Basic Methods
There are seven basic methods of making candles, whether by hand or commercially. Familiarize yourself with these terms and you'll be on the way to fluent “candlespeak.”
Rolled — An excellent method for the home candlemaker, this consists of merely rolling a sheet of wax around a wick. It's a good method for novelty candles as well as ordinary shapes such as tapers and pillars. The beauty of this way of making candles is that you don't have to melt the wax.
Poured — This is a method favored by home candlemakers, and is, along with dipping, the easiest one to use in a small space such as your kitchen. This very old-fashioned method consists of pouring the melted wax in layers over the wick until the size you wish is reached.
Cast and Molded — This type of candle is made by pouring the liquefied wax into a mold or shape. Candle molds can be purchased, improvised from what's on hand (empty cans, muffin tins, etc.), or created (such as a roll of corrugated cardboard taped together into a cylinder or other shape).
Milk cartons of all sizes make great molds. So do sea shells and sand. A garage sale is a great source for things that can be used as molds — anything made of metal or hard plastic (the kind that doesn't melt). Rubber and latex are good materials for making your own molds.
Dipped — Candles that are dipped are made by simply dipping the wick over and over again into the pot of liquid wax, letting it drip-dry between layers. You can dip candles to any thickness you prefer. The term “taper” comes from dipped candles, for they naturally form a tapered shape while being dipped and dripped. A simple rack for drying dipped candles can be made by fixing a small dowel or other round stick on two holders. Dipping frames can also be purchased.
Drawn — This method is very old but still in use today. To make drawn candles, you literally draw a very long wick through the liquid wax. This is a good way to make small diameter candles such as birthday candles. It is also used to make “wax matches,” or long waxed wicks that are used for lighting multiple candles.
Pressed — Not for the home candlemaker, this is a commercial method of recent development. The hot wax is atomized onto a cooling drum, during which process it forms small beads that are compressed (pressed) into molds. The “pressing” binds together the small beads into a candle form. From a commercial standpoint, the advantage is that pressing is quicker — because the wax is already cool, the candles can be removed from their molds without the waiting time needed for ordinary hot-wax poured candles.
Extruded — Generally used by commercial candlemakers, this method requires a machine that pushes the wax out through a template, or different templates, rather like a cookie “gun” presses out dough. Once the wax is extruded, the long candle can be cut to any size desired, short or tall. Extruded candles require strict control of the wax's heating and cooling so that the wax retains the proper shape as it is extruded through the die, or template.
If you're handy with woodworking, you can easily make your own dipping frame by boring or cutting a small circular hole in each of two upright boards, supported by a horizontal board, with the dowel or bar inserted in the holes. You can make it as tall or as short as you want.
In earlier times, special lamps existed to hold a wound length of drawn candle, which as it burned down unwound itself. This simple, easy method let the candlemaker produce a long-burning candle with a minimum expense of wax, as the wick did not need to be thickly coated.
In this section, the delights of handmade rolled and poured candles are explored.
