How to Make a Candle Holder from a Block of Glass
You can create a candle holder from a clear block of glass without a lot of time or invested effort. Glass blocks can be salvaged from building projects or purchased in tile or home improvement stores and online. You can adapt the candle holder to fit any size candle by choosing appropriately sized materials. Once you master the technique of creating a holder with glass, expand your candle holder supply and make a candle holder from a colored or textured glass block. Your imagination is the limit.
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Things You'll Need
- 8-by-8-by-3-inch glass block, clear
- Black marker
- Plastic jar with bottle lid, 3½ to 4 inches in diameter
- Silicon carbide grit sandpaper
- Silver or white acrylic paint
- Clear acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Glass glue
- Pillar candle, 3 inches in diameter
Instructions
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Place the glass block flat on one 8-inch side. Center the lid on the side, and draw a dot with a marker on the glass to indicate the center.
A 3 ½-to-4-inch jar lid accommodates a 3-inch pillar candle. According to Buyacandle.com, the 3-inch candle is “often referred to as the 'normal' pillar candle” and the “size is the most common.” For a taper holder, use a 2-inch lid.
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Adapt the glass block candle holder to hold different sized candles by using the appropriate jar lid. Use a silicon carbide grit sandpaper to lightly sand the area--in a back and forth scrubbing motion--on and around the dot. According to Abrasives Oasis, silicon carbide sandpaper is “available in very coarse grits all the way through to microgrits, common in wet applications.” Any grit will do.
You want to create a slight amount of texture to better facilitate the bonding of the plastic of the lid with the glass. When you rub your finger across the block and feel roughness, stop sanding.
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Paint the jar lid. Allow it to completely dry. Paint the jar lid with a clear coat. Allow the lid to completely dry, for about an hour.
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Use a glue intended for gluing plastic to glass. Glue the jar lid to the center of the glass block. Use a glue that dries clear and bonds glass to plastic, such as a Ultraviolet (UV) Glass Glue, Super Glue, Loctite Instant Glass Glue, E-6000 Glue or any other brand. You can use an epoxy, but mixing is required, so you’ll need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Some UV glass glues require the product be exposed to a heat source to trigger the bonding mechanism. Regardless of the product you chose, check the product's instructions.
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Place candle into the glass block candle holder. For taper candles, get a good bond between the candle and the candle holder (plastic lid) by dripping a little bit of wax into the candle holder and then pressing the end of the candle firmly into the wet wax. Hold the candle until the wax hardens.
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Tips & Warnings
A light spray with a clear coat and a sprinkle of silver or iridescent white glitter over the entire candle holder adds a holiday or wedding sparkle to the clear glass block candle holder.
Always use caution when burning candles and keep flames away from fabrics, children and pets.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit candle image by Amjad Shihab from Fotolia.com candle image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com candle image by Fotocie from Fotolia.com
