How to make taper candles, especially around the holidays when we use them on our dinner tables, is a common question. Did you know that you can make your own from pure beeswax? It’s actually very simple. Yellow beeswax naturally offers a subtle scent of honey when burned, so it doesn’t need any essential oil scents added.
How to Make Taper Candles from Beeswax
Supplies Needed
· Beeswax pellets
· Thermometer to test the wax temperature
· Cotton braided candle wick thread
· Tall, wide-mouthed heat-tolerant containers, such as a canning jar or a candle wax melting metal container with a handle
· Additional jar or container to fill with cold water for dipping candles in after dipping in wax
· A large pot for heating the water and wax (one reserved for candle making would be ideal)
· 2 weights, such as a metal bolt, to keep your wick/candle straight while dipping
· Water, as needed
· You’ll want to use a heat-tolerant container that is tall enough to melt enough wax for the height of the taper candle you desire to make. Example: A quart mason jar will make a small 6” or so taper candle.
· Hanger to dry the candles on or another rack for cooling the candles.
Directions
1. Line your workspace with newspaper or paper towels to catch any spillover.
2. Use a medium or large-sized saucepan to fill about half full of water. In the saucepan, add your heat-safe glass jar or other heat-safe container for melting wax. Fill the container with wax and warm the pot to a simmer to melt the wax. Once the wax has melted somewhat and made room for more wax, add more wax until you have melted enough for the height of the candle you’d like to make. Be sure to check the instructions for the wax to learn what temperature the wax should be heated to before pouring – this tends to vary by brand.
3. Once the wax has melted, remove it from the pot and place it on the protected workspace.
4. Cut a 24” piece of wick thread and tie weights to each end of the string. This will allow you to dip your candles at the same time while keeping them straight. Dip with smooth even and movements.
5. Once you’ve dipped into the wax, dip it into the alternate container of cold water.
6. Repeat dipping into the wax and then the cold water until you’ve reached the ideal height and width of your candle.
7. Once you’re finished dipping and once the wax has cooled a bit but is still warm, snip the weights off the end of the candles and mold the base into a flat bottom.
8. Hang your candles on a hanger/rack to dry completely.
9. Before burning your candle, trim the wick down to 1/4”.
How to Make Taper Candles for Birthdays
Consider making homemade birthday candles for an extra special touch for your next celebration. Use a smaller heat-tolerant container, such as a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Simply follow the steps above, however you’ll cut the thread 12” and dip the thread as tall as you’d like the candles to be. Dip until you’ve reached the desired birthday candle size. The candles can even be reused year after year until they become too short to safely burn.
Safety First!
Never burn taper candles unattended or on unstable surfaces. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Be extremely cautious when handling hot wax. There is a taper candle adhesive that can be applied to the base of the candles as an extra level of caution when placing them into the candle holders that will help hold them in place.
This story about how to make taper candles was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
