Candle Making
Jun 24th, 2008 by Sylvia
I am making preparations to start candle making again this fall. I have to start early so I can have all my equipment together. I make candles out of beeswax. I make two different types of beeswax candles, one kind has stearic acid added to the wax to make the candles firmer and though beeswax candles don’t normally drip very much, the stearic acid keeps them from dripping at all. The other kind are pure beeswax. the pure beeswax candles also burn faster than the other kind.
Me working on a little sewing while the beeswax cools. You can see the already made candles to your left on a primitive candle rack that my son made.
This year my oldest son is building me a very large tripod outside for candle making. Below is my youngest daugher, Lydia, daydreaming by the fire as she waits for the beeswax to melt. My son David made the tripod in the picture and this is the type he will be making for me soon.
We dip candles and don’t use molds. Molds make some very lovely candles but I prefer the look of hand dipped candles. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I prefer the process of dipping over the process of molding candles. It is peaceful and enjoyable.
We will probably start dipping before it actually turns cold, I like to have candles that are dipped and cured a while by the time its cold. Hopefully I will be able to sell some on etsy this year along with two quilted wall hangings and some other crafts.
I buy beeswax from a company called Betterbee. They have wax that is filtered, which is a white color, and an unfiltered wax that is different shades of golden yellow. That’s the one I get, I love that mellow gold color. I buy candle wick in large spools locally and I usually soak them in boric acid and then dry them. The boric acid makes the wick light more easily and burn brighter.
Did you know that boric acid will also make the flame burn red? Epsom salts will cause the flame to burn a bright white. Calcium will produce a red-orange flame, calcium chloride produces a yellow-orange flame, table salt makes for a bright yellow flame, borax makes a yellow-green flame, copper sulfate produces a green flame, calcium chloride produces a blue flame, potassium sulfate or potassium nitrate (saltpeter) produces a violet flame. I just usually use boric acid or epsom salts if anything.
I love making candles the old-fashioned way. It slows me down and provides an end product that is such a beautiful thing.
Can you tell me how much potassium nitrate needs to go into the candle to make the violet flame? Thanks
Yes, of course. You must make a solution of the potassium nitrate and water, you will have to experiement with percentages but I recommend starting out small. You will then soak the candle wicks in the solution for a few hours. Take the wicks out and allow them to air dry. Use the wicks as you normally would. When you light them they will burn with a violet color.
Hope this helps!
Sylvia