Candle Making Wax
Candle making is a lot of fun as a craft or hobby, but there are many enthusiasts who have turned their hobbies into very profitable businesses. Learning the art of candle making has many benefits. You can affordably create candles for your own home. You can start a business, and sell your candles for a profit. You can create inexpensive candles to give as gifts to your friends and family.
In basic candle making, wax is heated to a specific temperature. The melted wax is then poured into candle making molds to cool. Depending on the type of candle mold you are using, the candle is either left in the mold as its container, or it is removed from the mold so the candle making mold can be re-used.
Examples of container candle making molds include mason style jam, jelly, and canning jars. Canning jars are designed to remain intact under high temperatures, making them perfect for container candle making. If you plan to make glass container candles, be sure that the glass used is heat resistant and can withstand the high temperature of the melted wax. Some candle makers make container candles in beer mugs. If you do this, be sure to use a thick walled beer mug so it does not crack.
There are a wide variety of candle making molds available. They come in many different shapes and designs and in a variety of materials. The most common candle making molds are made of metal, aluminum, rubber, silicone, plastic, and polyurethane.
Aluminum candle making molds are very popular. Most aluminum candle molds are seamless and produce excellent pillar candles. Advanced candle makers sometimes water bathe aluminum molds as a method of speeding up production of pillar candles. It is important to note that water bathing a filled aluminum mold can be tricky; you don’t want the wax to harden too quickly. Pillar candles have multiple shapes. You can create octagonal, square, or round pillars. Many experienced candle makers warm aluminum candle making molds prior to filling. This process prevents the wax from hardening too rapidly, which can cause air bubbles, and white chalky marks on the candle known as frosting.
Plastic candle making molds are very popular, because they are affordable and also easy to clean. They come in many shapes and sizes, including geometric shapes such as: hexagonal; rectangle; square; pyramid; and cones.
Rubber and silicone molds are also used often in candle making. Silicone molds are usually more expensive than other types of molds, but they do offer some advantages. Silicone molds leave no seam lines, and candles release readily from them after hardening.
There are many household items that also make fine candle making molds. It is not uncommon for experienced candle makers to prowl through their cabinets or garages, seeking creative candle making molds from among common items available around their homes. Use your imagination and you might be surprised! Some examples of homemade candle making molds include: wax orange juice containers; heat resistant casserole dishes; clay pottery trays; and shaped tin foil. Floating candles can be made in a unique process that uses kitchen cookie cutters as the candle molds.
You’ll have more fun if you experiment with the many different types of candle making molds. Then you can determine which molds you like best in your candle making hobby. Have fun in your candle making!
