Making rolled beeswax candles from sheets is a great way to involve children and adults to develop their creativity and introduce them to arts and crafts.
It can be a great way to spend some time with the kids or family as you find common ground in an activity you all enjoy. You can design and create beautiful candles together to give as holiday gifts or just for your enjoyment.
Traditional candle making techniques are not the best option for children, especially if they are at the stage of wanting to do everything on their own. Even with your supervision, it isn’t a good idea to allow them to handle hot wax as accidents can happen. However, there are some options for kids candle making that do not involve melting wax.
Beeswax Sheet Candles
The advantage to making rolled beeswax candles from sheets is the wax itself is soft and doesn’t need to be melted. Your body heat will be sufficient to help you mold it to the shape you want however if you give it a quick blast with a hair dryer its even easier to roll. You can find beeswax in sheets of various colors and they are inexpensive.
Supplies
To make a beeswax candle, you will only need:
Method
- Lay the sheet of beeswax on a clean surface and place the wick across one of the short edges of the beeswax, making sure that it is longer than the sheet of beeswax by at least half an inch on either side.
- Warm the wax with a hairdryer then gather up the edge of the wax and begin to roll it tightly around the wick, tucking in the edges to seal it in. You will then be able to roll the candle evenly.
- You need to continue rolling, while exerting some pressure, to make sure the candle is tight or otherwise it won’t burn properly.
- You need to go slowly to make sure that you are also rolling it straight, so check the edges of the sheet occasionally to make sure they are aligning properly.
- Once you have reached the end you will need to seal the candle. As it is beeswax, you will be able to use body heat to achieve this. Just press down gently with your finger across the length of the edge until it adheres to the rest of the candle. Don’t use too much pressure or you will crush the candle.
- When the candle is sealed and completed, trim the wick on the bottom of the candle as close to the candle as possible, while trimming the other end to about 1/4 inch long. This needs to be long enough to light easily when it’s time to burn the candle.
Make A Tapered Candle
To make a tapered candle, cut a narrow triangular segment off the longest side of the beeswax sheet. Warm the sheet with a hairdryer and press the wick into the longer of the two short sides before rolling it up.
Encourage kids to decorate their completed candle with a little glitter, or perhaps by letting them create shapes or patterns out of small strips of wax to stick on the outside of the candle. This can help spark their candle creativity and allow them to create their own decorative finishing touches to suit their own tastes.
There you have it, a quick and easy way to make a beeswax candle for children and adults who want to strike out on their own and create their own candles. Making beeswax candles from sheets is an ideal way to introduce people to crafts without the worry of melting hot wax.
When you are working on a project with a child, it is a good idea to discuss other candle making techniques for future projects. Explain that hot wax can be dangerous without the right supervision. This can help to avoid any accidents if your child becomes too curious and tries melting wax alone. This way you will assuage their curiosity while being able to supervise.
