Candle Suppliers

[tberni]

I think that I would like to have a go at candle making, just for fun. Can anyone recommend the best type of mould to use (plastic, glass etc) and who would be a good supplier in terms of cost. I have recently looked at a leading beekeeping supplier but the moulds look very very expensive to me.

I only want to make some bog standard church type candles.

Thanks
Tim

 

[oliver90owner]

I needed an inch and a quarter candle for a lacemaking lamp, so I made a wood mould.

Two halves fixed together and drilled/augured straight down the centre and cleaned up. Worked pretty well for what I wanted, but not a masterpiece by any means.

The next one might be a piece of turned dowel embedded in a suitable modulus silicone and sliced along one side to remove the 'mould' when cured.

Really depends on what finish you will be needing and speed of manufacture.

Regards, RAB

 

[Silly Bee]

Try those latex rubber ones from craft shops, the ones that they supply for kids to make plater of paris models.

 

[tberni]

Thanks, will try craft shops. I did want them to be good because I was going to use them as presents.

 

[Queens59]

Hobbycraft were good - I might even still have a few in the attic...I'll look...

 

[Hombre]

You could always go for a novelty mould. Involving a good release agent, viagra, silicon kitchen surface sealant and a lot of patience/bravery. LoL

Sort of the personal touch. Just get the wick right when you make the candles, you want them to last a reasonable length of time after all . . .

 

[broandy]

You could always go for a novelty mould. Involving a good release agent, viagra, silicon kitchen surface sealant and a lot of patience/bravery. LoL

Sort of the personal touch. Just get the wick right when you make the candles, you want them to last a reasonable length of time after all . . .

Viagra
reasonable length of time after use

loooooooooooooooooooool omg loooooooooooooooool

 

[Hombre]

Obviously I'm not that interested, as I don't have enough wax to spare.

But returning to the serious side, I guess that the technique might be good for copying other objects that might have a suitable shape to make into candles, even another candle.

 

[hedgerow pete]

if you are wanting to mould standard straight plan candles go for the plastic or stainless steel or glass moulds as they are the very best you can buy the problem with the silicon or latex mould is they will over time split or degrade so you cant use them.

but saying that the more complex the shape the better it is to use a rubber/silicon mould they just have a shorter life span

if you are going to make a few dozen each year i would get the cheep silicon moulds but if you want the simpler shapes/designs and you can see some use being made buy the plastic version

 

[tberni]

Many thanks for that Pete, I will go with the plastic ones. Is there a particular supplier you woulds recommend or should I just visit some crafty type shops.

Thanks
Tim

 

[wilderness]

4 candles !!

I've saved the metal outsides from tea lights and refilled them with beeswax.

I get my supplies from http://www.4candles.co.uk/

 

[Hombre]

or buy tea lights from the local pound shop and use the -paraffin wax for something else.

 

[tberni]

Thanks for the 4candles link, looks just what Im after.

 

[Silly Bee]

Have you got any O's.

 

[melon]

We have had quite good fun making candles this year. I purchased one latex mould, which does a very professional job. However, you can use lots of different plastic containers. One of our favourites is the cone shaped ice cream screwball container. We save lots of these, drill a little hole for the wick and put in a glass to hold up right. Then at least you can make quite a few, while the wax is hot.
The problem is getting the right size of wick. we had one vessel, which was quite wide, a good quality glace cherry pot, which I put 4 wicks in. This was far too many and it burnt down in a few hours, leaving a big puddle of wax, which I will recycle.
Another little tip, if you want to colour the candles, you can add a little bit of children's wax crayon of the desired colour.

 

[wilderness]

Thanks for the 4candles link, looks just what Im after.

I use their NT26 with sustainers for the tea lights. They burn for hours with beeswax.

"G&S NT TLight Wick Assemblies Bees Wax or Natural Coating"

I'm going to have a go dipping my own wick (oo er missis!!) and fastening into sustainers.

BTW have you looked at the theory of how candles burn? Tunneling, puddling ...

Opens up another avenue of interesting facts to bore your mates down the pub

 

[tberni]

Thanks, I particularly liked the idea of the childrens croyon for colouring. Many thanks