Making Candles

[abstibus]

I have been squirrelling scented candle leftovers with the idea of creating new ones. I have the jars, the old saucepan and the wicks but need a little advice from someone who has a bit of experience.
Do I spray the inside of the glass jar for the new candle with cooking oil?
How do I keep the wicks upright when I'm pouring in the melted stuff?
Nice thing to do on a wet wintry afternoon.
Many thanks for any help.

[boxtops]

I used to make a lot of candles - I never used jars but old drinking glasses, or the proper rubber moulds.

If you are making it in a jar you don't need to turn it out,and I've never sprayed the surface with anything.

I used string wicks and I would tie the top end round a skewer so it balanced across the top of the candlepot while the wax was setting.

One word of advice: if you have lots of colours, don't melt them all in the same pan, you end up with a nasty sludge colour! Rather do all red, or all blue, etc., and make stripes across a number of containers.

Good luck - and do watch out - hot wax burns, and catches fire on the stove!

[abstibus]

Thanks, boxy.
I never thought of the sludgy colour. Have lots of chopsticks so I could use those to hold the wick. All I need now is the rain, and it's never too far away.

[gness]

Hi Abstibus.....(cabbage leaves!) I've been doing the same and collecting cheap but pretty cups and saucers from charity shops to make candles in.....when I get around to it.
Will this work Boxy?

[abstibus]

Gness
Only the leaves, not the whole cabbage. You could stick the rest down your bra.

[gness]

Bu99er Ab!!! You might have said......I have size two feet and am now falling all over the place from the weight of the cabbages!

[Graham-W]

To keep the wicks upright you need a small weight at one end of the wick. I've used a small metal washer tied to the end. At the top, use a cocktail stick pushed through the wick at the right point to rest across the top of the jar. If the candle doesn't release from the jar when the wax has set stand the jar in some hot water for a few minutes, then pull gently.
Yes, a spray of oil in the glass jar would help with the release.

[abstibus]

Thanks, graham. That makes a lot of sense, as I was concerned that the wicks would be a bit wonky.

[Kiki-frog]

Graham's wick idea sounds good. I used to use long lengths of wick and tie the loose end around a teaspoon balanced on the glass, but G's idea is a lot more sensible and less wasteful