Candlemaking – Pouring, Steady Hands & Straight Wicks

For Candlemaking Set Up, click here.
For information on wick and fragrancing, click here.
For wax spill cleaning, click here.

Once the wicks are anchored and centered, fragrance added and your wax is colored. You are ready to pour. Pouring has been briefly discussed here already. Most cotton core wicks will stand up straight when exposed to the hot wax. If you happened to purchase a wick that is drooping, consider using a CD series wick. They are specially designed for high melt point wax and will stay firm under the deluge of hot wax.

Here is another photo of pouring from the melting container to the pour container. Notice that we’ve finally covered the table with newspaper! There is approximately 3 pounds of melted wax in the double boiler pot. That much weight requires a steady hand (no caffeine before the pour!) and a strong wrist. Always work within your limits for weight; if you have a weak wrist, melt smaller amounts.

When the wicks get warm, they do tend to droop just a bit. Here we have propped up chopsticks to help keep the wicks standing up straight. It takes approximately 30 minutes for the beeswax candles to harden and be safe to move. Tip: If you try to move the wax while it is still congealing, it will ripple on the surface of the candle. Your candle will not have a smooth even look if you try to move the container too quickly.

Check back tomorrow for final touches for your candles and some general tips and tricks for making your candle crafting as fun and easy as possible.