Skip to main content

Candle Making by Hand-Dipping


You could argue that this post doesn't belong on my kitchen blog...it's more of a Maker Manns thing. Fair enough. But it was done in my kitchen, with my stove, with my pots, with my knives and my kitchen twine, and I sacrificed the Bodom glass out of my French press. So, I'm still calling it a culinary adventure!

Two of our best friends had mentioned wanting to come over and make candles. They had the wax and the wicks. So, on the first full day of Christmas break from school (last night), Jake picked them up and I rushed home from work to make dinner - jasmine rice, beetroot and pumpkin curry, and mekaral salad. That's for another post. Back to candle making....

After our Sri Lankan-themed dinner, we cranked up the Christmas tunes and went to work.

Materials

  • wax
  • wicks (at first we used some pre-fabricated wicks they brought, then we moved to my 100% cotton kitchen twine)
  • knife for chipping the wax into small pieces
  • tall canister, either tempered glass or metal ,that will fit inside another pot
  • pot
  • water
  • bucket

Procedure
Place your wax chips in a tall container that can withstand heat. As I mentioned, I used my Bodum glass. Place that container in a pot of water where the water comes up about half way on the canister. Heat gently until the wax chips melt.

Have a bucket of water near your work area.

Hold the wick by one end and dip it in the hot wax. Dip it into the cold water. Repeat.



That's all there is to it...


Then hang them somewhere to harden completely.


D and I made small candles to put on his birthday cake next week. And, I think, everyone had a good time. We'll definitely do it again soon.



Have you ever hand-dipped candles? Would love some tips on how to add color and fragrance.

Comments

  1. I didn't realize you had another blog. I don't know where you find the time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t...

Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating childhood favorites. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group. Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the following prompt: "Childhood favorites. Did you have a favorite dish growing up? It could be something your family cooked or a restaurant dish, even a Chef Boyardee canned good or packaged ingredients like Rice-a Roni or mac and cheese. Recreate THAT dish from SCRATCH for this event."  Here's the #SundayFunday childhood favorites line-up... Chili Mac from A Day in the Life on the Farm Ham and Mushroom Breakfast Burritos from Making Miracles Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Homemade Wonder Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories K-Mart Sub Sandwiches from Palatable Pastime Kempakki Dosa from Sizzling Tastebuds Meat Chilly Fry...

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce...