- Making Votive Candles
By: Mike McDonough
Getting Started
Votives are arguably one of the
easiest kinds of molded candles to make. They add a great deal
of charm to just about any setting. The typical votive will burn
for approximately 15 hours and will consume just about all of
the wax that was used to create it.
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A properly crafted votive will
liquefy to some degree as it burns. This is necessary to achieve
good scent throw. Votives are not intended to be free standing
candles. Therefore it is important to burn votives only in a
holder that is intended for votives.
What you will need:
· Wax suitable for votives
· Wax additives (only if needed for your wax formulation)
· Fragrance oil (optional)
· Dye (optional)
· Pre-tabbed wicks suitable for votives (36-24-24 zinc
core used here)
· Metal Votive Molds
· Mold release spray (optional)
· Pouring pot
· Thermometer |
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Step 1) Prepare your molten wax
mixture.
You should be able to review
these instructions while your wax is melting. Before continuing,
set up a double boiler to melt your wax. A good target temperature
for votives is 175° F. Once your wax has completely melted,
add any additives you have selected and mix thoroughly, but try
to avoid introducing air into the mixture. Add them in the following
order:
1. Additives such as vybar or
stearic acid (but only if needed)
2. Fragrance Oil
3. Dye (this is done last so
that you get visual confirmation that everything else has mixed
well with the wax)
Before pouring your wax, you
may want to lightly coat your molds with a very thin film of
mold-release agent such as silicone spray or a Pam-type cooking
spray. This helps aid the release of the finished candle from
the mold. However, it is really only needed with new molds.
Step 2) Votives: Initial Wax
Pour
Place your votive molds on a
newspaper-lined surface to catch any spills. With your wax at
the proper pouring temperature (about 175° F), fill your
votive molds to the lip of the mold. The objective here is to
get the wax just up to the lip without over flowing. If you pour
to a level lower than the lip, you may get seam lines in your
finished candle. Care should be taken to minimize the number
of bubbles introduced while pouring. Save about 20% of your wax
for the re-pour at a later step. Do not return it to the heat
source.
Step 3) Add Pre-tabbed Wicks.
Wait for your wax to cool for
a short period of time. While it is cooling, prepare your wicks
by straightening them. They do not need to be perfectly straight
at this point; a loose approximation of "straight"
is fine. Once the wax just begins to congeal, insert your pre-tabbed
wicks. The tab will "stick" to the bottom when it touches.
Care should be taken to position the tab roughly in the center
of the mold.
FYI: Why wait for the wax to begin congealing? At
the temperature of the congealing point, the wax is cool enough
that it will not interfere with the firmness of the primed wick.
It also is the temperature that allows the metal tab to "stick"
to the base of the mold. At higher temperatures, the wick can
be a little more difficult to manage (not impossible).
Once the tab has stuck to the
base of the mold, it is very easy to manipulate the wick to straighten
it. Sometimes you may wish to wait a few moments to allow the
metal tab to form a stronger bond with the base of the mold before
attempting to straighten the wick.
During the cooling process, the
shrinking wax may pull the wick off-center. If this occurs, simply
apply a light tug to straighten the wick from time to time. Do
not use so much force as to free the metal tab on the base.
Allow your wax to completely
cool before proceeding to the next step. This may take 3-4 hours.
Step 4). Votives: Re-pour
Wax
When the wax has completely cooled,
it will have shrunken a bit, leaving a sink hole that needs to
be filled. Melt down the wax that you saved from step 2 above.
This time, your target pouring temperature will be 10-15 degrees
hotter than the initial pour (pour at about 190 deg. F for this
step). This increased temperature is to facilitate adhesion between
layers.
Once your wax is at the proper
temperature, fill the molds to a level just slightly above the
lip of the mold. Care should be taken to avoid spills. Allow
your candles to completely cool.
Step 5). Molded Candle Instructions:
Remove Votive from Mold
Once your votives are completely
cool, remove them from the mold. They will usually slide right
out without any difficulty if they are completely cool. If they
are difficult to remove from the molds, place them in the freezer
for about 5 minutes. This will usually do the trick.If they are
still difficult, place them back in the freezer for another 5
minutes and try again.
Also, for very stubborn candles,
it sometimes helps to gently press the sides of the mold inward
as you "roll" the mold in the palms of your hands
Step 6). Molded Candle Instructions:
Votives: Enjoy
Always burn votives in a votive
holder. Remember that they are not intended to be free-standing
candles and they will liquefy. |
