A place to learn more about scented crafts ... various types of candles, such as soy candles, paraffin wax candles, gel candles, beeswax candles; homemade bath & body products, scented decorations and more!
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.
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 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!
