Candle Making

The book I read to research this post was Candle & Soap Making for Dummies by Kelly Ewing which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. If wax gets too hot it will explode so you can't apply direct heat to it. A lot of people use a small pan which houses the wax & is boiled inside a larger pan which contains water. Never use the microwave because it definately will explode. Also it's possible to over heat wax & change its properties. You should use a thermometer & only heat it to its melting point a 300f one is suitable & never use a mercury one. With small candles it's best to place them in a holder which will enable it to burn longer by raising the level of the wax. Some wicks are free standing & need to be appropriate for the melting point of the wax. A lot of people use paraffin wax which is a good one to start out with. Gel has a higher melting point & also is more likely to catch fire. Honeycomb won't shatter if you drop it & is suitable for a childrens project because you don't heat it. A wick can have a paper or metal stem. If the candle produces soot or if it goes out midway through burning you are using the wrong type of wax.