How to make votive candles using metal molds and wick pins

Making your own votive candles is great fun.  It can however become quite frustrating if you do not know what you are doing.  Many people think it is as easy as just melting the wax and pouring it into the mold, letting it harden and there you go.  It is not that easy at all, unless you do not care what the finished product looks like.  Most of us want our finished product to be as beautiful as it smells.

The easiest way to make votives of any sort is to use a metal mold and wick pin.  The wick pin eliminates the need for setting a wick and keeping it in place while the candle hardens.

1)   Set out your molds on a sheet of aluminum foil.  The aluminum foil makes clean up simple.

2)   Place your wick pins inside the mold.

3)   Place small pieces of wax into an old double boiler, a melting pot, or a coffee can.  You will need approximately 2 oz of wax per votive.

4)   Place the container you are using to melt your wax into a larger pot that contains water.  Heat on the stove until the wax melts and reaches about 200 degrees for paraffin wax, and about 160 degrees for soy wax.

5)   Remove the wax from the heat and add color and fragrance.  You should add about 1oz of fragrance per pound of wax. Stir this thoroughly.

6)   Use a hair dryer to heat your molds. Heating your molds will help your wax to cool more evenly.

7)   Pour wax into mold until it is about 1/4 inch from the top.

8)   Allow the wax to harden for about 30 minutes.

9)   Reheat your remaining wax. You should have some left over from your first pour. This wax should once again reach 200 degrees.

10)   Pour the remaining wax onto the tops of the candles. Be careful to get out the air bubbles by taping the sides carefully.  This step will create a smooth top with no dip near the wick.

11)   Allow to harden until completely cool.

12)    Remove from mold by tapping gently and pulling on the wick pin.

13)    Remove wick pin and insert pre-tabbed wick into hole.

14)    Candles should cure for at least 24 hours before you burn them.

15)     Burn and enjoy the beautiful and great smelling candles you made all by yourself.

Soy Candle Making Kit: Learn how easy and fun it is to make soy container candles.