I never thought I could find such a great way to make extra money in my own basement! Making and selling candles has really taken a lot of the stress out of paying bills.
Kally - Arizona
Carley - New York
Gel Candle Making 102
After you’ve
learned the basics about gel candles and have the
ingredients and basic tools for your candle making
arsenal—your next step is to get started on your first
batch. Here’s what you need to know before you get
started.
Glassware Gel Candle Containers
No matter what type of containers you are looking at
using, make sure to use common sense in your selection.
Generally you’ll just want to avoid plastic or any other
containers that might melt or burn. Typically,
clear glassware is the best choice for gel candles;
however, you’ll want to avoid very thin glassware as the
high temperatures may cause cracking and a potentially
dangerous situation. Note, if you’re using glass wear,
you should keep in mind the cost of shipping when
ordering your glassware. Due to high shipping costs of
glassware, most hobby and small-volume candle makers
purchase their glassware locally at craft stores and
large discounts stores. You’ll want to also factor the
cost of the glass holders when setting your prices.
Melting the Gel
Generally,
there are two types of methods used in melting
gel. You can use either a presto pot or a glass
measuring cup in the oven. For either method remove the
desired amount of gel from the container and put into
the presto pot or the glass measuring cup. If you
are using the presto pot, heat the gel to 225 degrees.
Note, you’ll want to use your own temperature
gauge/thermometer rather than the one on the presto pot.
If you are melting the gel in a glass measuring cup, put
it in your oven at 225 for about 1 hour.
Gel Candle Wicks
There is literally a plethora of wicks on the
market, which is sometimes more confusing than
helpful. One option worth looking into is gel candle
wicks, which are made especially for gel candles and are
pre-tabbed and pre-waxed. Once you’ve purchased a
set of gel candle wicks, a useful trick when inserting
the wick is to—secure the wick to the bottom of the
container with a dab of hot glue, a dab of hot gel, or a
wick stickum. When doing this, you’ll want to make sure
not to use too much hot glue as it can cloud your gel.
