# candle making in canning jars



## UUmom2many

I got a boat load (100) canning jars and some have a few chips in the tops so i won't be using them for cannign but I can use them for making candles. 

I haven't made candles before. I dont' want anything scented. I dont' want to have to pay joann prices either since some of these are quart sized jars. 

Anyone have experience with using canning jars? I've seen people use baby food jars so i'm assuming canning are fine though maybe not bc of depth

so i'm looking for a good "recipe" and (cheap ) online candle making supply store


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## unregistered6474

I used to have a soy candle business and we made them in mason jars all of the time. The tricky part is experimenting and finding the right size of wick for the jar, because you want it to burn cleanly all the way across and not tunnel down the middle.

I would recommend Bitter Creek Candle Supply. Their web site is not much to look at, but they are very friendly and should be able to give you some recommendations. Here's their site:

http://www.candlesupply.com/

The soy wax looks expensive, but it burns very slowly. An 8 oz mason jar would burn for 50 hours.


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## Mistyf

Make sure your wick is centered. Be sure to make a check for cracks in the jars too. You wouldn't want a jar to burst open with hot wax in it.


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## UUmom2many

ok so i'm pretty sure i want soy flakes for melting and somethign that has a good stick capacity. I'm wondering about wicks. Shoudl i make my own or buy premade? Do i need to get sticky tabs fo rthe bottoms or metal bottoms if i use a wick holder? These are going to be for emergency candles and maybe a few citronella ones bc we have a huge mosquito problem. Some of the jars are 8" tall and 3" wide. how much wax would i need to fill it?


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## rs38bj

id like to see pictures and a description of the process when you've given it a go, sounds very interesting...


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## unregistered6474

We bought the wicks (the aren't that expensive) and sticky tabs, and then just stuck the wick to the bottom of the jar. We had wick holders to hold the wick centered, but you could probably just tie the end of the wick to a pencil balanced across the top of the jar or fashion your own. Trim the wick back once the wax is set up. You do need something to stick the wick to the bottom, otherwise it will float once the candle melts down.

You can melt the wax in an old crock pot or double boiler. Since we made a lot of candles at once, we used an electric turkey roaster. It does take a long time to melt down. 

You probably want an aluminum pitcher to pour the wax from the melter into your jars. You can get used aluminum pitchers at restaurant supply stores or sometimes you can find them in the camping section.

You can make very pretty candles by buying old teacups at thrift stores, wicking them, and filling with wax. Soy wax does clean up with soap and water, so after the candle is all used up you can wash out the cup and re-use.

the 8" tall jars would probably take about 12 oz of wax - BUT you don't have to fill it ALL the way up. It'll burn either way


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## Nomad

This is the place I bought all of my supplies. 

http://wholesalesuppliesplus.com/

They are very helpful and I thought the prices were pretty fair. Of course I was living only about 30 miles away, so I picked my orders up which saved me a ton on shipping because of the weight of the wax and jars. Since you already have jars and don't want scent, you should be able to make your candles very reasonably.

I almost forgot...we used a dab of hot glue to hold the wicks in the jar. It worked great.


Nomad


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## UUmom2many

i'm not too worried about prettiness, just function as we do get quite abit of blackouts durring hurricane season. I actually got supplies at michales relatively cheaply with a 50% off coupon. 4lbs of soy flakes for $11 not the greatest i know but i didn't have to pay shipping or wait for it. I picked up 12lbs and the wicks were about $2-3 for about 6. I got two large quart candles full and 1 pint with 4lbs of wax. They're not perfect but they burn and provide light which is what i wanted!


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## UUmom2many

oh and i used chopsticks to wrap the wicks around to keep them in place


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## Dandish

The lady at my local candle supply store gave me a tip about "wick holders" - at the dollar store you can get cheap plastic clothespins; after hot-gluing the wick/base to the bottom of the jar, thread the wick through the hinge of the plastic clothespin and then pinch it in the jaws, having the clothespin sitting on its side on the top of the jar. These are cheap, convenient, hold the wick tight/straight/well and can wash up if you get wax on them.


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