There is something incredibly grounding about the soft glow of a candle, especially when you’re settled in for an evening of knitting or crafting. However, for those of us who find synthetic fragrances or even essential oils a bit overwhelming, the “unscented” market can be surprisingly limited. And it is not just limited but often times even the unscented candle tends to have an unpleasant smell that I just cannot stand.
So I recently set out to make my own 100% beeswax tapered candles. My goal was simple: create a clean-burning, steady flame that wouldn’t flicker while I work with my yarn, and avoid the headaches that come with perfumed waxes.
My Plan: The Classic Dip
Beeswax is the gold standard for a steady, bright burn. My original vision involved a tall melting pot and a rhythmic, meditative dipping process. I imagined slowly building up layers of golden wax until I had the perfect, slender tapers.
The Reality:
As often it happens, my equipment doesn’t always cooperate. My wax melting pot turned out to be a bit of a “short king”—it wasn’t nearly deep enough to dip a standard-length candle. On top of that, keeping the wax at that perfect, liquid-gold temperature was a constant battle.
When the dipping plan fell through, I had to pivot quickly before the wax seized up.
The “Messy” Solution: The Pour Method
Since I couldn’t go into the wax, the wax had to come to the threads. I ended up hand-pouring the melted beeswax over my wicks.
A few things I learned during the chaos:
- It’s Messy: Expect wax droplets in places you didn’t know existed.
- Speed is Key: Because the wax is exposed to the air as it pours, it cools and hardens much faster than it does in a deep dipping vat.
- Texture is Character: The candles didn’t come out with that “factory-smooth” finish, but they have a rustic, handmade “charm” (let’s call it that 😀 ).
I also decided to trying twisting two candles together, cause this is actually how those candles were made in the old times… but even that didn’t really go as planned: the temperature of the wax on the wicks was not warm enough (probably because they weren’t dipped) and so they ended up getting all wonky… I did end up liking them anyway, but I cannot lie and say that’s exactly how I wanted them to look 😀
It was still a fun afternoon and I do intend to try this again, once I find a different way to pour the wax 🙂
Enjoy
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