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The candle making art is a very easy as well as an interesting craft. All one needs in the making of candles is a few ingredients, some tools and equipment which are all basic and may be found in the home vicinity. The different candle varieties differ in height, size, color and can have scents or not. The scent and the color may be added to the melting wax when mixing to generate different candle variations.

The preparation of candles requires equipment and materials like the paraffin wax bought in granulated form in many craft stores. Color dyes can also be used to give the candle a magnificent look and because of their concentration, a small amount should be used. An amount of stearic acid is needed to allow the fast shrinking and cooling of the hot wax. Measurement of the stearic acid should be deliberate. A wick, used to light the candle should not be too big or too small, so that the candle burns well and gives adequate lighting.

The user should have a wick holder, a thermometer for temperature regulation and a double boiler for melting the wax and/or mixing the dye and stearic acid. Spoons to stir the wax, knives to cut the wax, lead weights for keeping the wick at the center and molds for design which are ready made are other equipments. To begin making, the double boiler should be placed with the outside filled with water and the wax placed in the inner container. This is so because wax is flammable at a certain temperature and should not come into contact with direct heat.

Then in another pot, the dye can be mixed with the stearic acid and the mixture should not be boiled. The acid is used in shrinking and hardening the wax. The wick should then be tied a small knot to the wick holder or pencil and at the other end the lead weight should be tied and placed in the mold.

Measure the temperature of the boiling wax, with the thermometer, and when it has reached 1900, add the stearic acid mixture to the dye and stir together with a spoon maintaining a 1900 temperature level. The acid should be 10% while the wax should be 90% when mixing. Pour this mixture to the mold and then give it time to harden and shrink. When it is completely cool, it can then be detached from the mold. After a careful follow-up of this procedure, the result is a candle.

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