Pillar candles can be easily made, and are one of the more common candles available in stores. Many people have opted to make fragranced pillar candles to add to the ambience of their church or place of worship.
Making Fragranced Pillar Candles
Before you begin to make the fragranced pillar candles, you will have to collect all of the necessary items you will need to make your special, handmade candles. You will need wax (paraffin wax, soy wax or beeswax), a metal mold, a wick, a wick screw, a wick rod and mold sealer putty. You may also add dyes for more interesting fragranced pillar candles.
The first step in making your fragranced pillar candle is to melt the wax; most chandlers will recommend paraffin wax to beginners. Melt the preferred wax in a double boiler. While it is boiling, you can prepare the pillar mold with the wick on one end. For less difficulty in passing the wick in the wick hole, you can dip the end of the wick in melted wax to make a nice pointy end for threading through the wick hole.
After the wick has gone through the wick hole, you can tie the other end onto a wick rod or any ordinary wooden skewer (wood does not conduct much heat compared to metal rods). The wick must be firm from the bottom of the mold to the wick rod, not loose. You must tighten the wick screw at the bottom of the mold so that the wick will not move around while you are adding the hot wax. Do not over tighten the screw as this might damaged your mold or cut the wick. You can also ensure that the wax will not come out of the mold by putting mold sealer on the screw so that hot wax will not drip at the bottom of your fragranced pillar candles mold.
Check the melted wax to see if it has reached the right temperature and add the fragrance if it has. The ideal temperature for fragranced pillar candles is around 175 -185 degrees Fahrenheit. After mixing the fragrance thoroughly into the mixing pot, pour the melted wax carefully into the mold. Leave about ½ inch gap from the top of the mold. When the fragranced pillar candles have solidified a bit, poke some inch-deep holes near the wick for heat relief. After the fragranced pillar candles have cooled, refill the relief holes with more wax. Make the temperature higher this time for better cohesion. When the fragranced pillar candles have cooled once again, you can remove them from their molds and enjoy them.
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