Fran Barham
8 Nov 2022
From Comb to Candle: Shirley, Richard and Meaghan Bond
Shirley and Richard were accompanied by Meaghan, their granddaughter, for our live demonstration.
Wax Preparation Shirley's information on Wet and Dry wax preparation process is available in the attached document below.
Wicking Important to soak and scrape the wick before using it.
Wax The wax should be warmed to around 70ºC. Shirley uses her own wax for maxing candles since it is much more economical. It was pointed out that this is far more economical than purchasing fresh wax given that 1oz of wax could cost as much as £3.00.
Finishing
After around 30mins to one hour, remove the plug at the base.
Gently peel the silicone mould away from the candle.
Warm a non-stock pan on a hob
Drop a small bead of wax on to the surface to check the temerature
Place the base of the candle flat on the pans surface and gently move around the pan to ensure the candle base is completely flat.
Snip the top of the wick to the correct length for lighting,
Decorating Shirley recommends 'Glitz' which is a glitter glue which can easily be painted on candles if these are themed for Christmas. This can be ordered via this link
Tea Lights Shirley was asked about this and recommends the use of 'Zinc Core Wicks' these can be purchased via this link
Booklet The club purchased several copies of 'Safety in the Wax Room' by John Chandler. Copies are available from the Library.
Finished Candles For anyone wishing to sell their creations, we discussed the price of them and it is estimated that £5 can be charged for a medium sized candle. At the recent National Honey Show, a selection of candles were being sold for around this benchmark.
Wet and Dry wax preparation:
A demonstration of Shirley and Richard's candle making can be seen on this YouTube link