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TRY CANDLE MAKING AT HOME
by Elma Waltner
"You can buy regular candle making wax from many oil companies or hobby shops. It comes in large cakes about 12" by 18" by 1 1/2" thick and one cake will give you enough wax for quite a few candles. Shave the wax into a can that has been bent into a pouring lip at one end. Set the can into a pan of hot water on the stove. Never set the can of wax dirctly onto the burner for wax is highly flammable if it becomes over heated. After the wax has melted, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until a "skin" forms over the surface. It is now ready for pouring into the mold. Molds may be anything from tumblers to jello molds to paper milk cartons. The only thing to watch out for in selecting a mold is to be sure that there are no undercut portions and that the top is at least as large as the bottom or slightly larger. Pour the wax into the mold and allow it to harden. When it stiffens but is not yet completely hard, insert the wick. If you use a shallow jello mold or other mold of similar height, the simplest way to put the wick in place is to push a birthday cake candle down into the center of the still soft wax. If taller molds are used, prepare wicking in the following manner: Cut a piece of wicking about an inch longer than the mold is tall. Dip the wicking into melted wax and lay it out straight on a cookie sheet. Slip the cookie sheet into the refrigerator so that the wax coated wick will harden. Push the hardened wick into the soft wax in the mold as you did with the small candle. After the wax is hardened in the mold, slip the candle out of the mold. If it seems to stick, put the candle in the mold into the refrigerator and allow it to become throughly chilled. It will then slip out of the mold easily. If you want colored candles, drop a piece of colored crayon into the wax as it melts. The larger the piece, the deeper the shade the candle will be. The candles may be scented by adding oils or essences to the melted wax. Oil of rose geranium is pleasant; so is oil of cedar or anything else you prefer. As the candles burn they will give off a delicate fragrance. These oils can be purchased in the drug store. After you have cast some plain candles, you may want to try your hand at making frosted ones. To make these, cast a candle in any shape you like and allow it to harden. After it is removed from the mold, prepare the "frosting". Melt some wax in the can and remove from the heat and allow to cool until the skin forms. Then with a rotary egg beater, beat the soft wax into a frothy mass which much resembles beaten egg white. Use a table knife to dab the frosting onto the cande. Colored candles are most attractive when covered with white frosting, allowing the colored wax to show through in places. As these candles burn they will glow a soft color through the frosting. Colored frosting can also be made by beating colored wax. As the colored wax is beaten it becomes much lighter making a delicate pastel frosting."
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