• Wax (Pillar of Bliss Votive/Pillar Wax )

• Coloring (you choose: color blocks, liquid dyes, powder dyes, color chips)

• Pouring pot

• Fragrance (oil-based, 100% concentrated and designed for candlemaking) – You’ll need 1 oz. to 1.5oz. of fragrance oil per pound of melted wax.

• Candle Additives (vybar 103) optional (UV Light Protector) optional

• Heat source (stove, hot plate, oven)

• Melting heat source (you choose: turkey roaster, presto pot, hot water heater) The turkey roaster that I am referring to is an electric unit with a heat control knob on it. It holds 25 lbs. of wax. Hamilton Beach sells theses at stores like K Mart, and Ames.

• Stainless steel measuring cups and measuring spoons (fragrance oil will eat through plastic measuring cups)

What you will need

• Stainless pitcher for transferring your melted wax from your roasters to your pouring pots on the stove

• Wooden spoons

• Votive Molds

• Pan at least 13 X 9 with 1/2" water in it (This can hold 2 pouring pots at a time). This will be used as your double boiler.

• Wicks (CD wicks or Zinc core wicks work the best with WOW Wax)

• Safety glasses

• Candy thermometer

• A room temperature environment of about 70 degrees - No drafts and no fans running.

• Work clothes

• Floor mats or cardboard for your floors

• Scales for weighing wax

• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks (optional)

1. Weigh 4 pounds of Pillar of Bliss wax on a scale

2. Turn your oven on 150 degrees F. Put your empty metal votive molds on a tray and put them in the oven to get warm. You want your molds to be about 150F when pouring into them. You never want to pour hot wax into a cold mold because this will cause your wax to set up too quickly and your candles will develop jump lines.

3. Put 1/2" of water in your 13 X 9 pan on the stove. Set your temperature setting on your stove to low to medium. Get your pouring pots, color, additives, fragrance, votive molds, and wicks ready for the candlemaking process.

4. Put the 4 pounds of Pillar of Bliss wax into a clean pouring pot.

Procedure to follow for making 4 pounds of candles

5. Put the pouring pot in the 13 X 9 pan that is on the stove, and allow your wax to melt. You never want to melt wax with the pouring pot directly on the heat source. This can become a fire hazard and/or can result in your wax becoming scorched. If your wax becomes scorched, it will smell like burnt oil or like burnt fuel. If you notice that your wax smells like this, it is ruined. You cannot correct wax that has become scorched.

6. Check the temperature of your melted wax periodically with a candy thermometer. You will want to get wax up to 195 degrees F. Be careful not to get your wax too hot or it will become scorched (as mentioned above).

7. Add 1-10 drops of liquid candle dye to the melted wax. Stir. When using liquid candle dye, we suggest never using more than 10 drops of dye per 4 pounds of melted wax. Using more than that will cause your candles to smell somewhat like chemicals. If you desire rich, dark colors, you may want to use candle blocks instead of liquid candle dye. It is at this time you can add candle additives to your melted wax. For this particular wax, you can use ½ tsp. vybar 103 per 4 pounds of melted wax. You may also want to add UV light protector to your candle wax; especially if the color of the wax will be blue, purple, or pink. These colors can easily fade when exposed to sunlight or other UV light.

Make sure that you don’t over do it with the vybar. While vybar can increase a candle’s scent throw, using too much vybar can inhibit scent throw. You never want to use petrolatum in any molded candles because you will not be able to get your candles out of their molds!

8. Remove pouring pot from heat and allow the temperature of the Wax to drop to 180 degrees

9. Add 1 oz. to 1.5 oz. of fragrance oil per pound of melted wax to your melted wax mixture. Line up your molds on the edge of your counter. Pour the molds in the front first...allow those to set up until you see a creamy film on the top of them, and then move them back and pour your next row of molds in front of the ones that are setting up. When it comes to votives, there are several problems that you may encounter. Votives have to be poured twice because votive wax sinks after the first pour. On your first pour, fill your votive molds until there is only 1/16" of the mold not filled. If you completely fill your votive mold, you will end up with a sloppy second pour. If you pour your votive molds below the 1/16" mark, your votives may appear to show where you did your second pour. For the absolute best results, you will want to save enough wax from this first pour to do your second pour. 4 lbs. of wax tends to make approximately 32 candles.

It is a good idea to keep that in mind so that you stop pouring when you hit the 32 mark. That way you have enough wax left over to do your second pour. Set this pot aside (not on a heat source) for your second pour.

10. Votives set up relatively quickly so you will want to get started straightening your wicks and centering them in the molds. Wicking candles is much easier when you use the pretabbed prewaxed zinc core or CD type wicks. Allow your candles to cool a little while until you see that the bottom of the votive mold has about 1/4" of candle setting up. Now, straighten your wicks, and place them in the candle.... properly centered. The wicks will actually stick to the bottom of the containers. If you try to wick your candles too soon, your wicks will move position and will not be properly centered. If you wick your candles too late, your wicks will not migrate to the bottom of the container.

11. Allow your votives to cool at room temperature for approximately 2 hours. Then you are ready for your second pour. Avoid pouring your second pour before this 2 hour period because you may get sinkage on your second pour as well. Waiting too long after your first pour to do your second pour may result in your votives appearance revealing that you poured them twice. Place your pouring pot containing your left over wax from your first pour on the stove and allow the wax to reach 160-165. Do not add any extra fragrance to this wax because it may cause your second pour to be a different color than the first pour.

12. Now, go through and straighten all of your wicks...but do not break the wax when doing this. Pour your second pour only up to the level of your first pour. If you go beyond the first pour fill mark, the wax has a tendency to go behind the first pour and may cause little bubbles in your candles. This may not sound like a terrible problem, but these tiny little bubbles will turn into tiny little holes.....and customers will not like them!

13. Allow candles to cool at room temperature, and pop them out of the molds. Store finished votives in an air tight container so that they maintain freshness.

14. If you are making larger than votive-sized molds, you will follow the same instructions as listed above, but there are two differences:

(a) You will need to poke holes in your candle after your first pour is set up about 1/2 way in order to release any air pockets.

(b) Larger molds will probably require several repours.

Votive Troubleshooting Guide

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION The colors of my votives are fading.

Exposed to sunlight or fluorescent lighting

Candles that are blue, purple, and pink may change color in sunlight or when exposed to fluorescent light. UV light protector should be used when making your votives.

The wicks on my votives are going out when burning.

Something is clogging your wick. Your candle came in contact with water.

Things like crayons, pigments, and mica can clog candle wicks. Make sure that you only use coloring that is specifically formulated for candle making.

The color is not mixing with my candle wax.

You did not heat your wax hot enough for the coloring to dissolve into the wax. You are using the wrong kind of coloring.

Make sure that you never use soap coloring or food coloring when making candles. If you are using the correct kind of coloring, then try heating your wax hotter and stir the mixture thoroughly

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION My votives do not have any scent throw.

You did not use enough fragrance. You used too much vybar. You are not using a large enough wick.

You should be using 1-1.5 oz. of fragrance per pound of melted candle wax. Using too much vybar can bind your scent. You may need to use a bigger wick.

Votive Troubleshooting Guide

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