Candle making

**Neils** · 21-12-2012, 08:24 PM

After a pudding brand furnished me with a bunch of suitable receptacles I decided to have a go at making some candles with the brood wax I recovered this year:

I'm reasonably pleased with the results, I'm sure I didn't need to use quite as much wax and we'll see how they get on with prolonged use. Not quite the wow factor as a jar of honey, but I'll take a couple round to some friends on Christmas Day and give them a proper run.

**Jon** · 21-12-2012, 09:09 PM

Nice candles Neil. Don't set the house on fire.
I have about 15lbs of wax but I am saving it for foundation.
My father has about 30lbs stored as well.
We have a guy in our association with a wax press and he swaps foundation for wax and will give you back foundation from your own wax if you have a big enough batch to make it worth his while. And no I don't have a personal wax gland - I mean the wax produced by my bees.
I haven't used Apistan for 4 years so I should be able to get some relatively clean foundation back, notwithstanding that Armageddon juice secreted by the oil seed rape.

**Neils** · 21-12-2012, 09:22 PM

Nice. I used the brood wax I recovered this year. Honeycomb wax I'm happy to put back and without foundation gets recycled fairly regularly. Now the brood wax us coming in it makes far more economic sense to turn it into candles.

**Bumble** · 22-12-2012, 01:28 PM

They look good Neil. Did you weight the wicks or is it a U shape?

I've been thinking about dabbling in candle making, which is the best supplier to use?

**Neils** · 22-12-2012, 01:52 PM

I bought a variety of wicks in the end, I'm a bloke and they don't have flashing lights so they all look pretty similar to me but they are apparently different thickness for different heights/thickness of candle.

Each wick is individual. I tied them to some wooden skewers, spaced them out and dipped them in the wax to both straighten them and stick them to the bottom of the glass so they didn't float when I poured the wax in.

**Poly Hive** · 22-12-2012, 08:38 PM

Just a heads up on wicking. A lot of the web wicking advice is based on paraffin wax candles and is not accurate for us. It pays to experiment to find the ideal wick for the diameter of candle you are making. When it is right it is unbeatable, fragrant, illuminating, and a joy to watch.

PH

**Bumble** · 24-09-2013, 01:39 PM

Bouncing this thread because it seems the right place for a question.

I want to have a bash at making some candles for a BKA honey show. I won't win, but there's no harm in having a go.

There's a lot of conflicting information about wick sizes, does anybody know if there's a chart anywhere that explains what size wick should be used for what diameter beeswax candles?

**wee willy** · 24-09-2013, 04:01 PM

I've made candles over the years but value added they have never been

Very likely my location

A couple of tips .
If using moulds, soak the wick in hot wax until all air is expelled.
Stand jug containing hot wax in a saucer of iced water , this after leaving wax to stand long enough for all precipitates to settle , the chilled water will set the wax ,thus trapping the particles.
Don't forget anything that sinks in wax will show on the surface of the cast article, be it a candle or an exhibit!
VM

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