Low cost items you use to make candles

[Sab]

I actually bought two large (cookie) wire cooling racks - thought it was a great idea but they turned out not to be level enough and the candles were cooling lopsided. Oh well, I'll have to make cookies now!

[dashmo37]

DH made my wick holder out of plumbers strap. The holes are already there and he cut the lengths with tin snips. They work great. I always have a hole in the spot I need and I can configure them for multi wick candles. They wash up well too.

[joisey girl]

I bought a case of disposable wooden chopsticks at an Asian Market. I break them in half and use them to stir my wax. The case of 200 was 2.99 and I actually got 400 stirrers out of them.

Great tip Sab, I've been using Wilton's lollipop sticks, from my old cake decorating days, but they sure don't sell that many for $2.99. I'll have to check out our Asian market this weekend.

[stacien]

I use Pyrex measuring cups the giant ones instead of the metal pitures because I can remelt my soy in the Microwave if it stiffens to much. Plus the oils don't stick to the glass as much when washing out. Then I go to the dollar store and buy the cheap plastic spoons that look like wooden spoons but are heat reisistant. They rinse off great. Target has their dollar bins where I bought my thermometers for a buck! They are accurate too! I go to all the craft stores and check their clearance aisle too. Plus I bought an electric turkey fryer that holds about 60-80 pounds of wax and has a built in spout for pouring and a thermostat. I could go on.

[Mr. G]

Wooden skewers, they come in a bag of 100 or something for $1.00. I use them to stir and for my liquid dye in case I don’t want a whole drop.

Shala,

Watch out with the "Wooden skewers" ! I used wooden popsickle type sticks once and found that they carried water bubbles into my wax. Very tiny but they can cause damage.

Mr. G

[Cetacea]

I go through people's garbage to find cans for molds and pouring pots.

I get my wax from deli paper and the coating on turnips.

I process stearic acid from road kill.

I've developed a process to manufacture wicks from saved belly button lint.

I melt my wax in the sun with a magnifying glass.

I buy fragrance oil and dye with stolen credit cards.

LMFAO!!!!!!

Is it even possible to get a Veggie Acid from Road Kill???? LOL.

In reference to an earlier post:

What the heck is "scrap wax"?? You mean that miniscule amount of wax that the paper towel sucks up in the pour pot? Or is it that tiny drop leftover on the counter after I get my color straight? LOL.

I really can't add anything that hasn't been listed before.....so no help there. LOL.

[darlatoms]

Hi I just wanted to add a thing about the caning jar's. I sell the 4oz quilted jelly jar it's my best seller. I sell them for $4.00 or 3 for $11.00. It's just right for that little gift. Darla

[faithsem]

I saw somewhere on here (maybe on the old board) to use clothespins to center the wick while it sets up...low cost, low tech...but hey it works!!!

[Crafty1_AJ]

That's what I use -- clothespins and popsicle sticks from the craft store. I posted a pic for a noob wanting ideas on setting wicks. My method is very high tech.

And those tall, skinny coffee stir sticks make great wax stirrers.

[chiptooth]

This is a great post. My husband will just love that I have more things to save! *styrofoam meat trays to line counter when pouring votives or for drying dipped critters.

*used tissue paper from gift bags/ boxes..sometimes too wrinkled or torn..at craft shows to wrap candle jars when purchased

*dental tweezers or tools (knew I had to spend $$ on all those instruments while in dental hygiene school for something) to hold the critters by the ear when dipping or to fluff in tiny spots.

*metal bamboo skewere for arranging silk flowers / embeds in my hurricane molds

* formula cans for excess wax

*baby food jars for sample candle sniffers

*pampered cheff pot scraper for wax on counter tops and floors (that never happens!)

*corrigated cardboard for jar separation in boxes

*little sticks (my lab tech SIL gets at work) use 2 taped at the ends tightly to hold wicks in place.

*cardboard cut in circles according to jar circumfrance,use a protractor to find middle, poke hole through with large yarn needle, push wick through...centered and stable

*not candle related, but still thrifty...my mom uses the plastic formula lids, cuts center out and teaches her first graders a simple macrame knot to make wreaths for their parents at Christmas.

*currently saving red caps from milk jugs for kids to make lady bug magnets.

*scoops from powdered laundry detergent...buttons for wheels..., poke a couple small holes in bottom, add soil.. wheelbarrow planter.

I could go on and on, but don't want to hog the board. I'm planning on starting craft classes for kids, so my ideas keep on rolling!

**just thought of this last night as I was sticking labels on tarts, the left over circular backing would be good to do a color test drop on.

[k&g]

Ok - I know this is a very old post - found it when looking for something else! It has some great ideas.

I use empty and cleaned out cat litter containers to store my wax flakes/pellets. Much easier to haul to the melting pot and I don't have the big 50 lb. wax boxes sitting around. The containers fit under the table in my craft room or stack on top of each other against the wall. Once had a visitor that couldn't figure out why we'd have that much litter with only 2 cats in the house - probably have about 30 containers! Also use them to store votive molds.

Plastic shoe boxes - stores about 2 dozen votives and are stackable and you can write the scent on the outside.

Big plastic baskets - store FO bottles on shelf - easy to haul around also.

Stretched out wire hangers hooked to the bottom of a shelf store many spools of ribbon - pull and cut.

Plastic zipper bags you get sheets and pillowcases in - storage for anything!

[Luci]

I'm glad you reopened this as I have really enjoyed the reading! I used to throw away anything and everything because I always said I wouldn't be the pack rats my mother and grandmother were. Now I save everything!!

Some of my favorites have been posted--butter & sour cream containers, metal & bamboo skewers (can't live without em). Now I know what to do with the at least 5 fake credit cards I get per week.

My best saver has been regular visits to the Salvation Army store. I find kitchen utensils, pyrex measuring cups, measuring spoon sets, containers like you wouldn't believe. There are tons of candles there, too. This past week I found a new thrift shop with even better prices--heavy unused beer mugs for .25 for beer candles. I make dessert and novelty candles and get most dishes from there. If you go to a thrift shop near the neighborhoods where the houses are over $1 million, you can find anything and brand new. I found that from hanging with a friend who makes a living selling high $ apparel on ebay. I found 1/2 pt mason jars for .10 ea. My friends bring me tons of stuff when they clean out their cabinets! Yard sales are great for containers, too.

[Carrie]

I never read this the first time around. I use a piece of tile, 18 x 18, to pour votives and tarts on. There are always some spills and the wax pops right off of the tile. Also, I can heat the tile with my heat gun if I need something to cool more slowly. At the end of the day I take an old metal spatula and scrape the tile to get any larger pieces of wax off, then I use the heat gun and papertowels for finish cleaning it. Also, when the wax needs to cool before adding fo, I set the pour pot on the tile and it helps to cool it down.

[pamperme]

I never read this the first time around. I use a piece of tile, 18 x 18, to pour votives and tarts on. There are always some spills and the wax pops right off of the tile. Also, I can heat the tile with my heat gun if I need something to cool more slowly. At the end of the day I take an old metal spatula and scrape the tile to get any larger pieces of wax off, then I use the heat gun and papertowels for finish cleaning it. Also, when the wax needs to cool before adding fo, I set the pour pot on the tile and it helps to cool it down.

I do kinda the same thing with old cookie sheets..a spatula just scrapes wax right off.

I am an active orgainzer an clutter buster..hate clutter so I am not one to be a pack rat..but in the recent year I have learned to keep some thing that I might be able to use for bath & bodyand/or candle making..even got my mom to start giving me stuff that she does not use..like bowls and utensils etc.. and look for those when she is in thrift shops and such.

good post to dig back up!

[CandlesNMore]

Not sure if this is new or not but I discovered last night that a toaster over works good for heating containers and votive molds. I make all my candles in the kitchen and use my oven to warm my containers and votive molds. Yesterday I was cooking and needed the oven but I also wanted to make some testers with the 4627 I just got. While trying to figure out how to cook and make candles at the same time I spotted my unused toaster over and through hmmmm. I test with 4oz JJ so the container being to tall was not an issue. (I'll deal with that when I get to it). I used the lowest setting (about 200) and cracked the door open. WOW it work and very well too.

[Darwin]

Wooden skewers, they come in a bag of 100 or something for $1.00. I use them to stir and for my liquid dye in case I don’t want a whole drop.

Shala, I do that too. Also, I have a big jar with a wick in it that I put all my leftoever wax in, then I burn it for myself so that my wax does not go to waste. Once I burn it, I clean the jar and start all over. I use extra pillar/votive wax to make tarts. I print my lables on regular computer paper and design everything myself. Also, I give local customers a cheaper price if they bring back empty jars for me to refill for them instead of them getting a new jar each time. It saves us both money and helps the environment!

[Braveheart]

Knitting needles from a garage sale for stirring. Empty yogurt and single serving apple sause containers for measuring my FO into when I'm weighing it up. My circle shaped chunk cutters are made from scrap pieces of thin walled pipe. Some of them are copper others are stainless steel. I have sizes from 3/8 up to 3". And I think the cheapest low cost item is some of my ribbon. I had a few new plaid shirts. After wearing them I ended up damaging them at work. So I sectioned off the good areas to salvage what I could out of them. Since then I keep my eye's open at the rag boxes we have at work. Our rags are the bought in 25# boxes from some area second hand store. It's made up of all the old clothing items they couldn't sell. I find some real nice patterns doing this.

[Carlena]

WOW, wonderful ideas on this post!! I'm amazed!

Anyways, i use my DH empty Folgers coffee containers(small plastic ones just peel off label & wash first)they work great to hold each size of wicks - just label them on top of the lid with masking tape/marker and on the 'inside' lid i just peel off the label that came with the bag of wicks, so if i run out i know exactly what to buy! If DH buys different flavors, each one must have a different colored lid, so it's easy to grab when your in a hurry on knowing which wick/size is in that container! I dont drink coffee icky:cool2:

I had purchased a book shelf at a garage sale($5)for all(well not all but most)my bottles of FO's to fit in, purchased some material at Wally World & made a curtain for it to keep fo's in a dark place.

I purchased a cheap table cloth(the slick kind)cut it to fit on my table for those spills, once they dry there easy to just pick off.

My table i purchased at Menards - its actually a big cutting board on wheels, it has shelves to store my wicks(in the coffee containers)more FO's, ribbon in a basket, just TONS of stuff(but very organized)then i purchased more material & made a curtain to cover up the shelving below - the BEST investment i made on this as its my actual working table!

Power strip screwed on top of my table, no worrying about overloading outlets.

Big plastic containers, when i buy 50 lbs of wax at a time i pull it out of the box & place it immediately in the container with lid - i've heard ants like soy, but i've never had a problem with putting them in these containers so far.

Purchased a 2-piece dresser at Goodwill for $15 - has 3 drawers; one is used to store my jars filled with corncob mixture(waiting to dry & bag)two is used to store my candle warmers & 3 is used to store my sales receipts, etc - and the top part of the dresser has shelves to display your candles, smelly jelly's, wickless +; I purchased some small baskets at Michaels(use there 40% coupon)and each basket holds soaps, lotions/sprays & they set on the top of the dresser.

So anytime i see shelves pretty reasonable - my mind is a wandering, hmm:whoohoo: where can i put this at in my room...? LOL:yay: Since my biz is in my home I have to have things to display & thats what i done very reasonably!

Hope these help someone else!!

~Carlena~

[Kymber]

WOW! Some really really great ideas here! Some I already use and some I am going to start using! I do buy the $1.00 2 quart pitchers at the dollor store and use them for pour pots. I label them with the scent and leave the spoon right in the pitcher and just pull that down to remix a batch............and any leftover wax from the previous pour is already in there and remelts with the addition of the new hot wax (I have about 50 of these on my top shelf and only keep one for the scents I am pouring all the time). I write the scent name on the side with big black marker and it is easy to see and find the pitcher I am looking for. Also if you wipe your pour pitchers out with paper towels save the waxy paper towels....they make great firestarters for camping or if you have a fireplace or woodstove. I line all my pour tables with wax paper and also write on the wax paper the scent I am pouring in each jar....and sometimes the formula that I then transfer to my notebook when I am done.

[babykribb]

where do you purchase your supplies on line?

[Crafty1_AJ]

I use highly technical and very costly popsicle sticks and clothespins to secure my wicks as the candles cool.

[comfortscents]

Ditto on the wooden skewers. I use them for both candles and soaps and I re-use them until I'm down to the nubs...also plumber's putty, I use that to seal a wick hole in an aluminum molds whenever I don't pre-wick..nothing leaks with those..

[Darbla]

The other day I needed to pick up some metal votive molds while I was pouring into them (can't remember now why I was doing that though, because normally they're on the countertop when I'm pouring), and I was trying to figure how to pick them up without burning my fingers. I ended up wrapping masking tape around the ends of my fingers and it worked great. I still had full dexterity of my fingers and no burns when slopping wax around. Electrical tape might be even better though.

Using old magazines to line my countertops. I figure they won't get black ink from newspapers on the surfaces.

To salvage every last drop of FO out of a bottle, pour some carrier oil into empty bottles, swish it around, and use to moisturize skin after bathing. Or use in the top dishes of oil warmers with a tea light underneath.

Darbla

[flcandles]

I go through people's garbage to find cans for molds and pouring pots.

I get my wax from deli paper and the coating on turnips.

I process stearic acid from road kill.

I've developed a process to manufacture wicks from saved belly button lint.

I melt my wax in the sun with a magnifying glass.

I buy fragrance oil and dye with stolen credit cards.

lmfao

[greeneyedney]

i use chopsticks and small silcone cake molds found at the dollar tree. make the cutest candles...