How to make gel or soy candles

Although some candles require specific items, most candle making supplies are common to all types of candles, whether you need to know how to make gel candles, soy candles or beeswax candles.
There are three basic techniques - rolled candles, dipped candles and molded candles.
Rolled candles are made from sheets of beeswax, softened slightly and then rolled up to form tapered or straight-sided candles.
Dipped candles need a minimum of equipment, but rather more time. Essentially, you dip a wick repeatedly into a container of hot wax, gradually building up a taper or pillar candle of the dimensions you require.
Molded candles include those that are removed from the mold once cool, and those that are left in their containers - jar, gel and votive candles.

For molded or container candles, you:

• Measure out the required amount of wax 
• Break it up into manageable lumps 
• Heat it to the required temperature, checking via the thermometer. Don't let wax go over 200F; many candle makers stick to 160F. 
• Note: Always heat wax in a double boiler. Never allow the wax container to come into contact with a direct hot plate or flame, in order to make sure that you do not exceed the flash point of the wax. 
• Mix in the dye (make sure it is a genuine dye and not just a pigment) 
• Mix in the scent if you're going to use it. 
• Pour the heated wax into the container or mold, with the wick in place. 
• Allow to cool. 
• As the wax cools it will shrink a little. Reheat the leftover wax and fill the small depression at the top of the candle. 
• Allow to cool completely and then unmold if necessary. 
• Enjoy!

As you can imagine, there is a little more to it than this. You need to know how to unmold recalcitrant candles (10 minutes in the fridge often does the trick), how to get rid of bubbles, how to position wicks in containers, how to make sure you don't get a join line when you top up molded candles, how to polish candles, what additives to use, and so on.

But there's nothing too complicated about making candles at home. There are lots of "How-to" books available (here's one on making gell candles) and lots of sites with useful information.

The distributors of candle making supplies are particularly helpful; you'll find a number of links to useful sites on this page and on the Links page.

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