RobsCreations

The type of wax, the diameter of the candle, the wick's size and the matter (cotton, wood, etc), all affect the burning properties of a candle.  Focusing on the wicks... usually suppliers provide WICK CHOICE GUIDES, but be aware that these guides are supplier-specific!!! I have to admit that the only way to sort this out is by testing the different wicks! This example should help you understand if you did the right choice (see picture). These candles are both made of soy wax.  Left: OK  Right: small pool of melted wax, WRONG

Colours You have liquid dyes , solid pre-colored pellets  and blocks , as well as p owders.  You can also use crayons or go for the natural shade of the wax. For example, beeswax is yellow and soy wax has an opaque white color that I adore! Be careful: crayons are not professional products!  Smell You can use essential oils or fragrance oils . Let's see the main differences ... Essential oils Natural Therapeutic/healing properties More expensive than fragrance oils More volatile (they last less) Fragrances are limited Fragrance oil Synthetic (that doesn't mean they are bad) No healing properties Affordable prices for good quantities The smell lasts longer because they are not volatile Virtually unlimited fragrances They MIGHT contain added chemicals and be environmental hazardous Suppliers I fell in love with this online supplier the first time I visited the website. They are specialized in candle-making products (they have plenty of t

Waxes There are plenty of waxes with different features, so the choice is entirely up to you and this post doesn't pretend to be an encyclopedia of candle-making :-) I don't like to 'label' waxes as natural or non-natural, because also paraffin derives from something, the petroleum, that actually exists in nature! I prefer to refer to them as vegetal-, animal- and mineral-derived waxes. Among plant-derived ones you can find soy wax, colza wax and palm wax (and more). Beeswax is clearly from animal sources. And paraffin , as above-mentioned, is made of hydrocarbons, (mixtures of alkanes usually in a homologous series of chain lengths). It is refined from petroleum by vacuum distillation.  'Petroleum ( Wikipedia definition ) (L. petroleum, from early 15c. "petroleum, rock oil" (mid-14c. in Anglo-French), from Medieval Latin petroleum, from Latin: petra: "rock" + oleum: "oil") is a naturally occurring, yello

I'll create an additional post to discuss the choice of the wax, colours, fragrance and, above all, the choice of a trusted supplier! This is the first kind of candle I've attempted to make: tin container candle . I needed Xmas presents that I could put in my luggage and that could resist shocks!

I'd say by chance and because of a desperate need to find nice and personal Christmas presents !  Most of the times you end up buying very expensive and banal things that, with a good chance, have already been bought by other people for the same recipient: 3 pair of slippers for the poor granny, 2 identical ties for dad, 4 copies of the PUPA make-up kits for your sister (but this is probably something only Italian girls from the 80' remember!)... embarrassing !  And what about more personal items like parfumes, jumpers, underwear etc? Never ever the right size, or colour or fabric!!!  So why not going for something unique and very personal as a home-made candle (that by the way doesn't need to be changed in colour, size or fabric!!!)

I don't need picky teachers correcting typos and grammar in any of the three languages! I just want to exchange and share handcrafting experiences, advices and recipes.

I do have a strong passion for hand-crafted and home-made things . Crafting relaxes me and offers me the chance to create uni que and personalized pieces for people I love. Crafting is not my primary activity, but if you are interested in any of my creations please contact me . The main language of this page will be  english,  but I'm italian and I do also speak a bit of  french , so don't panic if I'll mix the three of them. If you want to comment and leave a feedback feel free to use the language among the three that suits you better! Enjoy the page!