Getting on my Wick

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Getting on my Wick

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12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 08 11:21 pm Post subject: Getting on my Wick
It's probably a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway.... Now that Thingmass is waning we are surrounded by bits of candles, is it possible to collect all the bits, melt them and make a new one? Not that I'm tight you understand

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 08 11:38 pm Post subject:
yep its fine and quite easy to do, just strain all the bits of wick out before you re cast your candle. if you dont have a candle mould use a yoghart pot and seal around the wick outside with blue tack or plasticine.

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 08 11:46 pm Post subject:
Thanks! Do we melt the gunge in a bain-marie type thing? What's best as a new wick? Like I said, dumb questions, but if I don't ask, I won't learn.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 08 11:54 pm Post subject:

in a bowl over simmering water for the melting of the wax, you are best of with proper candle wick, you can get it from Ebay or many online shops and it is quite cheap.
there are different diamiter wicks available and the way to get the best one is find the diamiter of your chosen mould and get as close to that as you can, if in doubt you want 2" of 2.5" wick but its not a problem what ever you have.
I have a step by step artical on candle making written out but I dont think its on downsizer yet but I will post it when I get home in a week.
Any other questions let me know as I have been making candles for 25 years off and on.
Cheers

nats

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2374
Location: Swindon but not a Swindonian

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 08 7:00 pm Post subject:
A friend of mine in Spittal collects them from around the parish (he's Priest-in-charge.... they get lots!) and makes candles for charity and I don't think he ever buys new. He separates all the colours and makes lovely things!!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 08 7:14 pm Post subject:

Pilsbury wrote:

I have a step by step artical on candle making written out but I dont think its on downsizer yet but I will post it when I get home in a week.

Do you mean this article?

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 08 7:20 pm Post subject:
Brilliant! Thanks folks, will have a play soon.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 08 7:55 pm Post subject:

judith wrote:

Pilsbury wrote:

I have a step by step artical on candle making written out but I dont think its on downsizer yet but I will post it when I get home in a week.

Do you mean this article?

yep thats the one

when I put in my search I didnt use a gap between candle and making
must remember what I post where.

Pancake

Joined: 26 Jan 2009
Posts: 13
Location: Wickford

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 09 4:28 pm Post subject:

Whilst on the subject of candles,

I bought a few of those wickless/simmering candles, or at least I think thats what they are called

They are the shape of a jam tart, you put it in the top of a pot/metal ornament & light a tealight underneath so that the heat melts it & releases the scent,

Anyway after a few hours the smell has gone & I am left with the wax & just wondered if it is possible to rescent it to use again?

Helen

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 09 4:50 pm Post subject:
We've just done this but on a trivet over a stove (no pan of water). It works well enough but hot wax over a hot plate in a container without a handle isn't a great idea.

gnome

Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 730

Posted: Tue Feb 17, 09 1:57 am Post subject:
i remember during the power crisis in the seventies, candles started to become scarce. my dad started to not only gather all the bits of old candles, but even melted down old crayons, and mix it with the leftover "lard" from the sunday roast. didnt smell too nice - but it worked.

jag_clarke

Joined: 04 Jan 2009
Posts: 110

Posted: Wed Mar 04, 09 12:39 am Post subject:

yeah i keep all the kitchen waist fat, put it in jars. then come summer i fill halfway an old can with some fat. then i make a wick from several toilet rolls stuffed inside one. then in bbq season i use cuple to light patio works well as produces big flame. and if bbq has truble starting bit of waist fat works a treat.

you can use a glazed box with black back as a solar melter. its how they separte wax for bees wax candles so it doesnt carbonise wax at all, it also filters it to some extent as wax drains and most of debry stays.

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