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What is this? I have a ~`'~crafty~'`~ side??
OMG you guys! I just made my first candle! XD
I'm a candle burner. If you give me a candle, I WILL light that baby on fire. I don't care how pretty it is, it's gonna burn. I've been saving the wax from my victims for quite some time, with the thought of using it to make my own candles. And this morning, I did!
I decided to start small, so I chose a small votive candle jar about 3 inches tall with some sandalwood wax and a tab still in the bottom. I placed it in a small soup pot of water on the stove (to make a cheap double-boiler, which is proper for melting stuff). I melted it enough to remove the tab--which was huge, BTW--then placed in one of the tabs and wicks I had prepared. I dropped in about 10 pea-sized beeswax pellets to get it started, then as it melted, I added recycled wax.
That oversized wick tab made a handy wax-knife. I broke and cut up pieces of old wax and slowly added them to the jar around the wick. In the end, I used wax from four different candles. All of the sandalwood wax, almost all of leftover white and orange wax from so long ago I don't remember what scents they are, and some slivers of white "clean linen" scented wax that has a really low melting point.
I had the candle going on the front small burner of the stove, while my breakfast of egg-drop soup with rice and barley added cooked on a back burner. I was also reading manga on the side. (Bleach, if anyone is interested.) The candle was full and finished as much as was practical by the time the soup was ready, which means it took about 45 minutes from start to finish.
The wax is not completely melted together at the top of the candle. You can still see half-softened chunks, but the air bubbles appear to be minimal and it smells nice. It should last me a couple weeks! A candle of this size in a glass jar would be about $5 new. Mine probably cost me $1 for new supples: wick, tab, beeswax. Heeee!!
I think for a first attempt, it was quite successful. I didn't have to fasten the top of the wick to anything, since the candle was so short. It was able to stay mostly upright on its own. When I try a taller candle, I'll have to tie it off. Also the proper way to make candles is to melt the wax completely and pour it into a candle mold, which also what I'll do at a later point.
I have this giant 6-inch diameter 3-wick candle I bought at Goodwill ages ago for $.99. (Someone had burned down the wicks flush to the top of the candle, then tried to dig out the wax around them to let the wicks breathe. They didn't try hard enough and gave it to Goodwill. I rescued it!) I've burned it down in the two years since, creating three empty columns. It still has its shape, and I hope to refill the empty columns with new wicks and wax, and have a new candle to last me for a couple years again. XD I'll need to buy wax for this big project. I probably have enough old wax to complete it, but I'd have to use everything, and in this case I'd like to preserve the lighter color and scent of the candle. I figure I'll use packing tape and thick paper to wrap the candle for support, and probably fill in the columns a couple inches at a time to keep the whole thing from softening too much and flopping over.
I doubt Pier 1 will show much interest in my candles, but it's fun and I'm finally putting my pack-rat nature from keeping all that old wax to good use. :3
So hey! If any of you have old candles or leftover wax laying around, don't throw it away! Give it to me, and I'll put it to good use. ^^ I can give you a candle made out of it too, if you want. :D
I'm a candle burner. If you give me a candle, I WILL light that baby on fire. I don't care how pretty it is, it's gonna burn. I've been saving the wax from my victims for quite some time, with the thought of using it to make my own candles. And this morning, I did!
I decided to start small, so I chose a small votive candle jar about 3 inches tall with some sandalwood wax and a tab still in the bottom. I placed it in a small soup pot of water on the stove (to make a cheap double-boiler, which is proper for melting stuff). I melted it enough to remove the tab--which was huge, BTW--then placed in one of the tabs and wicks I had prepared. I dropped in about 10 pea-sized beeswax pellets to get it started, then as it melted, I added recycled wax.
That oversized wick tab made a handy wax-knife. I broke and cut up pieces of old wax and slowly added them to the jar around the wick. In the end, I used wax from four different candles. All of the sandalwood wax, almost all of leftover white and orange wax from so long ago I don't remember what scents they are, and some slivers of white "clean linen" scented wax that has a really low melting point.
I had the candle going on the front small burner of the stove, while my breakfast of egg-drop soup with rice and barley added cooked on a back burner. I was also reading manga on the side. (Bleach, if anyone is interested.) The candle was full and finished as much as was practical by the time the soup was ready, which means it took about 45 minutes from start to finish.
The wax is not completely melted together at the top of the candle. You can still see half-softened chunks, but the air bubbles appear to be minimal and it smells nice. It should last me a couple weeks! A candle of this size in a glass jar would be about $5 new. Mine probably cost me $1 for new supples: wick, tab, beeswax. Heeee!!
I think for a first attempt, it was quite successful. I didn't have to fasten the top of the wick to anything, since the candle was so short. It was able to stay mostly upright on its own. When I try a taller candle, I'll have to tie it off. Also the proper way to make candles is to melt the wax completely and pour it into a candle mold, which also what I'll do at a later point.
I have this giant 6-inch diameter 3-wick candle I bought at Goodwill ages ago for $.99. (Someone had burned down the wicks flush to the top of the candle, then tried to dig out the wax around them to let the wicks breathe. They didn't try hard enough and gave it to Goodwill. I rescued it!) I've burned it down in the two years since, creating three empty columns. It still has its shape, and I hope to refill the empty columns with new wicks and wax, and have a new candle to last me for a couple years again. XD I'll need to buy wax for this big project. I probably have enough old wax to complete it, but I'd have to use everything, and in this case I'd like to preserve the lighter color and scent of the candle. I figure I'll use packing tape and thick paper to wrap the candle for support, and probably fill in the columns a couple inches at a time to keep the whole thing from softening too much and flopping over.
I doubt Pier 1 will show much interest in my candles, but it's fun and I'm finally putting my pack-rat nature from keeping all that old wax to good use. :3
So hey! If any of you have old candles or leftover wax laying around, don't throw it away! Give it to me, and I'll put it to good use. ^^ I can give you a candle made out of it too, if you want. :D