Interested in learning how to make your own candles? The candle shape I chose to experiment with might surprise you. These flexible couplings can be found right in the plumbing aisle of a home improvement store, can be used repeatedly for your candle making projects, and are available in a variety of sizes (a 2" wide model I bought costs $4.33).
Hook a wick tab and wick string to the length of your candle. Make sure your wick is a few inches longer than necessary.
Prepare your double boiler system on your stove and start heating the wax flakes to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the wax is 180 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the stove and add fragrance oil (optional) and color (optional) and let the wax cool to about 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you add the fragrance oil while the wax is still on the heat, you risk the scent evaporating.
While the wax is cooling, prepare your forms. I experimented using a round recyclable plastic container and the rubber coupling mentioned above from the plumbing aisle. To prepare the rubber coupling, use a hot iron to fuse a piece of wax paper to the base of the coupling.
Let the wax paper and glue cool. The stamp should be obvious and the wax paper should be completely adhered to the rubber.
Pour the melted wax into the forms (temperature 125 degrees Fahrenheit). Pay special attention to leaks at the base of the forms as you pour them:if there are any leaks, know that The wax will continue to pour freely. . With no leaks through the wax/rubber connection, I considered this method a huge success!
Watch for the wax in the base of the candle to start to cool (you may see it get duller in this photo). Drop the wick tab and string into the candle and center it. Center the string as it emerges at the top of the candle, and hold it in place so it doesn't move as it cools (I used a spatula that wouldn't be tilted to roll).
Allow wax to dry overnight (24 hours recommended, but consider more or less depending on the diameter of your candle). Note that if you are using a rubber coupling, it is likely to insulate the heat and take longer to cool down than if you tried this method in a thin plastic container.
Both methods I tried easily detached from the forms. The candle slid out of the recycled plastic container like an ice cube from an ice cube tray, and the other try with the rubber coupling came loose easily like a pop once the wax paper on the base peeled off (and it will just peel off - so easy!).
For a pillar that uses a plastic container shape with no tapered edges, you can try using a container of cake icing.!
