# Hand dipped Candles



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Well it is about that time again ...  ... (I do have more than a few left over from lasts years long cold and snow filled winter but in my house you can "never" have to many candles. ) lol

I did find a 'basic how to link' to help with the "how to!" 

I use a crockpot (on low) to keep the wax warm and I 'roll' the candles about every 10 dips to keep them stright.

I think that is about all the difference ... Oh other than ... when I start dipping I use a very small nut on the bottem of the wick for the first 10 or 20 dips.

How to Make Hand-dipped Candles | eHow.com


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Stop, please. I...must...resist...the...urge...to...make...THINGS!!! :gaah::gaah:


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Come on Mdpepper ... candle making is fun and easy!!!  lol


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I make my candles by the pour-method.

I place a large piece of waxed paper on a baking pan and then will take empty paper-towel rolls and toilet-paper rolls (you know, the cardboard tubes) and cut them down to about 3".

I then place them on the waxed paper so that they "seal" against the paper.

Next I take my wick and tie it to a skewer (shish-kabob) and place it carefully over the center of the tube standing on end. I mark the place to cut and then dip the bottom of the wick into the warm wax in a double-boiler.

Quickly, I will put the waxy wick into place on the top of the tube and wait for it to cook and "glue" to the wax-paper below.

I then repeat for as many tubes I have .. well, till I run out of wick.

Finally I pour the wax from the upper pot of the "double-boiler" into the tubes till about half-full (1 1/2").

I will then work my way across all the tubes in similar fashion, watching the top of the wax of the first candle. When I see the wax starting to set (it gets a skin on the top and becomes a bit more opaque) I will then return to that candle and fill it to 3/4 full and then continue down the line again.

Always watch the first candle and when it starts to set, fill it to the brim .. and then go down the line.

To do the wax in the pot, I will purchase fresh parafin wax and toss in old candles till I get a full pot. Sometimes the color ends up looking good - sometimes it looks like puke .. 

If you want to color natural parafin wax for candles without using commercial candles - toss in a few crayons .. :sssh:


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Cool NaeKid - I have done a few "Ice" candles that way... which always comes out very different and awesome ... at the same time ...


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Bump.

What kind of wax are y'all using? I'm sitting here looking on Amazon at candle wax and there's all these IGI numbers next to them. What do they mean?

This should show what I'm seeing.
Amazon.com: Paraffin Candle Making Wax


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I use a general purpose wax for candles, our Hobby Lobby stores has it in a 10 lb. slab.(around 14 bucks) Plus a little beeswax is always nice. 

So I have no clue about the numbers ??? :scratch (sorry)


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## lhalfcent (Mar 11, 2010)

I found a taper mold to make eight candles at a time. Haven't used it yet but you have inspired me to pull it out and try it. I am used to hand dipping so this will be interesting.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I found one of them on ebay.:ignore: I looked into to putting it to use and then did a chicken out ...  ...lol

The only problem I did find was on the release. The more I read ... :gaah:Well ... I just need to try it and see for myself.

Or you can try it and let me know.  lol


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

lhalfcent said:


> I found a taper mold to make eight candles at a time. Haven't used it yet but you have inspired me to pull it out and try it. I am used to hand dipping so this will be interesting.


WELL ???? Did you try it out???

I was thinking of doing my this morning and then my son said something about all the wool and cotton I have here, there and everwhere  ... so I spent the day working on that ...


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I have a 20# block of wax from a craft store that I want to make multi wick candles with like Naekid makes for light and emergency heating, I just need some metal cans.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

sailaway said:


> I have a 20# block of wax from a craft store that I want to make multi wick candles with like Naekid makes for light and emergency heating, I just need some metal cans.


Would soup-cans work for your idea? :wave:


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Wish I knew how to knit or crochet. I am going to try my hand at the candle making.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Clarice said:


> Wish I knew how to knit or crochet. I am going to try my hand at the candle making.


You can learn to knit or crochet ... :2thumb: Youtube has both ... all you need is some yarn, knitting needles or a hook and go for it.

Let us know how the candle making goes ...


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

*soup cans for candles*

what ever mold you choose to use for candles must be very smooth inside or the candles will not come out. also you can use jars for some candles, any canning jar will work. I make and sell soy wax jar candles and get my wax for a place call nature's garden and also from Lonestar candle suppy. wick size determines how well your candle will burn. you can also use vegetable oil for light source(see at lehman brother's). Tallow candles were made from rendered beef or pork fat!!


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

I've had good luck using kid-sized milk cartons as molds. The square candles do make for more "left-overs" when used up, but that just goes back in the melt pot. I usually add some of that powdered wax (think they call it styrene or some such); seems to release easier and burn cleaner. I tried the crayon-color method once, and ended up with clogged wicks. Must've been the cheap crayons I used. 

I do have a set of several plastic molds which work well, and one metal votive mold that works half the time. Sometimes using "mold-release spray works, while other times I have to soak my molds in boiling water and start over. As always, my primitive skills are a work in progress.


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## Roslyn (Feb 20, 2012)

I now officially call myself a Chandler. After 4 years of burning, making, re-melting, screwing up, failing wacko "what-if" experiments, swearing, burning myself, ruining shoes, clothes, staining the basement floor with liquid color, and sitting and watching candles just burn while taking copious notes, well, I now make some pretty awesome candles.

It's a science, an art, and a skill. First, forget the crayons, they will mess up your wick pretty awful.

If you want just straight up emergency candles, tapers or pillars, the basic paraffin wax (140* melt point) that you can buy at craft stores will work just fine. If you can get ahold of stearic acid (will be granulated) you will have a better candle with better mold release. 1/4 cup of stearic to 1 pound of basic paraffin will do just fine. An 18 ply flat braid wick or a #2 square braid wick will work for a 2-inch diameter pillar or a 30 ply flat or #4 square for a 3-inch diameter pillar.

I have now made dipped tapers and I love them. I did them in my candle pouring pot, which is 8-inches deep. I made 6 1/2-inch long tapers and they burn about 7 1/2 to 8 hours. I am now only dipping beeswax, since it is the most "worth" the time to dip. Straight paraffin or a paraffin/stearic blend takes twice as many dips to make the same diameter beeswax taper candle, and they need more rolling to keep them straight. 160* is the right temp to dip to keep from having the bumps and grubby look. I have burned many tapers, side by side, and both beeswax and paraffin/stearic candles of the same height and weight burn the same amount of time and give off the best candlelight short of a oil lamp. So when you read that beeswax candles burn twice as long as paraffin, well I think that is stretching it a bit.

I now have invested in large spools of raw wicking and the 15 inch deep dipping pot. I also bought a turkey fryer so that I can do this outside on my patio. However the amount of wax needed to make a dipping session worth the make up is daunting. 20-30 pounds by my best estimate. I need to weigh everything the next time I sit down to dip!! 

Scented container candles? Well, that is a whole 'nother story!! That's where the blood, sweat and tears come in...............


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## Roslyn (Feb 20, 2012)

Oh.....AND..... IGI stands for "International Group, Inc" It is a manufacturer of paraffin wax and ready to use wax blends.

If you use raw paraffin, meaning with no additives it comes in different melt points, which are used for different purposes. Low melt point is for containers high melt point for pillars/tapers.

And then, to make it crazier, there are more additives to do this and that than you can shake a stick at. That's why the IGI blends are a great place to start, because they take a lot of the science out of it and make various blends to get you started making candles.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

Wow thought this might be easy...boy do I have a lot to learn!


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

gabbyj310 said:


> Wow thought this might be easy...boy do I have a lot to learn!


It is easy ...


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

This thread gave me a flashback to late elementary school when we made candles. Dip the string in melted wax, pull it out, let it cool for a couple seconds, dip it in again, repeat. Some kids produced some pretty amazing candles for 9-10 year olds. Might be a fun project to do with the kids.


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