How to Make Dipping Candles

Dipping candles is an art still practiced today. Dipping your own candles lets you control their thickness, color and fragrance.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Stearine
• Candle Dyes
• Candle Scents
• Wicks
• Wire-core Candle Wicks
• Paraffin Waxes
• Chopsticks
• Double Boilers
• Scissors

1. Prepare the wax in a double boiler that is 6 inches taller than the length of the desired candle. (See related eHow "How to Melt Wax for Candles.")
2. Melt enough wax in the pot to accommodate the length of your candle, plus 3 or 4 inches.
3. Stir frequently. The wax at the bottom will be hotter.
4. Add stearine, color and scent to the wax. (See related eHow "How to Add Color and Scents When Making Candles").
5. Cut a wire-core wick to the desired length of candle, plus 2 to 3 inches.
6. Fasten a steel nut to one end of the wick for weight and tie the other end to the center of a chopstick or skewer.
7. Dip the wick in the hot wax while holding the chopstick.
8. Use a smooth motion and lift the wick straight up out of the wax. Hold it above the hot wax and let it cool before dipping again.
9. Adopt a cadence while dipping - this is a helpful technique: Dip, 2, 3, 4, lift, 5, 6, 7, 8. Dip, 2, 3, 4. ...
10. Keep dipping until the taper is the size you want, then hang it up to cool completely.
11. Trim the wick to 1/4 inch.

Tips & Warnings

• If you make the wick twice as long, you can double-dip and make two tapers attached by the wick. In this case, don't trim the wick when finished.
• Don't leave the candle dipped in the hot wax too long enough or the previous dip will melt off.