Are you curious about learning candle making but worried that it might be too hard? Of course, the difficulty that comes with learning a new skill is somewhat subjective. The challenges of learning candle making depend on factors like your willingness to research materials beforehand, your patience in troubleshooting common issues without getting discouraged, and whether you’re looking to pick up a few basic methods or master more advanced techniques. No matter your prior experience or comfort level with candle making, there are plenty of tools available to help make learning easier than you might think.
What is Candle Making?
Candle making, the process of encasing a burnable wick in a shell of wax, is an artform whose history extends back many thousands of years, since at least 3,000 BCE when ancient Egyptians crafted simple “rushlight” candles by soaking dried reeds in melted animal fat. For most of the history of the candle, the techniques for producing candles by hand have remained unchanged, so while today we may use materials like soy wax instead of tallow like the ancient Romans, use glass or plastic molds rather than sheets of rice paper like the ancient Chinese, or use synthesized fragrance oils instead of bits of real cinnamon sticks like the ancient Indians, the commonalities between ancient and contemporary candles far outweigh the differences. Even though candles no longer serve a practical purpose as a necessary source of light, even our contemporary usage of candles for ambiance finds its roots in the ancient candles used at religious sites to establish an appropriate atmosphere for mindful reflection.
The same basic techniques for encasing a wick in wax, the most popular of which involve either rolling a wick in a hard sheet of wax, dipping a wick into a melted pot of wax and allowing the wax to solidify into a candle, or pouring melted wax into a mold or container then suspending a wick in the mold, are more or less the same methods developed thousands of years ago. These simple techniques, first discovered long ago, are easy enough to perform that even complete beginners can enter into the hobby with minimal difficulties.
Benefits of Learning Candle Making?
The core appeal of candle making is the sense of personal satisfaction that comes with crafting something by hand. While this is true of any hobby, candle making is a particularly fulfilling activity because of candles’ capacity to reduce stress and promote relaxation, benefits that are built into both the process and the resulting product. Fragrance oils are often used to incorporate soothing scents like lavender into candles to infuse them with aromatherapeutic properties, and these candles are frequently used while participating in calming activities like meditation and relaxing baths.
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Beyond the elements promoting personal well-being, candle making provides many opportunities to connect with a larger community. Whether through sharing custom-made candles as personalized gifts for friends and loved ones or through connecting with passionate candle makers at a local art fair, candle making is a great outlet for forging new bonds with like minded individuals and for strengthening pre-existing bonds.
Though candle making is typically pursued as a hobby, some may also be drawn to candle making as a way to tap into a growing commercial interest in artisanal craft products. With a bit of extra time and effort, candle making can become a business endeavor, selling artisanal candles at local craft fairs and in local boutiques.
What Are the Hardest Parts of Learning Candle Making?
On the whole, candle making is a straightforward process with techniques that can be learned through minimal hardship. However, the simplicity of candle making can be somewhat deceptive; as easy as it sounds to make a candle, there are a whole host of potential issues that are likely to crop up in the finished product. Worst of all, it may not be completely evident what caused these issues in the first place. In this section, you’ll learn about some of the common issues that candle makers experience with regard to wax consistency, flame consistency, and aesthetics, and you’ll learn some tips to help avoid common pitfalls.
Wax Consistency
Some of the most readily apparent issues have to do with the consistency of the wax. Since the ideal candle is consistently smooth, a lumpy “cauliflower” top or a sinkhole is a rather obvious blemish. These issues are quite common, and are usually related to the temperature of the wax; if the wax is poured at too low or too high a heat, it will not cool properly and will start to deform during the cooling process. To make sure the wax is at the appropriate temperature, it is a good idea to have a thermometer on hand.
Some of these issues are caused not by the wax itself, but by the way that the wax interacts with added components like fragrance oils. Adding too much oil can cause two common problems. First, many scented candles will “sweat, ” as beads of moisture seep out of the side of the candle like condensation. Second, some scented candles are much too soft, and will not hold their shape. These issues cannot be corrected after-the-fact, so it is important to be careful when adding the oil to the wax. Adding too little fragrance oil results in a wek scent, and adding too much causes issues with the wax, so expect to carefully measure and track how much oil you’re adding until you find the perfect balance.
Flame Consistency
A common issue with homemade candles is “tunneling, ” where the flame burns a narrow hole through the middle of the candle instead of the wax melting at the same rate across the entire diameter. The good news here is that tunneling is not usually the result of how the candle is made; instead, it means that the candle is not burning for long enough. When first lighting a candle, be sure to let it burn for long enough that the wax melts all the way across the surface of the candle, a process that can take up to several hours, before extinguishing it.
Other common burning issues are more closely related to candle composition. Ultimately, everything comes down to the size of the wick, because the wick acts as the fuel supply determining how much fuel reaches the flame, and thus the size and consistency of the flame.
The two most common issues involve either the flame burning too hot and flickering, or the flame burning too low and drowning in the wax. If the flame is flickering, this is usually an indication that the wick is too long, or that the wick is too thick compared to the diameter of the candle. If the candle is flickering, consider trimming the wick so that it is a bit shorter, which will reduce the amount of fuel going to the flame. If that doesn’t work, then the problem is not fixable; you’ll have to make a new candle with an appropriately-sized wick.
If the flame is drowning in wax, then the candle likely has the opposite problem in that the wick is either too short or too thin. Unlike with a flickering flame, where a too-long wick can be trimmed, this type of wick issue cannot be resolved with a quick fix. A flame drowning in wax can also be the result of an overfilled container, so be sure not to pour too much wax when pouring a candle.
Aesthetic Issues
Because many candles are used to set ambiance and to add a relaxing fragrance to a space, it can be especially frustrating when issues with the scents and colors of a candle arise. Adding fragrance oils to a candle can be a delicate balance. Enough oil has to be added to make sure the scent comes through, but as we saw above, adding too much oil to the wax can cause issues like sweating.
When making a scented candle, it is a common occurrence that a candle smells great before it is lit, but doesn’t smell like anything while it is burning. This is a problem that, while common, typically doesn’t have a single, easy solution. The low fragrance could be the result of the type of wax, as different types of waxes have different scent throws. Paraffin wax, for example, is popular because it has a good scent throw, so it is important to use an appropriate wax for a scented candle. Low fragrance can also be the result of the amount of fragrance oil added; if you don’t add enough oil for fear of ruining the consistency of the candle, it could lead to a candle with a dull fragrance. However, the issue might be one not of how much oil, but also of when the oil is added. If the fragrance oil is added when the wax is too hot, the scent may not be able to sufficiently bond to the wax. Because these problems with scents cannot be fixed after the fact and require some troubleshooting during the candle making process to truly pinpoint the cause of the problem, they can take several candles and quite a bit of trial and error to correct.
Unfortunately, fragrance oils can cause aesthetic issues beyond just those of fragrance. Some candle makers are quite surprised when their candles take on unexpected, unpleasant hues even without the usage of dyes. The cause of such surprise discoloration is frequently due to the presence of vanillin, an organic compound found in the vanilla bean, in the fragrance oil. Vanillin is added to many non-vanilla-scented fragrance oils because of the way that it interacts with other scents, but it is also known to impact candle design because of its propensity to oxidize. Because this is common knowledge, many suppliers will list the vanillin content of their oils. When making scented candles, be sure to avoid fragrance oils with high vanillin content to avoid unpleasant discolorations.
Key Takeaways
- The techniques for making candles by hand have not changed much from those first discovered thousands of years ago, which means there is a very low barrier of entry to get started making candles. Even novices with no prior experience can pick up the basic techniques with just a bit of time and persistence.
- Though the techniques of candle making are easy to pick up, many chandlers run into difficulties with wax consistency, with the burn of the flame, and with the aesthetic qualities of the candle.
- A class can be an effective way to troubleshoot most of the common candle making challenges. You can contact CourseHorse to find options for online and in-person classes, including private group sessions.