Get started with Crayons – Candle Making Crafts
Hey, do you ever think about the things you did when you were younger? The fun things you mom or dad showed you have to do as a child. Well I do, and one of the wonderful things I did learn from my mother was how to make candles.
Yes it might sound a little odd really, but making candles is both fun—and it gave me something to do with all the crayons I broke—and didn’t eat. *grin* By the way it seems to be the popular opinion that the blues one are by far the best to munch.
Anyway, I learned to make candles by dipping a wick into hot wax—which it is important to remember is best heated in a pot floating in a pan full of water, or you risk the chance of setting it on fire…
So what can you do about candle making crafts you might ask? Well they are great fun to do with your kids, or if you simply like to have a lot of fun little hobbies. Homemade candles also make great gifts.
For over a thousand years candles have been an important part of human life. Back when the United States of America was first founded some families would burn some 200 to 400 candles a year for lighting. But I suppose enough of the history lesson already.
I am going to describe a simple candle making example to get you started—really this article only scratches the surface of the art of candle making.
First off you are going to need wax..and a good amount of it as well. (Crayons are a great example, or you should be able to pick up candle wax at a crafts store locally)
You will also need some lengths of wick—the part of the candle that will actually burn when you are done, like a fuse but with no explosion at the end *grins*. I would suggest you stop by a local crafts store and pick some up, substituting other things for wick rarely works out well in the end.
First off fill a large pan about half full of water and heat it up. Place another pan—or my personal favorite a empty can from say olives or something—in the water filled pan, but make sure it doesn’t tip over.
Now places you wax—or crayons into the can—or pan that you don’t mind if you never get the wax out of again… It should melt without any trouble as long as you have the heat up, and since the water is in the first pan and the second pan is floating, it will not burn.
Once the wax is melted, you should take a length of wick and dip it into the wax slowly. Then slowly lift it straight back out of the wax. Wait a few seconds for the wax to cool, and then repeat the steps until you candle is as thick as you want.
You will want to hold the candle by the wick for a few moments and let it cool before you lay it down anywhere and trim the wick to about 1/3 of an inch at the top.
Booo-ya! You have made your first candle—told you it was easy. Now if you did as I like to you have a can that you can keep with that color of wax for any time you want to make a candle. Try keeping 3 or 4 colors hot and twisting the candles as you dip them into the different colors. You can make some wonderful candles this way.
I hope you found this article a fun introduction to the art of candle making. Please check back often for more great information!
