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Candlelight might seem romantic. A candlelit dinner for two, or a relaxing bubble bath with scented candles for some aromatherapy after a hard day of work. It sounds delightful, doesn’t it? However, it wasn’t that long ago that candles were not merely decorative, but a necessity to light our homes.
Some Candle Making History
The first candles dating back to the ancient Etruscan era were made from animal fat known as tallow, and beeswax which is a by-product of collecting honey from beehives.
Spermaceti from whales was discovered in the height of the whaling industry and found to be a less smelly and brighter burning substance, that, due to the amount of whales taken from the sea, was available in mass quantities to the consumer.
Beeswax for candles remained popular until the invention of Stearic Acid and Paraffin Wax in the 1800s
In 1834 a machine was invented that could turn out 2 tons of candles in 12 hours. This was a boon to those who had large homes and needed to buy candles in large quantities. It also made the purchase of these mass produced candles much less costly.
For those in rural areas, candles were not so readily available, and candle making became a part of a homesteader’s regular chores. Prior to the advent of gaslighting (not the emotional kind), in the first quarter of the 19th century, candles were still being used to light homes.
It wasn’t until 1945 that 85% of Americans had electricity wired into their homes. The other 15% were either using gas or oil lamps and candles. This wasn’t until 1960 that virtually every home in America was wired for electrical lighting.
Oil lamps and candles did all the heavy lifting for lighting in the home. Even after gas lamps were being installed in buildings, most people kept candles for emergencies, just as they do today. As with most new technology, people feared gas lighting and electricity, and it took decades for electrical lighting to become the technology of the day. Today, we take for granted that simply flipping a switch will bring the light.
Today’s homesteaders have options to purchase candles, but for those who have gone back to the land, with plans to use all the resources at their disposal, candle making is having a resurgence. It’s a fun, creative and relatively easy process that the whole family can do together. Whether you’re rendering beeswax from your hives, or tallow from harvesting beeves, the candle making process is similar.
If you’re a total beginner, you might want to start by purchasing some paraffin wax. Try all three materials(Paraffin, Beeswax and Tallow), and see which turns out the best. Note: Tallow candles have a smell to them that beeswax and paraffin do not.
Note: For vegetarians and vegans, there is also soy wax available.
If you’re just getting started, here are two methods of making candles: The hand-dip method , and the mold method. This is assuming that your wax or tallow is already rendered*** and prepared.
Hand – Dipped Candles:
Follow this method to make elegant tapers for centerpieces, holiday candle holders, and emergency lighting.
Step 1: Prepare your wick:
This can be a 14 inch length of cotton string. When dipping candles, it’s recommended to use cotton for your wick. You can prepare your own wick by weighting the bottom of the string with a nut or bolt to keep it straight and taut.
Step 2: Melt your wax:
Wax should be melted in a metal container set into boiling water. Any kind of double-boiler will work. Consider the amount of candles you plan to make and measure accordingly. It is possible to tie multiple wicks to a dowel or wooden spoon handle and dip several candles simultaneously, for which you will need a wider melting container.The benefit of this is not simple efficiency, but also creates uniformity so that your candles will match in length and size.
Once your wax is liquid, reduce the heat to low and maintain the temperature. You can then transfer melted wax into the dipping pot at your workstation. We recommend you cover your workspace with parchment, butcher, or newspaper to protect surfaces from dripping wax. It will get messy! Protect yourself from burns by using silicone oven mitts and goggles for safety.
Step 3: Dipping your wicks
Begin dipping your wicks in the hot wax to coat the wick. Pull it out and let it cool. Repeat until the taper is the thickness you desire. Alternatively, you can also dip the candles into cold water in between dipping in the hot wax, to cool and set the wax.
Step 4: Hang to dry and set
Once your candles are to the desired thickness, you’re finished! Hang the candles in a cool place for up to 12 hours to fully set. Cut the weights off the bottom and trim the wicks to the desired length (½ to ¾ inches), and they are ready to burn!
Coloring wax:
You can have a ton of fun with color and hand-dipping candles. This does require purchasing dye that is made for this purpose. A set of colored dye or color blocks made of paraffin or soy wax can be purchased for very little cost. Candlescience.com is a great resource for all things candle making, including color and fragrance.
You can also use wax crayons to color your candles. Dip your candle in the plain wax first until you have a good layer built up, then add your dye to the clear/white wax. A melted half of a crayon will give plenty of color. You can continue to add colors or have separate dip pots of colored wax to build up candles that will look amazing in your decor. You can watch them changing color as they burn. This is fun for artsy folks who love color mixing!
Molded Candles:
Making molded candles is slightly less labor-intensive than hand-dipped candles. You can also have a lot of fun with color blocks, melting crayons, and dyes, as well as the size and shape of the molds. Any material that can tolerate the hot wax can be used as a mold. You can buy silicone molds in just about any shape or size or make them yourself out of food-grade silicone.
Here’s a tutorial on how to make your own silicone mold. How to Make Silicone Candle Molds DIY (9 Easy Steps) | Tutorial (thewaxcandles.com)
Best results are achieved by warming the mold in your oven before adding the wax, to help the candles set more naturally.
You can also make your own molds by using layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to sculpt the desired negative shape to pour into. This is a fun and creative process as well as relatively inexpensive to experiment with.
Step 1: Prepare your wick
You can set your wick into your mold in a few different ways. One method is to put a small hole into the bottom of the mold, pull your string through and tie a knot on the outside, pulling the wick up straight when you pour the wax in. The other is to use a spot of glue on the bottom of the inside of the mold and glue the bottom of your string wick. There are flat metal tabs that you can also glue to the bottom of the mold. You can also buy 100 pre-tabbed 6”wicks for about $10 here: ECO 2 6″ Pretabbed Wick – CandleScience
Step 2: Melt your wax
Use a metal container in boiling water (double boiler) to melt your wax.** Once melted, transfer the wax to your workstation into a container with a pour spout. This is where you can get creative with color, using crayons, color blocks or dyes. Design the candles you want to see on display.
** Remember to cover your workstation with parchment, butcher, or newspaper to protect from melted wax and protect yourself from burns, by using silicone oven mitts and goggles for safety.
Step 3: Pour the wax
Pour the hot wax into the molds, layering or mixing colors as you like. Remember, you need to work a bit quickly, because as soon as you take the wax off the heat, it begins to cool and set up. Once your wax is poured, you’re on to the next step.
Note: Once the candle begins to set, you may need to top off the molds with additional melted wax for a level surface.
Step 4: Let cool and set and release the molds
Once the candles have hardened (up to 12 hours), you can release them from the mold. Trim the wick to ½ to ¾ inch and you have your candle, ready to light and enjoy.
Storage:
Store your candles in a cool place to avoid degradation and melting, and you will have them at the ready at all times. Wrapping them in parchment or newspaper will also help protect them.
For those who are focusing on being prepared for an emergency or preparing for long -term survival without power from the electrical grid, you would benefit from having candle making supplies on -hand in large quantities. In the event that there is a prolonged power outage, this may be the best renewable (albeit primitive) source of light for your home.
There will certainly be some trial and error, but practice makes better, and before long, you will have the process dialed in to where you have eliminated any guesswork and can render quality candles suitable for display for sale.Speaking of sales …
Candle making can also be utilized as a part of monetizing your homestead for profit. Diversity in merchandise is a big draw for farmstands or your booth at the farmer’s market. You can gear your candles towards seasonal decor, table centerpieces, and unique and beautiful items that set you apart from other makers. You’re only limited by your imagination.
*** Rendering tallow is done by slowly simmering beef fat until liquid, then straining out the impurities until the tallow is clear liquid, strained through fine mesh, then cheesecloth, and poured into jars. The finished product when cooled will be solid and white. It can be kept for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
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