Supplies Needed

Prepare an Adequate Work Area

Before making a candle it is advisable to spread cardboard or foil over your work area.  Put a tray or box top under your mold to catch any wax which may leak out.  Avoid pouring the candle in or near your sink, as melted wax and a sink drain do not mix.  If you are using a seamless aluminum mold please wash them with soap and water to clean it of any oils and residue from the manufacturing process.  Make sure that all molds are dry and clean before using.  Use vegetable oil and a paper towel to oil your mold, this will help keep your mold clean.

Using a Metal Mold

Insert wick pin in and put clay or putty at base of pin where it meets candle mold.  Or is using a wicking kit insert the wick from the underside of the mold and thread it through the hole until it reaches the top of the mold.  Secure the wick at the top to the wick rod that will lay across the top of the mold.

With the wick secured at the top of the mold, pull it taut, and secure with a wick screw, from under side of mold.

Cut the wick about an inch away from the screw, wind the wick around the screw, completely cover wick with sealer pressing firmly to prevent leaking.  The mold is now ready for pouring.

Preparing the Wax

When the wax in the melting pot has completely melted add in the stearic acid (2-3 tablespoons per pound of wax), once this has melted you can add in the fragrance.  Generally you will use 1 - 1 1/2 oz of fragrance per pound of wax.  Using any more than this will cause your candle to be over saturated and it will sweat the fragrance.  After mixing in your fragrance you can now add your color in.  Test for the color shade that you want by dropping a small amount of wax onto a paper plate, this will be close to your final shade.  You can adjust the color intensity by the amount of color added per pound.  Pour your wax at approximately 190 - 200 degrees, remove from heat.  Wipe any moisture off exterior of the pot to prevent water droplets from entering the candle mold and slowly pour the wax into the mold.

Pour wax into a room temperature or warmer mold.  When pouring, tilt the mold slightly, to reduce air bubbles.

Save a cupful of wax to refill the well that forms, due to the contracting of the cooling wax.

After pouring

Water Bath is optional - Allow the mold, now containing liquid wax, to set for about a 5 minutes before placing in the water bath.  You will make a water bath with the second pot.  Fill with 1 1/2 - 4 inches of water, depending on mold size.  You will put your mold inside a freezer bag and place in water bath.  You may need to weight the mold down or use less water if mold does not want to sit in bath. This will allow any air bubbles to rise.  Gently tapping the sides of the mold will also help.  The water bath should be cool, not cold.  Be extra careful to keep water out of the mold when lowering into the bath.

About 30 minutes after pouring you will notice a well forming in the cooling wax.  You must insert a slender poking rod (wick rods work great for this) to break the skin on the  cooling wax and the relieve surface tension.  You may need to poke and relieve surface tension several more times depending upon the size of the mold.  Allow at least 20 minutes between each poke and refill, less if water bathing.

Refill this well with the wax you set aside earlier, pour at approximately 190 degrees.  Refill the well only up to within 1/4 from the original pour.  The remaining ridge may be trimmed or melted off easily after removal from the mold.

The mold may be removed from the water bath after the second refill.  The remaining cooling may then be continued either at room temperature, or in the refrigerator.  If cooled at room temperature, keep the mold away from drafts, and wait until the mold is cool to the touch before removing candle from mold.

You may hurry the cooling process considerably by placing the mold in the refrigerator.  A word of warning:  thermal shock occurs when a candle cools too quickly, and fractures internally.  Your refrigerator is cooler at the bottom, so rotate your candles every half hour. Remove the candle if the mold is cold to the touch.  Also don't put the candle in the freezer, as it will cool and contract too quickly, and most certainly fracture.

You should not attempt to remove the candle until the mold is cold to the touch.  By looking closely at the edge of the candle, where it meets the mold, you will see a small space; this is where the candle has released from the mold.  To extract the candle, first remove the wicking pin or the mold sealer and wick screw.  Hold your hand over the opening to catch the candle, should it slide out.  Carefully hold the mold by the base, and the candle should drop into your hand.  If not tap the sides of the mold, this should help to release any stuck spots.

If the candle does not release, do not pound on the mold.  Any dents will cause the candle to become stuck in the mold and the mold will be ruined.  Place the candle in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and then try again.  If it will not release, as a last resort only, pour hot water over the mold.  This will soften the wax and normally ruins the candle but does permit removal, without damaging the mold.  Be sure to completely dry any water from the mold.

You can always melt a candle out of a mold, but a dent in a mold is forever.

To remove a seam line on the candle surface, use a dull knife or metal spatula.  Hold it at a right angle to the candle and slide it down the seams.  To provide added luster and to protect your candle from finger marks, apply spray gloss to the surface.

To make the candle stand up straight you may have to square of the base by using either of the following methods

	Cutting and trimming with a knife.
	Rotating the candle in a heated pan, melting off the irregularities, and leveling the base.

If the surface blemishes appear on your finished candle, due to excessive handling or other reasons: buff lightly with an nylon stocking, piece of felt, or waxed cloth to restore the sheen.

~ Shipping Info ~ Contact Us ~ Refund Policy ~ Privacy Policy ~ Bulk Purchases ~ Brochure ~