The candle was developed independently in many countries. In Rome, around the first century, candles were made out of tallow and the pith of rushes. The Egyptians and Cretans made the candle from beeswax, as early as 3000 BC. The early candle was made from various forms of natural fat, tallow, and wax. In the 18th century, spermaceti, oil produced by the sperm whale, was used to produce a superior candle. Late in the 18th century, colza oil and rapeseed oil came into use as much cheaper substitutes. Paraffin was first distilled in 1830, and revolutionized candle-making, as it was an inexpensive material which produced a high-quality, odorless candle that burned reasonably cleanly. The industry was devastated soon after, however, by the distillation of kerosene (confusingly also called paraffin oil or just paraffin). This excellent fuel for lamps gave the candle its current status as a primarily decorative item. Recently resin based candles that are freestanding and transparent have been developed, with the claim that they burn longer than traditional paraffin candles.

Candles on the image by Roman 500BCE
Candles were first mentioned in Biblical times, as early as the tenth century BCE. These early candles were made of wicks stuck into containers filled with a flammable material.

The first dipped candles were made by the Romans from rendered animal fat called tallow. Since tallow is cheap and easily available, tallow candles were the most widely used types of candles for centuries.

In the 1500's, beeswax was introduced as an alternative to tallow. Beeswax candles burn brighter and longer with less smoke, and they smell better than tallow candles. However, beeswax was more difficult to obtain, which meant that beeswax candles were used almost exclusively by the upper classes and the Church in Europe during this time. All candles were made by dipping until the 1400's, when a French inventor introduced molds for taper candles.

Other materials which have been used for candles more recently include spermaceti, a waxy material obtained from the sperm whale, paraffin, which is made from coal and oil shales, and bayberry wax, which is a residue left from boiling huge quantities of bayberries. Wicking can be made from almost any kind of fiber; one of the most common in early days was loosely spun cotton.

A step by step guide to making perfect container candles!
©1999-2006 - Cajun's Candle & Soap Supplies

Making perfect container candles can be a little trickier than making something simple like votives, so be sure and read these instructions carefully before you begin. You will need to ensure that you have all of the proper candlemaking supplies on hand that are necessary.

All of the equipment you will need is listed on our "Getting Started Guide", you can print out that guide for future reference. If you have not completely read our Beginner's Guide to Candle Making, I suggest you start there. It's loaded with lots of great information.

CANDLE MAKING SUPPLIES
All of the supplies you need are explained in detail below. Once you have all the supplies on hand, ensure that your work area is clean, safe and be sure that you have the necessary tools and supplies arranged in a work friendly manner. If you're working inside your home you will want to place foil on your counter tops underneath your work area. We suggest that you also get a cheap plastic floor mat to place on the floor where you will be working. Candle making can be a very messy hobby.

CANDLE WAX
What is the best type of wax for container candles?
It is best that you can answer this question yourself by doing a little reading to decide which of our quality container waxes you want to choose for your candle making. We have very detailed information on our candle wax page regarding all the various waxes for making container candles so that you can make an informed decision as to which wax will be best for you. You'll get an idea of which wax will serve your purpose best.

The wax you choose will prove to be one of the main ingredients of your candle formulation. We tested literally hundred of brands of waxes before we chose to offer our customers the highly regarded IGI brand waxes, Honeywell/Astor waxes, Penreco as our gel wax and our 100% soy wax NatureWax%u2122. These waxes are manufactured especially for making candles and there simply are no better waxes on the market with regard to quality or consistency for candle makers.

Most everyone that tries our container candle formula agrees that it is one of the top formulas available for container candles. We use a special blend of two waxes to make our highly regarded container candles. We use 60% of our "IGI-4786 container wax " and 40% of our "Honeywell J-223 " to make a blended wax that offers a wonderful melt pool and exquisite scent throw. With that said, it is not really necessary for you to start out with two waxes. It's an extra expense and one you really don't need. Either wax, the "one pour J-223" or the "container wax 4786" will produce an excellent candle for you on it's own. I gave you our container candle formula because I promised to give instructions on how to make candles exactly as we do. In case you're wondering, when using only one of the waxes, most people choose the "one pour J-223 " as their choice for container candles. Either choice you make, we're certain you will be happy with the highly fragrant candles you will be making.

BEGIN YOUR CONTAINER CANDLES
1) Measure out the wax you will need and begin melting your wax. Be sure you keep a reliable thermometer clipped on the side of your melting container so you can keep a close eye on the temperature of the wax at all times. Regulate your temperature so that once the wax melts it will stay around 170 degrees, and not more than 180 degrees.
2) We suggest if you are going to use a glass container that you heat your glass to about 150 degrees before you pour your wax into it. This keeps the glass from cracking and will also help reduce the amount of wet spots on the container once the candle dries. To heat your containers to 150 degrees place them on a cookie sheet and set inside the oven on "keep warm".

3) You will need a couple more items handy that are not listed on the supply page. They are popsicle sticks (you can get at any craft store) and a glue gun. Have these two items close to you for use shortly.

4) Once your wax melts and you have your temperature regulated right around 170 degrees, you will add your candle dye to the wax. We offer 8 basic liquid color dyes that are formulated to work with candles. I am often asked, "Mike, can't I just use a crayon or food coloring to color my candle?" Actually, you can use a crayon but there are some problems with that choice. The pigments used to make a crayon can clog your wick and prevent your candle from burning properly. Another problem, crayons are very expensive and normally have only 1 color of each to a pack, so it's just cheaper and better to use a dye that was formulated especially for making candles. You can't ever use food coloring. Food coloring dye is water based. Water and wax don't mix, your candle will fizzle out and not burn if you try to use food coloring.

Our dyes are very concentrated so be sure to add small amounts until you get your desired color. To test a color use a white ceramic square or a white napkin and drip a few drops of your wax onto it and let it dry. We offer a candle making color chart that shows exactly how many drops of dye we use to make our various colors and candles. You can get there by clicking here. Be sure to stir your color with your wax for a full two minutes so your color will bond with your wax.

FRAGRANCE OIL
We suggest that you use 1 oz of fragrance oil per LB. of wax to produce a HIGHLY fragrant candle. Some people weigh 1 oz on a scale while others simply measure 1 oz of liquid in a measuring glass. Either way works for me, but just keep in mind that all fragrance oils are sold by volume, so depending on the weight of the fragrance oil, there may be more or less than 16 liquid ounces per LB of fragrance oil.
Check your temperature again and be sure the wax is around 170 degrees. Add 1 oz of fragrance oil per pound of wax. Pour in your pre-measured amount of fragrance oil and stir slowly for two full minutes. This will allow the wax, fragrance oil and color to bond together. Keep a close eye on the temperature and keep it regulated at around 170 degrees. Fragrance oil will begin burning off at about 205 degrees, depending on the type of wax, and fragrance oil, so be careful you wax does not get too hot.

Naturally, we recommend that if you use our waxes, you also use our fragrance oils. We guarantee each of our fragrance oils to be 100% Grade AAA, pure uncut fragrance oil. All of our highly concentrated fragrance oils have been tested extensively to ensure their compatibility. Our fragrance oils are highly recommended for use with all types of candle waxes.

PREPARING YOUR CONTAINER
You're almost ready to pour your container candles. You can already tell how wonderful your candles will be by the highly fragrant wax simmering in your wax pot. Be sure to keep your wax temperature regulated at about 170 degrees while you prepare your glassware for the liquid wax.
Remove your glassware from the oven. You may want to wear some light gloves when handling the hot glassware. Next take a wick and add a liberal amount of hot glue on the bottom of the wick tab and center the wick in the middle of the container. The best way we've found to set the wick in place is to use something like a firm straw. (we use very thin copper tubing) Slide the wick into the tube, hold the tubing upside down and add a liberal amount of glue to the bottom of the wick tab and then place the wick in the center of your container by guiding it with the straw or tubing. When you remove the straw the wick should be glued down and centered.

The wick you select for your container candle should allow for a full melt pool of wax across the diameter of the container. The only way to know which wick is best for your container is to test several size wicks and see which one you like best. Some wider containers may require two or three wicks, depending on the size. We wick our 16 oz apothecary jars with two wicks centered about 3/4 inch apart. This gives us a GREAT scent throw and allows a full melt pool of wax across the top diameter of the candle.

We offer various sizes of wicks for container candles. For most containers we suggest either the 44-24-18z or the 51-32-18z. You will have to test to see which will work best in your containers.

POURING YOUR CANDLES
Now you're ready to pour your candles. Again, be sure your wax is about 170 degrees. You can use a glass pyrex measuring cup to pour your wax from your melting pot into your containers or you can use one of our aluminum wax pour pots. Just be sure you heat your pouring pot a little before you use it so the wax won't harden on it. If your temperature is correct, stir your wax one more time for about 20 seconds to be sure everything is all mixed together properly. Then dip your warm pour pot into the wax and pour slowly into your containers. We've found it best to angle our containers slightly when we pour, but it's not necessary. Just be sure to pour slowly allowing as few bubbles as possible when you pour. Fill your container to the level at which you want your candles to be and set the container down on a flat surface. TIP: The less wax you spill on your container and counter the easier your cleanup will be, work smart, not fast when making candles. After you pour your containers take any leftover wax off the heat.

TIGHTENING THE WICK
You will notice that the wick(s) seems real loose in the container once the hot wax gets around them. The wicks need to be tightened because as wax cools it will contract and form a sink hole in the middle of your candle. If your wicks are not tight, they will be permanently pulled crooked as the wax cools. In order to tighten the wicks you will need the popsicle sticks we talked about earlier, with a hole drilled in the center of each stick. Take the wick and thread it thru the hole in the popsicle st

Although not overly hazardous, candle making can be dangerous if you don't observe basic safety precautions. Failure to follow the safety rules may result in serious injury to yourself, your family, and / or damage to your home or shop. If basic safety precautions are taken, fire should not be a common problem, but you should be prepared anyway.

NEVER leave melting wax unattended. Not even in a double boiler. Not ever.

NEVER overheat wax. Know the flash point of your wax (usually about 375 degrees F. for paraffin). It will spontaneously combust when it reaches the flash point. If using wax of unknown flash point do not heat above 212 degrees F (such as in a double boiler). The fumes from overheated wax can cause severe illness - in case of an accident evacuate the area and ventilate it.

ALWAYS keep wax away from open flames - it is flammable.

ALWAYS use a thermometer. It is essential for both safety and good repeatable results that you always be aware of the wax temperature.

ALWAYS use a double boiler. Temperatures up to 200 degrees F. can be achieved this way. Most recipes use a temperature in this range. If you don't have a double boiler, use an old pot for the water and a smaller pot inside it to melt the wax in.

A few recipes call for temperatures higher than 200 degrees F. and will require heating directly on the heat source. Extreme caution is required for this. Be vigilant, and do not allow the temperature to go above 325 degrees F. Do not let your attention wander. If possible do it outdoors on a hot plate.

NEVER put water on a wax fire.Wax is essentially oil, and water may splatter the flaming wax. DO NOT use water based fire extinguishers on wax fires, and for safety these should not be kept anywhere near your wax melting area.

ALWAYS keep a pot lid, and a dry chemical (ABC Type) fire extinguisher handy when heating wax. Use the pot lid to smother tiny fires in the melting container. A fire extinguisher is useful if you set the curtains on fire, or have some other major accident. These items should be kept outside of any area that may be affected by fire but still within easy access. A FIRE EXTINGUISHER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF CANDLE MAKING EQUIPMENT YOU CAN OWN.

ALWAYS use a pot holder or pliers when handling hot pots or cans.

Wear loose clothing. If you are wearing tight clothes and wax splashes you it will be in immediate skin contact. If wax gets on your skin, run it under cold water immediately - then peel off the wax.

Don't pour wax down the drain unless you want an expensive visit from your plumber.

NEVER let candle making get so routine that you get careless.

Following these safety rules and taking precautions against fire will help you relax and enjoy your candle making even more.