Making Candles From A Sand Mold
You can make candles with out buying a mold-let me show you how
Want to make a candle from using sand as your mold-Read how
With using sand as a mold you can make any shapes,round ,square,or just free flowing,you just need to tap into your creative side.
Where do we start? Well we need some sand, which you can get from your local beach or a garden center.
The next step is to find a container to put the sand in,something that does not rust,a aluminum container or baking dish will do nicely.
The sand should be somewhat damp,just a small amount of water to darken the color,but never to much water that makes the sand stick to your fingers,if that happens add more sand.
To produce a mold in the sand use a block of wood or even a cup,the idea then is to put the sand around your mold.
So now you have, say a square mold, using a piece of wood, pour your heated wax around 275f or 135c. Always use a double burner and thermometer, you do not need wax to to combust. Always watch what you are doing while heating wax, never walk away.
Remember, a bit of smoking during the heating of the wax and spitting is normal until all water is evaporated.
Now a good tip is to pour the wax into the mold using the back of a spoon so it goes in slow and stops the wax screwing up the bottom of the whole mold; fill wax to nearly top of mold.
As the wax hits the damp sand expect to hear hissing and see bubbles happening,this is quiet normal,do not panic.Wait until the wax cools and the surface gets thick,remember the wax will shrink in size as sand likes to suck up a fair bit of wax
Now when the wax has cooled a little, use a drill or ice pick or just a piece of strong wire or nail and poke a wick hole in the center of the candle.
Place the wick in, making sure it extends above the surface of the sand.
Do not wait until candle is really hard, as we need to dig it out of the mold. Brush as much sand away as you can with out hurting the candle; the sand will get darker as it dries.
You now need a propane torch to start putting some exciting twists to your candle.
Using the torch apply the flame in a brushing motion from the top over the sand wit the torch on a low frame.
You will see the sand change to dark. Play with your torch, not staying in one place to long; experiment, maybe melting sand and wax together to show more wax on different sides, use your creative side.
One thing I love is to dig a mold in the sand by hand and then use tin foil (Aluminum foil) to mold the shape into what you want. Pour in the wax around 195f or 91c, and put in the wick before you allow for some shrinkage, therefore you may need to pour more wax if required. Let the candle cool then peel off the foil. As you make candles with not much sand and bizarre shapes. Keep trying new things with your candle making.
Want to make a candle from using sand as your mold-Read how
With using sand as a mold you can make any shapes,round ,square,or just free flowing,you just need to tap into your creative side.
Where do we start? Well we need some sand, which you can get from your local beach or a garden center.
The next step is to find a container to put the sand in,something that does not rust,a aluminum container or baking dish will do nicely.
The sand should be somewhat damp,just a small amount of water to darken the color,but never to much water that makes the sand stick to your fingers,if that happens add more sand.
To produce a mold in the sand use a block of wood or even a cup,the idea then is to put the sand around your mold.
So now you have, say a square mold, using a piece of wood, pour your heated wax around 275f or 135c. Always use a double burner and thermometer, you do not need wax to to combust. Always watch what you are doing while heating wax, never walk away.
Remember, a bit of smoking during the heating of the wax and spitting is normal until all water is evaporated.
Now a good tip is to pour the wax into the mold using the back of a spoon so it goes in slow and stops the wax screwing up the bottom of the whole mold; fill wax to nearly top of mold.
As the wax hits the damp sand expect to hear hissing and see bubbles happening,this is quiet normal,do not panic.Wait until the wax cools and the surface gets thick,remember the wax will shrink in size as sand likes to suck up a fair bit of wax
Now when the wax has cooled a little, use a drill or ice pick or just a piece of strong wire or nail and poke a wick hole in the center of the candle.
Place the wick in, making sure it extends above the surface of the sand.
Do not wait until candle is really hard, as we need to dig it out of the mold. Brush as much sand away as you can with out hurting the candle; the sand will get darker as it dries.
You now need a propane torch to start putting some exciting twists to your candle.
Using the torch apply the flame in a brushing motion from the top over the sand wit the torch on a low frame.
You will see the sand change to dark. Play with your torch, not staying in one place to long; experiment, maybe melting sand and wax together to show more wax on different sides, use your creative side.
One thing I love is to dig a mold in the sand by hand and then use tin foil (Aluminum foil) to mold the shape into what you want. Pour in the wax around 195f or 91c, and put in the wick before you allow for some shrinkage, therefore you may need to pour more wax if required. Let the candle cool then peel off the foil. As you make candles with not much sand and bizarre shapes. Keep trying new things with your candle making.
About the Author:
John Treby has a passion for crafts,especially making candles-Join his free 10 day email Mini-Course starting to make your own candles. Make your own Candles-Mini Course
