Tip: A properly prepared mold and temperature control are the two most important factors in making a successful candle!Preparing Your Work AreaBefore making a candle it is helpful to set up a work area first.
Tip: A tackle box like those found in sporting goods stores will work very well for holding just about all your tools and equipment.A small sheet of plastic (trash bag?) to work over may prevent dyes from joining the table cloth and make clean up easier. Use this area to work with dyes and/or break up small pieces of wax.Putting all your small tools in a large cup can be helpful. This includes thermometer, wicking needles, washers and nails, wicker bars, measuring spoons and wick hole plugging material. Keep something nearby to grab hot molds with if needed (tongs work great for this).Set up an area where you can pour your wax. Plan ahead for that disaster to occur. Pouring over a cake pan can make clean up easier if leaks or spillage happens.
Paper towels are also very, very handy to have close by. Use these to clean the thermometer, melt pots and spills. Set aside any water bath containers you may plan to use.Fill your Steamer Pot to about 2/3 full with water and set your Melting Pot inside. Turn stove to medium high heat then add wax to melting pot.Handling WaxIf you need to break wax from a slab, fold a piece of plastic wrap into a large square and place over clean wax. Hit covered area with hammer until wax breaks loose. If you need smaller pieces you may cut wax by using a thick bladed knife, point down, to make holes until wax breaks, but, this can be a dangerous way to do it so when possible the hammer method should be used.It is very important to keep your wax clean! Dust, lint, cleaners, chemicals and most anything else can later cause problems with candles and/or their ability to release from a mold.We recommend weighing your wax before melting so that you waste less and develop consistent recipes. Remember you will always need a little more than expected to fill in the dent which will form during the cooling process. Place the proper amount of wax into your melting pot, as mentioned above. If you haven't already, prepare your mold while wax is melting.Preparing The Mold1) Make sure mold is clean. Use a liquid mold cleaner after a candle that did not release from the mold well or after about every 5 - 7 candles poured.2) Use a mold release spray. This also should only be necessary after about 4 - 7 candles have been made, per mold. However, there are times (usually due to outside temperatures and humidity) when every candle made, seems to stick. During those troubling times, we use the release spray on every mold before pouring every candle.3) In addition to these things we recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of mold release powder, per candle, to your melting wax. By using all three of these products and methods each candle made should easily release from mold when properly cool.Wicking the Mold - We recommend using a waxed wick. If using an unwaxed wick simply dip it into your clear, clean melted wax for a minute and allow to cool. To wick the mold first tie something small and metal, such as a nail, to the bottom of your wick. Then slide a thin metal washer onto the wick so it is above the nail. Next, using a large sewing needle if necessary, place the end of your wick into the eye of the needle and push/pull the wick through your 'hole plugging material'. An old mouse pad, cut into 1" squares, will work well for this. Pass needle and wick through center of mouse pad square, remove needle and pull pad down on top of washer.
That’s it! Now thread the wick through the wick hole in your mold and tie or secure it to your wicker bar, pulling the mouse pad tight against the mold to seal the wick hole. Set mold aside until wax reaches the correct pouring temperature of 190 degrees F.Preparing The WaxTo prepare your wax first add any additives needed. This should be 1/2 teaspoon of mold release powder per candle. You may also wish to add 1/2 teaspoon per candle of Vybar or Poly wax hardeners to help with color loss and surface defects if needed. Next add your dye. Be sure when adding items to drop them slowly into the wax to prevent getting splashed with hot wax! Place your thermometer into the wax/melting pot and allow temperature to come up to 190 degrees F for a few minutes. Remove thermometer before pouring so it does not fall out of melting pot.Pouring The WaxOnce a temperature of 190 degrees F is reached your wax is ready to pour.
Add any desired scent just before pouring as scent will evaporate if allowed to 'cook' for very long.Make sure mold is heated first! A hair dryer works well for this or you may be able to use the steam rising around the melting pot by laying mold along the side of your melting pot, on top of steamer pot. Usually mold does not need to be real hot, just heated up a little first.Next, with tongs or 'pot warmer' hold warm mold firmly and begin pouring wax. Pour slowly and evenly to prevent splashing and to allow temperature of mold to adjust evenly. When mold is full of wax let stand until cool. You may also place it in a water bath as soon as mold is full or move mold to chosen location. If it drips badly, the candle will probably fail, but if there is a little dripping it will probably not harm the candle, especially if placed into a water bath.As candle cools...the 'dent' will occur and need to be filled in as the candle cools.Fixing 'The Dent'It is normal for a 'dent' to form in the wax as it shrinks and cools. This cannot be prevented. Here are some tips for dealing with, the dent. Before filling the dent use a wooden skewer and poke it into the wax/mold to open up any air pockets that might have formed. Do this firmly but not hard enough to reach the bottom of the mold (or top of the candle).Trim wick with razor blade to below edge of mold before filling the dent. Then fill dent with warm wax and allow to cool. Note: If wax used to fill the dent is too hot it may damage surface of finished candle. A dent may form, and have to be refilled, two or three times before the candle is finished.Scent may be placed into the dent, in a small amount, before filling dent with wax if desired.Cooling The CandleIf you have time you may get a better success rate if you find just the right place and allow the candle to air cool at its own pace, at room temperature. Simply keep the mold away from air flows and fill in the dent as needed until candle is completely cool. However, if you need to cool the candle quicker, usually about 4 hours, or if you are having trouble with surface flaws, try cooling the candle in a water bath.Removing Candle From MoldFirst, cut wick where needed to remove nail, washer and pad from bottom of mold. You may have to carefully slide a knife blade under the pad to loosen from mold surface. Once loose remove all items and shake mold slightly to see if candle will slide from mold.If not, use dull side of a (dull) knife and gently even the bottom of the candle out a little. Sometimes this alone is all that is needed to free the candle from its mold.If not, tap mold bottom (open end) gently on a hard flat surface but do not tap hard enough to dent the mold or it may be ruined! If this doesn't work try tapping around the outside of the mold gently with the handle of a table knife. If candle is still stuck place candle/mold in fridge for 10 minutes then try again to remove candle with a light tap to side or on hard flat surface.If this still didn't work then most likely the candle can not be saved but, you can try applying a little heat from a hair dryer to the outside of the mold. However most times, using heat will destroy the candle.We find the best way to get a really bad one unstuck is to cut or notch the open end (bottom of candle) and use something like a screw driver to try to turn the candle in the mold. When this doesn't work it is often impossible to save the candle. But remember...there will be failures! And through those failures you will find methods that work for you, and improve your candle making skills!If candle will absolutely not come out place mold (with stuck candle inside) back into your melting pot and heat until wax is melted out of the mold. Reclean and prepare the mold using all the steps mentioned above.Finishing Your CandleTo level the base of the candle place a heat proof plate on top a pot of boiling water. When hot rotate your candle on the hot surface until level. You can check this by placing candle on wax paper and turning slowly. If one side is too high try to hold just that area on the plate a moment then turn entire candle a few times and check again. With practice this is a not too difficult way to nicely level the bottom of any candle.Trim wick to about 1/4" long before burning.At this point you may also coat the candle with either a spray or liquid gloss finish to give it a nice, professional look.
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