Candle Making
For Beginners

I know I’m biased, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong

:-) 

Candle making is a great hobby that just about anyone can enjoy and succeed with. Candle making for beginners leads to more elaborate projects and before long the beginner is a pro (literally – a lot of candle makers enjoy candle making so much they make more than they need and sell the extras. The hobby can more than pay for itself). Here are some beginning candle making ideas to get you started.

An easy first project is to make candles using sheet wax that’s soft enough to wrap around a wick without melting the wax. You can find some instructions on one type of these no-melt candles here.

Container candles are another good beginner project. For this type of project, the candle maker pours the melted wax into a heat resistant container with a wick. The candle is never removed from the container – it remains in the container as it is burned.

To make this as simple as possible, use soy wax. Soy wax burns cleanly. It is so soft on its own it doesn’t always work well in pillar candles but is an excellent choice for container candles. One characteristic that makes it good for beginners is that it is the only type of wax that you can melt in a microwave. Melting in a microwave isn’t my preferred method, but it can be done and some beginners don’t want to deal with a double boiler right away.

Another project to help you gain experience is to make candles using a mold. A good way to get started is to use a disposable mold – one that you pour the wax into, then tear away after the candle has hardened. The advantage of starting this way is that you can use free or very inexpensive objects for molds. This avoids having to invest in equipment right away if you’re not sure the hobby is for you.

Examples of thing you can use for a mold are paper cups, milk cartons, Pringles cans, juice cans, etc. The main requirement of a mold is that it is strong enough to hold up when filled with hot wax yet can be torn off when the candle has hardened.

Try some of these ideas and look around on the site for more suggestions. I also think you'll be interested in my book. I think it's pretty darn good and will help you a lot. Click here to find out more.