From: q3vh@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (KILFOIL  M)
Subject: Re: candles again
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 02:38:23 GMT

hck1@cornell.edu (Lisa C Krakowka) writes:
> This candle stuff is interesting.  What kind of wax do I need to try
> it?  Is there a FAQ maybe?  Wouldn't the milk carton make HUGE
> candles?  Does anyone have a "receipe" they'd be willing to share?


Well, I don't really know what you mean by a recepie, but when I make
candles, I do it like this:

Dump my wax (usually old candle wax & parrafin) in a tin can - an old
soup can is great.  I sit it on a stove burner on mimimum heat
(UNSAFE, I know, but I do it anyway.  You should use a double boiler).
I add water to bring out the impurities.  Then I take it off the heat,
let it cool, and dump ou the water.  You'll find that some of the
impurities may still be on the bottom of the wax, but you can scrape
these off easily.

I do this a few times to be sure it's pure, then I melt the wax down
again.  I tie a piece of wick to a popcicle stick, and put the stick
across the top of my mold - 35mm film containers are good for small
candles, or you could use old plastic kitchen glasses (but never a
thin plastic or styrofoam - they'll fold under the heat).  I slowly
pour the wax into the mold, let it sit for a few hours, and then pop
the candle out.

I've got bricks of different coloured wax from old candles, so making
a coloured candle for a special occasion is not a problem, just a
matter of mixing and matching to suit my needs.

Anita Keetch, not M. Kilfoil  :)