Make Your Own Hand Rolled Beeswax Candles

Making Hand Rolled Beeswax Candles

That Offer a Natural Light Scent of Honey

People who are allergic to fragrance find this type of candle to be perfect for their needs. When making beeswax candles, no fragrance or pouring is required so beeswax candles are also the easiest of all candles to make! Out of every candle style we work with we love the bees wax the most because it is so elegant when burning. As the candle burns the outer shell tends to stay standing and thus provides on of the most romantic luminary effect known to candle world.

The photo above is an excellent representation of what a finished beeswax candle looks like. We bought Hurricane glass from Michael's Craft Store or Wal-Mart to go over our finished product a really set it off. Beeswax is very sticky and will melt onto a table so be sure to place a disposable item under it when burning.

You can find these breathtaking bees wax sheets, as well as cotton-braided wicks at the Mabel White Supply Company www.mablewhite.com/SupplyCo

Beyond the fact pure beeswax candles have a delightful sweet fragrance, they tend to burn longer, more clearly, and give off more light than any other candles. Consider Red and Green beeswax sheets for Winter, Orange for the Fall, Pink for Spring and Violet for Summer.

One full sheet of honeycomb when rolled into a candle burns approximately eight hours. Half a sheet, when rolled into a candle will burn approximately 4 hours.

Materials Required:

Colored Beeswax Sheets
Candle wicking - 1/0 square braid wicking—no Zinc!
Scissors
Ruler (metal edge), preferably 20" (50 cm.)
Exacto/Utility knife or sharp paring knife
Cutting surface, 20" x 10" (can be cardboard)
Hairdryer

Creative Tip: When beeswax sheets are warmed, they become a natural adhesive allowing glitter, sequins and other appliquéd material to be applied to your rolled candle. Add your own personal touch to rolled candles for home decor or seasonal themes. Caution: Always make sure your materials are fire retardant. For example, use polyester glitter only.

Directions for Bees Wax Candles:

Follow these basic directions on any style of candle you make.

1. Choose the style of candle you are making. Note that excess sheets can be used for little tapers!

2. Using your sharp knife and ruler edge, cut the wax on your cutting surface as indicated by the style pattern of your choice. Avoid short, jerky motions. We prefer to roll three or four sheets up tight—without cutting, and then slice the last sheet at an angle so the beautiful layers can appear.

Measure 1" from top of flat sheet as shown. Take ruler from top corner of sheet and line up with 1" mark and cut. One inch cut part becomes scrap wax. Place wick as shown and roll. Gives top of candle a slight taper finish or pencil top.

3. Occasionally, a dusty film or "bloom" can form on sheets of pure beeswax. This bloom is a natural occurrence and illustrates the 100% purity of your honeycomb sheets. To remove this bloom, lay the sheet of wax on your cutting surface, take your hairdryer a minimum of 3" from the wax and move it from end to end across the wax.

4. Ensure the warm air is at the angle to flow into the honeycomb pattern. Apply heat to the reverse side if needed. Caution: DO NOT apply too much heat as this makes the honeycomb sheets too soft and very difficult to handle.

5. Place the wick along the edge of the sheet as indicated in the pattern. The wick should extend beyond the top 1/2 inch and stop 1/2 inch before reaching the bottom end of the wax sheet (safety measure). Fold over enough wax to cover the wick. Gently press down the wax, covering and thus securing the wick. This step is important, so if the wax seems hard to roll, simply take the hairdryer and warm the wax (this will make it more pliable). If you have not wrapped the wax securely around the wick, oxygen draws down the candle, causing it to burn too quickly.

6. Using your fingertips, begin rolling the wax sheet around the wick. Take care to ensure the wax sheet is being rolled firmly and evenly. The completed candle will burn without smoking or dripping, unlike paraffin wax candles. If smoking or dripping does occur, the candle has not been rolled firmly enough, is being burnt in a draft or the wrong size of wick has been used.

7. The seam of the candle is secured by warming the edge with a hairdryer and by pressing down gently along the seam.

8. Using the right candle wick is at the heart of every good burning candle. Square braid as opposed to flat braid is generally recommended for beeswax candles. Square braid wick supplied is recommended for 1" to 2 1/2" diameter candles, the most widely used size.

Measure 10" on top of sheet and mark. Measure 10" on bottom of sheet and mark. Note: See from opposite ends as shown. Line up marks with ruler and cut. Separate sheets. Lay wick as shown and roll. If you wish your tapers joined by a continuous wick, flip "A" sheet over and place wick as shown to the right.

Excerpt from "How to Make Your Own Heavily Scented Candles" Mabel White Company.