pooky Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 yeah... i have a habit of wanting to start with something difficult whenever i take up a new hobby. anywho, i decided that this year for christmas, i wanted to make candles for everyone. my inspiration for this idea were candles i saw being sold at the renaissance faire in my area. they were, like, layered inside, then sliced partway down the sides (so when they were sliced, they were also striped inside... sorry if i'm bad at describing this, heh). the sliced pieces were then curled down and stuck to the bottom. they sorta resembled flowers with very large stamens... i was wondering, before i went and spent a lot of money experimenting, if anyone had any suggestions on how to do this at home? XD the layered part isn't that important, it's mostly the shape i wanted to copy. thanks <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YooperCandles Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Those are carved candles from the sounds of it.Hopefully the master of carved candles, Bruce, will chime in here and let you know all about them.Look in the gallery and you will probably see some of his wonderful work.HTH ~ Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Mmm Bruce might be somewhat mum about the carved candles lol! It is a family secret However, I hear there's a pretty good book about candle carving and BCN carries it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooky Posted November 23, 2005 Author Share Posted November 23, 2005 well, being a complete novice, i'd assume i'd make a pillar candle, then maybe take a heatgun on a low setting or something and heat up where i wanted to slice the wax, do that carefully, and then curl it down... i guess my biggest question is like, how hot, how long, easiest/best way to cut wax, tips maybe on curling it down, etc. i'll look around some more and check out the book that was mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 well, being a complete novice, i'd assume i'd make a pillar candle, then maybe take a heatgun on a low setting or something and heat up where i wanted to slice the wax, do that carefully, and then curl it down... i guess my biggest question is like, how hot, how long, easiest/best way to cut wax, tips maybe on curling it down, etc. i'll look around some more and check out the book that was mentioned. Assuming is always a problem I know very little about them, but I do know once you have the basic star pillar you dip it in other colors to create the layers. This also warms the wax. I'd definately recommend the book. If you do a search on cut n carve(or curl) candles, it might turn up. Not to be discouraging, but man, you've got your work cut out for you. I wouldn't even recommend trying to make pillars that burn properly by Christams, let alone leaning to do a cut n carve. Good luck though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie D Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Also, you will need a certain kind of wax to make these candles. I buy the same wax to make some of my candles. I buy it from Candlewic.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanaE Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Cut 'N Carve candles are a true art, and I don't think you'll master it by Christmas. Bruce makes gorgeous cut 'n carve (or curl) candles and you'll see some of them in the gallery. It does involve dipping the candle in various colored waxes, and you have to have the correct wax to do it.I'd suggest you go with some basic pillars or basic containers, test them with a few different sized wicks to see what burns best and just do that. Or even better, make votives and tie something pretty around them. They don't need as much testing and you can usually hit upon the correct wick within 3 tries Tarts might even be a better idea. Make some tarts, include a tart warmer and some tea lights and you're ready to go. You'd still have to test a few waxes and a bunch of scents, but at least you wouldn't have the wicking problem to work with....DanaE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam W Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Making Donita's pretty water candles would be a nice alternative..and might be accomplished by Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceCarvesWax Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Ummmm, maybe for this year you should try something else. Carved candles can take lots of money to get into and not everyone can do them. My wife has been hanging out with me for 24 years and has only made a few that she thinks are good enough to sell. Really all you need is a few folgers cans full of wax, a bucket of water and a knife to get you started. Dip a star taper candle about 30 times in the wax and water back and forth.. then cut the dickens out of it. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debscent Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Ummmm, maybe for this year you should try something else. Carved candles can take lots of money to get into and not everyone can do them. My wife has been hanging out with me for 24 years and has only made a few that she thinks are good enough to sell. Really all you need is a few folgers cans full of wax, a bucket of water and a knife to get you started. Dip a star taper candle about 30 times in the wax and water back and forth.. then cut the dickens out of it. BruceYou make it sound so EASY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.