Here is a fun craft for those of you that may be snowed in at present! Or anyone else for that matter.
*Take your tin cans from soup, veggies, etc. Wash them and remove the labels.
*Take a nail and hammer and "poke" designs in the cans. Runes, moons, suns, initials, and mystic symbols all look neat! To make it easier to poke, you may want to fill the cans with water and FREEZE them first before you punch in the designs.
*Now put a tealight candle inside and watch the points of light dance around the room!
*You can also paint these cans for more decoration. A good summer variation would be to take really _large_ cans, like coffee size cans, and take a wire hanger to make a stake and hanger to light up your path outdoors!
<< *You can also paint these cans for more decoration. A good summer variation would be to take really _large_ cans, like coffee size cans, and take a wire hanger to make a stake and hanger to light up your path outdoors! >>
Hi, I made these lanterns at the beginning of this year for a school project and I have a suggeston. First of all I found that filling the can with sand work good.(at least it worked better for me). Oh and If your going to use a candle it's better not to use a tea-light for the larger cans. Votive candles work better.
I have not only made candles, but taking a bit of a pun, used the time to look at my stash of candles and get rid of those I would never use again,(Usually cleansing them and offering them to others) but I have also sorted my cupboards of altar supplies (old incenses, do I ever use that tool, etc) in a general spring cleaning.
I've always done the melt-it-outside over a double boiler, pour the wax into the mold as I pour the scent in. that way I can make several scents at once.
One other thing I do, is that I will save chunks and bits of melted wax used for divination or poured off candles that have drowned (a too short wick in a pool of liquid wax and I've since learned how to avoid that) in a white parafin base. What I do is take a soda can, rinse it out and pour wax into it as I need/want. This means I have chunks with multiple colors in layers. Breaking them up with a hammer gives me various sizes for use in the candles. But doe to schedules, it has also been four years since Bill and I did candles in early February, so I have a large wash-tup full of these chunks, and I doubt I will ever use that many myself.
Incidentally, the way to avoid the too short wick thing: when putting out the candel, use the bottom end of the candle snuffer (not the bell) to dip the wick in the wax and then lift it out again. When you snuff it with the bell, when you blow it out and even when you wet your fingers and douse it, the end of the wick still burns for a bit, shortening it. Dipping it in the wax stops that.
Use about four times more stearic acid than the books recommend if you want a slow burning candle, otherwise most of them burn way too fast. The other thing that takes care is wicks. The lead core ones that burn best are now illegal. And shapes that have sharp edges too far from the wick may need a tradeoff: is the wick large enough to burn the edges and if so, does it burn the inner parts too quickly, or do you have unmelted edges left standing like walls of a ruin after the rest of the candle has burned?
I find that using herbs, it is better to take the candle after it has been removed from the mold and roll it in a shallow dish of warm wax then in the herbs and then in the wax again, rather than all through out the candle. Ever seen a myrrh chunk melt and smell it singe and spoil? Spine on a bay leaf provides a great second wick for a time.
Burning cinnamon powder can sometimes pop and spit and set off smoke detectors. There are a lot of reasons why I don't do the herb-throughout-the-entire-candle bit.
Placing gemstones takes a bit of planning. If I put the gemstones in at the beginning the stones are at the top, if you wait too long it is at the bottom, so I wait about twenty minutes and drip them in around the center of the candle.
Merry Meet, I don't know about you but I had been interested in making these for awhile...used to call them Sand Candles. I don't know where it's from, unfortunately, as someone on another list I am on sent it through. BB and Enjoy!
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Cauldron Candles
by Battle Red
Cauldron candles are simple to make, a lot of fun and they look great! It's a wonderful way to recycle left over wax.
What you will need:
Clean Sand
A Box or Container
Heat Source
Cooking Pan
Oven Mitts
Small Cauldron or mayonnaise jar
Wax
Candle Wicking
Scissors
Coffee Can or Heat Proof Jar
For wax, you can use paraffin (found in the canning section of the grocery store), beeswax (can usually be obtained cheaply from people who sell their own honey), or even left over candles. If you don't have candle wicking, you can buy them at craft stores or do what I do - use small twine or get the wicks out of broken candles.
Directions
Prepare the mold: If you are using a box, line it with a plastic bag to keep the moisture from destroying the shape. Moisten the sand with water so that it will keep its shape when pressed. If you have a small cauldron, press it tightly into the wet sand until it comes to the top. You dont want the sand over the edge, just flush. Make sure that you have at least one inch of packed sand around the top so that it will hold its shape once the wax is poured in. Carefully remove the cauldron, trying to avoid loose sand particles from falling in. If it doesnt hold its' shape, or you are not happy with the results, redo it! Depending on the size of the container, you can make as many candle molds as you have room. If you dont have a small cauldron, use a small mayonnaise jar or other container that will give you the basic shape. You can even use your fist for a unique looking cauldron. Kids especially love to do this. You will however need to make legs for the cauldron. Simply use your little finger or a chopstick and press into the bottom of the mold three times. Try to keep them at the same depth, and spaced evenly around the bottom, otherwise you end up with a lopsided cauldron!
Prepare the wax: Put the wax into the coffee can or the heatproof container into a pan of water; bring to a boil on the stove. Caution - NEVER leave melting wax unattended and if there are children involved in candle making, always supervise them! Hot wax is highly flammable and can burn skin - so be extremely careful.
If you wish to make black cauldrons, add left over black candles or wax to can. If you dont have any, you can add black crayon pieces until you are happy with the color. Of course, if you want a different color, use the appropriate wax or crayon.
Prepare the wick: While the wax is melting, add the wicks to the molds. Press the wicking directly into the sand at the center of the mold. You will need to drape the top of the wick over a pencil or meat skewer that is placed over the top of the mold - preferably resting on the top of the box, to keep the wick from falling into to wax once it is poured.
Pouring the wax:When the wax is completely melted, put your oven mitts on, lift the can from the water and slowly pour the wax into the molds. You dont want the wax to cool too slowly or it may crack, so dont put them outside or in the refrigerator to speed the process.
Finishing the candles: Once the wax has hardened, you can just scoop the candles out of the sand. Trim off any wick that is sticking out of the bottom with scissors and brush off any excess sand. From: jennifer paulsen >>
From: "Magicke<nursingmother@hotmail.com> Does anyone do candles? What is the best way for me to get started? I don't want to worry about fancy candles until I'm more adept at it, but what would the best 'beginner' supplies be to get me started? Thanks, )O( Magick= e<<
I just started making my own candles recently and it's VERY easy. I heard that the "normal" candles you can buy just about anywhere are actually kind of bad for you because they're made with petroleum. Not a good thing to inhale or breathe. The only candles that are not harmful in some way or another are those made with natural beeswax.
Simple Candlemaking: Start with a flat sheet of beeswax in the desired color. Cut horizontally to get the height you want. Lay the wick (cut slightly longer than the candle) at one=20 end of the sheet and tightly roll the beeswax around the wick until your candle is the desired thickness. (In my area there is a warehouse nearby where I can get flat sheets of beeswax and a long string of wick that I cut from whenever needed.) For scented candles put a few drops of scented oil in your sheet = of beeswax before rolling. You should be able to get some kind of candle scent at the same place you get the beeswax. As you are cutting, oiling and rolling send your intentions into the wax. You can also cut and roll diagonally to make tapered candles, use two sheets of beeswax together for multiple colors, basically the sky is the limit! Just use your creativity.
I work in the school system as a casual sometimes and have found the easiest way to start making your own candles is to buy the ready coloured wax from a craft supply store and use a can or carton as a mould. You simply put a hole in the base of the mold with a nail and thread the wick through and tie it to a stick sitting across the top of the mold (you do have to cut the top off the mold first) then melt the wax and pour. If you want to try different effects my favourite is to loosely pack the mold with chunks of ice the pour in the hot wax. It leaves holes in you candle. Simone
For basic candle supplies, go to a large chain craft store. Candles were popular about a year ago, but the popularity is waning. Still, most stores carry supplies.
For the most basic natural candles, get the sheets of beeswax. It comes in boxes or bags, usually two large sheets or five small ones in each box/bag. (I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but the large sheets are about 8" x 14" and are used to make taper candles and the smaller sheets are about 6"x6" and are used for votives and pillar candles.) These kits usually contain the wicks as well. All you have to do is lay the sheet of wax on the table, place the wick on one side, and roll it up to form a candle. Stores sell little wax decorations like leaves, stars, moons, and Halloween motifs that just press onto the candle. They can also be decorated with bits of rope or twine, leaves, dried flowers, ribbons, small metal charms, et cetera. Beeswax has a sweet smell on its own, but you can roll dried herbs and spices into the wax as well.
Tips: Handle the wax carefully as it has a 3-D honeycomb pattern molded into it that is easy to smash. Use a hair dryer to heat the wax before you roll it because cold wax is brittle. Press the wick into the wax - it will hold it in place and the deformed wax will be at the center of the candle so it won't show. Roll it tightly. Remove decorations before burning.
You can also get wax crystals that you liquefy by heating in plastic bags in boiling water and pour into plastic molds. The wax can also be placed in a container with a wick and burned as is - it looks like colored sand in a jar. These are relatively cheap and easy - the wax is about $3.50 a bag, wicks are about $1.50 for 8, and the molds are under $5 each. You can add chunks of colored wax (sold in stores), crushed ice, small flame resistant charms or stones, coloring, scents, herbs, and flowers to the wax for decoration.
You can also buy chunks of beeswax, metal molds, spools of wicking, and mold release, but this is more difficult and expensive.
Bear in mind the natural versus manmade properties of candles materials.Beeswax and cotton wicks are natural materials that are more expensive but might be required for your particular usage.
