I played around with some recycled candle wax bits. I had some cheeky silicone moulds as well as a candle stick mould that I hadn’t used before, and I tried some simple toilet roll candles too.

I’ve made “dipped” candles before, but never poured ones. Couple of things I learned:

• I probably need to put some holes in the silicone moulds for the wicks. Just putting them down into the bottom doesn’t work – the wicks float.
• The candle stick mould with a hole for the wick leaked all the wax out on the first try. On the second try I put a few knots in the wick to close the hole, but it made it hard to get the candle out of the mould. Apparently you can use something like clay to plug the hole (see below).
• Best pour hot into a thick-walled mould, or pre-heat the silicone, to prevent cracks at the surface where the wax instantly hardens.
• Pour slow to fill all the details and prevent hollowing out?
• Big candles take a while to cool down. Wait several hours before unmoulding.
• I should take more care to centre the wicks.. and think ahead and have what I need on hand. Maybe clothes pegs?
• Putting some essential oils in is nice.
  • Edit: but only a little bit. I added way too much