Candle Making Equipment
How did the ancient people develop candles? Why did candles get invented? What candle making equipment did these ancients use? These are the questions in every candle enthusiast’s mind whenever they ponder on this ancient art that modern day artistes have developed. The candles of old were used to carry flame from one place to another. Most people relied on torches to heat up their homes, and a small flame on a candle wick is hardly thought of as necessary. However, for religious ceremonies, a flame on a sooty, crudely made torch is not appropriate. And, so candles are developed.
Soon, people started making candles in bulk. With the advent of so many religious practices, candles have marked their place in history as a part of every holiday and spiritual event. But people have found more uses for candles. They can be used to beautify a room, make another person’s heart leap with joy, and help weary workers deal with stress.
Not only the function, but the procedure for making candles has also evolved. From makeshift wax melting equipment (think cauldrons or pots) to fancy double boilers created specifically for candle making, people have used modern technology to mass produce beautiful candles that sell in so many markets.
If you’re a candle enthusiast or if you’ve even thought of creating candles for a living, here are some candle making equipment tips for you.
- First of all, set up a stage for your art. Devote an area in your home for creating candles. The flooring must be furnished with non-slip mats that will help you move around your work room without worrying about slipping while you’re handling hot, melted wax.
- Next, make sure you have the right cooking equipment for your candle making; namely, a stove with moderate flame and a double boiler for melting wax. In some cases, you don’t need a double boiler (like when you’re making soy candles), but it’s best to have one at home just in case you’re short on soy wax and you have to use paraffin.
- One school of thought tells us to keep kitchen utensils and equipment away when you’re handling candles. This is to prevent using the same equipment for processing food and wax.
- You can easily guess what equipment you need by taking note of the difficulties you’re having during the actual candle-making process. If you’re not comfortable handling the inner container of your makeshift double boiler (a smaller container inside a larger one), you can get a pouring jug to help you transfer wax from the boiler to the containers or molds.
- Next, you will need an assortment of containers. You can look around your house for decorative tin cans, or even old food containers for inspiration, but if you really want to produce candles that stand out, go to a hobby shop and choose from a wide array of specialized candle containers. The best thing about buying special candle containers is that you can get them personalized.
- Molds can either be made of aluminum, rubber or plastic. If you want to keep using the same molds, you can go for aluminum ones, which stack well and will last long. Rubber molds are convenient in that the cooled wax can be taken out of the mold easily, but the rubber can leave a certain smell on the wax in some cases. Plastic molds are cheap and can be bought by the hundreds, but some plastics crack easily and won’t last long. If you’re using molds instead of containers, you will need to find some special equipment to help you release the solidified wax from the mold. These are called releasers.
- Wick placement is another thing to consider. Get some wick pins to help you center your wick on your candles. There’s nothing more annoying than purchasing candles with wicks located to the side or too far from the center.
Don’t buy too many utensils at the onset. You will soon learn which equipment you can do without. It’s better to stick with the basic ones so that you can start on your business fast and sell more candles, before you need to upgrade your stock of candle making equipment.
