How to Make Simple Jar Candles

 

I just posted this project on Shabby Chic Cottage for their Transformation Thursday Linky Party...Read about it here on May 13th's post...

Have you ever wanted to make a candle? I certainly have! I decided to learn candle making because I just couldn't bear to pay the ridiculous prices at the stores!! My husband likes pine ones in his office because he works from home all day. I wanted candles for the bathroom--a must!!  And the kids each wanted their own specially colored and scented one. Hence the black and red striped one on the left. My daughter loves cookies scents and has a western themed room..so she wanted a earth-toned layered on.

It was a bit of an investment..but I knew it would pay off for the rest of our life for candle making needs, so it was worth it!

Even though I have given you this tutorial with a list of store bought supplies, that doesn't mean you need to get everything new!  I started out with new because I was learning. By the end of my candle making day, though, I was melting every old candle in the house that I could find to remake into candles for my craft sale. I even recycled wicks and tabs for the last batch I made. I also used a bunch of tabs from a cheap bag of tealights I didn't need. (Melted the wax down too!)

Before I was done I had made 48 candles using a whole box of old candles my mom had collected from area thrift stores plus the ones in the laundry room. I also bought a whole box of jars from a local thrift store for .25c a piece and friends from church donated jelly jars for my project which was so neat!  I used them for Christmas gifts and sold them for money to buy gifts.

Making simple jar candles is a lot of fun!  Candle making can be a very involved process, but we don't have to learn all the ins and outs...we just want to make candles for our home, to use in our bathrooms, or to brighten our kitchens.  This isn't the cheapest craft in the world either, but it is a lot of fun and there are ways to cut corners.

Important Note: There are whole books on the subject of candlemaking and so many kinds to make!!!  They each need the proper wax, additives, containers or lack of, and temperatures for heating and for adding stuff and for pouring. You can't make molded candles this way.  These instructions are ONLY for "Container Candles".  Please follow them exactly.

Getting Started: I know this isn't the simplest thing in the world to get started in, but it's not that hard. Candlemaking is so much fun and makes such nice gifts!  Once you buy the stuff to begin, you can save it all in a box and make candles anytime you like! Consider it an investment in a lifetime supply of candles.  It's great fun for the kids!  You'll need some of this stuff for my sand making project coming up soon too!

We will need some supplies:

First you need a candy thermometer!  Don't even bother with this project unless you buy one of those first.!!

• Containers: jars, coffee cups, thrift store votives etc. (not too thin)
  
• Wax - paraffin by the pound at Wal-mart or by the 10lb block at Hobby-Lobby (use a coupon!), or old candles that don't have a thick outer coating
• Vybar (this is not cheap...again, use a coupon at Hobby-lobby) $5.99--goes a long ways! (for strength and clear color)
  
• Coloring - I use crayons, but they will leave a little powdery residue at the base of the wick which you can see through the melted wax when it burns, but I don't mind about that. Whatever you use  MUST BE MADE for candles! Don't use food coloring or other water or alcohol based additives. If you spend a little bit more, you can buy coloring just for the purpose of candle making. 

 Note:  I also use thrift store candles which have a colored outside layer.  That is enough to color the candles I make from them.  If you use thrift store candles for the wax, be sure to crack off that outside layer, because it will color your wax and possibly scent it too. 

• Scent - I bought a $10.00 bottle at Hobby-Lobby of Apple spice for 40% off and last year I bought Sugar Cookie.  (large bottle) You can buy little bottles too but they don't last long.  (I haven't tried essential oils yet.)  The must be oil based! Don't use alcohol based or candy scents!
  
• wicks - come in several sizes depending on how big a circle of wax you want to burn.  I buy the 2-3" diameter burning wicks. They seem to work well with most jars. ($1.99 per package)
  
• metal tabs from Hobby-Lobby ($1.99 per package)  (You can use metal tabs from tea lights too) 
  

Equipment:
sauce pan, wooden spoon, candy thermometer,large knife and cutting board, paring knife, toothpick or ice pick, wax paper, sticks (like skewers or chopsticks), glass measuring cup, pliers

Here's how you do it...

1.Prepare to work:  Lay out wax paper and set open jars on paper on counter, and set wicks, tabs, pliers, toothpick or ice pick nearby. Set pan, spoon, measuring cup, scent, Vybar and candy thermometer by stove.  Set wax, knives, crayolas, and cuttingboard on other side of stove but near by.

2. Melt the Wax: Chop up chunks of wax into about 1-2" pieces and put several in a pan on the stove on LOW HEAT! VERY LOW.

Let it start to melt slowly.  When you have an inch of melted wax, add more wax and turn to medium if you want to melt the wax faster, but stay close by and watch the temperature at all times.

NEVER LET TEMPERATURE GET ABOVE 250--WAX IS FLAMMABLE!!!!  Did I say that loud enough?!(I just leave it on low while I do the rest of the preparation.)

3. Prepare tabs.  (You can pull these out of tea lights if you want.)  Cut the wick the height of the candle plus one more inch.  Push it through the hole in the metal tab with a toothpick or ice pick if you use tea light tabs. They are smaller than the wick size we normally use.

Crimp it down tight with the pliers.

Dip the wick in a little melted wax and hold it straight while it cools so it will stay straight and stiff in the jar.







Hang the waxed strings with the tabs dangling over a skewer into the jar. You want the tab to be in the center of the jar.

Set all the jars with their tabs on the waxed paper to protect the counter.

4.CHECK FOR PROPER TEMPERATURE!
You must have a candy thermometer for this project!  Temperature is so so important!  It has to be just right.  To make jar candles, we want to heat our wax to between 170 and 180 degrees but never as high as 250!  If you get it a little too hot, just take it off the heat source and let it cool to this range.  This is the proper pouring range for "container candles".    

5. Stir in additives: Vybar, Coloring, and Fragrance.  While you are waiting for the wax to get hot enough, peel the crayon that is the color you want. Cut in up in little pieces.  When the temperature is above 170 but below 180, add about 1 teaspoon of Vybar per pound, 1/2-1oz of fragrance per pound or 1 tsp. of potpourri oil and 1 stick of crayon per pound. Note: If you put the fragrance in while the wax is too hot, it can burn off the scent...so be sure to wait until the proper temperature.


6. If you want a layer candle,  pick three shades of one color or three separate colors.  I like to do the three shades.  I use the lightest shade first, pour out a third of the wax into the jars. While the first layer is cooling, I add a darker shade (about 1/3 of a crayon), pour that on top, then stir in the darkest crayon (about 1/2 a crayon) and pour it last.

7.  POUR the 1st Inch of wax to set the wick:  Pour about one inch of wax to set the wick at the bottom. While it is cooling, I use a skewer or ice pick and push the metal tab down firmly on the bottom of the jar and make sure the wick is hanging straight.  You will want to regularly check and straighten your wick as it is cooling anyway. It is important that the wick be as perfectly centered as possible or when you go to light your candle, the circle of burning wax will be off center and look funny.

8. Pour the rest of the wax in all at once. (Make sure it is still hot, or re-heat to the 170-180 range.) If your wax is too cool it will trap bubbles and will also get dull little cracks and lines between the jar and the candle.  I had this happen to some of my layers and used a blow dryer to reheat the side of the glass, though boiling water might work too. It worked pretty well but not perfectly.  This happens when the wax cools too quickly.

9. Reserve about a cup of colored, scented wax  in a glass measuring cup to fill the sunken place in the middle. When the candles cool completely, they sink in the middle a bit.  They say to poke a hole near the wick so that the top layer stays 'up' while the middle sinks.

I think I'm starting to figure out that that works, but most of mine just sank and I re-filled them later.   You will have to re-heat the wax which I do either in a pan of boiling water or the microwave (very carefully!)

10. Wait 24 hours for the candle to harden completely before burning. Trim the wick.  And your done!!!

Recommended Reading:   The Candle Maker and   How to Make Wax Candles. 

These are the websites I studied before making candles.  Print my instructions and keep nearby to refer to for the first few times.  It will help!