Layered Container Candles
Add your own unique touch to regular container candles with fragrance and color combinations.
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You will need:
Instructions: 1. Wick your container as usual. You may want to use a wick centering tool to keep your wick in place. |
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2. Melt your wax in a double boiler or wax melter. 3. Pour out enough wax to fill one-third (or one-half, depending on how many layers you want) of your jar into a pouring pitcher and add desired color and fragrance. 4. Fill your container to form the desired thickness of your first layer. 5. Allow the first layer to solidify, but do not wait for it to cool all the way to room temperature. It should still be warm when you proceed to the next layer. |
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6. Heat your wax for your second pour to the same temperature as the original pour. If you pour too hot, it can melt the first layer and cause streaking between the two colors. A good temperature to shoot for is about 165 degrees F. 7. Add any color and fragrance you like. Here, we used different colors with the same fragrance throughout. 7. Pour your wax to the desired thickness of the second layer. 8. Allow the layer to solidfy. If pouring additional layers, do so while this layer is still warm, but solid. |
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9. Pour your final layer and allow it to cool completely. 10. Remove your wick centering tool and trim your wick to about 1/4 inch. Tip: Try playing with different thickness for a truly unique candle. |
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Filed under: Techniques
I make these but I can't let them cool completely or the wax pulls away from the jar too much and the second layer "runs" down between the first layer and the jar. What kind of wax are you using that doesn't "pull" away???
I had the same problem with my regular container candles. I read up on the website and found that if I heat my containers in the oven at about 200 degrees or just below I have no problems with the wax sticking to the walls. I had extra wax one batch but not enough to fill a container that was available and I just poured it into a preheated container. A few days or week later I was making another batch that went well with the fragrance that I poured in the container so I just poured it on top of that one. Everything worked out well. My mother just got done burning it to the bottom. =D All of this was done with classic container single pour wax.
Good Luck!
I love all the articles that I have read so far. I am especially looking forward to learning how to prepare the colour to get the swirl effect.
Thank you.
I actually have been making layered candles for some time now and here's what I do - I melt enough wax to make the first layer (usually around 4 oz. for the first layer of a 2-layer candle in a 9 oz. hex jar). I put in the fragrance and dye while the wax is in the melting pot, mix it, and pour it into the jar. I let that cool for ONLY 45 minutes - long enough to get a "skin" on top, but not long enough to make the wax pull away. After 45 minutes, I melt wax for the second layer, add fragrance and dye, and heat it to 10 DEGREES HOTTER than the first layer I poured. This helps it adhere, but doesn't melt the bottom layer. I let that cool completely, then refill the pit around the wick (because I don't use single-pour wax). I've never had a problem with wax running or the bottom layer melting. One word of advice though - always put the LIGHTER color on the bottom! Even if the bottom layer doesn't melt completely, the very top of it will and the darker dye will mix with the lighter wax. I learned that the hard way!
I am having problems with my candles having crackels in the glass. Even after heating the jars the wax is cracking on the sides of the jar taking away from the effect of the candle. What am I doing wrong. p.s. It mainly happens in the layered candles not the single pour candles.
My soy containers look and smell good...they just don't burn well. Rather than consuming all of the wax, it just burns the core out. What am I doing wrong...or any suggestions???
Jeff,
The reason your core is burning out and leaving a lot along the sides has more to do witht he type of wick you are using.
If your wick is to small for the container or candle you are making you will have it where only the core burns out or a lot of left over wax on the side walls.
A place I went to when I first started making candles was
www.lonestarcandlesupply.com/.../candle-wicks
Additionally most candle supply places you may purchase your wicks from will have breakdowns of recomended uses for their wicks.