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When making your own candles can be fun and rewarding and it lets you have an opportunity to let your mind run wild. You need to know some of the basic of candle making steps that you should follow to have your candle making process go smoothly. There is nothing really as disappointing than to discover that your candles did not adhere correctly to the forms that you were making. This should go without saying this but it needs to be said, you need to follow safe candle making procedures. A lot of people find making candles in their own kitchen is an ideal space for making their candles. However you may want to have on hand a fire extinguisher close by just in case one is needed, and a no skid mat in front of your stove, to keep you from slipping and falling down and having hot wax all over you. You probably will want to wear old clothing and long sleeves to protect the skin on your arms. But make sure that the sleeves aren’t too long as to where they can come in contact with the hot wax.
Remember that when you make candles, you will have to heat up the wax to get it to melt completely, so there is always present the risk to get burnt severely, so work slowly and carefully when working with hot wax. Now as you should know when heating the wax up to melt it that at any time it may start to burn and it could start a fire in your kitchen, so clean up any spilt wax immediately, for it does not take the wax very long for it to harden, because it can become very slippery. It is also important to clean up the wax, is because of those dyes and scents that you used in the process of candle making can leave you with stains that you can not get up.
Here are some ideas to get you started making your candles. Start by defining your work areas: 1) the preparation area 2) melting process, and 3) the cooling area. In area 1) this area does not need to be very large, it just needs to be a flat surface as it needs to be well organized with the tools and scents and dyes for making the candles. You will also want to have your utensils like your, thermometer, dyes and scents, and any other candle making supplies or tools in this area. When it is time to start melting the wax you should already know what types of candles that you will be making ahead of this time, because you need to know which supplies and tools that you will need to have close by just in case you will need them.
Your melting work station 2) will most likely be your range. As you know you will be using a double boiler in which to get the wax up to a temperature that will be hot enough and without making it too hot because you can scorch the wax. When melting the wax you will be changing the molecular structure of the wax which can be damaged if you try and heat the wax to fast and use too much heat. This could mean that your candles may not form very well or hold up when they are being used. You can get the wax in sheets or blocks. Before you start melting the wax you will need to use smaller pieces of wax to melt. Using a hammer and a straight slotted screwdriver works good to do this.
When breaking up the wax into smaller pieces you should do this in area 1) the preparation area so when you need some more wax to melt it will be right there and handy for you to pick up and use. You need to weigh each piece of wax so you will know how much wax you are adding into the pot that you are using to melt the wax. Now this will let you know how much of the scents and dyes that you will need to add, which is based upon weight.
In the last area 3) the cooling down area needs to be an area such as the countertop or table. This is where the wax will cool for at least several hours. This area needs to be able to take high temperatures from the wax and not be disturbed during the cooling off time. This area should be located as to where it will not be directly in the path of hot sunlight nor in the path of heating or cooling air ducts. If it is, the candles will not set properly, and this will make you very sad. If you are going to make use of molds then have them all set up and ready to pour the wax in, while the wax is melting. When the wax is done melting, all of your attention will be on pouring the wax into the molds and not trying to set them up. You may wish to set the molds into and old cookie sheets just in case some of the wax spills over this may be of help by preventing in your work area.
When making candles the process will be smooth by using these suggested tips, and setting up three places to work. When making candles is a lot of fun and can be used for a small business as well. You need to understand what the dangers of candle making are; mostly they are severe burns and fires. You must use proper safety precautions and hopefully this will ensure a pleasant creation of some nice candles for you to enjoy in your own home and as always it is a great way to spend your time while having some fun time together with your family too.
