COLUMN CANDLES BURN FOR HOURS

Column candles burn for hours on end, making them a great investment of both your time and supplies to make them. On average, column candles burn for 35 hours. Column candles do not produce smoke or dripping, making them very popular. Some people experience frustration looking for holders to put their column candles in. They will fit all standard tea light holders and spiked base holders.

BASIC ITEMS NEEDED

You will need some basic items to start making column candles, including wax, molds, wick, color and fragrance. The fragrance is optional but definitely adds appeal to your column candles. To melt the wax properly, you will need a double boiler. You will want to make sure you use high quality paraffin wax to make your column candles. Bees wax looks beautiful, but does not hold up well with the structure of the column candle. Too much heat will cause a column candle made of bees wax to ooze all over, creating a mess as well as a candle that isn’t too pretty to look at.

MOLD PREPARATION

To ensure the design of your column candles is perfect, coat the inside of the molds with a special spray for them. You can also get the same results using a non-stick cooking spray. After you have melted the wax, dip the wick in it. You will want the wick to be several inches longer than the top of your mold. Insert the wick from the bottom of the mold. Hold it securely in the middle of the mold by tying the top of the wick to a pencil that lies across the top of the mold.

ADD COLOR AND FRAGRANCE

This is the point in the process where you will want to add any color or fragrance to the melted wax. As soon as you have mixed it together, pour the hot wax into the molds. If you allow the wax to start cooling before you pour it, the candles will have lumps in them. You can remove your finished candles from the molds as soon as they have completely cooled. Snip the excess wick to about ¼ inch of the top of the candle.

ADD YOUR OWN CREATIVE TOUCH

If you want to be more creative, you can add leaves or pressed flowers to the candles using a thin layer of decoupage medium onto the back of the object. Immediately press it onto the candle, holding it in place for a few seconds. To make ice crystal column candles, put crushed ice in the mold before adding the hot wax. For additional ideas, consider looking in a book. You will find some really neat column candle crafting ideas that are quite simple to imitate.

LOVELY AS  CENTERPIECES  AND  GIFTS

Column candles are very unique in their look and appeal. You can make them without any difficulty. These candles make lovely centerpieces as well as personalized gifts. All the supplies needed to make column candles are readily available.