How to Make Container Candles

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  • Container candles make lovely decorations for anyone's home. How to make container candles will teach you how to make them at home and save yourself a trip to the candle store.

  • Container candles make lovely decorations for anyone's home. How to make container candles will teach you how to make them at home and save yourself a trip to the candle store.

  • Introduction

    • Container candles are easy to make and create a great ambiance in your dining room or bedroom. All you need are some pretty containers and a few candle-making supplies, and you're on your way to a great new hobby. Give your candles away as gifts, or keep them for yourself.

  • Step 1: Assemble Your Equipment

    1. Wicks: The candle's wick delivers wax (fuel) to the flame. It must deliver the right amount of melted wax for the candle to burn well and cleanly. Therefore, wick choice is very important. The type you'll need will depend on the other materials that you're using. CandleMakerSupplies.com has a wick chart to help you determine what size wick to use.
      1. Flat wicks are the most common wicks, and are used in taper and pillar candles. They tend to self-trim and are composed of flat plaited or knitted fibers.
      2. Square wicks are also used in taper and pillar candles. They're good for beeswax candles and prevent fragrances and colorants from clogging the wick.
      3. Cored wicks have a core substance in the middle of the wick to help hold it upright. They're used in jar, pillar, votive, and devotional candles.
    2. Wax: The wax you use will depend on what type of candle you want to make. There's no particular wax that is best for candles, but some waxes work better than others for certain kinds of candles. No matter what kind of wax you decide on, make sure to get a high quality product.
      1. Paraffin is the most commonly used wax. It's inexpensive and comes in varieties with different melt points.
      2. Beeswax burns more slowly than many other waxes and smells sweet naturally.
      3. Soy Bean Wax sticks well to the inside of containers. You'll need a larger wick if you use soy.
    3. Container: Your container must be heat-resistant so that it won't shatter when the candle is lit. Candle suppliers sell many types of containers for candles, including glass and pottery jars and metal tins.
    4. Wick bar or other rod: A wick bar is simply a rod to which you tie your candle's wick and that then sits on top of the container to hold the wick out of the wax as you pour.
    5. Wick Tabs: Wick tabs are small metal discs that secure the wick to the bottom of the container. You'll either need pre-tabbed wicks, or you'll have to clamp tabs to the wicks yourself (see manufacturer's instructions for how to do this).
    6. Thermometer: Candle wax must be heated to specific temperatures.
    7. Double boiler (or other system for heating wax indirectly): You can purchase an actual double boiler, or simply fill one pot 1/4 full with water and place another pot on top. The stove burner heats the water, which creates steam that rises to heat the wax.
    8. Hot glue or sticky craft dots (optional): You'll need something to attach the wick tab to the container bottom.

  • Optional Additions

    1. Fragrance: Scented candles account for about 75% of candles sold in the U.S. If you decide to put fragrance in your own candles, you must know how much to add, or they will not burn properly. You should only use special candle fragrances, which you can purchase along with your other supplies.
    2. Colorant: Both dyes and pigments are used to create colored candles. Dyes burn well and are used to color candle wax all the way through. Pigments don't burn well, so are usually used just on the outer edges of candles. You should only use special candle dyes, which you can purchase along with your other supplies.

  • Step 2: Attach Wicks to Container Bottoms

    1. Attach the tab of the wick to the bottom of your container.
    2. Tie the other end of the wick to a rod such as a wick bar or pencil and lay it across the opening of the container. Do this so that the wick remains straight and accessible when you pour the wax.

  • Step 3: Melt the Wax

    • Once you've got everything else ready, you can prepare the wax for your candle.
    1. Melt your wax over low heat using a double boiler. Do not heat the wax too far above its proper pour temperature, which can be found on the wax's packaging or below in Step 5.
    2. Introduce any additives, such as color or fragrance, into your wax once it has reached the correct pouring temperature. Add any dye last.

  • Step 4: Preheat Containers

    • You can warm most containers in the oven or by holding them under hot water. Just dry any water off of the container once you're done. They don't need to be hot, just warmer than room temperature.

  • Step 5: Pour the Wax

    • Your container should always be at room temperature or warmer when you pour your wax.
    1. Pour your wax when it reaches the correct temperature:
      1. Beeswax: between 150° and 170° F
      2. Paraffin: between 190° and 200° F
      3. Soy: between 155° and 165° F
      4. Crystallizing: between 160° and 180° F
      5. Gel: between 185° and 203° F
    2. Tip the container slightly as you pour to help prevent bubbles.
    3. Save some of your wax for a second pour. The larger your container, the more wax you'll need to reserve.

  • Step 6: Poke Relief Holes

    1. Poke a long, narrow stick into the candle all the way to the bottom of the container.
    2. Space several relief holes evenly around the wick of the candle.

  • Step 7: Re-Pour the Wax

    • Most waxes contract as they cool, leaving a well or air pockets in the candle. For this reason, you'll need to add more wax after the candle has begun to cool.
    1. Reheat your wax to 5-10° hotter than the original pouring temperature.
    2. Pour your wax into the space left by the shrinking of the wax. If you've made relief holes, pour the wax into them. You may need to repeat this process several times, until you no longer have a well in the candle.

  • Step 8: Allow Candle to Cool

    • Once you've done your re-pour, you must allow the candle to cool completely through and harden. The amount of time this takes will depend on the size of the candle and the type of wax you used.

  • Step 9: Trim the Wick

    • Your wick needs to be the correct length to burn properly. If it's too short, it will drown in the pool of wax that forms as the candle burns. If it's too long, it will smoke, and oxygen won't feed the flame properly. Trim your wick to within 1/4-1/2 inch from the wax.

  • Conclusion

  • Resources for How to Make Container Candles


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