Dyes

DYES

Always use dyes which are prepared especially for candle making. They come in a wonderful variety of colours which can be mixed. Dyes will fade if they are exposed to sunlight - especially the pink and red shades - so be sure to keep your finished candles away from direct sunlight. You can buy pigments which do not fade, but they are more expensive and are only sold in large quantities. Dyes come in two forms.

DYE DISCS

These are dyes that have already been will ensure that you get the most out of your disc by dissolving some of it yourself in stearin first or you will be left with dark spots in the candle and waste the dye. Powdered dyes can also be messy and have to be used with great care, as the powder can get everywhere if split. The dye will stain even if it is split when dry and some colours are very difficult to remove.

CALCULATING HOW MUCH DYE TO USE

Obviously this is very much to do with your personal taste. However, remember it is always possible to make a colour darker or brighter by gradually adding more dye. Making a candle lighter is much more problematic as you have to add more wax - sometimes very much more than you want. So always add to a pale colour until you get used to the potency of the dye you are using.

PREPARING DYED WAX FOR OVER-DRIPPING

When a candle is dipped in a different colour once it has been made, the proportion of dye to wax will have to be much larger. Because you are relying on a very thin layer of wax to change the colour, the dyed wax has to be very strong. Experiment by gradually adding more dye until you have the over-dip colour you need.

MIXING CANDLE DYE COLOURS

Candle dyes mix very easily but not always predictably. Experiment with small quantities first, and don't be afraid to sue strange combinations. The usual rules of colour combinations do not always apply. For example, orange and pink mixed together make a bright Christmassy red.

PERFUMES

One of the wonderful qualities of wax is how well it absorbs perfume. A burning candle functions just like an atomiser. The molten pool of warm wax at the top of the candle gently heats the perfume which rises and permeates the atmosphere. The larger the pool of molten wax, the more effective the scent will be. This is why container candles which createa comparatively large pool of molten wax are ideal for perfume candles, and dinner candles, which have a very small diameter, the least effective.
  As with other candle ingredients, it is essential that you use only scents which have been especially designed for candles. It can be dangerous to use other perfumes as the perfume must be oil-based and mixed with a 'carrier' only suitable for candle use. Other perfumes may, at worst, flare up or leave the wick clogged with carbon.

HOW MUCH TO USE

This depends on how among you want the scent to be, and of course some perfumes are more pervasive than others. However, most reasonably strongly scented candles contain about 6 percent of perfume to wax. The easiest way to judge this is by weight. You can put as much as 10 percent in but this makes a very strongly perfumed candle which may be overpowering.

HOW PERFUMES AFFECT COLOUR

Only make up small batches of perfumed wax to begin with as they can affect the candles' colour. Some perfumes already have a slight colour of their own and their use can, for instance, change a white candle to ivory.

DIFFERENT SCENTS AND THEIR USES

You can use different scents to for different functions. All aromatherapy scents are available in candle perfumes, as is citronella (for repelling insects). Other special uses include smoke - repelling scents (usually a sweet smelling perfume like rose - all candles help to absorb cigarette smoke).

MAKING A BASIC CANDLE

PREPARE THE MOULD

Take a length of wick twice the length of the mould. Prime the tip by dipping it into hot wax. Using a wicking needle, thread the wick through the hole at the top of the mould and seal it with mould seal. Press it down well. (This is not necessary if you are using rubber moulds as they seal themselves). Thread a cocktail stick through the wick at the base so that it is centered in the middle of the mould.

SUPPORT THE MOULD

Use a roll of cardboard, cup, jug or anything else you can find to do the job.

WEIGH THE WAX AND STEARIN

With practice you will be able to judge how much wax you will need for your finished candle. A good rough guide isto weigh a ready-made candle of approximately the same size as the mould you are going to use. When you have decided the total weight needed, subtract 10 percent. Weigh out this amount (i.e. 10 percent) of stearin. Weigh out 90 percent of the total weight in wax.

HEAT THE STEARIN IN A DOUBLE SAUCEPAN

You could also use a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water. The stearin has completely melted when it has turned into a clear liquid.

ADD THE DYE TO THE MELTED STEARIN

Judging the right amount of dye to use is also easier with experience. However, don't worry if the colour is not strong enough. You can always heat up a little more stearin and add more dye later. It will not matter if the candle contains more than 10 percent stearin.

ADD THE WAX

Add the wax to the stearin and dye mixture and heat in the double saucepan until it is all melted.

ADD THE PERFUME

Add perfume to the wax (if you are making a scented candle), and then gently stir.

TEST THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WAX

Heat the wax to 82 degrees c (180 degrees F). Make sure that you stir the wax gently before it taking final temperature. Leave the thermometer in the wax until it has stopped rising. It is very important that you do not overheat the wax as there is a possibility that it could catch fire.

FILLING A PREPARED MOULD

Warm the dipping jug with hot water - if it is too cold it will alter the temperature of the wax. The ladle the wax into the jug and pour gently into the mould creating as little turbulence as possible. Leave some wax in the saucepan for 'topping up'

TOPPING UP

While the wax cools, it contracts and the wax sinks. Wait until a thick skin has formed on the top of the wax and then pierce it with a pencil or wicking needle. Make sure you prod the surface properly or you may be left with holes in the finished candle! Then pour in some more wax also heated to 82 degrees c (180 degrees F), being very careful that the wax is not too hot (it may crack the candle), too cold (it will not adhere to candle) or that you do not fill it over the original level of the candle (making it difficult to get out of the mould). You may have to top up more than once before the final surface is flat.
   It is always surprising how much a candle contracts and less experienced makers often underestimate how much extra wax they will need for this stage. As you usually make candles upside down (you are 'topping up' what will become the bottom of the candle), you can top up with a different coloured wax if necessary.

REMOVE THE CANDLE FROM THE MOULD

The candle must be left until it is completely cold before removing it from the mould. This can vary from a few hours to overnight, depending on the size of the candle and the wax used. When properly set, the candle should come out easily from the mould when you pull it.

OTHER CANDLE MAKING TECHNIQUES

As well as moulding candles, there are two other techinques that can be used. The first, and most traditional, is hand-dipping. This is fully explained in the project PURE BEESWAX DIPPED CANDLE
  The second, and more unusual, is rolling. This is illustrated in the project on ROLLED BEESWAX CANDLE, using beeswax sheets. However, the same basic method can be used with paraffin wax mixed with 20 percent micro soft which has been poured into a tray and left to just set. The wax is then lifted out of the tray and rolled. The rolled wax candle shown here has been made with a triangular piece of wax rolled around a wick. The pretty foliating edges have been made simply by squeezing the edges and turning them outwards.

MAKING CANDLES IN CONTAINERS

You do not have to make candles in moulds. It is really easy to make candles in containers and many of the most unlikely objects can make really attractive candles. The method is demonstrated in the project on AROMATIC REFILL CANDLE
   The photograph here shows some ideas, but almost any container made of ceramic, metal or glass can be used. Use terracotta pots of varying sizes for garden candles. Shells, coconut shells, household tins, glasses, vases and even egg shells can all be used. Although it can only be used once, hollowed out fruit is also a possibility.

ACHIEVING DIFFERENT EFFECTS AFTER THE CANDLE HAS SET

OVER-DIPPING IN CLEAR WAX

If you have made a candle and you do not like its final finish, for instance if you have used an open ended mould and the top looks a bit rugged, you can over-dip the candle for a different effect. Dip the candle in clear wax heated to about 88 degrees c (190 degrees F) and then into water. This will smooth out any deficiencies and make the candle shiny.

OVER-DIPPING IN DIFFERENT COLOURED WAX

Using very strongly dyed wax, a candle can be dipped into a can of wax and its colour changed completely. The same principle can be used to make pretty designs on candles. Different colours can be poured over the candle to completely change its appearance. The candle illustrated has had blue wax poured over it, followed by a complete over-dip in green. The over-dipping wax should be kept at a temperature of about 77 degrees c (170 degrees F).

OVER-DIPPING OR SPLASHING WITH CRYSTALLINE WAX

Crystalline wax forms little crystals as it cools. It looks extremely effective if carefully splashed or poured over a coloured candle.