Making Beeswax Candles
Hey DIYers! Yesterday I did a little project I've been meaning to for some time and made some beeswax candles. :) It was very easy as I wasn't doing anything complicated like adding dyes or scents, and beeswax smells good all by itself, anyway!
So I took a bunch of beeswax pastilles that I already had for making salves and melted them down in my crockpot:
I was filling the little cups that fit in my wall sconces as my primary goal of candle-making, and I had a suspicion that my wicks might be long enough to get two candles out of each wick (even tho that would mean no metal bottom anchoring it down on some, I figure that was okay because I've had some store-bought candles without one, and as long as I held it still while the wax cooled it should be okay, right?).
So after those initial candles cooled, I snipped the wicks and yes - I got more candles out of them! :) I used bag clips to hold them in place while the wax solidified.
I discovered that I had only melted enough wax for 10 out of the 11 cups (my measuring method had been to scoop 11 cups' worth of pastilles out of the bag), so I melted a bunch more and dug out a couple more candle holders while I was at it. I should have learned my lesson from the first time, because I could have melted almost twice as much to fill the big candle holder; it just goes to show how much air space is in-between the pastilles when measuring it out. Now I know for future!
The big jar has two wicks, and there's an additional Santa-decorated candle jar in addition to the 11 cups that fit in my holders.
I like using wall sconces so that a) they always have a safe space to burn that isn't, say, my crowded bookshelf or something that could be hazardous like that, b) it's spaced out so that if there's a power outage I can at least see where I'm going throughout the apartment, and c) because cats. I don't want my fella to go swishing his tail over an open flame!
So now I am once again all set if there's a power outage. I had run through my stash of tealights and votive candles that fit in the sconces quite some time ago, so I'm glad to be prepared again! Also, candles are just nice and I enjoy them. :) Thanks for reading!
Absolutely phenomenal thank you very much for sharing.
People used to make their own candles all the time.
As well as relying on candles way more than we do now.
Excellent job and really cool work!!
Hey, thank you! :)
Very nice! And smart to clip the wicks and make more.
Thanks! The wick length was juuuuust enough to get two candles out of each. :)
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BEER.I have recently experimented with soy wax in Altoids tin emergency candles, but I have no experience whatsoever with any other waxes, bee or otherwise. I can report freestanding wicks do not work with soy wax in a shallow container, so I'll have to request an update once you know!
Oh I see! That's a good point, that may happen in my little jars too; now that I'm thinking on it, the candles I usually see without them are either tapers or pillars, which melt differently of course, or tealights in their own little holder so it's probably anchored to that. I will post an update after I've tried using one of the ones without a bottom!
I've worked with the wax that is usually sold with canning supplies, which is petrol-based, and beeswax, but I haven't used soy wax before myself, so between us we've got a variety. :) You might consider too for your class using a crockpot like I did? I would imagine one could be toted and safely used in a library classroom and it will hold a large amount of wax at once (but it will take a while to melt, of course). I can recommend NOT putting the petrol wax in a microwave; I tried that once and it made explosion sounds such that I turned off the machine and was afraid of a fire!
My concern with the crock pot is cleanup afterward. We may want to use the library crock pot (we have one in storage already) for food again.
Soy does seem to have a lower melting temperature than other waxes, so you still may be OK.
Cleanup can definitely be a pain. I do use mine for everything, though - food, medicinal salves, candles. LOL I just begrudingly deal with the cleanup.
That being said, I did not put the petrol wax in there.
I'm no science pro, but soy and beeswax both strike me as relatively safe for food cross-contamination potential. I agree wholeheartedly on using dedicated equipment for petroleum products.
Oh, I like this. I have a large bag of beeswax pellets that I need to do something with. I like the idea of using the crockpot to melt them!
It works well!