Candle Equipment and Accessories



Posted: Thursday, December 24, 2009

by Sara Patterson

Candle making equipment and accessories can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. Personally, I think that jumping into a new hobby with the tools that we have on hand is a great way to find out if we truly enjoy it, but we may find along the way that there are additional accessories that could make our work easier and nicer looking. Let's explore what's available to the home candle maker.

We've talked a lot about melting wax in a double boiler and how to make a double boiler out of two pans or even a large can and metal pan on the stove. This second one could get tricky, and I wouldn't recommend it since the wax does get extremely hot, but since a double boiler is nothing more than two pots on top of one another with water in between, they can be as plain or fancy as you want them to be. Personally, I find that the same double boiler I use to melt chocolate is great for melting wax. It has a deep base, smooth sides, and a long handle, but most of all it works perfectly for me.

But if you move on to serious candle making, or perhaps you are already thinking about how to turn your home candle making into a business for yourself, you might want to think about melting larger amounts of wax. How do you do this? Direct heat melters are your answer and they come in many sizes and prices but they all do the same thing they keep your wax a constant liquid inside the melter until you are ready to use it. Then you turn the tap and out runs the wax. There are also open top melters for those of you are interested in dipping tapers, too. I've seen prices run from a couple of hundred dollars to a thousand dollars but you need to keep in mind that these melters will hold 6-150 pounds of wax! For most of us these larger sizes won't ever be necessary but I include the information so that you know that it's out there.

Other things to keep in mind about the melters is that they can melt both wax and gels which is extremely convenient if you are going to be doing both types of candles. This way you will only need one piece of equipment! Also, you can add you fragrance and color directly to the melter so that the entire batch of wax is uniform. Because the melter runs off your electric outlet and not your stove you are also using less electricity in the long run. That's definitely another thing to keep in mind if you are going to be making a lot of candles at home.

The next step in the home candle making process after melting the wax is to pour it into a melting pot so that you can better control the wax as you pour it into your mold. Generally, those new to candle making will use a coffee can or something similar because it is a manageable size and most everyone has one at home. What most people usually find out is that it works out pretty well but that it can be difficult to clean up. Coffee cans have lots of ridges that wax just loves to lurk in and coffee cans rust. Both of these issues make for frustration and might have you looking for a new solution. Don't worry, there are melting pots of various sizes that are seamless and very easy to clean up and they won't even break your budget. An aluminum melting pot that will hold up to 4 pounds of wax might cost around $10. And it even comes with a handle, so what more could you want!

And for each required item there is always a way to step up to a high tech alternative. You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the wax or you can use an infrared thermometer. The candy thermometer will be very inexpensive but will take a bit more time to register the temperature. The infrared thermometer will be much more expensive but the temperature will be instantaneous. It just depends what is important to you.

A digital scale could also become useful if you begin to do more elaborate candle making and you make your own recipes with colors and fragrances. You'll want to make sure that you are using the optimum amount of fragrance and color for the type of wax you are using so that you don't harm your candle. Scales vary in price but a good one can be found at your local home store or ordered from a catalog or online.

Whether you choose to stick with the equipment that you started with or you are moving on to items that are newer and shinier and make things a little easier your home made candles are still about your creativity and enjoyment. New equipment and accessories are available to make the experience of making your own candles easier and to help you move on to the next level of your hobby, should you choose to make that decision. Be sure to always use your equipment safely and most importantly, if your equipment works for you then it's the best equipment you can have.

Sara Patterson is a candle making enthusiast. For more information on , visit http://www.homecandlemakingtips.com .
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