Bee’s Wax Candle Making is Fun for the Entire Family

Feb 25, 2010 in Candle Making Tips

If you have ever dreamed of creating candles as a family but have been too scared to expose your kids to the risk of burns or of cuts, you can try bee’s wax candle making. Producing candles using bee's wax sheets is one of the best ways to improve kinship between the members of a family. Bee’s wax candles are usually found in churches or on dining tables. Bee's wax candle making involves rolling the beeswax, softening and molding the wax, or pouring liquefied wax in jars. Bee's wax can be purchased from art stores or beekeepers in blocks or fine sheets.

Sheets can be rolled into candles whilst beeswax blocks need to be melted before they can be transformed into pretty candles. Bee’s wax blocks are typically melted in a double boiler and then transferred into holders and jars. This is the long-established way of making beeswax candles, which is comparable to the process used for producing paraffin type candles. If you are working alone, you can go for the traditional way of candle making, but you can't let your children get too near the heat source because of the risks involved. If you are going to let your children help in the making of bee’s wax candles, you ought to go for the unconventional method.

This technique involves only beeswax sheets cut in specific lengths and widths, primed wicks and a flat work surface where you’ll roll the sheets. If you are going to roll bee's wax candles, you do not have to employ your double boiler. This means you do not have to melt the wax. However, you will want to cut the wax yourself before letting your children handle it.

In some cases, you do not even have to cut the bee’s wax sheets because some suppliers offer pre-cut ones. Just keep in mind, the appearance and style of your beeswax candles will depend on how the sheets were cut prior to rolling. If you're going to cut the wax, use sharp craft scissors.

You may also opt to use a craft knife or an average kitchen knife. Your finished product's height will depend on the length of your wax sheet. You can effortlessly make tapered candles by varying the way you cut your bee's wax. Furthermore, the wick needs to be primed and installed in the sheets of wax before you let your children roll the candles.

Wick priming involves dipping the wick in melted bee’s wax and letting it cool. Fold the edge of your sheet firmly until the primed wick is completely covered.

Next ... the enjoyable part!

Each family member must have at least one sheet of wax to roll. This is the fun part because it’s similar to rolling dough for cookie making. Small hands are likely to require supervision in rolling the flexible bee's wax sheets. The correct way of rolling the wax is to exert a steady but moderate force to roll the wax. Rolling bee’s wax is possible for the reason that the bee’s wax sheets are bendable enough to be molded by hand. You don't have to worry about adding dye to your rolled bee's wax candles because some shops dye the bee's wax sheets. A great way of enticing your children to attempt rolling their own bee's wax candles is to pick pastel colored bee's wax sheets.

Here is more information on How to Make Beeswax Candles. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Candle Making.