Candles

[Webmater's Note: I found this
tutorial while researching for the tutorials directory and thought it would
be a lovely craft activity to try with children as it is catered towards a
kindergarden class. Being a beach person, I love the idea of adding shells
and sand to a craft that involves candles! A thought popped into my mind as
to how I would display them, I think I would put them into large shells
found on the beach, or a nice flat clay plate]

Learn how you can make the oldest type of candles known to man

How to make votive candles? (Without wick pins)

Method 1

Because not everyone has wick pins (yet), the first part
of this article describes how to make votive candles without wick pins, or
the masochistic method.
If you do have wick pins ready, you can go directly to the second page.

The major asset of latex molds is their ability to produce
candles in a huge variety of shapes and a great precision in the details.
This is something a metal or polycarbonate mold just can't offer.
And what makes them really attractive is that they're easy to make yourself
with very limited supplies, available in almost any Do-It-Yourself
superstore!

One recurring question on the forums is: "What is the ideal candle to get started in
candle making?"

In my honest opinion, the answer is: a pillar candle. The pillar candle
may not be the easiest candle to make but it has many advantages:

As you may have learned from the article about formulas
for container candles, these candles are not exactly the simplest ones to
make (unless of course you're using a pre-blend).
Apart from the fact that you will need to perform several tests before you
find a formula that satisfies you entirely, you will also have a hard time
preventing the freshly poured wax from pulling away from the container sides
as it cools down.

Learn how to make your own Hurricane candle's |(Method 1: without inclusions)

You can make two types of Hurricane shells: with or without inclusions in
the sides of the shell.

As this article is about to show you, you don't need much
to radically transform the appearance of a candle.
There are many surface techniques (techniques that have an influence on how
the surface of your candles looks like) and you're about to learn 3 of them.
I picked these three techniques because they give candles such a different
look with little effort.