Oil Candle Making

Oil candles have been around for ages, but people are more familiar with the wax type of candles.  This is because most oil candles are more often called “lamps”, which is quite fitting if you consider how oil candles are made.  Oil candle making is not a lost art.  There are more people making them now than ever, with the growing demand for cheaper lighting options and the soaring electricity rates in most cities in the world.

Why do some people prefer oil candles to wax candles?  Oil candles are cleaner burning than wax candles.  They are also convenient and cheap.  Business minded individuals like oil candle making over wax candle making because of the low cost of oil candle making supplies.

Oil candles also have a consistent flame height, which means you don’t have to spend time trimming the wick in order to get the flame you want.  The best feature of oil candles is longevity.  These oil candles can last for a long time, regardless if you use them 24 hours a day and seven days a week.  This is because of the refillable nature of oil candles. If the oil level is low, you can simply pour more oil and keep the container. 

Wax types last long, but you will be left with a lump of misshapen wax after a few hours of burning.  In a sense, oil candles are lighting fixtures you can really use.  They’re not just for decoration.

But some individuals have found ways to turn ordinary oil candle lamps into quaint decorative items!  Some ways of doing this include putting seashells inside the glass containers, placing colored rocks at the bottom of the containers or using containers with beautiful patterns engraved on them.  Oil candles provide a low-maintenance way of decorating your homes during special occasions.  You only need to buy a particularly exquisite piece, use it for years, and pass it on to the next generation.  Because of the long-lasting nature of oil lamps, some families use the same lamps for decades.  Like wax candles, oil candles can be manufactured at home.  What’s more, you can design your handcrafted oil lamps to your heart’s content.

Here are the basics of oil candle making.

  • Fill a simple glass jar or an ornate decorative glass bottle with special candle making oil.  Put a wick in a glass tube, preferably positioned using a wick holder.  Make sure that just 1/8 of the wick is protruding above top of the jar or bottle.  Let the wick absorb enough oil before you light the candle.
  • There are several types of oil candles, but for your oil candle making business, you can try the most common type.  Get a refillable glass container and fill it with paraffin oil.  Be mindful of the initial oil level, which should at least reach the middle part of the container.  Also, you need to install a special wick to finish creating your oil lamp.
  • One of the most important aspects of oil candle making is deciding on which type of wick to use.   Go for cotton types, with a good braiding design.  You can also try wicks that combine hemp and cotton for a longer lasting burn.  If you’re going all out with your oil candle making, try the fiber glass wicks with holders attached.  Most oil candle making kits include a glass flame protector that you can place over your oil candle jar to prevent the wind from putting out your flame.  This is convenient for those who use oil candles or oil lamps to light their doorways during a power failure.  After you learn the basics, you can try creating scented oil candles by simply adding essential oils to the candle oil.  Some people go one step further and place rose petals inside the oil bottles for better aesthetic appeal.