Candle Making Wax
 Candles madeof colored Gel Wax Source: Stock Photo |
 Candle made withSheets of Beeswax Source: Stock photo |
For better results, a candle maker must become familiar with at least the six most popular types of wax: paraffin wax, soy wax, beeswax, palm wax, and gel wax.
Because candle making has been growing in popularity in leaps and bounds, the wax suppliers are responding by offering a larger variety of wax which is better and more readily available. Because candle makers are always looking for something new, the wax industry is responding and the changes are there.
What Is Each Type of Wax Made From?
1. Many of today’s candles are made from a wax derived from refining petroleum, which is of course one of our most natural products. This wax wax, known as paraffin wax, is very popular for making candles because it is readily available and inexpensive.
As I mentioned in a previous article, I remember every fall my grandmother using paraffin wax to top her jam with a a 1/2 inch layer of wax in order to prevent it from spoiling. So it just proves that paraffin wax is easy to use and has been around for ages.
2. Soy based wax, also made from a renewable and natural source, is rapidly becoming more popular. When the soybeans are hydrogenated, the resulting product is a wax suitable for candles.
Since the majority of the soybeans are grown especially in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana in the United States, soy wax is a readily available and renewable resource that is eco friendly.
3. Another renewable and natural resource is palm wax. Unfortunately as palm wax was getting more and more popular, people in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia were cutting down large areas of rain forest so they could plant palm plantations. As you know, cutting down the rain forest is extremely destructive to the eco system and endangers the survival of such animals as the orangutans, the rhinoceros, and the Sumatran tiger.
Fortunately the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) was able to implement a course of action by founding the RSPO. Through this organization a plan to implement the best practices for sustainable palm cultivation was put in place, and they were able to help member organizations implement and verify the procedures.
So when you are shopping for palm wax, make sure your vendor is getting the wax where people are growing it in an eco-friendly way.
4. Some wax such as beeswax is made from animal based material. In the past companies offered ready-made candles which were made with beeswax, palm wax, and even bayberry wax. As more and more people became involved in creating their own candles at home, there has been a growing interest in making candles out of these natural products.
Beeswax is the most popular of the three; it comes in sheets which you can roll up to make your candle and is available in yellow and white. Although beeswax can be rather expensive, people love its pleasant fragrance, the way it burns, and the way the candle can last for a long time.
5. A different type of wax is the gel wax. Although gel wax, which is made from a specially selected and processed mineral oil and a gelling agent, has a clear rubbery texture, it is heated and poured just like any other wax. The only difference is that you end up with a clear wax when cooled.
Gel comes in three densities. The density you choose will depend on the type of candle you are making and how much fragrance you wish to add to the candle.
If you want to add a 0 -3% fragrance load, you pour your gel when it is at a lower temperature for you want your gel wax to have a low density.
If you want to add more fragrance to your wax, for example a 3 to 5% fragrance load, you may want to use a medium density gel wax, probably the most popular gel wax to work with.
If you wish to add more than a 5% fragrance load to your wax, you will need the high density gel wax.
There is obviously a lot of different types of wax available! With so many different kinds of wax on the market, the candle maker can pick the type that suits her project the best. When a candle maker is able to understand each kind of wax, he/she can fully experience and take advantage of the candle making market and get double, triple, or even quadruple his/her accomplishments (i.e. profit).
Candle Making At Home
Candle Making at home can be traced way back to our ancestors when they came to this New World
When these people had lived in Europe, their candles had been made by “chandlers”; however, once in the New World, women and daughters had the task of making all necessary candles for the family.
Since our ancesters made their candles with animal fat, candle making coincided with the slaughtering of farm animals in the fall. Imagine having to make between 200 to 400 candles for your family in one week. It must have been a tedious job, but the women managed to turn that one week of candle making in a week of socializing — a community affair.
Of course the situation is quite different today. We make candles at home because it’s fun to come up with new ideas to create that unique, one-of-a-kind candle that makes your friends and neighbors green with envy.
Not only is candle making fun, it is a great craft project to do with older children. Some people make candles to give away as gifts while others make candles to sell and create a business out of it.
It’s very easy to make candles for yourself or to give away. And now that candle making at home is becoming more and more popular, more of the local craft stores can supply you with all you will need in order to make your own candles.
You can buy your wax, wicks, and molds from almost any craft stores (or on the internet once you know exactly what you want). To make your candles more unique and stunning, craft suppliers have added items such as color, decorations, and fragrance — all ready to be added to your homemade candles.
Once all the necessary ingredients have been bought, all you need supply are the rest of the needed candle making supplies such as double boiler, mold, etc.
What is a double boiler? When you have two pots, one somewhat smaller that can be easily placed into and be held by the lip of the bigger pot, you have a double boiler. The idea is to add some water into the larger one and place it on the burner; then, you add the wax to be melted into the smaller pot and place it in position above the water in the large pot. The wax is then heated by the boiling water underneath it.
If you place the pot with the wax directly on the burner, the wax would get too hot too fast and might cause a fire. Wax has to be dealt with carefully.
If you have ever watched our grandmothers melt paraffin wax to create an air barrier on top of jam after they have been placed inside jars, you would notice how carefully the women would hover over their wax melting procedure.
This is a good time to mention that when you are heating up your wax, one of the extra supplies you should keep handy is a fire extinguisher– yes a fire extinguisher (and know how to use it.) Also when melting wax, forget about answering the phone, the door, or half watching TV. It’s important to stay alert to what you’re doing! (OKay I can get off the podium, now!)
Back to the task at hand
Using a double boiler removes the danger factor by at least half when you try to melt your wax. Once the wax is melted, you hold (or have tied) the wick in place in the middle of the mold,and pour in the wax.
Once the wax has been poured into your mold, you must give it time to cool. It can take from four to six hours before the candle can safely be remove from the mold. If you find that the candle just does not want to come out of the mold, try popping the whole thing into the freezer in 15 ro 20 minute time frames until the wax has cooled down to the point where the candle will easily slide out of the mold.
Here’s a tip: Spray non-stick cooking spray into your mold before you pour the wax into it so you will have an easier time removing the finished candle from its container.
The different types of candles you can make are endless. With the availability of so many different fragrances, colors, and decorations, the only limitation is your imagination. Some candle making enthusiasts have gone as far as to create their own mold with liquid latex in order to create amazing candles.
However, these people have had to come up with an idea to keep this flimsy mold from falling apart when wax is poured into it. They first cut a hole in a piece of sturdy cardboard (such as corrugated cardboard), a hole just big enough for the mould to slip through but only up to the lip.
Once the mold is safely in place, the hot wax can be poured into it, and the cardboard will be its support. Of course the candle maker has to make sure he has created his mold with a lip on the bottom for this purpose.
Some entrepreneurs have become so skilled at making candles that they have made a great business out of selling their candles. What a great way to make money . . . doing what you love and seeing the results of your talents and imagination!
They are able to make a profit by buying their products in bulk at discount prices and attracting clients by putting time and effort into packaging their products attractively. These people have a fabulous imagination! They are always looking for new ideas when it comes to this old custom.
Yes, candle making at home is becoming more and more popular, and though it requires patience like any other hobby, it is easy to create a gorgeous candle in 7 days or less even if you have never done this before.
Get a lovely glass container, melt your wax, place your wick upright in the center of your container, add the melted wax, color and/or fragrance to your wax before it hardens, and let your candle cool down.
Of course I’m over simplifying the candle making procedure! ! But what I am trying to say is that it can be easy … and the more you practice making candles at home the better your results.
The new ebook Easy Candle Making explains all of these steps in much greater detail. You may want to consider downloading it.
Enjoy! It’s fun!
Here’s a video by Michelle Kaufman who gives a brief overview on how to make candles at home. Download the ebook to get more detailed information
Source: youtube
