Candle Making Tips For Aspiring Candle Makers
With the success of companies such as Yankee Candle and Old Virginia Candle Company, it is easy to see that there is a strong market in this country for candle making. Both of those companies are corporate entities that commit to the art of candle making on a large scale, but there is no reason to think that it cannot be a successful venture from your own home or garage. In fact, in the growing age of community and farmer’s markets, chances are you even live close enough to a city or town that has a ready made place to sell the fruits of your labor should you choose to do so.
Insiders at these companies will tell you, candle making is not a difficult process, and honestly doesn’t take a great deal of time. The main trick, as with any art, is to practice. No artisan perfects his ability the first time out, so there’s no reason to think that you will either. There are hundreds of types of candles, different candle making techniques, different waxes, and different scents. It will take time to find your own style, but rest assured it’s out there.
An important thing to understand about candle making is that it is very difficult to mess up. Wax has certain properties that can be affected by too much heat, and wick placement is important, but otherwise anything you produce works as a candle. There is a great deal of difference between what makes a good candle and what you want. In the early stages of the learning process, understand that while you may not have produced your opus yet, you are developing a knowledge base of what works and what doesn’t.
Second, to be successful in candle making, it is critical to learn the basics first. Budding candle makers are inundated with pictures of ornate and extravagant candles that are produced by people who have a large amount of experience and a great many years practicing their technique. Further, there are a large number of companies that are more than willing to sell patterns and plans for a successful candle to someone who has only been making candles for a couple weeks. It would be easy to get discouraged when those plans fail. This is why simple is better at first. Learning the science involved in the candle making process is critical to success in the future. Starry Night was not Van Gogh’s first painting, so learn the process and you will be successful.
Finally, the proper candle making material is critical to success. Not all waxes are the same. Any first grader whose mother bought crayons from the dollar store instead of Crayolas learns this lesson quickly. It is important to research the type of wax you plan to use and the material it comes from before making a purchase. The current standard in the candle making industry right now is soy wax. This is due to the wax’s smoke point, or the point in which the wax actually begins to burn instead of melt, creating soot that is visible as the candle burns and collects around its container. The same is true for the wick. Remembering these principles will allow you to be a successful candle maker in no time.
