Candlemaking advice - dipping

[steve_e]

Hi -
Totally inexperienced in candlemaking and I was hoping someone could advise. I thought I'd try dipping candles (see photo). All seems to have worked pretty well, but I'm just wondering how it works with the wick and whether I should leave them this shape or if I should do something else to make them more even?

Wicks are different for different diameter candles - this wick is suitable for 3/4" candles. but as they are strongly tapered this will only be for around an inch around 2/3 of the way down.

Should I be turning them over and dipping them from the other end to make them more cylindrical? Or do you use different types of wick for dipped candles? I probably should have thought about this more before starting, but it just seemed like a good spontaneous idea on a cold and rainy weekend!

 

[Bob Bee]

Dipped candles are inevitably tapered tha'ts part of there attraction and dipping to exactly the same depth every time will avoid some of the extreme tapering av the top.
youre wick size should correspond to the thickness towards the bottom to avoid the flame going out when the wax cant drain away and will cause a pleasant running of wax which is a classic look, at the beginning of the candle. We used to melt the bottom flat on a hot pan bottom to make them look better and fit holders more efficiently. Temperature is the key to good dipping candles, but I cant remember exactly what temp we used to regulate at, keep temperature constant rather than letting it cool throughout the process.
To get a regular shaped "church" candle you'd need to use a mould (old drain pipe etc).

 

[steve_e]

Thank you Bob.

 

[For want of a better word]

My mother said to kiss the girls else me lips would go all mouldy.....
.... Haul awaay , haul awaay, haul awaay for Rosie OH!

Bob you meant mold ?

pedantik me ? nah!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Bob you meant mold ?

Not if he's British

http://oxforddictionaries.com/search?q=mould

 

[victor meldrew]

Not if he's British

http://oxforddictionaries.com/search?q=mould

VM

 

[Bob Bee]

(To a musical accompaniment of " Santiago" ), I realise my spelling and grammar are pretty poor when typing and I leave all manner of things un corrected, but it's nice to supported when I do get something right ...........

 

[Poly Hive]

Ya canna trust the spell checker either, I have the "English" one installed in Firefox but, but it still wants favor not favour and so on.

Ooooops I see now why it is still ticked to use the Yankee version... and now it will accept the u... favour is now acceptable. Bliss....

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

hanaf..... an olde Kernow word

SPELL CHECKKER.......don'tn do dialects mefinks !!!

of offence meaned I assures you !!

 

[For want of a better word]

(To a musical accompaniment of " Santiago" ), I realise my spelling and grammar are pretty poor when typing and I leave all manner of things un corrected, but it's nice to supported when I do get something right ...........

​

 

[victor meldrew]

Ya canna trust the spell checker either, I have the "English" one installed in Firefox but, but it still wants favor not favour and so on.

Ooooops I see now why it is still ticked to use the Yankee version... and now it will accept the u... favour is now acceptable. Bliss....

PH

And what about all the intrusive zzzz 's ?
VM

 

[For want of a better word]

And what about all the intrusive zzzz 's ?

as in vaporizer not vaporiser ?

Back to candles.. C WYNN JOHNES has a wick to candle size chart somewhere... or is that wiks to candels sizses?

nice image of candles !

 

[steve_e]

I can't find that on this website icanhopit. Do you have a link you could give me?

Also - does anyone know if you can buy the little tin holders for tea lights? I'd quite like to make some beeswax tea lights as well.

 

[BBG]

Steve_e

We love the candles.

Don't flatten the bottoms - candle holders are round bottomed (in the old days)

-

Ref OED English spelling and grammar - there aren't many of us left so:

Boo to mold and advisor and other a-murkin bastardisation.

 

[For want of a better word]

steve-e
email them and CWJ will send you a copy !

 

[Bob Bee]

Steve_e

We love the candles.

Don't flatten the bottoms - candle holders are round bottomed (in the old days)

-

Ref OED English spelling and grammar - there aren't many of us left so:

Boo to mold and advisor and other a-murkin bastardisation.

They are great looking candles and the best way to learn about wicks and widths is to burn them yourself and make a few notes. I've had commercially produced candles with entirely wrong wick sizing. Many charts will only refer to paraffin wax and sterene candles, which will of course burn differently to your pure beeswax.

 

[steve_e]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I'll do some more experimenting!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Also - does anyone know if you can buy the little tin holders for tea lights? I'd quite like to make some beeswax tea lights as well.

Big T do a "night light mould" - don't know if that will do?

 

[jakethedog]

Also - does anyone know if you can buy the little tin holders for tea lights? I'd quite like to make some beeswax tea lights as well.

Hi, a quick google search should find a good supplier, both the foil and polycarb types are easily available as are the wick sustainers to go with them.

If selling on, for indoor use, don't forget to check out the labelling issue -which received so little interest on the forum a couple of months ago! Suitable labels are also easily available from candle making supply companies.

 

[steve_e]

Thanks Monsieur Abeille - I'll take a look.

Thanks Jake, I think I just don't know what terminology to google under, but I can't seem to find the little cheap tin holders, just ornate permanent things (into which you put the cheap tin holders!). I'll keep looking around but thought someone might know a particular supplier.