into centerpiece candles I picked up 20lbs of paraffin wax, a variety of different sized wicks, and a wax thermometer from Hobby Lobby. To start I cleaned all the pieces really well with soap and water, using a little goo gone where needed, and allowed them to completely dry. Using a hammer I then broke the slabs of paraffin wax into more managable sized pieces. I improvised a double boiler using a medium sized saucepan and a large pyrex bowl. The trick here is that when you add water to the saucepan you do not want it to touch the bottom of the bowl and you want the bowl to fit snuggly on the saucepan to prevent too much steam from escaping. I then started throwing chunks of wax in the bowl and waited for it to melt.
I attached the wicks to the bottom of the containers by dipping them into the melted wax and then quickly centered them on the bottom of the milk glass. This may take a few dips to accumulate enough wax to stick and don't worry if you misplace the wick, they come up pretty easily.
Finally I poured all the candles being sure to leave adequate amounts of wick available. For wicks that wouldn't stay straight I used some dowel rods from another project to help stabilize them until they were set. You could easily use pencils, food skewers, or any other relatively long and sturdy object you have around your house.
Lessons learned: -The wax thermometer is a joke don't waste your money. Mine broke after a few hours. -Some candles shrink up significantly after drying be prepared to pour candles multiple times. -Get a cheapo saucepan the you can throw away after the project as the wax splatters everywhere and I'm still having a hell of time getting it off my good saucepan. -Purchase some Goo Gone it really helped remove wax splatters from my floor, countertops, and stove. -Do this on a day when you can be at home for a while as it takes some time and can't be left unattended -Be VERY careful not to drip wax on your hot burners. Paraffin wax is flammable at higher temperatures and will catch on fire if it hits a scalding burner. (Not that I would know this from personal experience or anything... I swear).
Time: This project took the better part of the day but had a lot of down time while waiting for the wax to melt. Difficulty Level: Easy Cost: Milk Glass- 40 pieces for ~$40 Wax Thermometer- $7.00 Wicks (for 40 of varying sizes)- $9.00 Paraffin Wax (20lbs)- $30.00 Total Cost: $86.00 or $2.15 per candle
I've been doing something similar! I ordered soy candle wax from http://www.candlewic.com/ (cheapest I could find, even with shipping). One tip that worked really well for me. To keep the wics in place, use wooden chopsticks that havent been separated yet. Quick and easy (not to mention free to get :)
To turn this....
into centerpiece candles I picked up 20lbs of paraffin wax, a variety of different sized wicks, and a wax thermometer from Hobby Lobby. To start I cleaned all the pieces really well with soap and water, using a little goo gone where needed, and allowed them to completely dry. Using a hammer I then broke the slabs of paraffin wax into more managable sized pieces. I improvised a double boiler using a medium sized saucepan and a large pyrex bowl. The trick here is that when you add water to the saucepan you do not want it to touch the bottom of the bowl and you want the bowl to fit snuggly on the saucepan to prevent too much steam from escaping. I then started throwing chunks of wax in the bowl and waited for it to melt.
I attached the wicks to the bottom of the containers by dipping them into the melted wax and then quickly centered them on the bottom of the milk glass. This may take a few dips to accumulate enough wax to stick and don't worry if you misplace the wick, they come up pretty easily.
Finally I poured all the candles being sure to leave adequate amounts of wick available. For wicks that wouldn't stay straight I used some dowel rods from another project to help stabilize them until they were set. You could easily use pencils, food skewers, or any other relatively long and sturdy object you have around your house.
Lessons learned:
-The wax thermometer is a joke don't waste your money. Mine broke after a few hours.
-Some candles shrink up significantly after drying be prepared to pour candles multiple times.
-Get a cheapo saucepan the you can throw away after the project as the wax splatters everywhere and I'm still having a hell of time getting it off my good saucepan.
-Purchase some Goo Gone it really helped remove wax splatters from my floor, countertops, and stove.
-Do this on a day when you can be at home for a while as it takes some time and can't be left unattended
-Be VERY careful not to drip wax on your hot burners. Paraffin wax is flammable at higher temperatures and will catch on fire if it hits a scalding burner. (Not that I would know this from personal experience or anything... I swear).
Time: This project took the better part of the day but had a lot of down time while waiting for the wax to melt.
posted by Miss_Riley 2 years agoDifficulty Level: Easy
Cost:
Milk Glass- 40 pieces for ~$40
Wax Thermometer- $7.00
Wicks (for 40 of varying sizes)- $9.00
Paraffin Wax (20lbs)- $30.00
Total Cost: $86.00 or $2.15 per candle
Awesome job! Thanks for the detailed instructions and tips!
posted by herobinson 2 years agowhere did you get the milk glasses so cheap? thanks!
posted by melissao85 2 years ago@melissao85 I found the milkglass and two different second hand stores. They seemed to have an abundance and were letting it go for $1 a piece.
posted by Miss_Riley 2 years agoI've been doing something similar! I ordered soy candle wax from http://www.candlewic.com/ (cheapest I could find, even with shipping). One tip that worked really well for me. To keep the wics in place, use wooden chopsticks that havent been separated yet. Quick and easy (not to mention free to get :)
posted by duckduckamy 2 years ago