If you need an activity to help you fill some time, especially if you’re in the cold like me, this will be perfect for you!
Candle-making is surprisingly simple and easy to do at home with just a few materials. First, you’ll have to choose your wick; the most popular would be using a piece of twine or cotton string. Once you’ve chosen your string, you can pick your method to make it a wick; the quick and easy way is to take your string and soak it with wax; by doing this and letting it dry, the wick will work.
However, if you want a wick that’ll burn brighter and longer, bring a cup of water to below a boil, and add a tablespoon of salt, add three tablespoons of borax. Take the borax solution and soak your twine for 24 hours. After that has dried, soak your string in wax, and you’ll have a ready wick.
Now that we have our wick prepared, we can start to tackle our method of candle-making. You can get your wax from many places, from getting pounds of wax online to recycling wax from old candles. After you’ve collected your wax and are able to melt it, you can choose from different ways of making your candle.
Once you have your wick ready, you can take that and dip it in the wax until you can get a solid base; with this method, you’ll be able to control the size and carve it into shapes easier. However, this method will be more time-consuming.
If you have access to the materials for a silicone mold or are able to buy a metal or plastic mold online, you’ll be able to use the wick you made, pour the wax in, remove the silicone around, and you’ll have a formed candle.
Lastly, the classic mason-jar candle: For this, you’ll use something like a wooden dowel or a pencil to hold your wick above the jar while you pour the wax in; once the wax is set, you’ll have a ready candle.
I hope these tips work well and are able to help you make a delightful candle. For the last piece of advice, you can also add essential oils to enhance the smell of the candle!
