Making Hand Dipped Beeswax Candles

( Originally posted on 24 March 2012, Updated 9 December 2013)

I must say, if I had to make candles for a living, I don't think I'd mind!

It's just so much fun :)

Inspired by Tasha Tudor's candle making, I decided I had to do it!

Although I'm a ways from being able to do it her way outside over a fire...

It did take some planning.

And it all started with the beeswax....

And the wick, a square braid 2/0 size, for candles up to 7/8".

Breaking up some of the larger pieces..

It also required a large pot. I found a second hand stock pot,

This one about 12" diameter and 10 1/2" high. 

In this size pot, you can make candles up to about 9" long. 

It sits in a canning pot of water.

As it melts, any debris will fall to the bottom.

The above photo was the first time we made candles...it took hours
to fill the pot and melt the wax. 30 pounds of wax later
and the pot was filled!  The wax cooled and hardened
after we finished.  It took almost 5 hours to melt all of the wax
again in the big pot, then the temp was turned down before dipping.

 

The wax in the double boiler is used to top up the dipping pot.

 
As with any hand craft, you learn things along the way,
especially how to be more efficient and make a better product.
This is what happened with my candle making.
I have decided that it is easier for me to tie a weight to the
ends of the wick, hang it over a stick and dip that way.
I do however, lose length of candle, but it's worth
it to get a straighter candle. (I'm looking for a deeper pot!)

The sticks I use have grooves cut in them to lock down the wick to help keep
 it in place. 

For the depth of the pot I have, I cut the wick to 25" lengths and
tie on the weight.

A very important part of the candle making is making sure the wicks
are fully saturated by leaving them in the wax until the bubbles stop.
This is the ONLY time you will actually leave the wicks in the wax.

 You want to wait 2-3 minutes between dipping to let the wax cool.

After about 7 dips (yours may vary), the wick should remain straight
and the weights can be removed. A sturdy pair of scissors will do the trick.

After they are cut, you will need to smooth the bottoms.
Otherwise, you will get a lumpy candle.

Once the weights have all been removed and the bottoms smoothed down,
you are ready to start dipping again.
Don't forget to continually top up the pot. I use a plastic cup and dip it
into my double boiler and add some after each dipping round.

Below is my original method of pulling the candles straight.

The first dipping of the wicks, notice they are wavy...

After they cool, pull down to straighten.

They grow pretty fast!

When dipping, do it quickly. If you hold them too long in the wax it will melt off.

I find a steady but not too fast dipping motion(too fast down and you can create air pockets, ask me how I know...lol)  and then as soon as the stick touches the top of the pot, bring it straight back up. Count to three and move to rack to cool.

It helps to have a nice stand to rest the sticks on between dippings...

this one was whipped up by my most wonderful boyfriend ! :)

Just dip as many times as required to be whatever diameter you want. 

Remember to let them cool for a few minutes between dipping.

Most of mine were dipped between 17 and 20 times.

According to Tasha, they should 'cure' for about a month. 

I find that as soon as they are cooled completely through, they are

ready to burn. I haven't noticed any difference between

waiting a month or lighting the next day.

Display in your favorite candle holder!!

If only I could convey their wonderful smell!!

We had a fantastic time...

Making candles is something I'll be doing for many years to come :)

 ** Thank you Tasha **

Candles and Spinning

I try to keep up, really I do, but there is always so
much to do that I don't always post things right after they happen. 

I'm playing catch-up, so here are a few pictures of past events here on the farm.
 First there was more candle making(Dec. '12) and then I hosted a spin-in(Jan. '13)!

A big hug and Thank You to all of the amazing ladies that make these events

such a success...and fun as heck!!! -Kim :)

GFW Fleece

GFW...or Gleason's Fine Woolies to those of you who don't already know!

Joanna Gleason of Colorado raises lovely sheep with amazing fleeces...

They are Australian Bond, Corriedale and Bond x Corriedale. 

I have been lucky enough to purchase some of three different fleeces.
If you've not heard of Australian Bond or don't know much about their origin,
please see Joanna's website, as there is much valuable information on the breed :)

I learned about her fleeces through one of the groups on Ravelry.
Can't tell you which one, but with all of the eye candy pictures folks
were posting, I just couldn't resist...and this is what I got...

Below is Hahn, a Bond Ram Lamb

  Raw on the left and washed on the right.

 Then there was Ilona, a Bond x Corriedale ewe.
I would call her fleece a soft dove grey, really lovely!!

And finally there is Jillian, a Bond ewe, my favorite so far !!

 The lock structure is very easy to keep intact for washing. It practically separates itself!

Oh what fun it is to play with a GFW fleece...(sing along now...lol)

 It might not come through exactly in the pictures, but her fleece is a charcoal grey with the most amazing overtone of silver...just breathtaking in person!

Bond fleeces are easy to work with.

Each fleece got two 20 minute washes and two rinses.

 I combed all of the fleeces as my prep for spinning,
using Valkyrie Super Fine combs. It's very easy to comb.
Spinning it from hand combed top is a dream!!

I would say next to the skin soft for all but the most sensitive folks.

It's kinda hard to share about these and where I got them, 

but they are so wonderful, I just couldn't keep it to myself, 

even if it means more competition in acquiring a fleece!! ;)

If you've never tried a Bond, it's worth giving a try...

and you probably won't find any better than GFW's !!

(I'm hoping for a close to black fleece next :)
-Happy touching, smelling, staring at, washing, prepping
and finally spinning these most amazing fleeces...
(if you're lucky enough to have one that is :)
 http://gfwsheep.com/