Candle Making for Fun!

26 Pages·2008·9.595 MB·English

by  Dana Meachen Rau

CANDLE MAKING
R
a
u
FOR FUN!
FOR FUN!
C
a
n
d
l
e
M
Learn how to play your favorite sport or participate in
a
k
your favorite activity in this exciting series from i
n
g
Compass Point Books. Each book in the For Fun series features
f
o
bold, full-color photos, informative text, and all sorts of fun facts r
F
u
about your favorite pastime. A quick reference guide, timeline
n
!
of important events, instructions on basic skills, biographies of
notable people, glossary, and index are included.
Reinforced Library Binding
by Dana Meachen Rau
FF_CANDM_F07_CVR.indd 1 4/12/07 3:53:43 PM
CANDLE
MAKING
For Fun!
by Dana Meachen Rau
Content Adviser: Jim Pitittieri, Former Vice President of Manufacturing, Yankee Candle Company, Conway, Massachusetts
Reading Adviser: Frances J. Bonacci, Ed.D, Reading Specialist, Cambridge, Massachusetts
compass point Books Table of Contents
3109 west 50th street, #115
Minneapolis, Mn 55410
visit compass point Books on the internet at www .compasspointbooks .com
or e-mail your request to custserv@compasspointbooks .com The Basics People, Places, and Fun
photographs©: capstone press/tj thoraldson digital photography, front cover (top left); steve gorton, front cover (bottom left), 33; dmitry ternovoy/shutterstock, front cover introduction / Lovely Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 candLes around the worLd / Lighting the world . . . . . . . 34
(top right); elena kalistratova/shutterstock, front cover (bottom right); jakub niezabitowski/istockphoto, 5 (left); edyta Linek/istockphoto, 5 (right); joshua haviv/istockphoto, 6;
nicolette neish/istockphoto, 7; julián rovagnati/Bigstockphoto, 8; cristian Lazzari/istockphoto, 9; deborah albers/istockphoto, 10–11; anness publishing, 13, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, history / From torches to Light Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 candLes in ceLeBrations / celebrating special days . . . . . 36
24–25, 27 (bottom), 29 (left), 30; craig veltri/istockphoto, 13 (bottom), 14 (bottom); denise torres/istockphoto, 14–15, 19 (top); Matthew scherf/istockphoto, 15 (right), 18–19;
Laura stone/istockphoto, 27 (top); Martin cerny/istockphoto, 29 (right); carl subick/Bigstockphoto, 31; enna van duinen/Bigstockphoto, 32; Lorenzo pastore/istockphoto, 34; types oF candLes / all shapes and colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mass production / candle Factories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
josé Luis gutiérrez/istockphoto, 35 (all); ethan Myerson/istockphoto, 36; photodisc, 37; chris schmidt/istockphoto, 38–39; Mike Manzano/istockphoto, 40–41, 41 (right);
shawn kretz/istockphoto, 42 (top); Brian Mcentire/istockphoto, 42 (bottom); willie B . thomas/istockphoto, 43 (all); Brian Mcentire/istockphoto, 44 (left); terry j alcorn/ how candLes work / Fuel and Flames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FaMous candLe Maker / the yankee candle company . . . . 40
istockphoto, 44 (right); Lise gagne/istockphoto, 45 (left); gunther Beck/istockphoto, 45 (right); istockphoto, 47 .
Basic MateriaLs / wax and wicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 tiMeLine / what happened when? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
editors: Lionel Bender and Brenda haugen
designer: Bill sMith studio MoLds and containers / hold everything! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 trivia / Fun candle Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
page production: Ben white and ashlee schultz
eQuipMent / candle Maker’s tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
photo researcher: suzanne o'Farrell
art director: jaime Martens
Quick reFerence guide / candle Making words to know . . . 46
creative director: keith griffin
editorial director: nick healy Doing It
gLossary / other words to know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Managing editor: catherine neitge
candle Making for Fun! was produced for compass point Books by Bender richardson white, uk saFety / keep it safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 where to Learn More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data MeLting wax / solid to Liquid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
rau, dana Meachen, 1971–
candle making for fun! / by dana Meachen rau . candLe project #1 / Molded candle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
p . cm . — (For fun)
candLe project #2 / plant pot candle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 note: in this book, there are two kinds of vocabulary words .
isBn-13: 978-0-7565-3276-5 (library binding)
isBn-13: 978-0-7565-3278-9 (e-Book) candle Making words to know are words specific to candle
candLe project #3 / dipped tapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
1 . candlemaking . i . title . ii . series . making . they are defined on page 46 . other words to know are
tt896 .5 .r385 2008
candLe project #4 / colors and scents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 helpful words that are not related only to candle making . they are
745 .593’32—dc22 2007004894
defined on page 47 .
candLe project #5 / rolled candles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
copyright © 2008 by compass point Books
all rights reserved . no part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher . the publisher takes candLe project #6 / Lanterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
no responsibility for the use of any of the materials or methods described in this book, nor for the products thereof .
printed in the united states of america .
this book was manufactured with paper containing
at least 10 percent post-consumer waste .
THE BASICS | Introduction
Fire Safety
Lovely Light
Candles can
be beautiful,
but they can
W
hen the power goes out, the lights don’t work. You be dangerous,
might light a candle to see. Before electricity, candles too. You need
were among the few sources of light people had when to be safe
the sun went down. when burning
and making
Today people still use candles. They might light them candles. You
to celebrate a holiday in church or at their temple. A should never
candle can also be a special gift for someone you care make or use People use candles
about or used for a special event such as a birthday. candles without for celebrations and
an adult to decorate a table
Candles are even more special when you make them around. See for dinner. They light
yourself. For thousands of years, people have been pages 18 and 19 them to fill the room
making candles. Long ago, it was a messy, smelly job. for safety rules with a pleasant smell.
Today you can find all you need at a craft store or even about candles. Candles come in many
at home. And the process is a lot more fun! shapes and colors.
 
History
The Statue of Traveling Chandlers
From Torches
Liberty holds a People who make candles are called
torch high over chandlers. During the 13th century, in
to Light Bulbs
New York. the Middle Ages, traveling chandlers
went from door to door to make dipped
taper candles for each household. For
C
andles have been used for centuries. most people, they made tallow candles.
The candles used by ancient Egyptians and The tallow candles were smelly and
Romans were torches made from reeds smoky when they burned, and they gave
dipped in tallow. Tallow is a waxy substance off poor light. Only wealthy people or
made from melted fat from cattle or sheep. churches could afford to have candles
made from beeswax.
In the Middle Ages, people made candles
from beeswax. Colonial Americans in the
1600s and 1700s used bayberries that made In the mid 1800s, paraffin greatly changed Of course, when the light bulb was invented
a wax with a nice color and odor. During the candle making. Paraffin was a substance in 1879, people didn’t rely as much on
boom of the whaling industry in the late left over from the processing of oil for candles. People started using candles more
1700s, people found that oil from the sperm petroleum. It was not too expensive and for decoration and to create a mood and
whale could also be made into a candle wax. gave off no smell. emotion rather than for their light.
 
Types of Candles
Floating candles: Floating candles are made by molding
All Shapes and Colors
or cutting small shapes from wax. They are often shaped
like flowers or little tarts. Since wax floats, these candles
can be grouped together in a wide bowl of water.
W
hat type of candles do you use?
Candles can be made in any shape
and any color. Some basic types of
candles are: Tea lights: Tea lights are
very small candles that sit in
Tapers: Tapers are long and slim. their own metal dishes. They
Tapers stand best in tall, slender are sometimes used to heat
candleholders. scented wax in special pots.
Pillars: Pillar candles stand on their Flares: A flare has a candle
own and are usually 3 inches (7.6 on the end of a long wooden
centimeters) wide or more. They can Votives: Votives are small, round stick. Flares can be stuck into
be round, square, or other shapes. candles made in molds. They come in the ground outside to give
Often pillar candles of different many scents and colors. They fit into light in the evening.
heights are grouped together. small glass cup candleholders.
 
How Candles Work
A candle drips when there is
too much melted wax. The wick
Fuel and Flames
can’t absorb, or take up, the
wax fast enough, so it may spill
over the sides of the candle.
A
candle is a very simple system. The wax and the This sometimes happens when
wick are all the candle needs to make light. the size of the wick is too small
compared to the size of the
The wax is the fuel for the candle. When you light the candle. If a wick is too small,
wick, the heat of the flame melts the wax around it. the extra wax around it can also
The wick absorbs this liquid wax and sucks it up to the drown out the flame. If a wick
top. The heat of the flame changes this liquid into a gas is too big, it can create a lot of
called wax vapor. The wick brings the wax up to become smoke and a large flame.
vapor. It is the vapor that burns. The wick curls and
turns to ash.
Tricky Wicks When you blow out the flame, there is
The flame also needs oxygen to keep burning. When How can a trick candle relight after you still a burning bit on the wick. This is hot
you use a candle snuffer, you can see this in action. blow it out? The trick candle wick has enough to relight the magnesium. Then
A snuffer extinguishes, or puts out, the flame by cutting magnesium, a type of metal, added in. the magnesium relights the wax vapors.
off its supply of oxygen from the air.
10 11
Basic Materials
Wicks
Appliqué wax is used to
Wax and Wicks Some wicks are made
decorate candles. You
of paper, and some
put it on the outside of a
are made of cotton.
cooled candle. It comes in
M Braided cotton wicks,
ost candles are made from paraffin. This sheets to cut into shapes.
made up of lots of small
often comes in large slabs, 1-pound (0.45-
strings twisted together,
kilogram) blocks, small chunks, or pellets. You
are the type most
can buy it already colored or add your own dye.
candle makers use. The
Beeswax is made from
package will often tell
Depending on the type of candle you are the wax bees create in
you the size of the wick
making, you might have to mix your paraffin their hives. It comes in
to buy for the size of the
with a substance called stearin. It comes from Bayberry wax is made blocks, chunks, or in flat
candle you plan to make.
palm nuts but used to come from tallow. Stearin from small, grayish sheets.
You can buy wicks in
makes paraffin contract, or get smaller, when it bayberries. People
small packages or in
cools. So stearin makes it easier for you to get don’t add color or
large spools. A store
a candle out of a mold. Stearin also helps the scent to bayberry wax.
might also sell specific
candle harden and burn longer. In some stores, It smells nice and is a
types of wicks for each
you may be able to buy paraffin with the right pale green color.
type of candle.
amount of stearin already mixed in.
12 13
Molds and Containers
Container Candles
Hold Everything!
Container candles are made in a similar use a glass container. If you just want to
way to molded candles, but you never see the top, use a ceramic bowl or even
take them out of their containers. They a clean clay flowerpot. Just be sure the
C
andles come in all sorts of shapes—tall, short, round, are like candles and candleholders all in container can sit still on a flat surface
square. You can even make candles shaped like animals one! If you want to see the candle inside, without tipping over.
or fake food! Candle makers use molds to hold the wax
and give each candle its unique shape.
You can buy molds made from glass, plastic, or metal
at a craft store. These types of molds can be used over
and over again. Molds for more detailed shapes
are made from latex, a type of rubber. Your
kitchen might be filled with molds you can
use, too. A milk or orange juice carton
makes a great square mold. You can use
candy molds to make floating candles. You
can even create your own mold out of sturdy
cardboard or plastic and strong tape.
1 1
Equipment
Thermometer:
Candle Maker’s Tools
Thermometers show you
how hot your wax is getting.
You need to use a special
Double boiler: A double boiler is a pot with two wax thermometer or candy
levels. In the bottom pot, you boil water, and in Dipping can: When thermometer designed to
the top pot, you melt the wax. The wax pot should making dipped take high temperatures. Do
never go directly on the stove. candles, you will not use a thermometer that
need a tall metal can checks body temperature.
Mold seal: Mold seal covers the hole in the bottom
to hold the hot wax.
of a mold to keep the wax in and water out.
Wick tabs or clips: These small metal objects
Skewers: These will
hold the bottoms of wicks in place in the candles.
hold the wicks in Pouring pitcher and molds:
place when you make A pouring pitcher can be
Dye: Some color dye comes as a dye disc or slab.
molded or container used as the top pot in a
Some dyes come in powder form.
candles. double boiler to melt the wax
Scents: Candle scents come in small jars or in and pour it into a mold.
small slabs of wax.
1 1