photos.)
A nice place to start in your search for candy molds ...
Candyland Crafts

It's a great time to make some ice candles !!

2010-11-28T14:19:00.001-06:00

It's the holiday season and time to come up with some candle ideas! Where do you start? Every year, I "just start" somewhere ... and by the time the season is in full swing, I start to create designs that begin to take form. For me, I need to be able to experiment a bit to get into the swing of things. One first place to start is the decision of what type of candles and what type of wax or waxes will be used . For instance, container wax, pillar wax, beeswax, candle gel ... a light gel for containers? ... a medium gel for embedding? ... a heavy (firm) gel for stand alone?

Once you have decided if you want to make container candles or molded candles, then there is the design factor ... will they be decorated in any way? If plain, that's fairly simple, as the glassware you select will really be the main object of attention. And, you could add decorative embellishments attached to the glass that are non-flammable. For pillars, chunk candles with various colors can be interesting, or with dripped colors of wax on the top or sides. For novelty candles, you can always go with various themes. For instance, one year, I went with a cookie or candy theme and started off making the "cookies" first. Here are some examples of what I did ...

These "cookies" were created with a high meltpoint wax, so, when used in gel candles, they didn't melt, as long as they were embedded in such as way as to not be overly- exposed to heat. Or, they were used on top of a container candle, or on a dessert type of candle in the "whipped cream" ... so, you see, there are many ideas you can begin to work with that can be a lot of fun. Candy molds were used to make them, with the glitter sprinkled into the molds before carefully pouring the wax into the mold ... note that when you pour the wax, you don't want to pour it directly where your glitter is, as it will move it around too much.

Since candles can help to warm your home during the winter and give a "warm" feel to things, they are wonderful gifts and they smell nice too ... so, just think of some ideas you may with to work with, and don't be afraid to experiment! The candle below started off as a chimney candle ... the mold used is from a container of "half & half" ... torn away after the candle molded ... then, a bit of distress to the "chimney" and some snow on top. I may make more of these this year, however, I believe I will leave the gifts off ... my initial thought was that Santa dropped some gifts on his way down the chimney, but then, upon burning the candle, the burning gifts didn't look so good! To make the snow ... wax is melted and then allowed to cool a bit, then whisked with a fork until it begins take form and quickly applied to the top of the candle ... to get a bit of glossy "melting" look ... pour a bit of wax over the top of it. (Make sure you are doing this on a plate or platter, as it can tend to be a bit messy.)

Never be afraid to experiment !! As long as you have an open mind as the season gets underway ... you'll be making wonderful candles in time for giving them away!

Happy Candle-crafting !!

Pouring a Simple Gel Candle

2009-11-29T21:15:00.002-06:00

Some of the prettiest gel candles I've
seen have been some of the simplest ...
just a pretty glass with pastel-colored gel.
This is the type of candle I like to pour
whenever I have been busy doing other things
(and not making gel candles), as it's the
hardest to mess up! Once you add the
element of adding decorations, embeds, etc.,
you also add to the risk ... not a big deal
if you're in good practice, but if you're
new to making gel candles, or you've put
the hobby down for awhile and are getting
back into it, then a "simple pour," for
me anyway, is the best.

Just start with a clean glass, preferably
one that is not too tall ... shallow glasses
are easier to handle when you're first starting
out, as the wick stays straighter without as
much worry due to the shorter length, you're
not dealing with as much gel as with a larger
glass, and, for burning, shorter, wider glasses
are a bit easier to manage, as you can clip
the wicks without much trouble. Your glassware
should be of good quality.

Then, of course, you'll need some wicking ...
I personally use unwaxed wicking and then
I prime my wicks in gel after crimping them
to the metal wick tab, but you may have
purchased special wicks for gel candles.
You just should not use the "pre-waxed"
wicks which have wax on them, as this
wax can foam up around the wick or
slightly cloud your candle.

It's all a matter of preference regarding
how you purchase your wicks, i.e., if on a
spool, with the tabs purchased separately, or
pre-tabbed and primed. If not pre-tabbed,
you'll need to cut the wicking to an inch
or so longer (higher) than the rim of your
glass ... this gives you enough extra wicking
so you can gently tug on it while your candle
is cooling to keep it straight. I have found
that nail clippers are great for clipping or
trimming wicks. Then, feed the wick into
the hole in the wick tab and firmly crimp
the neck on the wick tab. Believe it or
not, I have purchased pre-tabbed wicks in
the past, only to have them pull out of the
wick tab when tugged upon ... another good
reason why I like to do this myself!

While you are preparing your glassware
and your wick, you may have some gel
melting in your melting pot, which should
be either a double-boiler, crock pot,
"Presto Pot," or a clear coffee carafe
(my melting pot of choice for candle
gel) that is stove top-safe ... over an
extremely low flame or setting, if electric
stove top. (Note: Flame or setting can be
set higher if using double-boiler.)

As mentioned before, I have read that
some people prefer to melt their gel
in the oven. I suppose this is sort of
a seasonal choice ... if it's cold out
and you prefer to use an oven, for
instance, a Pyrex brand (tempered glass)
container is good for this. Since I
usually do not use my oven for melting
candle gel, I am not sure of the setting,
but I am thinking that 200 degrees F.
may be used, checking the gel often ...
I would think that for the most part,
melting gel in the oven would be good
if that's your preferred method, but
then, perhaps near the end of the
melting period, I think that in order
to work with the melting pot (adding
colorant and scent), then switching
over to the stove top may be beneficial.
Actually, I have been known to melt
my gel down in the sun on hot days ...
just until the end, then bringing
into the stove top for the remainder
of the melting ... whatever works
for you the best!

When some of the gel has melted,
you can prime your wick by placing
it in the melted gel just enough for it
get covered in gel ... then, take it out
and set it down on a clean surface
(tile, piece of waxed paper, plate)
to cool, making sure it is straight,
with no bends.

I like to use a metal poultry lacer
for securing my wick in the container ...
I simply dip the wick tab into some
hot gel (holding it by the wick), then
quickly "land" it in the bottom of the
glass, centered, pressing down on the
wick tab in alternate "four corners"
of the round tab to make sure it is
evenly placed and secured.

For beginners, this can take a little
practice ... if it comes undone, simply
take it out, pull the gel off of the tab
and do it again. When done correctly,
after a few minutes, you can gently tug
on the wick and it will remain in place.

Note: the amount of gel you are melting
should be just over the amount required
for the size of your glass ... this will
account for some of the gel which will most
likely remain in the melting pot after you
have poured your candle ... it's always
better to melt a little extra and have some
left over than to not melt enough if you
want your candle to be free of any layers.
For instance, if you have a 3 ounce glass,
melt about 4 ounces or so of gel.

Once your gel has melted and is almost
ready for pouring, colorant can be added.
Liquid colorant is the best to use for
clarity ... wax colorants can be used,
but can upset the "crystal clearness" of
your gel since they are made from wax.
It's important to add colorant a little bit
at a time, and, it's also very important to
take into consideration that the color of
gel in the melting pot often looks lighter
than when it's in a glass! (When the gel
is in the melting pot, it is spread out,
so you are not looking through the same
density as when looking at it in a glass.)
Take a little sample in a spoon and wad
it up to see the real color. I often apply
liquid color by first taking a small piece
of gel and placing a drop or two of color
on it, then adding that piece of gel to my
melting pot. Another method you may
wish to use is to make some small
batches of intensely colored gel ahead
of time, then, when coloring your candle,
simply use little pieces of gel from
the over-colored gel piece ... in this
way, you don't mess with the liquid
colorant at all when making your candle.

If you don't want many bubbles in your
candle, it helps if your glass is warm
when you pour. In this case, warm your
glass and secure your wick closer to the
time when you will pour your candle, as
warming the glass after the wick is secure
can sometimes dislodge the wick, so it's
best if the glassware is already warm and
kept warm for a short period of time before
pouring. Also, you will want your candle
gel to be hot when pouring ... about
200-220 degrees F.

Scent is usually added as the final step ...
just before pouring your candle.
When purchasing your scent, make sure
you are buying "non-polar" scented oil,
which is also marketing as "gel candle
scent." Polar scents are used in wax
candles and may cloud your gel and
are not as safe to use. If you are using a
medium density candle gel, you will use
approx. one teaspoon of scent for a 3 oz.
candle, as this type of gel can hold 3/4 oz.
of scent per pound of gel. (Light density
candle gel can hold 1/2 oz. per pound,
and heavy density, 1 oz. per pound.)

When adding your scent, measure it
based on the proper amount suggested
for the amount of gel you are using ...
you may have to do a little math here,
but once you get used to it, it's easy.
Scent needs to be mixed very well ...
stirring with a metal spoon in a
"figure eight" motion from the bottom
of the melting pot upward, keeping the
spoon below the surface of the gel as to
not create any unwanted bubbles.

Before pouring your candle, make sure
your glassware is on a level surface.
Then, carefully pour your candle.
I don't pour my candles to the rim ...
a matter of personal preference in a
way ... for instance, if I'm pouring into
a small glass, I'll leave about 1/4" to
3/8" at the top, and if a taller glass,
about 1/2" ... if you fill it to the top
of the glass, and there are any surface
bubbles that have created a problem
of any sort, you can pour a little gel
over the blemished area if there is
still room ... if you pour all the way
to the rim, beyond trying to mend
the surface using a heat gun, there's
not as many options for "mending."
Also, plastic wrap can be used to
protect the candle after it has been
made (completely cooled) ... if the
level of the candle is below the rim,
then the plastic wrap will not touch
the gel when stretched across the glass.

Now that the candle is poured:
"Do Not Disturb" ... whatever you do,
don't move your candle, as the slightest
movement will push some gel up onto
the glass, which is very difficult
to remedy. If you see some surface
bubbles arise, you may carefully hold
a lit match near the bubble which will
cause it to pop. A heat gun can be
used, however, this can take some
practice, and if you are new to this,
it may cause a wave of gel to blow
up onto your glass, so do this
with caution.

For few bubbles, cooling on a warm
surface or windowsill can be beneficial ...
as long as it's a level surface.
I personally do not like putting
candles in a warm oven, as moving
them often can destroy them and
sometimes too many big bubbles can
arise and it's harder to reach the
candle to work with it if it's in
the oven. The use of a heat gun
lightly applied to the glass itself
can also help minimize bubbles ...
you just need to watch it closely,
as bubbles will rise to the top
and they will need some heat to
pop and smooth over.

Make sure your wick is straight by
gently tugging on it in an upward
motion ... this may need to be done
again as the candle cools.

When your candle is completely cool,
you can clip the wick to 1/4" and
carefully remove any excess gel
that has accumulated on it.

For finishing touches, a bit of
glass cleaner to remove any smears
on the glass ... perhaps some ribbon
around the glass, etc. Wrapping
can be plastic wrap, tissue paper,
candle topper or other creative ideas
that is an entirely different topic!

Have fun!

Sorting it all out - Part II

2009-10-20T20:20:00.003-06:00

I have a few more jewels I would like to share
on the "misinformation topic" ... the first one
being that I recently read that one way to
minimize bubbles in your candle gel is to
either place your melting pot in the oven or
your microwave. This article neglected to
add any information in regard to temperature,
or time. I would just like to say that if your gel
is already in your melting pot ... simply keep it
there and pour your candle at a temperature of
approx. 200-210 degrees and allow it to cool
in a warm place ... a sunny window can often
be a good place if the weather is on the warm
side, or on top of a warm oven ... just make sure
these places are level. As far as "in the oven" ...
I will offer some more on this later ... but, in
regard to "in the microwave" ... do not ever use
the microwave in any way, shape, or form when
melting candle gel.

There is some awful "information" out there
and in some cases, I seriously doubt that the writers
have any hands-on experience with making gel
candles ... in some cases, they may likely be
suppliers of other candle supplies, writing articles
simply to widen their reach out into the Internet in
attracting customers. Of course, there is nothing
wrong with doing that, but, in my opinion, the
information should be checked out, or even better,
personally experimented with and tested so that the
vast majority of information that is shared is good
and safe advice / information.

Some of these instructions are not hazardous
to candle making, they just may not be methods
which provide positive, or the most positive
results, but, some of the advice can be dangerous.
For instance, I discovered the following:
Gel doesn't need a wick tab, so just tie the wick
to a stick and set it on top of the container.

I have NEVER seen any instruction that states that
gel candles do not require a wick tab ... to the
contrary ... all information I have ever read says
that it must have a wick tab. And, in my own
experience, I would say that in order to make a
safe candle, that all gel candles should not only
have a wick tab, but should also have a wick tab
with a longer stem (or neck / collar) than typically
used with wax candles, which is crimped at the top
portion of the stem (neck) to prevent the candle
from burning to the very bottom of the glass.

With the use of non-polar scents, which are a
type of scented candle oil used in gel candles
that do not sink to the bottom of the gel ... polar
scents can concentrate at the very bottom of the
candle and ignite when the flame reaches the bottom.
With non-polar scents, the longer stems are not quite
as necessary, but they are still safer to use, especially
if you have used glitter in your candle, as some of the
glitter may sink to the bottom and if the candle burns
down to the very bottom, the glitter could then begin
to burn. Speaking of glitter ... here is another comment
I found, "Make a glitter candle ... use extra fine glitter
and add it to the wax before pouring." ... As I mentioned
previously, best to manage where the glitter goes,
and, extra fine glitter is most likely to clog the wick,
depending on the type of glitter. I was happy to see
this same article state (in regard to glitter):
"A little goes a long way."

Some of this advice is harmless, but I'm not quite
sure why it is stated and some of it doesn't exactly
make any sense to me ... for instance ...

"Use some of the melted gel to prime wicks and
to coat any embeds you want to use ... leave the
embeds in the gel until the bubbles stop, and throw
away that gel ... use tweezers to remove the
embeds ... place the coated embeds into the
container and place the wick."

Gee ... that's quite a paragraph there! First of all,
let's define "embeds" so we know what we are
talking about. I think this article is referring to
such things as shells, glass decorations, etc.,
and not shaped wax embeds, but I can't be sure,
but perhaps that's why it says to "leave the embeds
in the gel until the bubbles stop" ...
I am guessing that was this is referring to are
shells with an inner chamber ... in essense, it
is telling you to fill the air gap in the inner chamber
of the shell. As far as throwing away any excess gel,
I don't know why you would do that. I also don't
know why you have to handle the embeds with
tweezers after the gel has cooled ... and, when
decorating a container with shells such as this,
your wick gets mounted into the container
first and then your gravel, sand, embeds,
etc. are added.

Here's a dandy ... "Let your gel candle cool completely
and trim the wick to 1/16 of an inch before burning."
... I'm personally not so sure this candle is going to
burn with a one-sixteenth of an inch wick ...
ever clip a candle too close? Then you know
what I'm talking about.

Perhaps some folks have success in using strings for
positioning embeds, but I'm not sure that this is the
method: "Make floating embeds ... tie objects to
string and tape the string to the outside of the container
or tie to sticks over the container ... cut strings and remove
when the candle is cool." First of all ... in my experience
anything that you put into the gel before cooling is going
to be there after cooling and anything you do to try to
change that is going to put marks, creases, etc. into
the gel ... so how does this work anyway? There are a
few methods I like to use for floating embeds, but this
is not one of them. One that is the an easy way for
beginners is to use a "chunk candle" type of method,
allowing some candle gel to be built up in the bottom
of the candle and positioning shells, marbles, etc. on
top of the chunks, then pouring gel over the entire
design ... the gel chunks will hold up the embeds.
This method may have a lot of bubbles, as the chunks
have a way of creating bubbles since the candle is
not as hot due to their presence, but for a beginner,
it is a pretty easy method to work with.

Okay, here's another nice example of being led
down a wrong direction, ... "Make a jelly or drink
candle ... use a mason jar or drink glass and use
paraffin wax fruit pieces or paraffin cut into
chunks as ice cubes ... color the gel and
pour it over the wax embeds at a low temperature."

First of all, in order to successfully use wax
embeds, they need to be created with a high
meltpoint wax ... I prefer using hurricane wax
for this with a 165 degrees F. meltpoint ...
they can take the hot gel a little better and your
chances of them bleeding or melting is a bit more
minimal ... however, you still need to consider them,
as if they get too warm, they too can melt.
So, the meltpoint of the wax is very important.
An additional note regarding the "ice cubes" ...
I have found that these come out looking more
realistic if you make small squares ... not
full-sized cubes ... and dip them into clear gel
so they get a nice thick coating on them, allowing
them to cool, then using them as your ice cubes.
This creates ice cubes that look as though they
are melting and also creates space between
them within the glass.

Finally, I will end with this bit of information I read:
"Make a layer gel candle ... pour clear gel and let
it cool completely ... pour colored gel on top of
that and stab the lower layer with a knife ...
the hot color gel will seep into the clear gel making
streaks of color ... you can also use a turkey
baster or syringe to inject hot gel into a cool layer."

From my experience, this is not how to make a
professional layered gel candle that is "seamless" ...
I am going to offer more information about this in a
future post, but I will say that the cooled gel layer
could end up creating so many bubbles that it could
actually ruin the effect, esp. after having been
"stabbed" ... and, as for trying to suck up hot gel
into a turkey baster and insert it into the candle ...
I believe this to be a rather dangerous thing to try ...
I've never attempted this, as I don't wish hot gel to
come flying out of a turkey baster onto my arm or
all over the counter ... not sure about the syringe,
perhaps some people have had luck with this,
but also, it is not a method I've ever attempted.
A layered candle is not a "streaked" candle, so
I think this article was a bit confusing that way ...
usually, a layered candle is thought of as a
candle with different colored layers.
As for creating streaks within a candle, this can
be done in a similar way as swirls, with liquid
colorant and a metal pick, by rolling the pick
into some dye and then into the gel ... if you
want lots of fluid movement, do it when the
candle is still very hot ... if you want more of a
solid, "frozen" look ... wait until the candle is
somewhat cooled down. With the latter method,
your candles surface is most likely going to need
a few moments under a heat gun to level it
out a little.

This brings me to one last point here ...
that being the use of a heat gun ... even if mine is
on the low setting, it's best used at a safe enough
distance from the candle so it doesn't splash the gel
around ... they can take a little practice using,
as you really don't want to cause a wave of gel
to get onto the glass above where the surface
of your candle is going to be ... this looks very
messy and it's very hard to rectify this if this
happens, beyond adding more gel to your
candle to bring the level of the candle up a bit
to try to cover it up, although also, you don't
want to do this to such a point as to fill your
glassware too much, as you most likely would
like to seal your finished candle in plastic wrap
and this is best done if the candle is filled
so that there is at least 1/4"-1/2" of space
between the rim of the glass and the contents.

All of these "little" finer points in gel candle
making are what make the difference between
a well-made, polished candle and a sloppy candle.
I like my candles to look nice. If you think about
your design a bit before trying to create it, you'll
find that you will stop to consider these finer points.
It may take a few tries to know what to look for,
but that's why, in my experience, with any design
I've ever come up with, that it takes making about
two to three candles for myself (as well as
test-burning, which you should always do with
any new design) before making one to sell or
give as a gift ... that way, you know for a fact
that your design works well ... it's not just the
design idea and concept that creates the candle ...
it's also the experiment and the experience ...
in other words, the fun!

Sorting it all out - Part 1 ...

2009-09-20T14:38:00.003-06:00

From my personal experience, I know very
well the confusing information that is available
for beginners and I fell into some traps myself
when I was first starting off. So, I'd like to
take a little side road here and explore some of
the information that I have recently found that
certainly could be considered confusing to
a new gel candlemaker.

First ... a little history ...

Years ago, I realized that there was a lot
of misinformation at the time roaming around
about making gel candles ... such as (for
instance), in order to achieve bubbles,
use a straw and blow into the gel and other
such stories ... this is not really a favored
method, by the way! In order to try to
"get the message through" to others that
some of the "advice" I read was actually
misinformation, I hosted a forum about
gel candles for awhile at Delphi forums.
With moving to another state, I had to give
up my forum, but it was fun while it lasted
and I met some friends there.

So, now, years later, I venture out into the
Internet to see what type of information I can
find in the form of website resouces, with my
hope, of course, that by now I will only find
good information. In doing some reading,
I have found much more good information than
what used to be available, but, unfortunately,
I have again discovered some missing information
from articles or "how to's" that appear to represent
themselves as "complete," or I have discovered
some bad advice or confusing information.

How is a beginner supposed to sort all of this out?
This is being written, not so much to be crictical
of the work of others, so I'm not going to post
references to this material ... but I am going to
offer some other ideas or thoughts, which may differ
from the material I have read.

Gel candles aren't that difficult to make ...
but there are some things to look out for.
The "basics" include knowing about
glassware so you purchase a safe container,
learning about the gel itself and how to
work with it, understanding the basics of
how a container candle is made, realizing
that all wicks do not perform the same way,
and having a basic understanding about
colorants and fragrance oils. Once you
understand about these components, then
when you read a "step-by-step" how-to,
you know how to fill in the gaps.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of material
available that offers the beginning "geller"
a step-by-step guide, but leaves out much
of the "real stuff" you need to know.

So, what I am going to explore here for a bit
is a combination of some of the "real stuff"
I feel that you should know before getting
started, and I'm going to take a look at some
of the step-by-step guides I have read and
share some of my thoughts regarding those
guides here.

Then, I'll offer you some steps of my own ...
but, for starters, I would like to educate you
about some of the issues you will most likely
come across and I would also like to address
some of the material I've read since you may
have read it too!

Since the first part of your candle design is
usually choice of container, I'm going to start
with the topic of glassware. This is something
that you should not skimp on ... you need your
candle to be in a proper container ... one that
will not crack or catch fire and one in which
your candle can burn nicely (for instance,
some glassware with narrow openings may
suffocate your candle, make it difficult to trim
the wick, etc.)

One article I read said you can select "ceramic
containers like mugs or any fancy-shaped
figurine that could hold the candle wax when
melted and cooled ... glasses are also great."

Truly, some "fancy-shaped" figurines may not
work for a candle, depending on the shape,
and secondly, although some ceramics can be
used for candles, you need to make sure that
they are "tempered" ... in other words, that the
ceramic has been "fired," making them heat
resistant. I don't know why it stated that
"glasses are also great" since you can see through
gel candles and part of the delight is the clarity
and transparency of the glass. "Any shape
that could hold the candle wax when melted"
is not a good method for selecting your
glassware, however.

Again, containers with narrow openings or
passages are not candle containers ... not
only can you not reach the wick to trim it,
if the candle will burn (narrow passage will
not permit sufficient oxygen for the candle
to burn), and it if does, as the candle burns
through the narrow passage, it could make
the wick too close to the glass, which is
dangerous.

Also, the size of the glassware and diameter
of the opening in relation to the size of the
wick (and type of wick) was not mentioned.

This particular article goes on to mention
supplies required, and it lists ... gel wax,
candle wicks, pencils, pot (for melting wax),
candle scent and color, sharp scissors.

It describes some type of method for securing
the wick, (one that is sometimes used for wax
candles), leaving out a vast amount of information
about wicking and gel candle information.
In this article, we are told to "twine the wick"
around a pencil, leaving some of the wicking
free so it can reach the bottom of the container."
It describes that the wick "must be straight down
the center of the container" ... but, with these
instructions, that is about all I could find that
was useful. It continues to instruct us to insert
the pencil with the twined wick on it into the
container, allowing the wick to "hang down
the center of the container" (i.e., before pouring) ...
this simply is not the proper procedure for
gel candles. Candle gel, when burning in a
candle, becomes very fluid and when not
burning, it is not as stable as paraffin wax,
so if the wick is not a) wire cored, and
b) secured at the bottom of the container,
it will most likely "float" or drift off from
the center or even worse, simply float around!
Wicks need to be centered properly for safety
reasons ... a one-sided wick can heat the glass
up too much on one side and become dangerous
in that the glass can crack, etc. ... not to mention
that the candle will not burn evenly.

Alright, back to the article ... the next step
went on to say that you should melt the
gel by cutting it into cubes (pieces are fine)
first so it melts faster, and then went on to
say to "add color and scent, but make sure
that they will not make the wax cloudy."

I don't know how a beginner is supposed to
know how not to do that (make the gel cloudy) ...
there are many things that can make your gel
cloudy and I'll go over this later ... for now, just
make a note that there are things that can make
your gel cloudy, and two of those things can
be colorants and scented oils.

The article sums up the process rather quickly
toward the end with some confusing notes about
pouring your candle, such as, "Fill the container,
but set a limit ... before getting to the next step,
make sure that the wax turned gel fully cools
down ... check out the wick if it really takes the
focal point of the container ... trim the wick to
¼ of its total length."

The wick should be trimmed to approx.
one-quarter of an inch ... not a quarter of its
total length. Also, after your candle has cooled
is surely not the time to try to make any
adjustments to your wick.

If you wait until your candle has set to try to
play with the wick, you have certainly waited
too long! Also, I think most gellers will tell you
that you should not attempt to clip your wick
until your candle has completely set ... not only
cools down ... but has fully set so it remains
straight in your container ... trimming too soon
can possibly make a bend in your wick that will
be hard to un-do.

~~~

Well, that was the first article I read!

~~~

Shall I continue with some others? I think so!
I want to share these so that others know
what is right and what is not right.
Of course, I do not have all the answers,
and I can also be wrong about some things,
but, I am writing from experience ... this
may be something that some of the writers
are not doing. To me, this is really a shame
and a sham in a sense ... why guide people
when you don't know what you are doing?
It's not right, in my opinion.

Moving right along ... here are some
exerpts from the next article I read:

Here were some wicking notes ... this article
recommended a "pre-tabbed wick" made
specifically for gel candles ... but, it did
not mention why these are best to use,
or that there are other types of wicks you
can also use. It also stated to "secure your
wick to the bottom of your glass container
using a hot glue gun" ... it mentioned not to
use too much, but it did not mention that
there are other ways to secure a wick in a
gel candle. So, in other words, there was
selected information in this article ... good
information, but just not the entire story.

Here is another good example of this ...
"There are two methods of melting the gel ...
you can use either a presto pot or a glass
measuring cup in the oven."

I don't know where or when this all got started,
but it is not the first time I've read this ...
that there are only two ways to melt candle gel,
which is not a true statement. There are certainly
more than two ways to melt candle gel ... two of
them are mentioned in this article.

Other methods will be described more later, but
for now, please know that there are more than these
two methods exist (certainly!) for melting gel.
Also, I would like to mention at this point that
the oven method may be preferred by some during
the winter, but I have never chosen oven over
stovetop for working with candle gel.

Another article said to "spoon your desired amount
of gel into the measuring cup ... heat the gel in
the oven to 225 degrees ... use a candy thermometer
to get the most accurate temperature ... this process
could take up to one hour ..."

I really prefer to be more actively involved when I'm
making candles, I guess, plus I always try to only use
the amount of resources and energy that is necessary ...
if my house doesn't require my oven to be on for me
to make a candle, then certainly, this would not be my
choice. Another thing about this is the fact that your
oven is usually used for cooking food, which can
splatter, so if you ever use your oven for melting gel
or putting poured candles in the oven, which is one
method for minimizing too many tiny bubbles, then
you need to be certain that your oven is clean.

Okay, back to article ... it says that you can use
either liquid dye or a color dye block, but it does
not tell you that sometimes, certain dye blocks can
cloud your gel. It is safest to use liquid dye
for clarity. Adding colorant can sometimes take
practice, but there are methods that can be used
to help you to reduce over-coloring, which will be
shared here on anothe post.

In regard to embedded decorations, I have read that
"as a general guideline, you should push your embeds
into the candle with a skewer after you have poured
the gel" and to "simply push your embedded objects
into the gel with a metal skewer after you have
poured the gel" ...

If embedding marbles, shells and such, you can
try to move them, if desired, right after inserting
them, but it needs to be done very quickly, if it
is possible to move them about at all without either
disturbing your design too much, or causing bubbles
to form. It's best if certain embeds simply "fall"
into place if at all possible.

Since all embeds are not equal, they need to be
considered on an individual basis. For instance,
marbles are heavy and should not be dropped in
until the gel becomes very thick and heavy
(when it starts to form a skin on the surface,
such as with pudding). There are several
different techniques that can be used with
wax embeds, which I will not go into right
now, as I will describe various methods of
adding embeds a bit later, but you should
not use the pressure and pointers of skewers
with wax embeds, or you can break them or go
right through them. So wax embeds can usually
only be slightly "budged" very carefully and
right after they have entered the warm gel ...
the wax gets a bit soft and can be fragile.
Personally, I have never used a skewer to move
things about ... I prefer a metal poultry lacer.

On to another article ... this one states that ...
"Versagel is the recommended brand, as it
contains fragrances and colors, so you don't
need to mix any additives to your gel to
create scented gel candles."

Although there may be some pre-colored or
pre-scented products available (although I'm
not exactly sure how well a pre-scented product
would hold up scent wise, since it's always been
recommended to add your scent last, after your
wax or gel has melted so you don't lose potency ...
in other words, so the scent doesn't burn off before
pouring the candle) ... I have been a Versagel
customer for years, at one time, purchasing drums
of it directly from the company that makes it
(Penreco) and it is purely candle gel that you
color and scent to your liking.

In another "how-to" article or so, I saw the following ...
"You need to add a ½ ounce of the oil to your
heated gel. Test the smell of the fragrance to see
if you need to add more. Be sure to complete
this step before adding coloring to your gel.
Add color to your gel quickly, before it cools down.
You can use liquid dye or a color block.
Stir the color in slowly with a metal skewer."

Okay, now some of these statements almost made
me laugh out loud ... for more than one reason!

Where do I begin?

Poor beginners ... how are you to know what to
do when there is this type of stuff out there??

It really makes me feel bad ... I guess, this type
of stuff is what made me want to start this blog
in the first place.

Okay, I'll break it down into workable parts ...
and, experienced candle makers, you may agree
with me here ... what are these folks thinking?

First, any measure of scent cannot be suggested
if you do not know how much wax or gel you are
adding to. To have a measure, such as a half-ounce
without stating how much gel it is intended for is
totally irresponsible. "Test the smell of the
fragrance to see if you need to add more" is even
beyond that! There are percentages of scent to
use, based on the density of gel you are using ...
light, medium, or high, and how much. Further,
I would not advise to breathe in scented oil from
directly over your melting pot ... this is not
a good practice at all for a variety of safety
or health reasons. (I will post later with the
amount of scent to use with candle gel.)

"Be sure to complete this step before adding
coloring to your gel." ... Just a note to say
that I have never seen candle instructions that
say to add colorant last ... it has always been
to add scent as the final step.

"Stir the color in slowly with a metal skewer" ...
if you want to dispurse your color, you need to
use a spoon, not a stick.

Here are some other notes I read ... "If using liquid
dye, it is a good idea to dip a toothpick into the dye
and then swirl the toothpick with color into your gel."

Just as you should stay away from wooden spoons
when stirring gel (the wood is porous and foamy
bubbles can spring forth from it ... the same with
wooden toothpicks, just not as badly) ... I have
always used a metal pick, but when stirring in color,
again, if I want it to distribute evenly, I use a
spoon (not a stick or a pick).

It went on to say ... "If your gel is cooling down
during this step, you can heat it back up."

Although this is true, it's best to arrive at or
near your pouring temperature, add your additives
and pour. Your colorant can be added while your
gel is still heating up, but your scent should be
added last and gently mixed well, just before pouring.
Use a spoon to mix it ... inserting the spoon into
your pot and keeping it there while making a
"figure eight" motion until the scent is mixed
well, then gently remove the spoon. Do your best
to not create any needless bubbles by submerging
the spoon over and over again ... just try to
keep it in the pot and stir until you are
done stirring.

Here was another thing that didn't seem to make
much sense ... "If bubbles do start to form on the
surface of the gel, use a heat gun to eliminate them."

I am assuming that this is not referring to the melting
pot, but bubbles on the surface of the candle as it is
cooling. A heat gun can be used to help eliminate
this, but you have to be careful when using it ...
hold the heat gun at a distance from the candle
until you get a feel for it ... if it blows too hard,
you can really make a mess of your candle, as it will
flow up onto the glass, beyond the level of the candle
and leave a ring of gel on the glass above the level
of the candle, which does not look good.

Finally, this comment is the last one I will cover
for now ... "Once the gel candle is completely cooled,
trim the wick to about one inch in length" ... I wonder
where these people get this information from and why
they choose to share it?

I came across some other material I'd like to cover
also ... here is something that I found interesting ...

How to Make Gel Wax Candle

A couple of notes about this ... on the video, it shows
an amber bottle as one of the selections of glassware,
which is not an option for a candle. It says that high
density gel is the only one for embeds, which is not
truly the case ... it shows an oven for melting ... it says
"how can you tell" in regard to polarity of scent, but
does not advise adequately of how to test for it, and
on the topic of embeds, it seems to show some items
that could look as though they are flammable, but
I'm not sure.

Truly, there is some information out there that is
not really helpful ... I found a couple of other things
I would like to mention, but I will have to save them
for another post ... at least, in the meantime, this
covers some of the material I found that is often
incomplete or actually leads you in the wrong direction.
I will try to sort through more of this to share here
so we can sift through the misleading advice and
save ourselves some frustration!

I believe in experimenting and being
creative, but it's so much more fun if you
can find good advice first so you know you're
headed in the right direction!

Gel Candle Designs

2009-09-04T20:31:00.001-06:00

Gel Candle Designs

There are several different types of design
ideas available when making gel candles ...
part of what makes these candles so much fun.
The possibilities are seemingly endless.

Here are some of the design scenarios
for gel container candles that can be explored ...

Simple

Jeweled

Artistic

Layered

Swirled

Mosaic

Floral

Holiday

Themes

Drink or cocktail

Water habitats

Sand Art

Desserts

For me, this is the first step to creating
a candle ... What is it going to be?

Then, the glassware sets the stage ...
much of the more interesting glassware
is usually a cocktail glass of some sort.
Wine glasses are also good choices.
Small "rocks" glasses or wide "tumblers"
or short juice glasses work well for many
designs also.

Beyond a simple pour, you can embellish
the design with embedded decorations,
such as marbles, polished stones or glass,
glass beads or beaded wire, colored gravel,
wax shapes, and more. You just have to
remember that anything that is embedded
into the candle either must be wax that can
safely burn along with the candle, or a substance
that cannot burn at all ... coins, blown glass
decors, marbles, stones, etc. For drink candles
you can add pieces of wax fruit or wax ice cubes.
A note about stones ... if using these, you need
to be careful with your selection and design,
as some rocks can become too hot and are not
safe choices for candles. When in doubt ...
do not use.

For dessert candles, you can use gel as an icing,
such as a strawberry or butterscotch sundae
sauce over ice cream, or a "sticky-sweet" drizzle
of flavor to a piece of pie or cake, and gel lends
itself wonderfully as a "pie filling" with wax fruit
shapes, as you have probably seen in preserve
or fruit pie or tart candles.

Seascape or freshwater designs make very
pretty candles with the use of shells or
pebbles with gravel. Note that sand dollars
and coral fragments are not safe to use.

Here are a few tips for when you're first
learning ... start simple. Once you get accustomed
to working with candle gel, you'll be more
confident to try new designs. After you decide
to try something more complicated, it's best not
to overdo it ... again, keep it on the "simple"
side for elegant candles ... if the candle is too
"busy" it will loose some of its effect.
Also, too much of some ingredients can
actually ruin not only the look of your candle,
but the candle itself ... for instance, if you add
too much glitter, your wick can become clogged
or make your candle unsafe for burning.
Or, if you add too much color, you'll end up
with a dark candle that you can't see into ...
too much scent will destroy your candle,
making it oily and dangerous. Be sure to
follow all safety guidelines.

So, if you're a beginner, first start to think about
the glassware you would like to use ... your
first color selections and scents you'd like to try.
These are the basic design concepts ... shape,
color and aroma. You may wish to start with
a dash of specialty glitter just around the rim
of the glass, or some simple embedded objects,
although there are some tricks to using any type
of embedded object or embellishment, so, again,
my advice for beginners is to start very simple ...
you won't regret it!

Glitter can be a pretty accent for candles, reflecting
light and color, but there are some considerations to
be taken before using glitter.

First, know that too much glitter, or too fine a
glitter can clog your wick and your candle will
not burn after the wick has clogged. Also, too
much glitter can cluster around the wick and
become a fire hazard. So, glitter should be
used at a minimum ... just enough to create
a little accent.

I only use glitter around the edge of gel
container candles on the surface (right
up against the rim of the glass), or against
the glass inside the candle ... far away from
the wick. Although some glitter particles may
become suspended in the gel, I feel it's too risky
to simply sprinkle glitter all over the top of a
gel candle, allowing it to fall into the candle
without restriction, or to actually mix glitter
in with the gel. Too much glitter in a candle
is not safe ... I will post a link at the bottom of
this article for reference showing an example
of a pillar candle design with glitter that did
not work out well and was recalled.

If you are burning a candle and glitter
accumulates around the wick, one thing you
can do is to use a metal pick to move the
glitter away from the wick, or run a metal
pick (poultry lacer) up and down the wick
a few times to loosen any glitter particles
that may be clogging it.

Specialty glitters work well ... although I have
found that the ultra-fine may clog wicks most
readily. A fine grade or metallic glitter has
always worked the best for me.

Here's a tip for having sprinkles of glitter up
against the glass on the inside of your candle ...

I have found it easiest to first mount my
wick in the bottom of the container, then
pour about an inch of candle gel into the
bottom of the glass and immediately tilt
the glass all the way around so the gel goes
up the glass on the sides to within about an
inch from the top ... when it has covered all
sides I quickly turn the glass completely
upside down over a melting pot to dump
out any excess gel. This final step isn't completely
necessary if you don't mind the excess gel at
the bottom of your candle ... but, if you don't
want any sign of it (it will cause a clear layer
at the bottom of your candle), then you need
to "spill out" the excess gel.

Now, you can sprinkle glitter on the inside
walls of your glass or jar and it will stick to
the gel. This can take a little practice to
make sure that you have a smooth layer
of gel up on the sides of your container ...
if at first you end up with a lumpy mess,
simply wait for it to cool a bit and peel it
off and do it again.

Tip: If you are are not a beginning gel candle
maker, you may already use this method for
glitter ... or you may also already use this
method for "sticking" wax shapes up against
your container.

Glitter, when used correctly and with care,
can add just a hint of color and sparkle that
shimmers while your candle is burning for
a very pretty effect.

As time goes on, I hope to share some techniques
for creating some of the design ideas I've mentioned
here and I hope you will try some of them!

Happy crafting!

Here is the link in reference to safety issue ...

Recalled Glitter Pillar Candles

Gel Candle Basics

2009-08-22T13:39:00.002-06:00

Making gel candles is a lot of fun,
and there's a lot of room for creativity ...
but, there is also a lot to it.
So, I'm going to start to cover
some of the basics here and then
continue to explore some of the
various designs that can be achieved,
as well as some tips to help you
create beautiful candles.

If you have made candles before, you will
find that candle gel is quite a bit different
to work with than wax ... so, there are some
things you'll need to get used to.
The easiest thing for me was the clean up! ...
much easier with candle gel! You may find
little pieces of gel here and there, but
overall, I think it's an easier wax to
clean up after. The other thing that is
amazing is that if something didn't go
the way you planned, that it's usually
very easy to simply remelt the gel and
begin again, something that isn't quite
as simple with regular wax.

As with wax, you want to make sure to
monitor the temperature and mix your
scent thoroughly. Your wick needs to
be centered in the container if you
are making a container gel candle.
There are three densities of candle
gel ... light, medium, and high ...
the light and medium are used in
container candles and the high density
can be used for free-standing candles.
For now, I will be writing about gel
container candles and hopefully do
my own exploring in the future in
regard to free-standing gel candles,
as I have only made container candles.
Also, the topic of wax embellishments
or embedded objects or wax shapes will
topics I plan to cover in another post.

Your glassware needs to be of good
quality (thin glassware can shatter),
and your wicking and scent need to
be gel-compatible. In regard to the
wick, this means that it should have
a wire core so it will stand on its
own. There are some special gel wicks
available, which I am personally not
familiar with, as I have always used
a zinc core wicking ... one which has
not been coated with any wax.
When I first began making gel candles,
there wasn't a lot of information
out about them and I tried using
pre-waxed zinc core wicks only to
find that the wax that the wick has
been dipped in could cloud the gel.

So, I soon switched to a non-coated
wick ... only to find that once the
gel was poured, the fibers in the wick
released foamy bubbles! So, now,
I use zinc core wicks which I dip in
gel prior to securing in the bottom
of the container. I simply dip the
wick in some melted gel and allow it
to cool for a few minutes.
This prevents the bubbling.

Wicking in gel candles needs to
be secured (mounted) to the bottom
of the glass with a wick tab.
You may use the common methods for
securing a wick as with wax container
candles, but, with candle gel, you
may use the gel as your "glue" by
dipping the wick tab into hot gel
(must be hot) and immediately
centering your wick and tab in the
bottom of your glass, pressing
lightly with a metal pick (poultry
lacer works well) ... first on one
side of the tab, then on the other
to give even pressure and then allow
it to sit until cooled ... it should
form a suction with the glass.
Check it by tugging (VERY gently)
on the wick to see if it is secure.

For a safety measure, there is
another note about wicks and tabs ...
a wick tab with a longer neck is often
preferred. A shorter neck will allow
a candle to burn to the bottom of a
container ... if you have a long
stem or neck on the wick tab, the
candle will cease to burn when it
reaches the metal. In some designs,
a longer stem is not needed as there
may be something else there that will
prevent the candle from burning to
the bottom, such as in seascape gel
candles where there is sand in the
bottom of the container, etc.

For a candle scent to be compatible
with gel, it should be a "non-polar"
scent ... the practical description
of this means that it will not sink
down through the gel and concentrate
at the bottom of your candle as a
"polar" scent will. Instead, it
blends with your gel and remains
suspended within it so it is evenly
dispersed throughout the life of
the candle. A concentration of
scented oil in the bottom of the
container can ignite when the
candle burns down to the bottom.
With a non-polar scent, the scent
burns evenly along with the candle
and there is no concentration of
oil at the bottom of the candle.
(Polar scents are fine for other
types of harder waxes.)
Also, most polar scents will
cloud the gel and non-polar
scents will not. Most suppliers
can tell you if a scent is
"gel safe" ... if they can't,
or if you have a scent and you
aren't sure if it is or not,
there is a way to test it,
which I will describe later.

As for colorants ... I have always
used liquid dyes in my gel candles
for optimum clarity. Some people
use powders, which I have not tried
in gel, although I have a feeling
that you have more control with
liquid dyes. As for color blocks ...
colored wax, I know that some folks
suggest using this and many may do
so with success, but it is my
experience that these blocks are
wax with liquid dye mixed in and
the wax can somewhat cloud the gel,
or at least make it not as crystal
clear. Since over-coloring can be
a real issue and too easy to do,
it's important to only add a little
at a time and do a "drop test" ...
pour a small amount of gel out
onto a plate, allow it to cool down
a bit and roll it into a ball or
a clump and see what the color
looks like ... often times, the
color may appear lighter in the
melting pot than in reality when
it's gets into the container.

These are primarily the basics of
what you will need to know before
getting started, besides the safety
precautions I have already posted.
Melting pots and some other issues
have not yet been covered ... but
we're getting there!

You may find that my "lesson plan"
here is one that starts in the
center and works its way outward ...
it's not a "step by step" ... if you
have a true interest in making gel
candles, then you will want to know
some of the dynamics ... and if you
are a creative person, it's my belief
that an understanding of what you are
working with will serve you better
than a step by step plan.

Speaking of "step by step" ...
there are plenty of them around and
I have recently read a few of them
to see what is available on the
Internet for beginners to read.
My advice, is probably to get a
good book, which I will start to
take a look at as time goes on,
as there are many websites which
offer a lot of half-knowledge, which,
when it comes to candle making, can
be dangerous. I'm going to explore
some of these next to share them ...
if you are a beginner, you will want
to know how to identify the bad
information. After reading some
good overall basics and having
an understanding of what you are
working with, then, some "steps"
are certainly in order, but it's
nice to have an understanding before
taking those steps.

It's almost ten years since I saw
my first bag of candle gel and when
I got it, it stayed in the bag with
me looking at it and touching it now
and then before I got up enough courage
to melt it and try to make a candle
with it! It seemed to strange to me!
Now, there is shared information to
read ahead of time, but back then,
there was little to nothing to go on.
Hopefully, for beginners reading some
of this material, they won't need to
poke at their gel for so long before
trying it out and making a candle!

2009-08-12T21:11:00.001-06:00

Getting Prepared for Candlemaking

Okay ... you've got your melting pot, molds,
wax, wicks, additives, colorants, scents,
perhaps some containers or embellishments,
spoons and other assorted pieces of equipment ...
an idea of the type of candles you are going
to make, so you're all set!

Well, you're almost all set.
There are some other very important
things to consider before venturing over
to the stove. Whether you will be making
your candles in a workshop or your kitchen,
you'll need to prepare your work space
for your project before going any further.

So what's the big deal, you say? "Plenty!"
If I were to write a story about the area
where I work when I'm making candles,
I guess it would be entitled "Kitchen by Day,
Candle Workshop by Night" ... not that I only
make candles at night, but you get the idea!
A kitchen area can make a wonderful,
however temporary,transformation when
it's set up for candlemaking, as it becomes
a "mini-workshop" of sorts, complete with
stove, countertop, and sink!

Just as our kitchens take on a new persona
during candle making sessions, our attitude
and awareness must also be heightened when
we put on our"candle making caps" ... although
we are there to create, we've also got to think
of candle making safety. Preparation is the key here.
It would be much easier if this were merely an
option when making candles or soaps, but it
is an absolute MUST. A responsible crafter is
not only concerned about making things the
right way, but also about the safety of the process.

Now, I'm certainly not trying to take the fun
out of this ... to the contrary! But, this is
important information. Just as with most
other hobbies, there are those "things to
look out" for when actively involved in the
hobby. Candle and soap making are no exceptions.

Since knowledge of potential hazards can
eliminate them for the most part (you'll be
on the lookout, keeping a watchful eye),
this is what I am going to do my best to cover.
Of course, I won't be able to cover everything
and all possibilities here, but that's not exactly
the point anyway ... the point is simply to
make you aware. If reading this makes you
aware of potential situations that could arise,
then you will be well-equipped and ready for
safely making candles!

Here are some thoughts on safety
when making candles ...

Safety Thought #1:
Melting wax and pouring a candle can be
hazardous if not handled with care.

Safety Thought #2:
Wax and scented oils are substances that
can ignite, flare up, or splatter, causing
severe burns or fire.

These products all have a flashpoint,
which means that they will spontaneously
combust if the temperature reaches the
temp. of the flashpoint. I have read that
if you do not know what the flashpoint
of a wax is, do not heat above 212 degrees F.

Safety Thought #3:
When working at a stovetop ... beware!
(All sorts of things can happen here!)

Regarding equipment, here are some items
that will be very useful in making a safe
candle making area ...

Double boiler
(For use in melting wax)

Glass coffee caraffe that is safe for
stovetop, or "Presto Pot"or a "Pyrex"
tempered glass measuring cup
(for oven use) (For use in melting gel)

[Sidenote: I prefer using glass melting
pots on the stove with candle gel in
order to be able to see the color.]

Lids for pots
(For smothering fire, if needed)

Candy thermometer
(For checking wax or gel temperature)

Pot holders
(For handling pots, molds, etc.)

Fire extinguisher -
(Dry chemical ABC Type)
(In case of emergency)

Box of baking soda
(To smother a fire on stove)

Here are some pointers of safe handling
of wax and candle gel and what to do to
prevent a problem or what to do if one occurs.

Storing wax or candle gel ...
Always store in a cool, dry place, safely away
from any heat source or combustibles.

When melting wax ...
Leaving melting wax or candle gel
unattended should NEVER be considered ...
always stay within sight of your workspace,
or nearby, frequently checking and making
sure everything is going smoothly.

When wax or gel is almost completely melted,
do not leave your station! This is the time to
watch the temperature, prepare your additives,
molds, etc. Candle wax temperature should
not exceed 280 degrees F.

Do not use a microwave to melt wax or gel.

Make sure wax or gel does not spill onto
heating elements on stove.

Keep wax and scented oil containers
away from open flames.

Note the flashpoint of the wax you are melting.

When pouring wax or gel ...
Make sure your pouring containers are
adequate for use with high temperatures
and have a secure handle.

Always use a pot holder or have one
readily available.

Do not wear loose sleeves that can get in
your way or become a hazard.

Set your molds in a place where they will
not need to be moved until the wax or gel
hardens ... moving molds with hot wax in
them can easily spill hot wax.

Make sure you set your mold in a secure place,
away from children and pets or where they
cannot topple over.

If pouring directly from your melting pot
(i.e., glass caraffe with gel candles) ...
after pouring, wipe the side of your
melting pot under the spout, just in
case gel spilled out onto the outside ...
if dripped gel hardens on your melting
pot, it will burn off the next time your
place it on the stove.

General safety tips ...
Only purchase candle dyes and scented oils
that are specifically designed, or pre-tested,
for use in candles.

Kitchen rules apply to candlemaking ...
such as, keep all paper towels, etc. safely
away from stove, pay attention to your
attire and hair ... (no loose fabric or long
hair flowing onto stovetop)... no small
children or pets underfoot... keep distractions
(such as phone calls) to an absolute minimum
(best to focus entirely on your project and
not allow phone or other interuptions) ...
do not overcrowd your workspace ...
make sure you are standing on a secure
surface (throw rugs that will not trip you up,
wear stable shoes, etc.)

Ideally, nothing that is not supposed to
happen ever will ... if you're careful and
follow the above tips, this will be the case.

Here are a few tips, just in case
anything should occur:

If a fire ever starts on the stove ....
Smother top of double boiler with the lid ...
splashing water on wax causes it to splatter.

If some hot wax gets on your skin ...
Immediately run cold (not icy) water over
the burn area ... do not attempt to remove
the wax until it has hardened, and then
carefully lift it off.

If you overheat your wax or gel ...
Overheated wax, candle gel or scented oil
will smoke and the fumes are not safe to breath.
If smoking occurs, immediately remove
melting pot from heat source, open windows
or doors on both sides of house and use a
fan next to door or window, blowing fresh
air in or smoke out.

Always keep a fire extinguisher on hand.

Here are some tips for treating"minor"
(small area) burns ...
It's important to stop the burning process,
so you need to remove the source of heat
immediately ... seconds count!

To smother flames in case clothing should
catch fire, "STOP, DROP AND ROLL."

Never rip burned clothing from the skin ...
remove what you can, if clothing sticks to skin,
cool the material and cut away what you
can without harming skin tissue.

Cool water poured over burned area for
at least 3-5 minutes will bring the
temperature of your skin down and
prevent blistering in most cases ...
the sooner you are able to do this,
the better. Again, seconds count.

For larger burn areas, do not use ice
or cold water since it can lower body
temperature and make the burn worse.
Ointments, creams or salves may cause
infection. Since these are oil-based,
they can hold in heat and worsen the burn.
Use an antiseptic spray to relieve pain
and prevent infection before covering
with a clean dry dressing (soft,
clean, dry bandage).

~~~~

Hopefully, this information has been
of value to you and hopefully, you
will use all preventative measures so
you don't ever have to use the brief
advice just given in regard to burn treatment.

With proper care and attention,
your candle making experience should
be a safe and creative hobby!

Candle Burning Tips

2009-07-31T21:05:00.001-06:00

Here are some tips for you when burning
candles. Gel candles sometimes require
additional attention, so I'll cover that
specifically at a later date when giving
a little more attention to gel candles.

These tips are not only for safety reasons,
but for pleasant burning of your candles!

~~~~~~~~~~

Trim candle wicks to 1/4" prior to each use.

Discontinue use of container, votive, and
gel candles when 1/2" of wax or gel remains.
For pillars and tapers, discontinue use when
candle reaches approx. 2" from its holder.
During burning, some scented oils can sink
and accumulate, depending on the wax and
the scent. In these cases, if a candle is
allowed to burn down too far, it can
become too hot.

Avoid placing candles in the way of drafts to
prevent rapid and uneven burning. This also will
prevent the wick from smoking.

If a candle is smoking, flickers repeatedly, or
if the flame becomes greater than approx. 1",
your candle isn't burning correctly ... snuff out
the candle and trim the wick ... this should
correct the problem. Make sure the candle is
not in the path of a draft.

If burning multiple candles, place them a few
inches apart from one another to keep them
from melting one another, which can cause
uneven burning or melt the sides of the candles.

When lighting a candle for the first time,
allow the candle to burn for about four
hours in order to create a maximum melt pool.
The size of the melt pool of a candle is determined
during its first burn session ... if you only
light the candle for an hour, it will not have
time to create a nice sized melt pool and your
candle will most likely "tunnel" during
subsequent burn sessions.

If you want your candles to "throw" their
scent nicely and melt the wax to the outer rim
(less wasted wax), just pay attention to the
amount of time given the first time you light them.

For better indoor air quality, snuff your
candles out rather than blowing them out.

This is one way to snuff out a candle so
it doesn't smoke ... you can use an old fork
if you don't have a smokeless snuffer ...
place fork or snuffer at the base of the wick
and move it upward against the wick until
the flame is out.

(There are other ways to snuff out a candle ...
but this way works best for me.)

Never extinguish a candle with water, as
it will cause the wax to splatter.

Store your candles in a cool place.

~~~~~~~~~
Happy & Safe Candle Burning!
~~~~~~~~~

For more information, you may visit ...
The National Candle Association -

Candle Safety

Candle Tips

Candle Safety

2009-07-29T19:23:00.002-06:00

I'm going to start with the important stuff
here first. Even if you do not make candles,
you might like burning candles ... and if you
do, it never hurts to read up on safety advice.

It's important to use good judgment when
burning candles and all necessary safety
precautions should always be taken.

PLEASE READ THIS if you plan to burn candles!

Although some of the safety tips may be
obvious, there could be some things you
haven't thought of ... and you can never
be too careful with fire.

Here are just a few of the many precautions
that should be taken whenever maintaining
a lit candle ...

NEVER leave a burning candle unattended
for any reason.

Keep lit candles out of reach from children.

Keep lit candles out of reach from pets ...
this includes areas where your pet may accidentally
tip a candle over (either with tail, paw, toys, etc.)

Always keep lit candles at least a foot and
a half away from any curtains, fabric, tie-backs,
or any fabric that could catch fire.

If placing a candle on a tablecloth, make sure that
it is ona fire-resistant plate and place the candle
near the center of the table so there is no chance
of a long, draping tablecloth being blown or tossed
up into the candle. Use extreme caution with paper
party tablecloths!

Keep burning candles on a heat-resistant surface
that is stable ... fold-out tables which can easily
be kicked or knocked over are not safe options.
If your surface is made of wood, place your candle
on a glass, ceramic, or metal plate or candle holder.

Do not use cloth doilies directly under a lit candle ...
place the candle on a glass or ceramic plate,
then you may place the plate on a doily.

When using tall candle holders for tapers,
place in a secluded area where they will not
be toppled over.

Select placement of your candles during gatherings
carefully. Be especially aware of placement where
guest activity is most abundant. Avoid placing candles
in entry ways or near coat rooms where frequent drafts
or heavy foot traffic are most likely. Also, avoid placing
candles on low end-tables or in places where flowing
garments of passers-by may come in contact with a
burning candle.

Be careful not to place a lit candle near anything
that is flammable or combustible. This includes
placing a lit candle on a bookshelf or end-table
where there may be a wooden shelf above the candle.
Also be cautious of hanging baskets, dried floral
decorations, etc.

Never walk with a burning candle, just in case you
should trip or fall.

After extinguishing a candle, stay to make sure it is
completely out and that the wick ember is no long
glowing before leaving the room.

Do not use a candle to check for natural gas leaks or
to look into a clothes closet for any reason.

Keep all ribbons, decorative toppers, and other
fabrics away from a burning candle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Common sense when burning candles goes a long way!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay Safe !!

Welcome!

2009-07-26T19:15:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my new blog!

You don't need to be a scent crafter
to have some fun learning here ...
this blog isn't just about scents or
crafts, by the way ... it's about
CREATIVITY and enjoyment of life
and our world. Sometimes, in order
to BE creative, you need to first
FEEL creative, so hopefully this
blog will help to INSPIRE you!

Crafting seems to have a way of
brightening our world ...
creativity not only relaxes us,
but it allows us to express
ourselves in artistic ways,
even if we aren't artists.
And, making things can be
a lot of fun.

I have always enjoyed using
molds to create things ...
my first experience with it
was when I was a child.
There was a candy making kit
in the house for making lollipops.
Then, there were gelatin molds
and by the time I was a teenager,
I started making candles.
One molding experience just
led to another!

There isn't always a lot of
time to do these things, but
I have found if you make some
room in your life for them,
you'll always have new avenues
to pursue and I have found
that the enjoyment hobbies
bring have a way of spilling
over into other areas of your
life, making it so you can share
some of the fun and help to
enhance other people's lives.

So, I would like to share various
aspects of some craft making to help
others find the fun in it, or, to
spark an interest in it.
Crafts don't necessarily take a
lot of money or time, and they
can fill your days with all sorts
of good things. I have made them a
part of my life for that very reason.
I can't imagine my life without
craft projects going on!

Nature has played a part in my
crafting in many ways, and I will
share some of those creations here too.

These pages will be written with
the intention to brighten
and enlighten your life through
candles, crafting, nature, health,
and friendship. Updates to these
pages will most likely appear at
random as life continues and there
will be no scheduled posts, and
most likely, no daily posts.
But, if you visit now and then,
you'll probably find something
of interest that I've added
here and there!

Some time ago, when I started
making gel candles, I had a little
website called "Hotscents" ...
some of you may remember it.
It first started when I began making
gel candle kits for beginners, then
it progressed to candle and soap
scents, and non-polar scents for
gel candles. I plan to start creating
new scents once again, now that a
move to a different state in the
U.S., which was a lot of work,
has taken place and I'm getting
more settled in.

Before I get started in sharing some
how-to's or venturing out to share
some information that I have found
on the Internet, I would like to start
with "Safety First" ... so I am going
to focus a little on precautions that
are a must when making candles and soaps.

Thanks for visiting!
Have a wonderful day!

Kathy