Have you ever made your own candles? We tried it last night for the first time and it was fairly easy and very satisfying! We started with a kit that we purchased from Hobby Lobby for $20. Everything included is pictured above. The pouring pot, thermometer, wax, votive molds, dye, scent, wicks, and instructions.
The first step was to pour the whole bag of wax into the pouring pot.
To heat the wax you need to create a double boiler. A simple pan filled with water did the trick. The thermometer needs to be clipped to the edge of your pouring pot.
It doesn't take long, maybe 15 minutes for the wax to melt. We had an old wooden spoon that has become the candle making spoon. The wax needs to heat to 185 degrees. When temp has reached 185, your put your dye in and still til dissolved and then the same thing for the scent. We followed instructions on the first batch but it wasn't nearly enough scent so we doubled it with the second batch.
The wax got to around 200 degrees so I removed it from heat until it got to 180, which is the pouring temp. Meanwhile, place molds in an old pan or pie plate...anything to protect your counter in case of spills.
Pour the wax to the very top of the molds. Wax shrinks as it cools. Wait about 5 minutes and then insert the wicks.
The wicks will move around in the liquid wax so you need something to keep them centered. Toothpicks would probably be great but we didn't have any so we used knives!
And that's it! It took about an hour for them to harden. We stuck them in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. To remove them from the molds, gently pull on the wick.
This would be a great craft for homemade gifts! I've already been searching ebay for more supplies. Soy candles will be our next project. Hope this helped, happy candle making!
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