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Posted

Hi there,

My name is Dawn, and my new years resolution is to learn something new. I am wanting to learn candle making as I'm a candle fanatic! I don't have a clue where to start, what to buy, where to buy, etc. I live in rural Manitoba (Canada), and if there are any other Canadians that would like to email me, "please" feel free to and give me some suggestions on where to start. If anyone would like to email me, please do. I am so excited about trying my hand at candle making. For the past 8 years or so, I have been wood crafting and painting, and have been slowly losing interest in it.

Happy new year,

I'm so glad that I found this group!

Dawn

Posted

Start by deciding if you want to make either pillars, votives or container. Then buy a kit. Peak's has some of the best I've seen. There are others, though, some are a bit cheaper. Follow the directions and you'll learn a whole lot from the first one you pour. Then you just refine it.

I do cabinet work, so I'll put it this way; any idiot can throw together a trinket box. Same with a candle.

It takes a lot of time to learn to build an heirloom quality china cabinet. Takes a bit of time to learn to make a candle that you can safely sell.

In both cases you learn a lot from each project and from each baby step you take. And you kinda have to jump in and just do it, to learn how.

Also, a mistake with wax is a lot cheaper than a mistake with ebony or mahogany. Heck, it's even cheaper than a mistake with yellow pine, in most cases. :grin2:

Posted

Welcome! Like any craft, when you start out, you "listen" to people talking in acronyms, using abbreviations you don't understand, it's very overwhelming. I remember my first candle board, I was going "huh?" most of the time :)

Every craft has it's detail, and candlemaking is no different. Like Dust said, the quickest way to get hands on is to buy a kit. Pick a type of candle you like best.

And start reading. Read the FAQ section posts, then go through all the general candlemaking posts. Eventually repetition will start making all the information hang together.

It's amazing how many waxes, wicks, fragrances, containers, shapes, problems there are :)

Posted
Welcome! Like any craft, when you start out, you "listen" to people talking in acronyms, using abbreviations you don't understand, it's very overwhelming. I remember my first candle board, I was going "huh?" most of the time :)

Every craft has it's detail, and candlemaking is no different. Like Dust said, the quickest way to get hands on is to buy a kit. Pick a type of candle you like best.

And start reading. Read the FAQ section posts, then go through all the general candlemaking posts. Eventually repetition will start making all the information hang together.

It's amazing how many waxes, wicks, fragrances, containers, shapes, problems there are :)

Honestly, I bought a kit from Micheal's, made a couple of candles, THEN found this board an started reading. If I'd found this board first, I'm not sure I would have ever started. I think I spent about 4 months going through the old CT board, reading every post about pillars that was there.

Since I'd made a few with my little kit and was lucky enough to have them come out looking pretty nice and not burn the house down, I had the confidence to keep working on it. If I had started by going to Alan's website and seen the list of wicks and waxes... I'd prolly have said to Hell with it, right out of the gate.

HTP ?

FO ?

LZ ?

WTF ?

The mind boggles, til you narrow the focus a bit. :grin2:

Posted

Welcome from BC.

Canwax in Ontario has some votive and container kits. They are very nice, helpful people. I usually telephone them direct.

www.canwax.com/page/page/251746.htm

PEAKS is in the US and I've got excellent service from them as well. They also have kits. If you decide to order from them, e-mail them first about how to order by mail from them because on their web site you may get the impression that they don't send to Canada. They do by mail. They are very helpful and will reply quickly.

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