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I have borrowed the instructions on the making hand dipped candles and included them on my site. There are little varitations and different styles as to how one makes their candles. It is a very rewarding experience and does become a personal attribute in the pursuit of knowledge. I personaly have enjoyed this process but have also found to enjoy the making of votive style candles. This is a great way to recycle leftover wax, small amounts and the like. Use caution when mixing leftover scents and such, do check to see what is compatible. The directions below for the handipped are really the same except you pour (carefully) the melted wax into the votive holders. I have found that baby food jars work extremly well for candles. They are excellent for taking camping or working out of doors (they make nice gifts too). You can purchase votive holders from many craft shoppes, look for sales. One good tip in this type of candle, is to use abit of foil to wieght the bottom of the wick, and adding just a little wax to the bottom of the jar to hold the wick firm (let it set for a minute), then add the remain wax. As to colours and scents please see the chart Be creative, dried flowers are a nice touch to add. Certain spells require other items to be added to candles, so making your own is a must. I have also included the directions for Sand Candles, this is a fun thing we did in the '60's and still do with my daughters. You can really create some great shapes. Enjoy.
Instructions for Hand-Dipped Candles
You need to obtain the following supplies:
Begin by melting the wax in a double broiler. If you don't have one, you can use a large pot filled half full of water and a large coffee tin with the wax in it, sitting inside the pot. Heat the water to boiling first and cut up your wax so it will melt quickly. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down and place the tin of wax inside of it. Keep the water hot enough to keep the wax melted but not so hot that the paraffin catches fire (which it has been known to do over high heat).
While the wax to melting, stir with a wooden spoon (never use metal) & make sure it all is completely melted.
Also, while the wax is melting, mix the herbs (if more than one) in a small bowl. After the wax is completely melted and been checked, break the crayons up and put them into the wax. Keep stirring until all of the crayons have melted and the color is even and smooth, with no streaks. Keep in mind that the candle will be a shade or so lighter when dry. The more crayons - the deeper and richer the color, so experiment.
Next, add the herbs to the wax. Empower with your energy and magickal intention while mixing the wax. Stir with the wooden spoon until it is thoroughly mixed. Next add 10-20 drops of essential oil (please, no synthetics when making candles for magickal or ritual use) to the wax until it smells strongly of the fragrance intended. Now your wax is ready.
Start with a long piece of wick - twice the size of your desired candle length plus 3 inches (you will be making 2 candles at once). Bend the wick in the middle and hold it by the bend. Dip the wick into the wax and then lift back out. Getting started is the hardest because the wick will float on top of the wax until it has enough wax on it to weigh it down. Allow it to get completely cold between dippings when you first start.
After your candle has started to take shape you can speed up the process a little. I keep a pan of cool water nearby and dip the candles in the water after each dipping in the wax. While this speeds up the process a little, candle making is a slow process but very well worth the time and energy you put into it.
Keep dipping the candles and allowing them to cool & then dip again. When you have achieved the proper size, hang them to dry until the wax has set but the candles aren't too hard. Then roll them on the wax paper to smooth out the shape. Once the candle shape is too your liking, dip 1 or 2 more times to make sure your candle is smooth. Trim off any excess wax to make a bottom with a sharp knife. Cut the wick and hang your candles to dry. You are done!
- From Lady Morgan Crystal Moonstone's Book Of Shadows
Some other things that I have found useful that are not mentioned above. 1) when buying wick find the zinc core type. It stands up very nice and won't fall over on you. 2) I buy the colours from the supply shoppes. They work better. 3) Use only essential oils. Faux scents are worthless and really hold no magickal properties. 4) Definetly empower your candles for certain rituals as you make them. 5) I now purchase the little metal wick holders for the bottoms. This will protect the votive glass from excessive heat.
- Please note that I make candles for specific rituals, if you have specif needs please contact me with your request.
