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Candlemaking Tips and Fun with Dipped Candles
From Snuffed Out
Tim Myers
Dipped candles, sometimes called tapers, can be great fun, and once you've mastered the basic technique there are lots of variations to experiment with. After your melted wax reaches the proper temperature, the layers build up on your wick at a satisfying pace; but be careful, that wax is hot! Each dip of the wick builds another layer on the growing candle, and before you know it, you've made your very own taper. You can add scents and dyes to your wax, and make lots of different sizes, too. Sometimes I like to make small tapers the size of birthday candles for fun.
One of my favorite things to do with a freshly-dipped candle is to twist it. The wax needs to be warm and flexible for this technique, so it works best ona brand new candle. Take the warm candle and place it on a hard surface, then use an old rolling pin to flatten the middle part of the candle. You need to press firmly here to get the wax flat enough for a pretty twist. The flattened section should be about half an inch thick after it's rolled out. Pick the candle up, graspt the top edge of the flat section with one hand and the bottom of the flattened area with the other. Work quickly here, because the wax is cooling. Gently twist the candle into a spiral until you've got a shape you like, kneading is as you go along.
Another fun thin to do with freshly-dipped candles is to braid them, just like Harrison and Mrs. jorgenson do in the book. Take two or three freshly-dipped candles and put them on a flat surface. Then, starting from the bottom, plait them into a braid as you go. It's as easy as that. Squeeze the candles together gently before they cool, then check the bottom to make sure it fits into a candleholder.
These candles are beautiful to burn, if you can bring yourself to do it! Don't worry, though; the great thing about candlemaking is that you can always make more.
Have fun, and don't be afraid to experiment.
Happy candlemaking!
More about Snuffed Out
Tim Myers
When the power goes out in Harrison Black’s candle shop, he
finds his tenant electrocuted. Now Harrison will burn the
candle at both ends to catch a killer as the tenant’s death
starts to look shockingly like murder.
Berkley (Prime Crime), December 2004
Featuring: Harrison Black
192 pages ISBN: 0425199800
Paperback
$5.99
Also by Tim Myers:
 Booked for Murder, September 2004
 At Wick's End, February 2004
Room for Murder, September 2003
Murder Checks Inn, January 2003
Reservations for Murder, June 2002
Innkeeping with Murder, June 2001
(Notify me via e-mail when Tim Myers releases a new book.)
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