Water Balloon Luminaries
A fun and easy project with a beautiful payoff. Learn how to make these Balloon Luminaries.
| You Will Need: |
| High-Melt Paraffin Wax (IGI 1260) |
| Water Balloons |
| Double Boiler |
| Cookie Sheet |
1. Fill a water balloon with tepid water.
2. Melt your wax. Optimum working temperature for this project is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Try to maintain this temperature for your wax while working by keeping it on a double boiler.
3. Slowly dip your balloon into the wax to just below the water level in the balloon. Warning: Do not dip the balloon into the wax past the water level. This could cause the balloon to pop.
4. Hold the balloon in the wax for a few seconds, and then slowly lift it out of the wax. Dip the balloon a few more times, allowing some time between dips to let the wax cool.
5. While it is still quite warm, carefully set the balloon down onto a piece of paper or a cookie sheet, making sure it is level. This will create a flat bottom for the luminary.
6. Dip your balloon a few more times until it is the desired thickness. A good target thickness is 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.
7. Set the balloon on the paper or cookie sheet again and let it cool.
8. When the wax is completely cooled, hold the balloon over a sink or bucket, facing away from you. Carefully pop the balloon with a skewer or knife and let the water drain out. Throw away the balloon shards.
9. To level the top of the luminary, heat a cookie sheet on the stove and place the luminary top-down onto the hot sheet and carefully melt the edges until it is level.
10. Place a tea light or votive inside the luminary and burn on a candle holder in a dark area.
Here is an example of these luminaries when using dye.
This is a beautiful, beautiful idea. I'll definitely try this.
Crafty! thanks for posting.
Surely the wax would melt once you burn a candle in it?
IGI 1260 was used for these (a high melt paraffin). The higher melting point paraffin makes it resistant to melting. Generally, tea-lights and votives will not produce enough heat to melt it, unless they are grossly over-wicked. If it does melt, you can always throw it back in the melter and reuse the wax.
I tried this and am very pleased with the results. I am actually making them right now and will use them for my sister's wedding.
A few modifications: The balloons must be larger than regular water balloons. I highly recommend large party balloons.
The container in which you melt the wax must be atleast 1 inch deeper than the height of the luminary. I also reccommend making the luminary atleast 1/2 an inch thick.
I recommend that after you remove the balloon add extra wax to the bottom. This is due to the weight of the water in the balloon, it tends to thin out the wax on the bottom. and if it is too thin the tealight will melt through.
I have tried store bought, home made, metal and plastic tealights. So far, the plastic container, store bought or homemade, tealights work best. They cause the least amount of softening due to the plastic not becoming as hot as metal.
I hope these tips have helped anyone else. This has been one of the best ideas and funnest I have come across. Good luck to all!
I have seen a bit of sand used in the bottom of the shell to avoid melting/thinning over time.
I have a blog where I sometimes feature tutorials that I find on the web. I would like to mention your tutorial and provide them with a link , if OK with you.
Thanks
This is such a beautiful idea!
This is by far the best tutorial on candles I have read in a long time. Great information.
Have you ever put scented oils in the wax for this project? What about adhering something to the outside like glitter or sand? We are thinking about this for Christmas presents.
I love these they are so fun to make! I would like to see more ideas like this one.
This is the neatest idea. i will definitely try this. Has anyone tried transporting or shipping these and what did you use?
Wow - these are lovely!
I would think that you could add something between layers for texture, maybe leaves. Rolling it in sand or glitter while still soft might work too. I like the sand in the bottom idea too, for weight and fireproofing.
This is a beautiful idea, thank you so much for sharing this!
This is a great idea!!!
Thanks!
Do you think this would work with beeswax?
Bellissimo! Thank you for sharing.
I thought it'd be a neat Halloween touch to have silhouettes in the wax, of a jack-o-lantern face or a bat or some other shape. I tried aluminum foil, after the luminary was about three-quarters dipped, but I couldn't figure out a good way to affix the foil to the dipped wax... they kept slipping around and sliding off! Still, if I could figure out a way to keep the foil still I think it'd look kind of neat, especially at night...
These are so beautiful! I love them - thank you for the tutorial!
A cool idea with these is to have multiple layers about 1/16" each, using several different colours (allowing each layer to cool before dipping in another colour)
You can then (carefully : ) carve out a design through a couple of the top layers to reveal the different colours.
Also, if you make the last (top) colour a darker one, where you carve our will be thinner and the light will shine through the pattern even better!
Gorgeous idea. Thank you for your sharing. I love it...
I might try out a few of these to do at my wedding. Awesome!
These are beautiful! Now I am just trying to figure out who I can make them for!!
wow! :P
I love it...and will certainly mention it in my blog.
I love this post. Thanks.
Keep up the good posting.........
Just make sure not to leave the candle unattended.
Once the wax is burned off anything below the candle will start to burn. Better put it on a porcelain or metal plate (glass might crack when hot)! Once my Halloween pumpkin almost caused a fire when I used a homemade candle a friend gave me. Even though It was in a (thin) glass holder. The glass must have cracked under the heat during the night as the wax melted and the wax poured into the dry pumpkin acting as an accelerant.
These luminaries seem so easy to do. I'm not really a crafter person, but I will try this one.. but I have a question, I live in Mexico and when you say High Melt Paraffin Wax, is it the same I can buy in any store? Or is kind of special one?
How long in advance can I make these? My wedding is 9/19/09. Can I make them now for my wedding? Will they last?
Here's another fun thing you can do with balloons: fill them with air, and cover them in chocolate syrup. Put in the freezer, wait, pop the balloon, and voila! Chocolate bowl!
The best way to stop the tea lights from melting the bottom is to add a small amount of water to the bottom.
Have seen these sold before, awesome to know how to make them!!!!
wow this is an extremely beautiful idea and it is sooo easy... I'm definitely going to give it a shot :)
I think it would be worthwhile adding a safety warning to this.
Molten wax is perfectly safe if kept under control at the temperature suggested, but it does have a flash-point (similar to chip fat) beyond which it can become very dangerous. Don't leave melting wax unattended!
What a lovely idea. I want to go buy some wax and water balloons now.
Wow wow wow, that is GORGEOUS! I am going to have to try that!
Way cool!
Wow these are great, I home educate and my children would love making these for Christmas presents. Thank you for sharing :) If it is okay with you, I shall add your link to my live journal. xx
When trying to make the balloon luminaries I wanted to know just placing a tea light or votive the heat puts off inside wouldn't cause the wax used for forming the balloon luminaries to melt?
I wanna try it; how do you put a wick in it though?
Instead of using regular tea lights - why not get those small ones that are battery operated? They don't give off heat. They make some that flicker like a flame.
I am going to try making these for the holidays.
This is the best idea that I have ever seen.
Love,
Samantha
Great idea- I was initially worried it might melt, but after reading the comments I don't think that would be a problem.
Can't wait to try it out!
Instead of popping the balloon with a skewer maybe you should place a piece of tape on the balloon and then poking it with a needle or something else small and sharp. What this does, the balloon won't just pop! It will just nicely let anything inside to come out smoothly.
Interesting site! Great idea for making water balloon luminaries. I give it a thumbs up!!
Great idea.. I want to try this one!!
Awesome site.
Having fun so far...but... my kitchen is now a huge mess. 2 of my balloons popped ( I think they hit the bottom) but other than that, so far so good!
If you dip deeper than the water line of the balloon, that will cause them to pop too. ;)
I just made these and they look great!
www.flickr.com/.../3053677369
I wasn't sure how much paraffin to get, so I ordered 20 lbs. We made 15 luminaries out of about 8 lbs that are approximately 5 or 6 inches in diameter. Most were on the thin side so if you do the recommended 1/4 to 1/2 thick you will probably get fewer.
Also, I had never worked with paraffin or made candles so wasn't sure what to expect. I did quick in and out dips and my luminaries were smooth but very thin. My friend dipped for longer and her's were thicker but a bit bumpy (at least I think that's why they turned out the way they did).
Ooooo...cheap wedding center pieces! Thanks for the idea!
These are wonderful. Thanks a lot. Do you know how to make wax trees?
Nice post, thanks for sharing, I love arts and crafts, and I think more families should enjoy them together and stop watching so much TV. Have a great weekend!
Great looking project, but turned out disastrous when I tried it. once the 3rd balloon broke, and wax was covering my stove and sweat shirt, I gave up. I didn't go above the water line, and didn't touch the bottom of the pot...they just kept bursting. Oh well.
Any tips to getting the wax coating out of the double boiler?
A little tip: Don't get actual WATER balloons. Those are designed to be made of thin latex so they'd easily pop (think about how you'd use water balloons--for water balloon fights!)
Get balloons that are made to be filled with helium. They're thicker and might work better against the heat preventing popping when dipping them into the hot wax.
Cheap (in price=cheap in quality) balloons tend to be thinner too.
Thanks for the great idea, will make awesome Christmas gifts!
O'k. I really like this idea. and I have tried to make a few. However, I do have a couple of questions.
What size Balloons are the general the right size?
My frist attempt was with 12' helium. It is not possible to get the right size for a tealight out of these.
How do you get tepid water into the balloon?
I'm not sure about everyone else but, the water out of my faucet is not close to boiling. Is there a temp that I can try and get close to?
Thanks for your help, Happy Holidays
Jerry.
Jerry, try 9" helium balloons. They are fairly common.
Some have asked us exactly which balloons we used for this project. We used cherry scented water balloons found at a local discount store. We didn't pick those for any particular reason, they just happened to be the only balloons available that day. And we had no problems. However, I think we may have just been lucky. After discussing experiences with several people, 9-inch party or helium balloons seem to be the better way to go.
Also, "tepid" implies lukewarm or room-temperature (as used here).
Hope that helps.
Happy Holidays back at you!
Cool!! Is there anything else you could use to melt the wax besides a double-boiler? I want to make some for Christmas, but I don't wanna have to but the boiler. Would a regular pan work?
I love this!! What a fantastic thrifty way to make something fabulous!
I have a blog for brides and I think they would be interested in using this idea in their weddings. I'm going to do a blog about it and link here! Is that okey-dokie?
I've just made a batch of these with the recommended paraffin and both 7" and 9" helium quality latex balloons. I had perfect success with the 7" balloons filled with my kitchen faucet to about the size shown in the photos above (a little larger than 4" diameter). I tried my first 9" balloon, filled to about a 6" diameter and as soon as it hit the water it exploded! I'm covered in paraffin, bangs to socks, but I'm super pleased with the success that I did have with the smaller balloons!
(What to do with the mess? I've put it on my deck outside to cool. I'm hoping the water will separate from the paraffin so I can make more of the small ones!) I'll report back on my outcome!)
very good idea.thank you so much for sharing this ........ .WONDERFUL .................
Wow, this is amazing!!!
wo, itz imaculate..... i'l surely try it............
very interesting. I have never tried candle making before, wondering about how much it costs to make a dozen. I have a paraffin bath at home. Is the high melt paraffin wax same to those for hand treatment? Can I just use the paraffin bath set instead of the double boiler. I have some 5" and 11" balloons at home...don't have 9".
cool project...
What a great idea.
Thanks for share.
This is truely a wonderful idea. The finished product is just beautiful! Thanks so much!
Awesome site.
Awesome site thanks
Awesome site.
I am a dutch amateur candlemaker and was searching the net when I stumbled on this candletechnique. I am not familiar with english names for candle waxes and supplies.
I use this technique in several ways. one of them is after you have gotten rid of the balloon and have your candleshell, you can put your shell for 15 seconds upside down in the hot wax so you can decorate the top of your shell, as long as the wax is stretcheable you can use your fingers, a knife , scissor, even dip it in cold granulated pouring wax so to give the top of your shell or if you like it the whole shell a crumbly look. you have to glue the bits with hot wax by dipping it for 1 second in the boiler. the moment you notice that your shell is cooling down again, dip it one second again in the hot wax and you can on with decorating your shell. you can even fill it with a candlewick and cold granulated pouring wax and glue them with a bit of hot wax so you have a candle.
Linking to this project via dollarstorecrafts.com. This is so amazing.
Thanks to all the commenters who posted their tips, as well!
Absolutly great, simple and beautiful!! Bravo
Pascal
From http://www.agitatto.com/blog
amazing
Wont the holder melt?
I really enjoyed making the water balloon luminaries, however, can you please advise me on what to do, my water balloon's keep busting in the wax, I am using water balloons. Every time I submerge the balloon it busts. please advise. Thank you.
Wonderful project. If you don't have a double boiler, place a large empty coffee can in a 2-3 quart sauce pan. Fill pan with water about 4-5 inches up the sides of the can. Place paraffin in the can. Watch carefully, as paraffin can ignite quickly if temp gets too high. Thank you.
Cheryl - March 12, 2009 10:30 PM
These are beautiful but when lit with the tealights they kept melting and collapsing in. Any suggestions?
we're using this idea for our wedding reception & I purchased those LED fake tealights at the dollar store... I figure using fake candles will produce the same effect, but the wax won't melt on our rented tablecloths!
Before I got a double boiler, I used a regular boiling pot, put a canning jar lid on the bottom and placed my pot of wax on top of that, works great. Just make sure your water doesn't get too low. And old tin or metal coffee pot works awesome to melt your wax in.
I haven't tried these yet but I plan to next time I see some good quality balloons in the stores. Awesome idea, thank you.
Lovely methods on ur site!! :-)
i used to make candles n wondered why it sunk in after dryin! now i know.. ll try all these :)
What a wonderful idea. I am gonna have to try this
I would definitely like to try this. Thanks for candle making technique
That looks amazingly simple and the end product seems like something most of us would spend extravagantly for. Thanks for the step-by-step instructions.
Cool stuff, and easy to do. Gonna try this when I got some spare time :)
MARAVILHOSA IDEIA, POSSO COPIAR?
OBRIGADA , DENISE
ÓTIMO
Excelente ideia.
Prático e bonito!!!
Outstanding project to try from home deco to gift giving. Highly reccomend reading all the posts before attempting to get an idea of things people experienced. I'm going to use scrapbook stickers of sorts to apply between dips.
I used Vybar in mine wax prior to. It makes them stiffen up a bit. Afterward, my tea light didn't melt the wax and I burned it until the tea light was gone. I used one that the lip had been a little flimsy on and made a water votive out of it. Similiar to a water candle only the wax was poured around the lip. The design was amazing and I have it to one of the teachers at school and of coarse I kept the other one.
PS. If you haven't tried water candles...do it. I have made five teacher's gift's this year and I can't wait.
Kelly
Muito lindo, pena que não sei ingles, caso possa enviar em portugues ficarei muito grata. Felicidades e Parabens.
lemes51.
maravilhoso pena que não sei ingles, faço parte de diversos programas voluntarios como artesã, e gostaria de obter essa receita em portugues se possiel. saude e paz.
lemes51
Ola...adorei a idéia da luminária....vou fazer algumas...obrigada.
Beijos
thankyou very much
lol (sort of) on the balloon explosion! Okay, that does not sound too fun to be honest.
Given the high-tech sounding wax involved for this experiment, is it still cheap to make a lot of these? Anyone felt like breaking down how much the per-unit cost would be?
Great idea - thanks for the inspiration! Just one question, to get a flat bottom on your lantern, do you just let it sit on the bench after the last dip propped up with something? I can't wait to make them, i am also starting to make hurricane lanterns with moulds and embedded flowers - i will let you know how they turn out.
Does anyone know how much wax I will need if I am only going to make 4 of them?
If you use a couple of colours you can get some interesting effects. Do a couple of layers of a final colour, over a completed holder, and melt off circles (using the cookie sheet method, if you like) to reveal the colour underneath.
This looks like a fun project for my daughter and I. Thanks for the post, they looks beautiful.
Hi,
Has anyone tried to make these with Palm wax mixed with Stearine or Vybar instead of using Paraffin Wax?
I have tried making a big one once but may have added too much stearine (6% I think). I was hoping to get the chrystalized structure of the palm wax but this didn't quite work. Anyone has any experience using Palm wax on this project?
Okay, I just gave it another try with Palm wax and have just realized again why I had given up on this project a year ago as I kept having the same problem over and over again.
When I dip the balloon into the wax all goes well, but as soon as I pull it out the sides crack or the sides crack as soon as I put it down on a sheet. I have tried dipping a few times first before setting it down on a sheet and I have tried setting it down after each layer. Nothing works! Finally after the last try the balloon (helium) popped so I can throw away the wax.
Can anyone help me please and tell me how I can avoid the cracks?
Thank you so much in advance for any help!
I am afraid, Marieke, that is the nature of palm wax. These are best made with paraffin.
What a terrific idea and so pretty! Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing.