Creating a Container Candle
How To Create A Homemade Container Candle
Container candles are among the easiest for beginners to make, and provide a wide variety of options, as the containers used are only limited to ensure they are leak and fire proof. Container possibilities include glass jars, bowls, buckets, cups, and more. Once you understand these six easy steps, adding color and fragrance will easily provide an enormous collection of container candle possibilities. Because a container candle is meant to remain in its mold, no stearin or mold releases are necessary, adding to the ease of making them. This guide requires the following basic equipment to start your container candle collection:
- Melting system (double boiler or wax melter)
- Thermometer
- Heavy duty gloves
- Glue – super glue works well
- Heat gun
- Wax – one pound of paraffin wax with a melt point of 130F
- Wax color chip
- Liquid fragrance oil
- 1.5 ounces soft microcrystalline wax
- Pre-tabbed wicks
- Wick rod
- Two eight ounce jelly jars
Step One
Set your pre-tabbed wicks using a wick rod to hold the wick. To do so, simply glue the bottom of the wick tabs to the center of the containers, setting the tops of the wicks into the wick rod and resting them across the tops of the containers. It is important that the wicks are centered in the containers to ensure proper burning. Once the wicks are set you need to preheat the two jars to ensure the wax adheres to the glass surface. Place the jars into an oven warmed to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Two
Put a couple inches of water into the larger of your two pots, adding enough to ensure the smaller pot, or melting pot, is raised off the bottom of the larger pot, but not so much water that it causes the smaller pot to bounce. Once the water has started to boil, carefully place a pound of wax into the melting pot by hand. If your paraffin wax does not have microcrystalline wax already mixed in this is the time to add it. Make sure your thermometer is firmly in the melting pot and that you are closely watching the temperature of the wax. Heat the wax to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it is ready to add your color and fragrance, if you are including them in your candle.
Step Three
Carefully add your choice of color and fragrance oil by hand when the wax is completely melted and your thermometer reads 180F. Do not go higher than 180 as that will cause the fragrance to vaporize and the color choice to be altered. One wax color chip and one ounce of fragrance is sufficient for this recipe. Stir the color and fragrance and let the wax cool to approximately 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Four
The wax is now ready to be poured, so carefully remove the glass jars from the warm oven and place them on a flat, even surface. Using gloves, slowly pour the wax into the jars, being careful not to overfill and leaving a little extra wax should a second pour be necessary. At this time, re-center the wick if necessary.
Step Five
Leave the candles in a well ventilated area to ensure they cool slowly. Using a thin object like a knitting needle, poke relief holes near the wick once the top of the candle has cooled and a soft skin is formed. This will help reduce air bubbles in your candle. Reheat the left over wax to 155F and repour the wax over the candles to fill the holes and cover any imperfections on the surface. You can also perfect the candle top once the candles have cooled by reheating with a heat gun and smoothing over.
Step Six
Once the candles have completely cooled it is time to trim the wicks to a quarter of an inch. The cooling process takes several hours, possibly even overnight. To achieve the greatest scent throw and burning, you should consider letting the candle cure for several days before burning.
It is always a good idea to keep track of your creations, so include pen and paper in your toolkit. You should write down adjustments you want to make, areas that you had problems, color and scent combinations you like or dislike, or ideas you can’t resist. Keep this pad handy for your first couple candles, and record burn times and fragrance throw, so you will have an idea how you want to proceed in the future and changes you may want to make. Keeping notes will help you learn from your mistakes and make beautiful creations in the future. If you are still having issues after several attempts, see our troubleshooting guide for tips on solving the ten most common problems candle makers come across.
