How to make Gel Candles
In order to make gel candles you are going to need gel, zinc wicks, the essential oil that you want to use for fragrance and liquid color dye. You can buy these materials online at a candle-making supplier.
You will need to make sure that you use essential oils and colors that have been made just for gel candles. Another thing that you are going to need is a 2-inch wide glass container. If you want to use embeds they should be non-flammable such as marbles, glitter, sand, sea shells, pebbles, polished stones, crystals, colored aquarium gravel, artificial jewels or pearls.
Now that you have all of your supplies it is time to make your candle. The first thing that you will want to do is place a small amount of hot glue in the middle of the container’s bottom. This is where you will set the wick and allow it to dry. While this is drying you can cut your gel into small pieces so that you can melt it faster and more evenly when you place it in a stainless steel pot over a medium heat.
Once your gel is exactly 200°F you will need to maintain that temperature until all of the gel becomes smooth like syrup. After the gel melts you can slowly add color dye until you get the color that you want. If you are going to add embedded objects then you should use a light color. You can also add 1/3 teaspoon of fragrance for each glass of melted gel that you have. If you like strong fragrances you may have to add a little more. In order not to have any bubbles you are going to need to heat your container in the oven at 150°F next. Once you have the gel prepared it is time to add the embeds. These should be kept closer to the sides of the containers so that they can be seen. Now set your container on a level surface and slowly pour the hot gel into it and pull the wick up. In order to keep the wick straight you will want to roll it with a pencil.
Now you are done and the candle can cool. Once it is cool you can trim the wick if you wish. Either way you now have a unique, beautiful gel candle.BE CAREFUL WHEN HANDLING HOT OBJECTS AND AROUND OPEN FLAMES, SAFETY FIRST!
Written by me! on April 29th, 2007 with
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