Gel Candle Making

Gel candle making is currently one of the more popular sub segments in the overall craft of making candles. Some of this is because it's new and candle makers are always interested in exploring new techniques. However, much of the popularity is because if you use gel candle wax you can make unique candles that are impossible to produce any other way.

 This page is a brief outline of what gel candle making is all about.

To begin, gel candle wax is not actually a wax. It is mineral oil that is polymerized using a special patented process that changes the liquid oil into a gel like material. Because it is a closely held patent, there's currently only a one producer.

Gel Candle Making Secrets Revealed In:

 Home Candle Making Made Easy

Gel candle wax is available in at least two different consistencies, and as you gain experience you be up to judge for yourself which is best suited for your project.

The main appeal of gel candle wax is its transparency. Undyed, it is completely clear and transparent. The transparency is desirable because it allows objects placed in the center of the candle to remain visible. This offers the candle maker very creative opportunities not possible with other waxes.

By the way, objects placed within the wax are referred to by gel candle makers as "embeds".

Gel candle wax does hold dye, so it can be tinted. Usually a very light tint is used. After all, the whole point of gel wax is its transparency and too much dye would interfere with that. On the other hand, a light tint can enhance the overall effect.

For example, a candle maker who wants to create a candle representing an underwater scene would probably tint the gel a light blue.

Gel candle wax also holds fragrance, but not all of essential oils and fragrances are compatible with gel. It's best to use scents that the manufacture specifically states are appropriate for using with gel wax.

There are a couple of unique characteristics that you need to be aware of when using gel wax.

For one thing, it doesn't melt the same way that usual waxes do. As you know, a typical candle wax will go from being solid to liquid as it is heated. Gel wax never does that.

It starts out as a semisolid gel, and with heat becomes syrupy but never liquid. Do not continue to heat gel wax expecting it to become liquid. That could create an extreme fire hazard.

Another difference with gel wax is that needs to be heater to a higher temperature than other waxes. A double boiler isn't hot enough (it never gets any hotter than the boiling point of water, which is a safety factor when working with other waxes). Gel wax needs to be placed over direct heat. Use a hot plate or electric stove, never an open flame.

Careful monitoring and measuring of the temperature is crucial. In most applications, you'll be using the gel at about 220°.

Never leave gel wax on heat unattended. If it ever reached its flashpoint, the result would likely be an explosive fire. The flashpoint is usually around 400°, so there's quite a margin of safety but you can't take it for granted.

Because gel wax is not solid, it is only appropriate for container candles. Since the point of using gel wax is its transparency, you almost always be using it in a glass container. An appropriate container should be fairly thick wallet and heat resistant. In addition, the opening of it shouldn't be much narrower than the base.

I've seen candle makers use thin-walled wine glasses as containers, but I think this is a potential mistake. Thin glass will be more prone to break under the heat of the candle.

A common issue that comes up with gel wax is the matter of bubbles. In some candles you want them. In another candles, they’re a flaw.

For example, if you’re pouring gel into a flute to suggest Champagne, bubbles are an appropriate addition. On the other hand, if you have an embed of a small airplane in blue wax suggesting the sky, bubbles are not desirable.

Is difficult to completely eliminate bubbles but here are here are a couple of tips to keep in mind.

The warmer the gel is when you pour it, the least likely it is to hold bubbles. Therefore, check the manufacturers recommended working temperatures and heat the wax to the upper end of that range. Again, never heat the wax higher than the recommended temperature.

It will also help if you warm the container before pouring in the wax. When you do pour the wax, pour it smoothly down the side of the container and from a short distance above it.

On the other hand, if you do want bubbles pour the wax at a cooler temperature and from a greater distance above the container.

This gives you an idea of some of the important factors to consider when making gel candles.

I've emphasize safety here and I hope that my mentioning the possibility of a fire hasn't put you off. That's a possibility no matter what type of wax you're working with. But if you use common sense and appropriately monitor the wax temperature, candle making is extremely safe.

Gel candle making opens up new creative possibilities and is well worth exploring. In fact, I devote a whole chapter in my book Home Candle Making Made Easy to making gel candles. If you give it a try, I think you realize why it's so popular.