[Asherweef]

Morning all,

This is perhaps the wrong forum for such a question - but I was wondering if anyone here has any experience of making their own candles? That is, scenting and 'flavouring' them; I've seen a lot online that I'd love to have such as blackberry leaf, blueberry and so on but they are ever so expensive...

I suppose that all I would need is some sort of candle wax and then the 'scenting materials' but if anyone has any insight then I'd be very grateful.

(Of course I understand there will be various books and other websites but I thought I'd come here for some trusted advice first!)

Asherweef

[splash101]

I have and although the candles turned out really good, and were very easy to make, i was really disappointed with the scent.
I had bought proper candle scent and used it as instructed but I found they didnt really smell before or during burning.
When i opened the bottle of scents, they didnt really smell of what they were supposed to smell of either. Smelt like really cheap and evil aftershave.
I thought it was because they were concentrated but they didnt smell any better once used as directed.
Im going to try with a different brand, perhaps spend a bit more money on it and see how they turn out.

I saved and used small jars, the square ones were nice, and i got hold of some vintage tea cups and saucers for a few pence each and used those which made nice gifts too.

[sunshineband]

Splash I like the idea of using cups for your candles. They would look great 

[Annen]

I tried lavender essential oil in mine, and you could smell it on the candle, but nothing when it was burning, which was disappointing. 
If you are going to make a candle in a cup or jar then you need a little metal disc called a sustainer, like they have in tea lights, and I'm not sure but I think you need a special kind of wick which is stiffened to stay rigid while you fill the jar, I bought some by mistake once. I didn't try the cup thing, I only made candles in a mould which you turn out.

[sunshineband]

Good point about that lttle metal gadget, Annen. Long time since I made candles, but we used the metal weights that are used in curtain hems, as they had holes in, and suspended the wick between that and a pencil across the top of the mould.

Brings back memories of setting leaf skeletons in the outside of them 

[splash101]

The tea cups were lovely, I think i got them at a charity table top sale or car boot sale but they were very cheap. Me and my 2 girlie friends have a Christmas challenge each year that we have to make our gifts.

Thats right about the metal discs and stiffened wicks. I thought it would be easier that way than having to suspend the wick over the top. It worked well because they were small containers but if you were doing bigger moulds you would have to have to do it properly.

I bought everything from the same place for ease.

[Asherweef]

Hmm, I'll have a look into it a little more; Im a little dismayed by the negative opinion on scent though!

[Annen]

Hmm, I'll have a look into it a little more; Im a little dismayed by the negative opinion on scent though!

It could be that I just didn't put enough oil in, I didn't experiment any more with it.  A book on it might give you an idea of what and how much to use.

[Mrs Bee]

Hmm, I'll have a look into it a little more; Im a little dismayed by the negative opinion on scent though!

You do need to use quite a lot of the scented oil to get the candles to smell. I remember making candles while at college, and with my classes and son when he was smaller.

Be careful with the clours as they will stain work surfaces. Make sure you use lots of newspaper. You need to melt the wax in an old tin placed in an old pan of hot water or you may end up setting your kitchen alight; not too frugal that

You can use petite four moulds to make floating candles. As for the wick if you dip the wicks in some wax and let it cool, so they are brittle, then wait for the wax in the moulds to cool slightly then you can push the wicks in.

If making in teacups or other containers, you need to get the little meatl wick holders and put the wick in them and then wind the top of the wick around a wooden BBQ skewer and balance it on top of the cup.

You could do with a how to do it book;look on amazon for one you like and order it from your library, in case you don't keep at the candle making.

[Trillium]

Some friends buy scented candles through a fund raising company and the candles are set into mason jars which, when finished, they then give to me to wash out and re-use to bottle produce. When I first open the lids the scent is overpowering so I'm sure they use a LOT of scent or something very concentrated. I can't reuse the 2 piece lids because the flat piece reeks of scent so it gets binned and the ring is saved since it doesn't affect the contents. The scent is so intense that it makes me ill so I quickly bin the flat lids outside. Can't imagine why anyone wants to burn anything that potent inside.

My sister gave me a cranberry scented candle for Christmas one year and I hate to tell her that it's still tightly capped up on decorative display only. I love cranberry scent but not something so intense because my allergies and sinuses go haywire. Give me unscented candles any time.

One very cheap trick I've learned is to buy those humongous (and unscented) 3 wick candles cheap at thrift shops or boot sales and re-melt them into a 2"w x 6" tall pillar mold I bought along with fresh wicking. You can't use scented candles because if you have to mix them to get enough wax the resulting scent could be awful, so best to use unscented. This way, instead of something huge and wasteful, I now have many useful sizes of candles that I've also bought handy holders for at boot sales.

[Caretaker]

I have had a go at candle making a long time ago and came across a shop near Christchurch that you could watch them make them but as for adding sent, how about using proper sent.