If you have a fancy for candles, why don’t you try making gel candles? This type of candle is easy to make and is simply more beautiful than the more common wax candles. It is slow burning as compared to wax, and you can choose any particular scent you may want to use in making your own gel candle to exude its aroma every time you lit it. The cost in making your own gel candles is cheap and the materials needed are very much available in hobby shops and in the internet. This type of candle, however, needs a certain kind of wicks which is called the zinc wicks. You should never use a cotton wicks as it will tend not to light up very well because of the gel. Using a zinc wicks will prevent the gel from being absorbed, thereby giving it continues and steady light.
Gel candles have to be made with containers. These containers can be made of different kind of materials so long as they are not flammable. But the most preferred are glass containers. Using glass containers for your gel candles will give it a distinct and classy look. Depending on your imagination, you can utilize different kinds of glass like colored wine glasses or plain but elegant glass vases. To add a touch of glamour, some gel makers would tend to add non flammable colorful materials like ornamental stones, colored marbles and even
exotic shells.
If you are really intent in making your own candle gel, first you have to secure all the needed materials like gel, zinc wick, container glass, and your add on materials like shells and colored stones. Although most candle gels are clear without color as this is the most preferred choice, you can have it colored by adding coloring dyes, if you so whishes. Be sure you also have the needed equipments like scissors, glue gun, thermometer and oven. Once you have secured them all, your first step will be the attaching of your zinc wick to the center bottom of the glass container with the use of a glue gun.
You are now ready to melt the gel, which is the crucial part of this project. Cut the gel to strips and melt them in a boiler. Medium heat is advised. Melting temperature should be kept at a steady temperature range of 200 degree fahrenheight to achieved proper result. Maintaining this temperature will result to the gel being melted properly. Otherwise, if the heat is higher than the required temperature, the gel will not be glossy and if the heat is lower, the gel will not set properly. So, it is crucial that the desired heat can be maintained to have a great looking gel candle. If the gel is already melted, you can now add the extras. If you want to add color, mix the coloring dye to the melted gel slowly, to prevent bubbles. Next will be your selected fragrance. In this part, it is important to note that everything has to be done slowly. A quick movement of the melted gel will create bubbles which is not good to see in a gel candle.
Prior to pouring of the melted gel, you have first to heat your glass container in the oven just enough to prevent side container bubbles in the gel. Next, you can now place the colored stones or shells that you would want added. Arrange them near the sides of the container to be clearly seen. And before the actual pouring of the gel, ask the help of somebody to hold the end of the zinc wick vertically. You can now start pouring the melted gel to the container in a steady but slow manner. When the gel has set, you can now trim the zinc wick down to its needed size. And that’s it. You now have your own Gel Candle.
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