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hi. i'm new here and new to making candles as well. I plan to make and sell candles as a business. can anyone tell me if there are some good candle making training programs available to help me get start RIGHT please? Either online, in-person or dvd training, etc.? I also need training in the candle marketing areas. I'm in Mississippi. thanks everybody,

Nate

p.s. if you care to personally email me it is nate55@bellsouth.net

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The best way to learn is trial and error. Reading through message boards such as this one is probably the best reading material. I was making candles for fun years before I thought I was good enough to sell. Candles are kinda tricky, what may work for someone else may not work for you. Different climates can also affect your candles.

Have fun, experiment... A lot of suppliers have candle making kits for beginners. They are a great way to get your feet wet :smiley2:.

A lot of people think candle making can get you quick money fast, with little investment... I would be scared to go back and see how much all my investments would be.

Just read as much as you can on these boards. Decide on what kind of wax you want to work with then read all you can on that certain wax. Find out what kind of wicks people common use then start with that. Also take note on temperature pour, fo loads and so on.

Candle making is fun to learn :smiley2:.

Good Luck!

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Welcome to the board! There is a ton of information here for candlemaking so get started by reading, and read, read, read!

You will need to decide on a catagory of wax you would like to try such as soy, parrafin, parasoy, palm, beeswax. Then select what type; preblended, straight, etc. of that wax that would be best for your application; container, pillar, tart, votive. Then you will want to select the type and size wick that best suits that candle application, wax, container, etc.

That will get you started as there is a lot of reading just for those things alone.

As far as classes go there are candle making conferences that go on several times a year in different states. Usually put together by various candlemaking suppliers. Sometimes they even have basic classes at the supply store you can attend.

I would work on making a good candle product before I worry about how to market it. Candlemaking takes lots of time, patience, testing, and money just to make one good, safe, candle.

Its hard to make a living off of candles and many don't or just do it part time or as a hobby. So your best bet is to start from the beginning and learn how to make that first great candle.

It's fun to make candles and you will probably get bitten by the candlemaking bug once you start. Once you get started than this is a great place to ask more general or specific questions regarding your candle. Have fun and don't forget to ask for help along the way!

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Welcome, Nate. :)

You have a LONG way to go before you can even begin thinking about selling your candles. This is the school of hard knocks - no short cuts, no textbooks, no classrooms. My best suggestion is for you to STUDY - read, read, read here and on supplier & manufacturers' websites. Learn to use the site and Google site search tools (read the sticky note in General Candle Making forum about helpful hints for noobs - click on the forum usage to learn how to search; click on abbreviations to learn about terminology & supplier sites).

You need to decide what type of candles you would like to make - container, pillar, votive, taper, novelty, etc. Then you should think about what type of wax you would like to try - paraffin, soy, palm, beeswax or a combination product. Once you settle on a particular type/brand of wax, RESEARCH it thoroughly, find out what is available within driving distance to your home (shipping costs can double your materials costs). Some people chose to purchase a beginner's kit from a reputable supplier; others put together their own beginning kits.

Please do not think that this is something you can get off the ground in the next 3-6 months... more like a year or more if you really study, test & push hard! Don't quit your day job!! ;)

Having said all that, I hope you will not be discouraged. Many folks think candle making is as simple as buying some wax, wicks, FO & put all in a container, light and enjoy. SOOOOOO not so!! Understanding that candle making is a skilled craft that takes time and a lot of effort to achieve the level of having a safe, viable product to sell will give you a big leg up to learning! Too many people rush out, buy some stuff, throw together a product and start selling at craft shows and on eBay. They give us ALL a black eye with their dangerous, poorly made products, not to mention the erroneous information and hype they spread to others because they have not learned anything much for themselves.

CT is one of the best resources for learning on the internet. I hope you'll spend a LOT of time here reading & learning. :read:

If you get stuck on something, don't hesitate to ask questions - there are folks here who will be glad to help you learn.

Anyhow...

Welcome, neighbor, & best wishes on your new addiction! :wave:

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Stella, you are so right about this! I also thought all i had to do was buy some wax, melt it, put a wick in it, add some fragrance and that's it. Tried it and failed miserably; what a humbling experience!:o

Me too! Thankfully I had someone teach me the basics but I never realized how much there was to it.

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You don't even really need to read that much on the board before trying to do something. I see a lot of people start off much too complicated and get confused when they do that, so I figure no point getting into the complications before the basics.

Check out the instructions here:

http://www.candletech.com/candle-making-basics/

Choose containers, pillars, or votives and give it a try according to the instructions.

The other thing you'll need right off the bat is a reliable source of quality candlemaking materials--most likely ordered online. There are a number of suppliers that are popular with the members here. Perhaps choose one that's relatively close to you:

http://suppliersbystate.com/

Generally you can narrow it down to the ones that just say "C" under Type.

Edited by topofmurrayhill
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Sounds like a neat kit. The problem I have with it is that there will be 3 different kinds of wax in it. Ideally you should be working with one wax at a time before you move onto the next. Also, the basic pillar instructions are for a parrafin pillar wax and not the crystal palm in the kit. These waxes behave differently and have different melting and pouring temps.

If it were me I would try a kit for one particular candle application and learn how to make that candle before moving onto something else. If you want to get to the point of selling your candles you really need to know as much as possible about making that one particular candle.

It does say to follow the instructions for the wax according to the manufacturers but the kit doesn't specify who that is unless I missed that info. I would look around on the site and see what waxes they offer and call them to ask which votive wax, soy, and palm is in the kit and who the manufacturer is. Then you can go to their websites and get some specific instructions for heating and pouring etc. of that wax.

Kits are a great way to start you on your way to candlemaking and you should have some fun with it. Looks like this kit has what you need so you should be okay. You can come to this forum for help when you have questions.

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The wax will depend on what kind of candle you want to make. There are no perfect waxes. Every wax has its pros and cons so working with a wax is how you learn to perfect your candle application.

For example; if you want to make a soy container candle it is best to get a soy container wax. There are several popular soy container waxes; Cargills C3, Golden Brands GB464, Ecosoya CB135, etc. There are lots more but those are pretty popular and lots of people here use them so you can get more feedback on questions you may have.

So decide what kind of candle you want to make then that will narrow down the wax type you need.

I know Peaks has some great candle kits under $60 for making either soy containers, votives, or pillar candles. Look them up at

http://www.peakcandle.com/category/Candle-Making-Kits.aspx

BTW-- Peaks is a great candlemaking supplier and you will probably become a repeat customer. I love their fragrance oils.

Edited by Candybee
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