Creating home-made candles is one of those skills that our pioneering ancestors learned as they grew up, along with soapmaking, sewing and a whole lot of other things. Learning this skill is actually pretty easy and it translates well into our modern world. If you’re looking for a nice little hobby that can save you a dollars and relax you a little, here’s some basic pointer for starting out making some candles in your own home.

Now that you’re gonna begin, here’s what you need: a whole lot of wax; you can easily obtain this any well-stocked department store or hobby store. Paraffin is what you’ll be getting, of course, and it has been the candle standard for well over a hundred years. You can try using wax from other sources, like beeswax and soywax – but paraffin is cheaper and easy to find. You can also look around for wax drippings and candle stubs – used candles can easily be recycled and should tell you how you can use any of your used home-made candles in the future.

Next, you’ll need a few molds for your candles. Specialty stores can provide some ready made molds but if you’re pinching pennies, some old cups or similar objects can be used as molds. Just make sure your opening is large enough so you can get your candles out easily. Smearing some vegetable oil beforehand or papering the insides with waxpaper can also make getting your candles out of the molds a lot easier.

Next, you’ll need some wicks. Tough, thick cotton string can be used for this. Just cut the string at two or three inches more than your mold and pull them out on some wax paper or hang the wicks from a clothesline to assure you that they’ll be straight when it’s time to use them.

Finally, you’ll need a double boiler. It sounds fancy but all it comes down to is to have a smaller metal container inside a larger bowl filled with water. Make sure that your inner container is stable and isn’t floating on the water. A large coffee can or something similar would do the trick. Now place the entire set-up on a stove and you’ve got your double boiler.

Once you’ve set this up, you chop or cut the wax into smaller, easy-to-handle pieces. You just place them into the center boiler – no need to wait for things to heat up, the wax will mix anyway. Stir the wax mixture using a wooden spoon or something similar and be attentive. Wax is very flammable and if you hear any sputtering or simmering in the waxy mixture, better turn off the stove. If it does go up in flames, put a lid on it and turn off the stove – pouring water on a wax fire ruins the wax. Finally, if you’ve used old candles, strain for the used wicks in the mix – they’ll be easily seen in a clear wax mix.

If the wax is starting to boil, turn off the stove and let it cool for awhile. A minute or so should be enough time – just enough to give you a chance to ready your molds. Use tongs – that can is still hot – and pour the mixture in the direction of the mold so as to avoid nasty spills. After that all you have to do is stick the wicks in to the cooling wax and wait for a few hours.

Now you can pry your candles out of your molds and be proud of the results of your home-based candlemaking.