Candle making can be a fun hobby, and one the children can
participate in, with appropriate adult supervision. You can go
as high tech as getting all your supplies at a craft store, or
making do with what you have at home.
First, you'll choose a mold. This can be a metal one from the
store, or a milk carton, cut to whatever height you want. For
children, a shorter candle is best to start with, and easier for
them to insert things like shells into the partly cooled wax.
Spray the inside of your mold or carton with silicone, or give
it a light wipe with vegetable oil. Cut a wick that is 2-3"
longer than the mold, attach a tab, and stick the tab in the
center of the mold's bottom, with a bit of melted wax. Lay a
piece of doweling or a chopstick across the top of the mold and
wind or tape the remaining wick around that. Make sure it is
straight and centered.
Wax is flammable at high temperatures, and while you can
successfully melt it and make candles without a candy
thermometer, using one will show you the optimum temperatures
for pouring, which is the melting point of 130-150F, although
metal molds can withstand the higher temperatures of 180-200F.
To figure out how much wax you'll need, pour water into the
mold, mark the desired level with a pen, empty the mold and dry
it thoroughly.
Break the wax into chunks, or pare it off and it will melt
faster. Either melt your wax in the top of a double boiler pan,
or make your own, by melting the wax in a coffee can placed
inside a pot of water that is half full. When using a can, it
will have a tendency to float on the water. Make sure the pot is
not so shallow that the can tips over and falls out, spilling
hot wax. Keep baking soda on hand for fire prevention.
Tip your mold a bit, so that you can pour wax down the inside,
and fill to within an inch of your desired level. Keep wax hot
enough to stay melted, and watch as the mold cools, since most
wax will sink in towards the center, and need topping up.
Candles can be colored with commercial dyes, or crayons.
Scenting is as simple as a few drops of essential oils, or
vanilla.
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