Hey! I made something!!
Aug. 28th, 2012 09:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anastasiavSo, I made this:
About a week ago, a parent brought in a handmade paper box with four stamped tealights in it, which sort of made me say "Huh. I can do that."
Shortly thereafter, I ran across this blog post which described how to make wax "tarts" (basically scented candles without wicks) using silicone baking molds. "Huh," I thought again, "what good are candles with no wicks."
So I read a bunch, bought some cheap molds, and got to work.
Because this was a test, I didn't worry much about the wax temp, which is why the candles are sort of mottled. But the basic idea was that I melted some wax, poured it into the six-chamber silicone mold, and used some makeshift wick pins (actually wooden dowels) to set the wick holes. We fiddled a lot with making a jig to get the wick pins to stay in directly after the wax was poured, only to discover that doesn't work. What does work is to wait until the candles have cooled for about 30 - 45 minuets (so the wax is about the texture of slightly melted ice cream) and then insert the pins. Then you let them cool overnight, remove the pins, and stick in the wicks. (I used pre-primed and tabbed wicks, but going forward I will prime and tab my own wicks - much cheaper!)
The box is just your standard origami paper box, stiffened with some hidden 120 lb cardstock and otherwise made from standard scrap-booking paper. I added some scrap-booking stickers to the top, but I'm not very impressed with them.
So, anyway, this technique works, and I have a feeling I'll be doing some candles for holiday gifts. Hope people like candles!
About a week ago, a parent brought in a handmade paper box with four stamped tealights in it, which sort of made me say "Huh. I can do that."
Shortly thereafter, I ran across this blog post which described how to make wax "tarts" (basically scented candles without wicks) using silicone baking molds. "Huh," I thought again, "what good are candles with no wicks."
So I read a bunch, bought some cheap molds, and got to work.
Because this was a test, I didn't worry much about the wax temp, which is why the candles are sort of mottled. But the basic idea was that I melted some wax, poured it into the six-chamber silicone mold, and used some makeshift wick pins (actually wooden dowels) to set the wick holes. We fiddled a lot with making a jig to get the wick pins to stay in directly after the wax was poured, only to discover that doesn't work. What does work is to wait until the candles have cooled for about 30 - 45 minuets (so the wax is about the texture of slightly melted ice cream) and then insert the pins. Then you let them cool overnight, remove the pins, and stick in the wicks. (I used pre-primed and tabbed wicks, but going forward I will prime and tab my own wicks - much cheaper!)
The box is just your standard origami paper box, stiffened with some hidden 120 lb cardstock and otherwise made from standard scrap-booking paper. I added some scrap-booking stickers to the top, but I'm not very impressed with them.
So, anyway, this technique works, and I have a feeling I'll be doing some candles for holiday gifts. Hope people like candles!
