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Beeswax candles have a fine traditional look to them and one that here in the United States is often associated with our Colonial period. Whether you want the texture of the honeycomb sheets or just the unique sweet scent of a beeswax candle when you light your room making your own beeswax candle is easy enough for the candle making hobbyist.
Beeswax can sometimes be found in stores but you might have to venture onto the internet to find it in quantities for your home candle making. You could also check with local beekeepers to see if they have wax available from their honey production. Generally speaking, beeswax can be found in natural and ivory, which has been filtered. Both will have the typical scents and characteristics associated with beeswax.
If you want to try your hand at making a candle the way the women of Colonial times would have done this, let's get some equipment pulled together and get started. First we'll need a tall metal container - like a coffee can - to melt our wax in. We'll use this as the top or our double boiler. Next we'll need a long uncoated wick and we'll need a clip in the middle. We'll use a clothespin so that we have something to hold onto. You can weight down the free ends of the wick with washers if you want to cut out some of the frustration from the initial dipping process.
Once the beeswax is melted carefully remove the coffee can from the heat and put it on a flat, heat-resistant surface. Hold your wick by the clip and dip it into the wax. Hold the wick in the wax until it stops bubbling. Now, pull it out of the wax and let the melted wax drip off. The rest of the dipping will just be in and out but you'll want to wait briefly between each dip.
Stir the wax as you go so that the heat stays consistent and if it gets too cool you can put it back on the heat. Don't let your candle cool too much but you can hang it up if you are making more than one candle at a time. If you need to straighten out your candle you can lightly roll it on a firm surface between dipping. Keep dipping until your candle is as thick as you want it to be then hang it by the clothespin and allow it to cool.
Once it's cooled cut the wick apart and you'll have two new candles made in an authentically Colonial tradition. Trim the wick to about ¼ inch before you burn the candle and then you're ready.
And for an even easier beeswax candle you can buy sheets of beeswax honeycomb. They come in lots of colors which makes for a fun project. You'll need a few items - the sheet of beeswax, a wick that is 2 inches longer than the sheet and a paring knife. Lay out the sheet of beeswax and center the wick along the bottom edge with at least ¾ of an inch hanging out on each end. Roll the beeswax over the wick and continue pressing down firmly so that the wax is tight around the wick. Now roll the beeswax gently and straight until you reach the other end of the sheet. Press the outside edge into the side of the candle. Pick which end you like best and make this the top. Trim the wick to ¼ inch. Cut the bottom wick flat to the base and now you have a beautiful rolled beeswax candle that looks like could grace the dining room of many a fine Colonial home.
Enjoy working with beeswax, either as melted wax or in honeycomb sheets, and tap into our country's Colonial traditions as you expand your home candle making experience.
Sara Patterson is a beeswax candle enthusiast. For more great tips on how to make beeswax candles, visit http://www.homecandlemakingtips.com.
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