pillar question

[rebeccajo99]

I am looking at making some pillar candles for my church for the advent season. They just do not burn them long enough to get a nice even burn and they waste a lot of money buying new candles over and over. I've been brainstorming the idea of making a pillar and putting a tealight or votive cup flush with the top so they can just buy votives or tealights instead.

I have been doing a search here for a few weeks and just cannot find anything. Do/Did any of you ever make anything like that? If so, any hits or suggestions on how to do this?

Thanks

[Stella1952]

They're called "Forever Candles," or "Everlasting Candles" and there's a ton of info in the threads about them - just search for "forever or everlasting" and I'm sure you'll find what you need.

[beekeeper_sd]

Not to be biased or anything but, I would suggest making beeswax pillars. My 6 x 3 pillars will burn for approximately 90+ hours. Most churches, if they are burning real candles, won't burn anything but beeswax because they do not smoke or drip.

[rebeccajo99]

Thanks Stella

Go figure that they have an actual name and that would actually help me find information on them. Now, just need to keep reading and writting notes.

Once I feel comfortable enough in my research, I'll try one out and I'll post a pic.

[Stella1952]

Now, just need to keep reading and writting notes.

When I am researching, I keep "Notepad" or "Word Pad" open so I can take notes as I go along and never pick up a pen...

Highlight (click, hold the left mouse key down and drag it over the text you want to save, then release - the test should be highlighted. Then press ALT c to copy the highlighted text to the clipboard. Switch to the text file, position your cursor where you want the text to appear and press ALT v. The text will appear in the text file.

Very quick way to take notes and you don't have to read your own handwriting later! You can also save the URL of where you read something by highlighting it in the address bar at the top of your browser, copy & paste the same way as above. That way you can remember where you read something if you need to go back. HTH

Alt c = copy

Alt v = paste

Alt a = select (highlight) all

Edited February 5, 2010 by Stella1952

[grama]

rebeccajo99 I think I know what you mean. I make candles for a church also and they like the 4x6 pillars but they only burn them for about 2 hrs. I have also thought of trying something like that.

[Scented]

Not to be biased or anything but, I would suggest making beeswax pillars. My 6 x 3 pillars will burn for approximately 90+ hours. Most churches, if they are burning real candles, won't burn anything but beeswax because they do not smoke or drip.

I thought typically churches preferred beeswax for that reason.

[radellaf]

I've had beeswax drip as easily as paraffin. 2.5" seems to be the minimum diameter to have much certainty that the side-wall will hold, and 2 hour burns would be fine. I guess they like the 4" look, though, eh?

But, 1" and 2" pillars are more amenable to shorter-than-an-hour burn times. 2" with a #2/0 Square Braid is what I typically make. It doesn't _generally_ smoke, but then neither do 2" IGI1274 LX-10 pillars. In historical times, though, I imagine it was hard to get good paraffin, and anything beats beef tallow

"For mystical reasons the Church prescribes that the candles used at Mass and at other liturgical functions be made of beeswax (luminaria cerea. — Missale Rom., De Defectibus, X, I; Cong. Sac. Rites, 4 September, 1875). The pure wax extracted by bees from flowers symbolizes the pure flesh of Christ received from His Virgin Mother..."

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01347a.htm