How to Make Black Flamed Candles

Use a black wick to create a black-flame effect.

While it is impossible to make truly black-flamed candles, you can come very close. Using chemical additives to make your flame dark blue or dark purple and keeping the flame small can showcase the base and upper parts of the flame, which have a strong black effect. By using a candle made completely of black wax and a wick dyed to match, you can produce a very powerful black-candle effect.

Things You'll Need

• Paraffin wax
• String
• Scissors
• Black dye
• Borax
• Copper sulfate, calcium chloride or potassium nitrate
• Double boiler, or one pot in another
• Candle mold or other container
• Pin or needle
• Wick holder

Instructions

Making the Wick

1. Mix a solution of 1 cup warm water, 4 tbsp. borax and 2 tsp. of whichever chemical compound you will be using. Calcium chloride and copper sulfate produce a blue flame; potassium nitrate produces a purple flame.

2. Cut your string into lengths 2 inches longer than the candles you will be making.

3. Immerse your wicks in the solution, and allow them to soak for 15 minutes. Remove the wicks, and hang them to dry overnight until they are dry to the touch.

4. Heat a 1/2 cup paraffin wax in a double boiler with five or more drops of black dye. If using black paraffin wax, add less dye.

5. Dip the strings into the wax three or four times, and let them dry for a few minutes between coats, hanging up or lying flat. Let the wicks dry for a few hours before use.

Making the Candle

1. Secure one of your wicks to the base of the container, using a wick holder. If using a mold, stick the wick through the hole in the bottom, and seal the hole with wax or putty.

2. Support the top of the wick by wrapping it around a pencil placed horizontally across the top of your container. You can also use a metal wick holder.

3. Melt your paraffin wax in your double boiler, adding eight or more drops of black dye per cup of wax. Melt more wax than the volume of your mold or container, because the wax will shrink and require multiple pours. Add fragrance at this point if you wish.

4. Pour the melted wax into the mold, leaving 1/2 inch at the top. After the wax has cooled for 10 minutes, poke five small holes in the solidifying wax around the wick, using a pin. This allows air to escape during cooling. Allow the wax to dry overnight.

5. Pour wax into the container a second time, filling it almost to the level of your finished candle. Allow the wax to cool for a few hours, poking holes again. If necessary, make a third and final pour.

6. Remove your black flame candle from the mold if necessary, and add one small drop of fragrance and dye to the exposed wick.

Tips & Warnings

• Larger thicknesses of string will have larger burning radii and will work more effectively for larger candles.

• Label or artificially distress your candle after the final step, if desired.

• Keep the wick trimmed very short to ensure a better black-flame effect.

• Do not let your wax boil, because boiling wax is a fire and burn hazard.

References

• Chemistry Comes Alive!: Colors of Elements in a Flame