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Candlemaking Instructions & Tips
How To Make A Chunk Candle
© Deb -Country Creations You will need:
Put your wick pin in your mold, be
sure to put plumbers putty or other sealant around where the pin meets
the base before you insert it into the bottom of the mold so it doesnt
leak. (I put my wick pins on the outside.)
Fill mold with chunks. The bottom open part of your mold is going to be the top of your candle, so I put extra chunks on top so they stick up out of the overpour wax. Heat your overpour wax to 190-200 Weigh out wax into pour pot, color if desired, then add scent. Stir at least 2 minutes. I double scent my overpour and my chunks are unscented. Pour wax over chunks, filling mold completely. If you want a shiney, clear finish use a heat gun to slowly heat the sides of your mold, working from the bottom up and side to side, tap you mold gently with a spoon to get rid of air bubbles. Melt back the wax about 1/32 of an inch, overheating will cause your chunks to bleed. If you want a rougher, rustic finish then dont do the step above. For a shiney finish candle place in the refrigerator as soon as you can pick it up without burning yourself. I have glass shelves in my fridge, so I put down a doubled paper towel to insulate against the heat of the mold.. Most of all, have fun!!
I will tell you that I use the future floor
wax to get an ultra super gloss and I'll tell you step by step how I do
it. I've tried several others and have not had any luck. I can't tell
you if Johnson's was one of them. All I ever use is Future. You will
need: lots of old newspaper or line a pan with foil, a couple of used
cans, I use tomato paste cans because they're not quite as wide, several
make-up swabs (I think that's what they're called, they're square and I
get them at K-Mart in the make-up section, we won't even talk about the
looks I get. lol) I found these do better than cotton swabs.
Step 1) Fold one square make-up swab in half and then in half again. Pour a liberal amount of future wax onto it and then quickly buff your candle with it going up and down the candle, not sideways. Hold the candle by the wick. Then set the candle on top of the used tin can to dry. Don't try to put two coats on the candle or you will mess it up. It gets tacky fast. Let this dry completely. Step 2) Repeat step one using a new make-up swab. Step 3) Repeat step one using a new make-up swab. Now, you should have a fairly shiny candle. But it can get a super high gloss on it by dipping the candle into the floor wax now! I use a plastic jug I got at the dollar store for this next step. I pour my future floor wax in this jug and keep it in there. Step 4) Using either your fingers or a pair of pliers hold the candle by the wick and dip it into the jug and hold it down a second then lift it up and let as much of the wax drip off of the candle and back down into the jug. It's a good idea to leave some extra wicking on your candle so you can use a pair of pliers and then cut off the damaged part of the wick. After it stops dripping set the candle back on the tin can to finish dripping and to dry. Be sure to use lots of newspaper underneath it or a pan lined with paper or foil. Let the candle dry completely. Step 5) Repeat step 4. It will now take about 24 hours for this gloss to dry completely so be patient and don't touch it or you will mess up your work! Step 6) You will notice that the bottom of the candle now has alot of wax bubbles built up on it from where the wax dripped down and stopped. Once the candle dries put a pan on the stovetop lined with foil and hold the candle by the wick and slide the candle over the hot surface. I have a paper towel folded several times for absorbency and quickly wipe the bottom of the candle as soon as it melts the wax. Take care not to miss the bottom of the candle or accidentally touch another part of the candle with the paper towel. Now you have a high gloss candle. You may ask yourself, can't I skip the first couple of steps and get right to dipping the candle? The answer is no, the wax will simply bead up on you and it won't work. For some reason you have to coat it a few times before it will work properly. If done properly, you will have a really high gloss and clear candle. You may want to practice once or twice on an old candle. Mike Kloesel |
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