Candle making help needed!

[Roseberry Crafts]

Hi all, don't get on here much these days (busy, busy) but I'm hoping that one of you nice Candle making peeps (Lisa are you out there?) can tell me where I'm going wrong.

I have been trying to make candles in old jam jars to give as Christmas pressies. I have melted down some old candles and poured them into the jars with some wick and left to set. The only trouble is the middles sink down iygwim.
I have suspended the wick over the jar by tying it to a pencil but I'm wondering if I'm being impatient and removing the pencil support too soon. Any ideas?

TIA

Natalie
X

[Bowed Over]

Hi Natalie,

Sorry not been on the forum all weekend so just getting a chance to answer.

Are you using old pillar candles melted down? If you are the wax used in pillars is designed to shrink to allow it to be pulled out of the mould easily so what is happening in the jar is the same thing the wax is shrinking back and leaving a sink hole. All you need to do is keep some wax back and when the candle has cooled reheat the left over wax and fill up the sink hole.

HTH.

Lisa

[Roseberry Crafts]

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Yes I've been melting down great big beefy old Pillar candles. Well you learn something new everyday! I'm really getting into this candle making lark (I've even got the kids making rolled candles out of sheets of Beeswax) so I may well be back for more advice in the near future!

So presumably if I melt down the remains of old dipped candles I'll be ok?

Thanks Lisa you are a star!

[Bowed Over]

If a candle comes out of a mould be it a pillar, novelty whatever it will be designed to shrink away from the mould for release so when you pour into a container or a mould you will always get a shrink hole. All I do is when I am pouring pillars hold back a little bit so that when the candle cools and shrinks back I an enough to top up the candle again to fill in the sink hole. Ow another tip because your using pillar candle wax in a container always pierce holes with a skewer or something like it around the wick if you don't there is a chance there will be an air pocket trapped within the candle and when the candle is lit and hits the air pocket BOOOOMMMM - and ask exactly how I know that particular one then!!! Needless to say I was cleaning wax off the walls for quite some considerable time that day!!

Anything else give me a shout and enjoy it is a messy, funny, annoying, exhilerating hobby.

Cheers.

Lisa

[Roseberry Crafts]

Oh crikey I don't fancy that! Thanks for the advice. You see these ideas in magazines and on Blogs but they never seem to tell you that you might get your eyebrows waxed into the bargain!