Mary Sheldon Green Forests Work

Gathering Supplies Get out all the candle making supplies you need. Molds, wicks, wax, melting/pouring pot, thermometer, scale, and saucepan as double boiler. (color and fragrance if desired)

Prepare The Wax Measure out the wax you need. Below is a table for reference to determine how much wax you ll need. Tealights Approximately 1.2 oz. makes one tealight candle. Votives Approximately 3.2 oz. makes one votive candle.

Place Wick Set pre assembled wicks or wick pins into each of the candle molds to be ready for later. (Don t spray with the mold release yet.)

Prepare Double Boiler Melt Wax Place a medium sized pot onto the stove. Fill with about 1 2 inches of water. Place the pouring pitcher into the pot with the wax already in it. Heat slowly until all wax is melted Note: There should always be some water in the pot, however, it shouldn t be too much to cause the pitchers to float around. The weight of the pitcher and the wax inside it should stop this from happening.

Additions Add coloring and/or fragrance if desired. *Keep in mind that the color will be dramatically lighter when it dries than it is when it s liquid. *How much fragrance you add will depend on the fragrance you have purchased. Some fragrances are much more potent, and don t need as much added.

Cooling The Wax Each type of candle has a different ideal pouring temperature. Here is a quick reference to how hot your wax should be for pouring various types of candles. Tealights Approx. 130 F Votives Approx. 175 F Pillars Approx. 175 F 180 F Containers Approx. 190 F

Pour The Wax When the wax has cooled to the ideal temperature based on what type of candle it is, it is ready to be poured. Spray the molds lightly with release spray. For a cleaner pour, tilt the mold or container slightly toward the pitcher. Pour the wax all the way to the top of the mold until it is just at the top. If you have a wick pin or wick in the candle, be sure to keep it centered when/after pouring.

Second Pour Because the wax will concave naturally, it is necessary to heat up the remaining wax and pour over the candles (when mostly set) in order to make the tops as rounded/flat as possible. Let candles set for 1 hour. Once you only have about 10 minutes left, heat up the remaining wax in double boiler. Once the remaining wax is completely liquid again, place the thermometer in. When it is at a temperature of 175 F 185 F pour over the candles to the top of the mold.

Removing The Candle From The Mold After the candle has completely hardened, you can remove it from the mold. Turn the mold upside down and tap the bottom of the mold to release the candle. Then take the wick pin in your fingers and gently (as not to break up the wax in the center of the candle) wiggle the wick pin until it pulls out the candle. If you used a mold release then it should come out pretty easily.

Placing Wicks Once the candle has cooled you can remove the wick pins. After you ve removed the wick pins, place the pretabbed wick in it and be sure to push it all the way in to secure it.

Creative holders

Hand-rolled Beeswax Candles

Cutting the Beeswax Sheet for Tapers Take your ½ sheet of beeswax and measure from top corner to 1 in at bottom. Cut wax on a slight diagonal.

To start Flip sheet over with wider edge facing you.

Placing wick Lay the wick along the edge of the sheet and start rolling the candle by bending over about 1/8" of the wax. Working from one end to the other, press down firmly to make sure the wax is tight around the wick

Wick Size Always test burn to determine the proper size wick! 5/0 is for a rolled beeswax candle measuring approximately ¼" wide. 4/0 is for a rolled beeswax candle measuring approximately ½" wide. 3/0 is for a rolled beeswax candle measuring approximately ½" wide. 2/0 is for a rolled beeswax candle measuring approximately ¾" wide. 1/0 is for a rolled beeswax candle measuring approximately 1" wide. #2 is for a rolled beeswax candle measuring approximately 2" wide.

Rolling the Beeswax Candle Once the wick is pressed firmly into the wax, it's time to be gentle with the wax. You don't want to warp the honeycomb pattern on the wax. Start rolling the candle slowly and straight, making sure that you are keeping the ends even. Keep rolling until you reach the end.

Tapers The angle of your cut will determine the amount of taper

Did you know that beeswax candles clean the air when they burn? Beeswax releases negative ions when it burns. Pollen, dust, dirt, pollutants, and any other junk in the air all carry a positive charge, and that is how they can be suspended in the air. The negative ions released from burning beeswax negate the positive charge of air contaminants, and the neutralized ions are sucked back into the burning candle or fall to the ground. Many air purifiers and water filters harness this effective negative ion technology. Because beeswax candles clean the air and reduce indoor pollutants, they can effectively reduce asthma, allergies, and hay fever.

Wax Purity Please be aware that candles labeled pure beeswax, according to the legal definition, only have to be 51% beeswax. The other 49% can be paraffin or anything else. In order to get the health benefits of burning beeswax, look for 100% pure beeswax candles.

Hand Dipping Beeswax Tapers

Supplies Needed Beeswax enough to fill your container 1 1/2 2 times. Keep the level near the top of the pot. Wicking square braid wicking is best for beeswax Metal Nuts small ones from the hardware store Container I bought a candle making pot at the craft store, but metal coffee cans or olive oil cans would also work. Make sure the height of the can is taller than you want your candles to be.

Wicks Square Braid wicks work best for beeswax Forms a carbon cap on the top of the wick. The carbon cap radiates heat outward from the flame which helps melt wax which is further away from the flame. Square Braid wicks help to channel the wax fumes up to the flame. The wick also bends slightly as it burns which minimizes carbon build up and makes for a cleaner burning candle.

Preparing wicks Prepare your wicks. Measure a length of wick that s equal to twice the desired candle length plus 4 inches. (Ex: if you want to make 8 inch candles, make the wick 16 + 4 = 20 inches long) Cut this length, then tie a washer or small weight onto each end. Next, cut a 2 square or 2 x4 rectangle (see photos) of sturdy cardboard and cut slits at each end, about 1/2 to 1 in.

Fold your wick in half and align the center in the middle of your cardboard piece, then place the wicks into the slats you cut (as shown in photo below). The two pieces of wick should be hanging evenly below the cardboard.

Prime candle wicks by dipping into molten beeswax

Repeat dipping until your candles reach the desired thickness many taper holders hold 7/8 candles, so measure your candleholders before you start.

Smoothly and slowly pull the wick out of the wax and dip in the bucket of cool water. Doing this step in between dips saves an ENORMOUS amount of time. If you don t have a bucket of cool water, you will need to wait until the wax is completely dry on the wick before you dip it again.

Cut off the weight used when candle has reached desired size and dip into the wax to smooth and finish

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