Decorative taper candles are elegant and give off an illuminating glow that softens any atmosphere. Many people use taper candles for events such as dinner parties, the holidays and other special events where the mood has to be relaxed and enjoyable. Taper candles can burn for a long time, which makes them very popular. They also resist the temptation to drip, which makes their appearance a joy to behold. If you follow a few taper candle making instructions, you will be making decorative home accents in no time.
Candle Making Supplies and Materials:
Break the paraffin wax into small chunks. This will help the wax melt quickly.
Set a large pot on the stove and fill it halfway with water. Set a trivet inside the pot of water to keep the dipping can from coming in contact with the floor of the pot. Set the dipping can on top of the trivet. As you heat the water, it will slowly raise the temperature in the dipping can. It is very dangerous to let the dipping can touch the burner. Heating the wax directly from the heat of a burner could cause a flash fire and also create toxic fumes. Let the dipping can get hot while you perform the next two steps.
Trim the wick to the length that you want your candles to be, plus an additional five inches in length longer. Tie each wick to the center of a dowel rod. You will need to use one dowel rod for each wick.
Use a deep cardboard box as a drying rack for your candles. The box should be deep and narrow so that you can lay the dowel rod across it, not letting the candle touch the bottom of the box.
Your dipping can should be hot enough to melt the wax. Slowly stir the wax until it is smooth and even.
Once the wax is melted, this is the time to add color and/or fragrance to your wax. Mix in the color and/or fragrance until well blended in the wax. Don't remove the dipping can from the pot yet.
Continue stirring the wax until it reaches between 150 to 165 degrees. Don't let the wax rise above 165 degrees, as this will cause the wax to bubble. If the wax is less than 145 degrees, you run the risk of the wax solidifying too quickly causing uneven shapes.
Take the dipping can out of the pot and place it on a low table.
Start dipping the first wick by lowering it in the wax. This is a constant up and down motion. You should not leave the wick in the wax too long, or it will tend to lose more wax than it picks up. You will notice after the first few dips that it is only saturating the wick. This is normal. Continue dipping, and you will gradually see your candle starting to form. Once your candle reaches the point where it does not get any wider, let it hang to cool over the cardboard box. Continue this process for as many candles as you want to make. You will probably find that you have to reheat the wax in order to finish all of the candles.
Once all of the candles have been dipped and placed on the cardboard box to cool, take the first candle and repeat the process. Each time you dip your candle, it will become wider and stronger. You can repeat dip rotations as many times as you like, depending on how you want your candles to look.
When you are finished dipping the candles, let them dry completely so they become hardened. If you notice a cone of wax hanging off the bottom of your candles, simply snip them off with scissors.
Use scissors to cut the candles off of the dowel rods. You should leave about ½ inch of wick that you will use to burn the candles.
Decorative Tips
Colors and fragrances help you to make decorative taper candles. You can also make your candles shine by:
 | You'll want to be sure you follow these candle making tips to help keep you, your fingers and your candle making supplies safe from harm whether you've been making your own candles for a while or you're just beginning candle making as a hobby. |
 | Learning how to make soy candles requires a little more work than other wax candles, but it's worth it because you can make these candles into any shape, add detail and they are completely hand-decorated. |
 | Candle molds can be made out of virtually anything and have been used for generations to produce exciting and intricate handmade candles. |
Making candles is a fun way to express your artistic nature. In this article I will show you how to make candles from both wax and gel. |
Handmade Mason jar candles are a charming solution to the candle smoke dilemma. |
