Candle making - Homemade

Candle making - an ancient tradition & craftmanship

More than 5,000 years ago, the first candles were made from animal fat, resin, tallow and other materials. Various plants such as reeds or cannabis were used as wicks. Over the millennia, these rather torch-like sources of light developed into today's popular wax candles made of beeswax, stearin or paraffin.

The profession of candle making enjoyed an excellent reputation until the end of the 19th century, but disappeared due to industrialisation. Nowadays, candles are made for special occasions, for decoration or for ecclesiastical purposes. In this blog we will show you what utensils and materials you need to make candles at home.

What do I need to make candles?

In order to make candle making at home a success, you will need some utensils, which we have listed for you:

• A tall & wide saucepan (with enough space for 1-3 tins)
• 1-3 tin cans (e.g. empty tins)
• A tall container with cold water
• Wax (beeswax, stearin or paraffin)
• Wicks
• Hotplate
• Scissors & knife
• Colour pigments

How do you draw a candle yourself?

In this short instruction we describe step by step how to make a candle:

1. Fill the wax into the empty tin cans (one colour per can, otherwise one can is enough) and put it into the cooking pot
2. Fill the saucepan with water until the water level is halfway up the tin
3. Heat the water (max. 70°C)
4. Prepare the vessel with cold water
5. Knot the upper end of the wick into a loop (important for drying & handling)
6. Dip the wick in the melted wax for about 30 seconds the first time, remove it and leave it to cool in the cold water
7. Repeat this process until you are satisfied (Attention: Only dip for about 1-5 seconds).
8. Hang the candles up to cool and mature.

How much does homemade candle making cost?

When making candles at home, it depends on the materials you have chosen for the project. If we assume that about 200g of beeswax, 3 different colour pigments and a 2-metre long wick are needed, we get an amount of about CHF 7 per candle.

Is candle making worth it?

Candle making takes a lot of time and costs more than a normal candle from the shop. Nevertheless, it is fun and entertains young and old. In the best case, you have a nice experience, good conversations during the process and you have created a unique piece. In the worst case, you have a candle for dark days. We think it's a good deal.