Ice cubes and hot wax - sounds kind of
kinky. No, this is not one
of the multitude of
sex nodes, but rather some ideas for
candle making.
As we all know, ice melts when it is warmed up, and wax hardens when
cooled down. Together, these two substances can help make unique
candle designs.
The essence of this style of candle is to add ice to a mold and pour
in hot wax. After the wax sets, pour out the water and there will
be holes in the candle.
One of the important things when making candles and ice is to have
a good wick. If the wick is simply held up in the mold without any
wax around it initially, it will likely be in contact with some ice.
This will result in a part of the wick that is 'bare' may cause some
irregularities in burning.
Furthermore, if there are holes on the bottom of the candle, it is
possible hot wax will pour out of them at some point. While this
may not be a problem in all situations, it is a concern for some.
To avoid this, one possible solution is to place a normal
tapered candle in the center of the mold and hold it there.
This can easily
be done by pouring a layer of wax on the bottom and letting it harden.
This 'floor' layer of wax will keep the tapered candle in place while
ice is added around it and more wax is poured in. The tapered candle
guarantees that there will
be a solid core of wax around the wick at all times.
There are many shapes that ice can take. Most common is that of the
cube and crushed ice. Both of these work very well, though you
want
to be certain with the crushed ice that it is not so dense that no
wax can get between the chunks. Spherical ice balls are harder to get,
though they can provide the most authentic shapes for certain candles.
Swiss Cheese Candle
- Take a large radius cylindrical mold or a rectangular mold. The
cylindrical mold is very nice because it is possible to cut it into
wedges later.
- Mix up a fairly large amount of wax with color once. It is nice
to have a single batch so that the color stays the same. Swiss cheese
is an opaque light yellow - some stearic acid will help with the opacity
and will also make the wax cool faster around the ice later.
- Make some tapered candles out of the wax. The large cylindrical mold
may be able to hold 3 to 6 candles and wicks are needed for each. Note:
6 candles works the best for making cheese wedges later - easier to cut.
- Pour a layer of wax on the bottom of the mold to hold the wick firmly
in place. Only about a quarter inch or half an inch is needed. Wait
until firm before progressing.
- Add ice. Ice balls work the best here as they more closely resemble
the gas bubbles in swiss cheese. The level of the ice will ideally be
above the final level of wax, leaving holes on the top of the candle.
- Pour in hot wax. Avoid pouring directly on the ice - this will cause
it to melt unevenly.
- As wax cools, it contracts. Have more wax ready to pour in the
depressions if an even top level is important.
- After wax has hardened, remove from the mold over a sink - water will
pour out.