Tips To Make Gel Candles Look Great
Gel candles are wonderful looking candles and you can make your own! I think they just look fabulous. Don't you just love that clear lustrous look that they have? Here, you can find out more about how to make them for yourself.
What more could you want than being able to make these beautiful candles and have them decorate your living room, spa, bathroom and bedroom?
How to use gel candles.
Gel candles make beautiful candle arrangements and small ones can even be use for 'wedding favors' so if you have some friends you might like to offer to make them for them for a wedding gift.
Choosing your containers.
When choosing your glass containers, make sure that the opening allows for a 1.5 inch width between wick and glass lip. This will stop the glass from cracking due to heat during burning. Another point to ensure is that the glass is relatively thick as thin glass cannot withstand the heated wax and they could crack and leak, or even worse break open.
Prepare the glass containers.
When using glass containers for making candles (gel or other wax) they must be pre-heated so that they do not crack when the hot wax is poured in. So place your glass containers, with wicks in place, on a tray in a cold oven and turn it up to 125º degrees. Remove them only when you are ready to start pouring into them.
Using gel wax.
Gel wax is quite different from other wax when being 'melted' in that it does not melt from a hard form to a liquid form as does paraffin wax for example. Gel wax needs to be heated to 200º with constant watch using a thermometer. Gel wax actually goes syrupy when it is ready to use, not liquid as the hard waxes do so be careful to be aware of this.
When the gel wax reaches the required temperature (check with your supplier) and becomes smooth and syrupy, color the wax with a liquid color. Always add color very slowly and this is especially so with gel wax as it is a clear substance and takes up the color very quickly.
Once the color is right, start adding your fragrance a little at a time. Check the supplier's instructions for quantities.
Adding Embeds.
Embeds can be added to the container before pouring in the gel or afterwards. Try to keep the embeds near the outer edge of the glass container, especially if you have colored the gel so they look clearer.
In choosing embeds take care to use ones that can withstand heat, such as glass beads because plastic, for example, could melt with the heat.
Enjoy creating gel candles as they are so much fun to make and look magnificent.
About the Author
Kaye Dennan has been an art teacher and loves to share her enthusiasm for candle making. For people who want to make candles their next venture, then all the information you need is at http://startcandlemaking.com
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