Has anyone made candles?

[canfossi]

I am thinking about making my own beeswax candles. We use to have bees and make them out of the wax, turning the piece of wax like a sheet of paper around the wick. No bees now and I don't kow of anyone who has them currently, so where do I get some wax, can I buy it in a craft store? Either a chunk I can melt down or the sheets. Thanks Chris

[brosil]

I've made the poured candles in a tin mold. The last time , I had trouble that I think was caused by contaminated wax. Find a large beekeeper in your area and you may be able to buy a quantity for as little as $5 per pound. By the way, I used a swab of olive oil on the inside of the mold as a release. It worked pretty well.

[unregistered29228]

Michael's craft stores sell wax in several forms (block, beads, sheets) and other candlemaking supplies.

If I were going to make candles, I think I'd do it with soy wax. I've been buying soy candles for a few years just for scenting the room and decoration. They burn MUCH longer than wax, burn much cleaner, and the melted wax is great as a hand lotion. It isn't too hot to use right from the jar. But I don't think they can be stick candles, only inside a jar or container because of the low melting point.

I've considered making them, and found several websites that sell the supplies.

http://www.millcreeksoywaxcandlesupp...candlekits.htm

[ozarkcat]

Originally Posted by Mom_of_Four

I've been buying soy candles for a few years just for scenting the room and decoration. They burn MUCH longer than wax, burn much cleaner, and the melted wax is great as a hand lotion.

Soy wax burns much longer than paraffin candles, which don't burn very long at all. In comparison, beeswax burns six times longer than paraffin. I think soy & palm wax lands somewhere in the middle, but closer to the beeswax end.

Have you tried your local beekeeper's association? They might know of someone who has wax to sell - we've gotten a lot of ours from local beekeepers for about $3 a pound. You can get the stuff from a craft store, but you'll pay a premium for it. Hope that helps!

[canfossi]

Thanks, I better check the bee keepers around my area, I'll fine some. Oh, do I use regular string as a wick? It's been a while since making them. Thanks again Chris

[A@VT]

You might want to check out the classroom forum they have a candle making project going on now I am sure there is lots of information there. Good Luck.

[JennNY]

I get my beeswax from a local bee keeper. I have found it online, ebay and other candle making supply sites. I pay $3 a pound for my wax. I use silicone molds, it is the best material for molds, esp. for the beeswax.

JennNY

[ozarkcat]

Cotton or hemp string, if you can braid it, it makes it curl as it burns so that you don't have to trim the wick. With cotton thread, you have to soak it in a boric acid solution (salt water & borax) to make the spaces for the wax to wick through.

[chunkydunk]

Hello, Im new here (very new) but I had to reply to this. Me and my wife have been making soy candles for nearly 2 years now. and I have researched paraffin and beeswax before we decided on the soy. Paraffin is a petroleum by-product just like plastic.When burning it actually produces over fifteen known carcinogens. plus if a zinc cored wick is used it puts out lead vapor in the air. And I hope no one gets mad att me but beeswax puts out actully more soot and carbon di and monoxide than paraffin.plus other things according to how well the wax is filtered when melted after the honey extraction.
The hard part with soy is the scenting.Soy does not absorb the fragrance oil very wellwith alot of scents so it take along time of trial nd error to get some scents to actually smell.We spent nearly 4 months perfecting our candles before we could even try to sell one.Not to mention the melting process. Soy melts at such a low temp it is very easy to burn the wax.And that really smells up your house.
And there is a new all soy product out for making pillar soy candles. I havent tried it yet but Ive heard it works well but is tricky to use. Be safe and never ever burn another paraffin candle for your health and your family.

[ozarkcat]

Well, soy only burns 25% longer than paraffin, (http://www.santafecandle.com/learn/b...whybeeswax.htm) whereas beeswax burns 6 times as long as paraffin (http://mistymanormercers.com/index.p...=17&Itemid=52). Since it burns significantly longer than soy, of course it produces more carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide - it has a much longer burning time. If you were to keep soy candles (you would have to have multiples to equal the burning time if all other things were equal) burning as long as beeswax candles, they would be more comparable. Also, beeswax is fairly close to ready to go in it's natural state, whereas soy wax has to be processed out of the soybeans, which adds additional CO2 & CO to the air (as well as, I'm sure, a little soot).

DH was rather surprised that you were getting soot or smoking with beeswax candles - are you using the right size wicking? Beeswax wicks differently than other waxes, requiring a heavier wick.

[chunkydunk]

Actually going by what I researched the University of California (since the govt doesnt do it) tested several different types of candles. Paraffin was the nastiest. The cubic metewr output of burning a par. candle for 20 hrs. equals the same as idling a 18-wheeler for 4 hrs. Beeswax was one of the cleanest but for the same amount of burn time as the other types of candles produced more gases but that varied somewhat according to the amount of filtration the manufacturer used. The better filtered the cleaner the burn. Soy wax is from hydrogenated soy bean oil. Its from where hydrogen and nickel is introduced which causes the unsaturated fat in the oil to saturate. Which in turn causes the oil to harden.
But as the saying goes "each their own" Im not trying to be rude or critisize others candles this is just what Ive found out. Plus since we burn and my family burns our soy candles you can really tell a difference of pure soy and paraffin.I havent burnt a beeswax candle they are just too expensive too burn just too burn.
Plus you also have to really watch the soy candles some people produce . they will mix soy and paraffin just too say they are soy. youre still getting all the stuff from the paraffin but its much cheaper to produce them that way.I hope this helps.

[unregistered6474]

I make soy candles.

One of my favorite suppliers is Bitter Creek. They also have beeswax available. Their web site is www.candlesupply.com

The one big drawback to beeswax is that it tends to be expensive. If you are planning to make candles to sell, it may be difficult to get the higher prices that you would have to demand for a beeswax candles.

[james dilley]

I have A 4 hole mold And about 12# of wax left right now, I have made candles .I just had over A year and A half ago Stopped. Had bought A hobby kit that had the wax melter and wicks. The mold was Polycarbonite?? Still have A few dozen candles left.. Try A bee supply they sell wax!!!

I've made beeswax candles using "sheets"..don't care for them since they tend to unwrap..( or perhaps it's the way I made them) LOL..I love using a mold with beeswax..as someone else already said, you need to grease the mold..and "braid" the wick..

[ozarkcat]

Originally Posted by chunkydunk

Actually going by what I researched the University of California (since the govt doesnt do it) tested several different types of candles. <snip> Beeswax was one of the cleanest but for the same amount of burn time as the other types of candles produced more gases but that varied somewhat according to the amount of filtration the manufacturer used.

They've got to burning pretty crappy beeswax then, because DH has done burn tests too, which is why I know the 6:1 ratio of beeswax to paraffin burn time. If they're burning the sheet wax candles, they won't burn nearly as long because they're not solid composition.

[chunkydunk]

Did dh test the cchemicals from the burn? I dont doubt the burn time at all. But Id rather have a clean burning candle that burns just a little than putting a ton of gases and chemicals in the air just so I can burn it for days at a time.Im not knocking beeswax candles alot of people love them. Im just stating what Ive researched. Our govt doesnt test or really care about what is put in to candles or what comes out of them.And yes there are cleaner burning waxes to make candles with but im not spending 20$ a lb.
The main culprits in the exhaust of the candles is the wicks and the scent oils. I have not made certain scents just because the fragrance smoked.And I dont use very many essential oils either.I have one called allergy relief that has medicinal grade menthol,eucalyptus and camfor. Alot of essential oils when burning will produce alot of toxic gases.
Ive tried bitter creek. They have good products but charge to much for shipping for me.There is another company not 20 miles from bitter creek and I pay 1/3 of the amount that bitter creek charges. I just live to far away.

[artificer]

Originally Posted by chunkydunk

plus if a zinc cored wick is used it puts out lead vapor in the air. And I hope no one gets mad att me but beeswax puts out actully more soot and carbon di and monoxide than paraffin.plus other things according to how well the wax is filtered when melted after the honey extraction.

Why would a zinc core put out lead vapors? The core is... zinc. Are you saying that there is a trace amount of lead in the zinc? If there is, then it has to be an insignificant amount.

As for the question of soot from a beeswax candle... I put more soot in the air with one starting of the wood stove than dozens of candles can acount for.

Its been posted before, but a source of beeswax is Dadant. $4.86 for 1lb, or $4.56/lb min of 25 lbs. I just plugged in from Dadant to San Diego, and a 26lb package would be $28,or $1.12/lb shipping. ($5.68/lb for the 25lbs) Not bad, compared to the $7-$10 prices mentioned in some posts.

Michael

[chunkydunk]

zinc when burning produces lead. The heat changes the molecular makeup of the zinc.And yeah starting the stove does make alot of smoke but little soot.soot is the heavy chemicals in the smoke. just like the difference in burning gasoline and diesel. Diesel produces soot which is less polluting than gas exhaust.The next time you start a fire put a white cloth over the door for 1,5, and then 10 minutes. then light a candle(anykind) hold another piece of cloth ove that for 1,5,and 10 minutes then compare them.

[artificer]

Originally Posted by chunkydunk

zinc when burning produces lead. The heat changes the molecular makeup of the zinc.And yeah starting the stove does make alot of smoke but little soot.soot is the heavy chemicals in the smoke. just like the difference in burning gasoline and diesel. Diesel produces soot which is less polluting than gas exhaust.The next time you start a fire put a white cloth over the door for 1,5, and then 10 minutes. then light a candle(anykind) hold another piece of cloth ove that for 1,5,and 10 minutes then compare them.

From the Online Dictionary under soot:
A black, powdery substance that consists mainly of carbon and is formed through the incomplete combustion of wood, coal, diesel oil, or other materials.

So soot is smoke that ends up covering something. Mostly carbon, which is messy, but hardly dangerous.


zinc is an element (#30 on the periodic table) About only way to change its structure is to split the atom, which we can't do. Another way to change it is to fuse it in the center of a star, which can eventually change to lead #82.

[Chandler]

This website has a lot of information about metal cores in candle wicks. (Including MSDS for the type of zinc used in candle wicks)

In doing a quick Google search, it seems that lead and zinc ores are often found together so there may be traces of lead impurity in zinc. However, it appears that those impurities are kept to a bare and safe minimum if they are present at all.