The Comprehensive Guide to Making Beeswax Candles

 

Melaney Sandbrook is the resident chandler (and all-around artist extraordinaire) at Betterbee. Mel has been making candles at Betterbee for the last three years and continues to learn more about the art each day. Through this article, she shares her expertise and "tricks of the trade" in an effort to make your candle-making journey as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.

Getting started

The first thing you need is a source of beeswax. Whether you render it from your own cappings or purchase it from another beekeeper (like Betterbee), it is best to have a nice clean wax without particles or bits of honey. These particles can cause your candles to burn unevenly and can clog your wick.

A fan-favorite product that we offer here at Betterbee is the Solar Wax Melter from Lyson, which is a great way to render your beeswax by simply harnessing the power of the sun. Place your burr comb and dirty cappings in it, put it in the sun on a day warmer than 70 degrees, and voila! You now have a perfect golden block of cleaned beeswax with which to make your candles or other crafts.

You will need a few pieces of equipment to get started:

• A protected surface: brown kraft paper, freezer paper, foil, a tablecloth, or cardboard to protect your working area
• A heat source (beeswax melts at 165-175° F): an electric hotplate, a stove, or a wax melter
• Containers to melt wax: a bain-marie (for small amounts of beeswax) or a double boiler (one non-reactive metal pan inside another filled with water)
• Pyrex cups or a pouring pot
• Thermometer: to check temperatures

• Heat gun: a blowdryer will also work
• Proper wick sizes for your projects: #1 for small candles, #2 for medium candles, 60 ply for 3" and above (large candles), and zinc-core wire. Wick tabs and wicks are needed if you are making your own tabbed wicks. Pre-tabbed wicks can be used for tealights and votives.
• Molds: aluminum votive molds, polyurethane or silicone rubber for figure molds
• Wicking needle: if using polyurethane molds
• Rubber bands: for holding mold together after the wick is placed in a mold
• Silicone mold release spray
• Bobby pins (large): for holding the wick in the center of the candle mold
• Apron: to protect clothing
• Candle colorants
• Essential oils: for fragranced candles
• A spare frying pan: 6"-7" to use for leveling the bottom of a candle

Hand-dipped candles will require additional supplies:

• Small pieces of cardboard: 2" x 3" for hand-dipped tapers
• A container tall enough to make your ideal taper length: such as our Taper Candle Dipping Vat
• 1/2" metal nuts or washers: to weight the wicks
• Ruler: for measuring hand-dipped candles when cutting to size

Directions for beginner candle making

1. Begin by melting beeswax in your vessel of choice. We recommend pouring at a temperature around 165-170° F. NEVER melt directly on the stove without a double boiler! Wax is flammable (beeswax will begin to discolor at 185° F, and the flashpoint is 400° F)! NEVER leave your melting wax unattended!
2. While waiting for your wax to melt, you can prepare your molds. If using metal molds, spray them with silicone mold release spray.

For polyurethane molds: Thread the wick and wicking needle up through the hole at the bottom of your mold. Pull through until at least 1" of the wick is above the top of the mold. If the hole is too large, it will leak beeswax. To avoid this happening, you should use tape or wick putty to seal the hole.

Place a bobby pin across the top with the wick centered in the mold. Pull this wick tight, but not stretched too tight. Sometimes the top of a cylinder is too wide to accommodate a bobby pin: in these scenarios, you may use two popsicle sticks to place on top, then the bobby pin can be balanced between them to secure the wick in the center of the mold.

For tealights and votives: Place pre-tabbed wicks in molds. We recommend using a little melted wax to place the tab in the center of the molds. This acts as a "glue" and keeps the tabs from moving while you are pouring. Some like to secure their tabs with hot glue, but we personally recommend the wax method. Check out this video of Mel running through the full process of making a tealight candle.

For figure molds (silicone rubber): Place your wick in the bottom of your mold with a little showing out of the bottom of the mold. Leave enough wicking (about 1") above the top of the mold for securing the wick in the center. Use rubber bands to hold the sides of your mold together, and align the seam. Try to place them so they close the seam, but not so close together that they distort your mold. With practice, this will not happen as often. If it does happen and it doesn't pass your inspection, you can always melt it and try again!

For taper molds: These use the same threading process as the polyurethane mold directions. To keep them upright while pouring, you may use a box and cut appropriately sized holes in it to stabilize them. There are stands made of wood sold for this specific purpose as well- they look like test tube holders, but with larger holes.

You are now ready to pour!

Remember to always have enough wax in your pour pot to fill your mold.

For polyurethane and silicone rubber molds:

• Molds should be poured on a level surface. Pour candle.
• Beeswax shrinks a little as it cures, so often you will need to wait a few minutes, then pour additional wax in. You can use a skewer or a bobby pin to make the hole large enough to pour the additional wax in.

• Allow the wax to cure for several hours or overnight.
• Pull from the mold, trim the bottom wick to be even with the bottom of the candle, and trim the top wick to 1/4". You can leave the wick at 1/2", but before burning the candle, you will want it trimmed to 1/4".

• Finish the bottom of your candle in a pan on a low heat setting. This will level your candle and make it set even.

For tealights and votives:

• Arrange your tealight and votive molds along the edge of a table. Pour and fill.
• It may take a little practice, but you will be able to judge how much wax is needed and spill less with time.
• Make sure to check your candles before the tops start to cure to ensure that wicks are centered and did not move in the pouring process.
• Let cure. That's it! Votives will pop out easily if you spray a bit of mold release into the molds before the pouring step.

For hand-dipped taper candles:

• Use a double boiler and a container of an appropriate height to hold your melted wax in so that your tapers will be the correct length.
• Attach a nut or washer to each end of a primed wick. To make two tapers, cut a length 2x the length of your taper, plus about 1 -1/2" to 2".
• Cut a piece of cardboard about 2" x 3", and cut a slit on both sides.
• Thread your candle wick, leaving even lengths on both sides (this will keep them from tapping together while dipping.)
• Do your first dip. Keep your wick in the wax until you see the bubbles stop (this is called priming your wick). Take it slow; don't be in a hurry!

• Dip again, and hold for a second or two, then pull up. Then, wait 3-4 minutes before dipping again. Follow this step until you have reached nearly the desired thickness of the candle.

 

• Trim off the bottom of your candle (the section with the nut) with a sharp knife. After this, do a few more dips.
• If you would like a shinier candle, you can heat your wax a bit hotter for your last dip.
  
  • As a suggestion, why not use this same method to make some small birthday candles? Dip until you have your desired thickness, usually about 1/4" or so, and then you're ready for your next birthday party!

Final thoughts on candle making basics

We hope that you have enjoyed learning the basics of candle making and that you were able to pick up a few tricks along the way! We also sincerely hope that this article has allowed you to build the confidence to start creating your own beeswax candles at home!

If you enjoyed practicing the basics above, why not try your hand at some more advanced candle-making techniques? Follow this link to learn how to craft candles using dried botanicals, and how to create your very own geode candle.

If you have any questions about our beginner kit, or any of our other candle-related products, please don't hesitate to give us a call. We are here to help you at every step along your candle making journey!