# Candle making question



## Bruenor (Oct 2, 2008)

Hello everyone. I have a question about candle making, and I'm hoping to get some help.

Through my church, we have started a ministry to help the homeless in our city. One of the things that they ask for during the winter months are candles. They have little choices for light, and many of them have small shelters that a candle can warm very easily. So, with this knowledge, I ordered 100 pounds of scrap wax from a source online. I am using soup and vegetable cans to hold the wax, and the order just came today.

In my conversations with the supplier, she said that the wax contains wicks and could also contain some dirt. She recommended that I use an old t-shirt to filter the wax. So I took some of the smaller pieces, melted them on the double boiler, and used a t-shirt to filter them. The t-shirt was filtering the wax, but it was slow going. Then, when I moved to the second candle, the wax on the t-shirt started to harden, so I had to use a new piece of cloth for the next candle.

I wanted to know if there is an easier way for me to make these candles. I was thinking that if I can keep the wax hotter, both what I'm pouring and what stays on the cloth, it would work easier. My idea was to buy a heat gun and set it up to keep the wax warm. Is this a good idea or not?

Any input would be very helpful. It took me about 1.5 hours to make five candles, and I bought enough wax to make 90. I'd really like to find a way to speed things up.

Thanks!


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

My husband was playing with some bees wax and he just used a fine metal strainer and it did not ruin it.


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## Tinker (Apr 5, 2004)

It sounds like what you are doing is very slow and tedious. When making candles, you have to use certain wicks for certain types of wax, so with you having a mixture, not sure what wicks will work for you. Then, you have to test the wick/wax combo, to be sure they are burning properly. This is great to do if you have a lot of money to spend, and time to do the testing and research. It sounds like a great project, and it is wonderful that you are willing to help the homeless. I hate to discourage you, but it might be easier and a better use of your money to just buy ready made candles from the dollar store.


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## DragonFlyFarm (Oct 12, 2012)

Hello Bruenor! I use spent candles to make new candles with.. I use a large coffee can with a spout bent into it and melt the wax directly over low heat -- I find that the "crud" will sink to the bottom. Then just keep an eye on the cruddy bottom stuff and stop pouring when it gets close -- you could then strain the cruddy bit to maximize your wax usage. You do use different wicks for different diameter candles, but I've used whatever I've had on hand with good results. Good luck with your candle making!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Beeswax candles burn twice as long as paraffin. Maybe you could contact some large bee farmers and ask about using their cast offs. Again, the gunk will fall to the bottom when you melt the wax. The longest lasting candles are made from soy.


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