Todays post is going to talk about how to make soy candles even if you have never attempted to make a candle before. It is simple and anyone can do it regardless of age or gender. Candle making is fun and provides hours of pleasure after the end product is done. You can make Soy candles in your spare time and they make wonderful gifts for friends and family. If you really enjoy making them as I do, you can even turn your hobby into a small business which I have done. My candle business took off so quickly I could hardly keep up with the orders I was getting. Now I have even expanded into bath and body products as well as other fragrance needs. Such as incense, fragrance oils, and wax dipped bears. I will post more on each of these subjects at a later time. First lets begin with how to make a soy candle.
There are a lot of choices out there to be made when it comes to chosing a wax that will produce a long burn time, a cleaner burn and a great scent throw. These are three characteristics you want to look for when choosing a wax. I recommend Nature wax C-3 container wax. You can purchase this wax from lonestar candle supply for around $40.00. This price will get you 50lBs of wax and will make over 100 candles.
Next you need to chose you type of container to use. Again there are tons of choices and the choice is yours. A good container to use that can be reused again and again is Apothocary style jars. These jars range in size from 4 ounces up to 26 ounces. But the most common used for candle making is 10 ounce and 16 ounce. They come with the lids and seal tightly so the fragrance is retained when not in use. These too can be purchased from LoneStar Candle Supply.
As you may notice when you go shopping for candles at any retailer they come in various colors and fragrances. Here the possibilities are endless. You can chose on single color for your wax or layer them. You can also mix scents to come up with your own fragrance or stick with one single fragrance. For this lesson we will go with a single color and a single fragrance. Later as you develope your skills you can jazz things up a bit.
Ok here we go.
You will need the following items to start making your candles.
Wax
Dye (liquid or chips)
Fragrance oil
Melting pot (here I use a double broiler)
Thermometer to keep an eye on your temp. All wax and fragrances have a flash point this is very important!
Containers
Wicks (eco series from lonestar make a great starter wick) you will want the 6" wicks they can be trimmed to your container size after the product is complete
Wick Tabs ( to hold your wicks to the jar)
You will also need something to hold your wicks in the center of the container while the wax sets. These can be found at your local craft store along with many of the other items you need.
You can also use a string and pencil if it is as wide as your container.
Ok first measure out the amount of wax you wish to work with. Here I usually start out with 1lb of wax. This will make about 3 16 ounce candles and 1 10 ounce.
To measure your wax it is a good idea to have a kitchen scale. These are measured out in ounces and provide you with an accurate weight.
In your double broiler fill the bottom pan about half way with water. Then set the top pan on and place your wax in. As the water begins to boil your wax will begin to melt. Keep in mind that you need to watch your temperature. Let you wax melt completly and come to about 160 degrees. Turn off the burner at this point. Leave you top pot on so your wax doesnt cool to quickly and begin to set up.
At 150 degrees you want to add your fragrance oil. We will use Vanilla as an example here. Typically you will use about 1-3% of fragrance oil per pound of wax. I have found that one liquid ounce of fragrance works very well and give a great scent throw. You want to make sure your wax is still at the 150 mark when adding this oil. This is because it allows the molecules to expand and bond with the wax.
Next we need to add color. Of course you can chose what ever color you desire for your candle but for today we will choose Golden Honey (block #26 with LoneStar Candle Supply colors).
Since one block can color up to 50 lbs of wax you will need to do some math here. With the golden honey as your color you will only need 1/4 of the block. For a deeper color add more. You will want to start with a small amount of dye because after you put it in you cannot take color out. But you can always add more. A rule of thumb to keep in mind is that as your wax cools your color will become lighter.
As you are mixing in your fragrance and dye, you will want to continue to stir your wax to make sure you have even distributation of all ingredients.
If you have not done so already, you will want to prepare your jars.
Here is where your wick tabs called wick stick-ems come in place.
Take the metal tab end of the wick and place your stick-em
Then center your wick in the container of your choice
firmly press the wick to the bottom of the container.
Next you will need a tool to keep the wick centered. Because the wax is HOT you will need to make sure you do this step or your wick will "melt" into the wax. Here you can use a wick centering tool or just a pencil and string. Tie one end of the string to the tip of the wick and the other to the pencil. Roll the string until the wick is taught and centered still in your container.
When the wax reaches 120 degrees you can begin to pour it into the containers. Make sure that the container you use is heat resistant because nothing stinks more as when you pour your wax and the container breaks because of excess heat. The apothocary style jars are a great choice and are very heat resistant.
Pour you wax slowly into the container. Leave about 1/2 inch at the top of the container for the lid.
Now you will wait.....As the wax begins to cool you can adjust the wick if needed. Be sure to do any adjusting before the top of the wax sets. If you wait too long and move it, you will not have a smooth top.
After the wax is completly cooled you can trim your wick. Now it is time to enjoy your candle!
You did it you have made your very first Soy Candle.
You may ask why Soy?
Soy is all natural and produces a cleaner burn than your traditional candle wax such as paraffin. The end product burns longer and produces a great scent throw. Since Soy is a renewable substance you are contributing to a healthier enviroment. Soy is also easier to clean up. Clean up any spill with warm water and soap.
There you have it. How to make a Soy Candle.
Next we will learn about pillar and votive candles then on to Bath and Body Products.
Come Back Next Week for more on Making Soy Candles.
You can also visit my website at Countrycottagecandles.yolasite.com and check out all the products I have for sale.
No comments:
Post a Comment