While still glowing from my recent candle making session, I decided to jump from simple container candles to using moulds. I read the lengthy instructions, gathered all the ingredients and got stuck in.
On went the wax to melt, complete with a thermometer to ensure the melting wax never reached 90 degrees, the ignition point.
While the wax was gently melting, I set the wicks in the moulds and secured the holes underneath with putty.
I then selected my essential oils and coloured fragranced wax.
It was beautifully relaxing, mellow music was playing in the background, a steaming cup of tea was to hand, while the three dogs snored lightly and occasionally twitched in their sleep. I wondered why I had waited so long to take up this wonderful hobby.
When the first batch of wax had melted I poured it into the circular mould, put more wax on to melt and then went back to the moulds with the second batch of melted wax. I’d only turned my back for a few seconds, so was somewhat surprised to see the circular mould leaking wax from underneath at a tremendous pace. Even though I had newspapers protecting the surfaces a large pool of wax began dripping off the breakfast bar, down the units and into the full dirty laundry basket, and onto the floor.
Examining the now empty circular mould, revealed that the putty securing the hole beneath had become soggy and fallen off.
A much larger piece of putty was applied to all the moulds and a second attempt was made. This time the wax flowed out of middle of the circular joint and joined the first batch on the dirty laundry, the units and the floor.
To cut a long, sorry, story short, all the moulds initially spewed forth molten wax, and by the time I finally resolved the putty issue, all the wicks came loose, so I was frantically pouring the melted wax back into the melting pots.
I totally lost track of time and space and what fragrance was in what wax so the candles will be a jumble of clashing scents.
The coloured, fragrant wax never got used in the panic and the thermometer only got checked once, given it was difficult to read it as it was so steamed up, as were the kitchen windows and me at this point, but when I did it was over 100 degrees which accounts for the minor fire, which I dealt with, somehow.
I was beginning to lose the plot completely at this point. Yet, it actually got worse.
Wax was now everywhere, especially on me, and a few fingers were rather burnt, BUT, the moulds were finally filled. I mean, come on, you have to have something to show for a nightmare like this, and you can’t pour wax down the sink, and I was afraid it might ignite the bin if I tossed it in there, so the only option to dump the wax was in those god forsaken moulds!
Talk about carnage. I can’t even begin to describe the mess, I’ll be clearing wax for a year, and how I’ll get it off the clothes is another story.
And yet, I’ve learnt from my mistakes, having now read the instructions more intently, I’ll be fine next time, if my life depended on it. i.e. if the lights go out forever in any future Armageddon.
The results.
Of. Those. Horrendous. Moulds.
The only thing that was easy was getting the blighters out, at least I read the bit about oiling the moulds.
And Finally…
Not only did these fingers get burnt, I also managed to slash them both when picking up my broken cup, which nose dived from the breakfast bar, on a flowing stream of molten wax.
Sorry the pic is blurry, I used about fifty plasters to stop the bleeding and it’s difficult taking a picture with your left hand.
I wish I had photos of the carnage, confusion and chaos, but I was too busy running around like a headless chicken, herding dogs out of the danger zone, putting out fires, trying to stop the flow of molten wax and cursing to even think of taking any.
Until next time, stay safe guys.
Thanks Jade. Hot wax sure hurts! I can laugh too now! Never again, simple containers it is!xxx
Oh, this just made me laugh! I’ve made candles when I was a kid but not as complicated as this one. I remember hurting my fingers too then but not as bad as yours!
Oh dear, you shouldn’t laugh at other’s misfortunes but I haven’t laughed so much for ages in these depressing times. Thanks for that. I know these plaguey times make us want to go back to basics and be self- sufficient and it’s all very well making soda bread and growing lots of veg but why not buy your candles? It’s a good thing that you are vegan or you’d be churning butter and killing pigs and curing bacon.
Sorry about your poor fingers, that bit’s not funny.
Just lovely to have you laughing, yes not much to laugh at during the plague for sure! It’s funny how this plague has us all wanting to be self-sufficient, it’s a wake up isn’t it. But yes….you’re right, I’ll be buying candles from now on.xxx
I am laughing. Well at least you stuck with it and the finished result looks pretty good to me….I suppose the question is….’would you do it again?’ I would love to see a video of all of this….better than any comedy show.
At least you didn’t have Lil Urchin there!:)
Sending lots of love. Janet XXXXX
Good to have you laughing, oh goodness no, I wouldn’t use those moulds again unless the lights went out for good and I didn’t have a candle in the house! I wish there was a video, people just wouldn’t believe it. Love and hugs.xxx
What a nightmare–hope you got as good a laugh out of it as I did! I’m planning on making some furniture polish and salve with beeswax this week. I will take this as a cautionary tale. Glad you didn’t burn the house down–or wax coat a dog.
Thanks Brenda, I can certainly laugh now. During the chaos it was mainly swearing! Oh….go steady re the furniture polish!!! And, cover all surfaces including the floor!xxx
Oh my goodness, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for you!
I must say you persevere 🙂
I do hope your fingers heal quickly.
Have a good weekend.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan, it was all enough to make me weep for sure! My fingers have finally healed, who knew how much two sore fingers could restrict everything you do!xxx
LOL. I’ve always wanted to try candle making, not so much now.
Amalia
xo
Unless it’s simple containers, I’d give it a miss!xxx
I can’t get my head around the covid19 pandemic. Our cuzzies over in Aussie are getting some control. Victoria seems to be much better. We may have some border visitation early next year.
Good to know you’re all doing well, and now we have a vaccine. Thanks Peter.xxx
Think of other career choices
Anything but candle making!xxx
I guess this THIS is why you didn’t take up this relaxing hobby sooner 😉
Goodness, Dina. You had me smiling then gasping then thinking of ways to remove wax from cloth (I think you iron over a piece of absorbent paper like brown paper bags to wick the wax into the bag and out of cloth) to hoping you made it through without a trip to A&E.
Yes, indeedy! Had I known what I was in for I certainly would have abstained! Thanks for the tip, I shall give that whirl. At present I’m still scraping away at all the mess. Good to have you smiling! Thanks Anne.xxx
Oh dear what a nightmare, When I was teaching I once made candles with my class using old crayon stubs and yoghurt cartons as moulds and plasticine to hold the wick in place and prevent leakage. Needs must in a primary school. It worked and the candles looked OK but when they burned they smelled horrible with lots of smokiness.
I think wax smells bad when overheated. How brave are you having a class of kids make candles. I salute you!xxx
Oh my, perhaps you should stick to safer crafts in the future. I hope that your fingers are okay.
Thanks, and you too. xx
Thanks Flighty, how I agree with you.xxx
Oh, oh oh! What a frightening situation. I am so glad you maintained your calm and wits, really not easy to do in that mayhem. How are your fingers, very hot wax and skin don’t like each other very much? They must have been so sore.
Do you think the wax moulds might have been faulty?
On another perspective, this post is brilliantly written.
I reckon we need to say to you keep safe dear. xxxxx
Thanks Menhir. Sadly I maintained neither my calm or my wits. Oh yes, hot wax and skin don’t go for sure! I think the moulds were fine, I was the faulty party. xxx
We found it always tricky to find the right size of the wick that the candles burn nicely.
Thanks for reminding us of the pre-Christmas times in Germany many years ago.
Have a happy day
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, sorting the right wick can be tricksy too, in fact everything about candle making from moulds seems tricksy. Thanks Fab Four of Cley.xxx
The candle-making I used to do with my mother seems so simple in retrospect. But thinking about it, I realized that we never used scent. That eliminates one step. And we generally used waxed milk cartons as molds, so there was no problem with dripping wax.
To color the wax, we added old Crayolas as the wax was melting. The crayons melted right along with everything, and you either could mix it well for a solid color, or marble them, like a cake.
Let’s see. What else. Oh! An iron on low temperature and lots of paper towels or newspaper is a great way to get wax off carpeting, clothing, and so on. We must have had a complication or two, or I wouldn’t have known about that!
Dear Linda,
we did exactly the same in the pre-Christmas weeks with milk cartons and crayons. That was easy and we hardly ever dripped some wax. We didn’t use scent either. We still don’t like scented candles.
We gave most of our candles away as Christmas presents.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, the way you made candles with your mother is the way to go, moulds on the other hand are a nightmare, especially if you skim the instructions. I think the moulds needed to be sat in containers of cold water to cool the wax, sadly I missed that part and feel reluctant to give it another go. Thanks for the iron tip! xxx
Yes, you almost had me there. I’ve always wanted to have a go at candle making. I have loads of empty votive holders that I’ve collected over the years and now need something to fill them. But perhaps the accompanying beverage for such a task should be gin rather than tea. And then again, maybe not..
Thanks Jess. Straightforward container candle making is the way to go, you’ll have fun filling all those containers, just avoid moulds!!! Lordy, thank goodness I wasn’t on the gin! xxx
Oh wow and ouchy… beautiful results though, despite the carnage, confusion and chaos
Thanks AnneMarie. I wish I had some photos of the absolute carnage!xxx
Oh Dina, you led us so nicely up the garden path (so to speak …) – there I was, imagining you in your warm kitchen with fragrant oils and colours and music and relaxation … and then … BAM. COMPLETE MAYHEM!!!!!
I really feel for you, trying to get all the wax off everything! It’s a total pig!!! (no disrespect to pigs).
Your next post needs to be … how to get candle wax off EVERYTHING in one (or hundreds of) easy lesson(s)!!!
Hugs (while surveying the chaos in utter disbelief) xxx
Hahaha…yes, I should post about removing wax but sadly I’m not having much luck, especially from the floor! That’s the first and last time I ever attempt moulds, who knew they leaked so much.xxx
How hilarious! I’m never going to try making candles, but I did love some of the ones you have made. You should submit this post to a craft magazine, there is never enough humour in mags and it is always good to know what can go wrong!
Have a happy weekend!
Simple container candles are easy but yes, avoid mould like the plague! Hahaha…I may even try submitting this just for the fun of it, you only ever get perfection don’t you and life aint like that! Thanks Gerrie.xxx
A great way to reuse candle leftovers… for months and months I put them aside, then armed with good will and patience, I use them to make new candles. Usually I make the candles of violet shades, as my favorite colors of the candles used “marry” well and the final result is pleasant. The scent is always the same (I still have enough for another couple of years) is that of gardenia. Of course, depending on how many colored tablets I use, the color is more or less intense… every time something new and it’s always a surprise.
Accidents happen. The worst is when you spill the container with the liquid wax on the kitchen tiles…
A hug 🙂 c
Yes, I collect the old candle ends, it’s surprising how many candles you can make from them. Your candle making sounds lovely. Oh yes, getting wax off the kitchen tiles is a nightmare as I’ve just found out. Hugs to you all.xxx
Oh, dear, Dina, we’re laughing so hard we’re crying, but not about your pain or the mess…it’s your fault for writing this so hilariously. What a screaming nightmare. You are a brilliant comedy writer. And, truly, the finished candles, treasures that they are, are glorious.
Here was I, thinking making candles sounded like fun after your recent post…I believe I’ll continue to stock up on those for sale at the bring and buy sales and charity shops, when they reopen. This sounds mild compared to the chaos I could create giving candle-making a try.
I’m so sorry your cup broke and the shards hurt your hands, along with the molten wax. I hope you had a glass of something restorative after all that. Oh, dear!
What a wonderful post. Thank you for renewing my spirit and assuring me I’m not the only one who has such misadventures. LOVE you.
Thanks so much Kitty. It’s a pleasure to have you both laughing. Oh yes, please just stock up on candles and avoid moulds like the plague, life’s to short to clean the mess up afterwards. It’s still on the floor tiles and clothes, I keep scraping away. I’ll stick with simple container tins in future, far simpler! Candle making should come with a hazard warning! Love and hugs to you all.xxx
Oh my goodness, I think I’d have given up at the first hurdle. Still, now you know what NOT to do, you’re good to go again, and at least you’ve got something to show for your efforts. Hope the fingers heal quickly.
I almost did give up but by the time the situation was out of control I had to carry on. If I make candles again it will be simple container ones, I doubt I could face those particular moulds. Thanks Jo.xxx
Hilarious post, although I imagine it was pretty horrendous at the time! It all sounded so serene initially with your music and cup of tea! If it’s any consolation, the candles look lovely! I made some recently too, although it didn’t occur to me to keep an eye on the temperature. It was soy wax, so maybe the ignition point would be different? Sadly, I lit one the other day and it just melted a tunnel straight down the middle; maybe I needed to use more than 1 wick for the size of the container. Hey Ho! I hope your burns and cuts recover quickly. xx
Thanks Veggiemummy. It did start well, but very quickly went belly up! The pack I bought came with soy wax and the instructions did say not to let it heat up beyond ninety degrees, having googled it since it seems soy wax has a higher ignition point. My fire started due to me dripping wax on the hob during the mayhem! Yes, maybe you need more wicks, good luck with the next batch.xxx