New gel person/ question?

[soprey]

Hello, I am new to making gel candles.

I've looked around and every one makes great gel candles.

I've been looking around the web and cannot find instructions for using fake or pressed flowers and dried foods (example...apples) in gel candles? Does anyone know of a web site?

[Everito Bandito]

Hi Soprey,

I've never made a gel candle but I did stay in a HolidayInn Express last night..

Here's a couple of links be sure to read section 4. from the first link if you are not already familiar with polarity safety issues of using fragrance oils in gel.

http://www.gelcandlemaking.com/

Here's another site that has a lot on gels.

http://www.brighterscents.com/?OVRAW=Candle%20making%20supplies&OVKEY=candle%20making%20supply&OVMTC=standard

Hope some of this will be helpful while you're waitng on some answers from the pros here at CT..

[Vicky_CO]

Well the thing is you can't use those things in a regular gel candle you can use them in a double glassed or what we call a forever candle. I swear one of these days I am going to make a tutorial on forever candles. But I don't know of a single place that has a good tutorial on them.

[soprey]

Hello, Thank-you for the advice and web sites!!:smiley2:

I was thinking i would need a double glass insert, with them, I'll need to do some looking around to purchase them. Here is a beautiful web site i found what i am trying to do. www.candleswithspirit.com

I was thinking that i would either need to dip the flowers and or apples first in gel and stick them in the glass container and then fill the rest up with gel to get the flowers and/or apples to stay in place. Just a guess, i'll have to test it out.

[Everito Bandito]

You're welcome. That website http://www.candleswithspirit.com/ says, "Refillable Scented Gel Candles" at the bottom of the homepage, so they may be double glassed.

Aha, I see what they are doing now, they have an insert in it using a votive holder (I think) and say that Tea Lights can be used as refills.

Even though I haven't made a gel candle yet, I do have a fair amount of interest in them and hope to get around to making at least one. I would think that making and selling them might be a fairly lucrative business or at least a lucrative addition to a small candle business.

I just like the way they look. Due to current health issues I couldn't meet production in any kind of candle business to make it worthwhile, but still, even making candles for a hobby I seek to make a safe and as high of a quality product as can be made. So I tend to read as much as I can find on the safety aspect..

[soprey]

Thank-you for the heads up!:highfive:

I see now on the web site that the gel candles have inserted a votive, they look like tall votives. Last year i ordered a gel candle threw my daughters school fundraiser and the gel candles had plastic inserts, but they would melt and bend. I have short glass votives I am going to use. about 2 1/2 inches tall. That should not look bad.

I'll send in a picture when i make it.

[sdcopeland@mchsi.com]

that would be wonderful Vicky, i am looking forward to it.:highfive:

[DonnaP]

Vicky please let me know when you do the tutorial on forever candles. I would really like to read that. My wife and I was discussing forever candles the other night. We are trying to figure out just how the votive glass goes in the the top of the gel candle. Do you submerge the votive glass in the gel and the then put a tea light candle in the the votive container. Or, do you fill the votive glass with gel and a wick, then inbed that in the top of the gel of the forever candle. I've never seen a web site that really explains how you do that part.

Thanks

Bill

Jacksonville Fla

[Twoscentsworth]

Bill you can do it either way BUT it is easiest to insert the votive or other glass into the gel empty, that way you can hold it on the inside with your fingers.... I like to get the insert glass level with the gel in the outer container, just looks better to me that way.

There are a few methods to doing the inserts....you can add the insert while the gel in the outer container is still very warm and almost filled (gotta be a good judge of how much gel the insert will displace) or you can fill the outer container just to where the insert will sit, let it set up and then place your insert on top and pour enough gel into the outer container and around the insert just enough to hold the insert, let that gel set up and then do another pour. As with most things gel related it is a matter of what is easiest for you... experimenting will give you an idea of what works best.

After I get the insert settled and evenly spaced then I wick it and fill it with gel.....then I provide instructions on how to remove the gel/wick once it has burned down and to replace with a votive or tealite.

HTH some.