Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Candle Making With Beeswax - 3 Simple Methods

The main product of your bees should be honey,
but there are also other great 'by products'.
Probably the most important of these is beeswax.
This has many uses, including for cosmetics,
furniture polish and soaps but also of course
candle making. If you have bees and are wondering
what to do with all your beeswax, then how about
trying candle making at home yourself?

Most candles that you will buy are made of
paraffin or petroleum based wax, but beeswax
candles are much more natural. They give a light
warm glow, have a lovely scent, and do not emit
any toxic fumes. And, with your own wax from your
beehive, they are of course much cheaper!

If you keep your bees in top bar hives, you will
have much more wax than in Langstroth type hives,
and the perfect way to make use of this is by
making beeswax candles.

So, where do you start? There are 3 ways to go
about candle making with beeswax.

1. Rolled candles

This is the simplest way to make your candles,
and is easy to do if you are taking your beeswax
straight from the honeycomb. You simply place a
wick on the edge of the flat sheet of beeswax
(extending the wick about 2 inches on either side
of the sheet), fold the sheet approximately 1/8
of an inch over the wick, and then slowly roll up
the beeswax sheet, keeping gentle pressure when
rolling.

After you have rolled the entire sheet, press the
edge down so it does not unravel. Remove the wick
from one end, and that's it - your first beeswax
candle!

2. Molded candles

The second option is to make candles using a
mold. The wax needs to be melted down first, so
this is a great way to use the wax cappings left
over from your honey harvest.

Use a double-boiler (or a pot inside a pot). Do
NOT try to melt the wax in a single pot - it is
highly flammable and will go on fire! Put the
solid wax in the smaller pot, and place this in
the bigger pot partly filled with water. Put this
on the stove until the wax has melted. At this
stage you can add any scented oils or dyes you
require. Place a wick in the centre of the mold,
and then pour in the melted wax. Be careful -
melted wax is hot!

3. Dipped candles

Dipping is the third way to make beeswax candles.
After melting the wax as above, dip the wick in
it. The wick will then be coated with wax. Allow
the wax to cool between dippings for about one
minute, then dip it in the melted wax again for
the second layering, and so on. Keep doing this
until the candle is the thickness you want. Then,
once it is totally cooled, use a sharp knife to
trim off any excess wax and make a straight edge
for the bottom of your candle.

Candle making is a really enjoyable hobby, and a
great way to use that surplus beeswax from your
hives. Beeswax candles are very popular, so it
can also be a great way to generate some extra
cash from your hobby.

----------------------------------------------------
Val Wilson is passionate about all things
beekeeping! It is an incredibly rewarding hobby
in so many ways, so if you would like more
information about how to start beekeeping, and
produce your own honey, go to
http://www.bestbeekeeping.com and sign up for the
FREE 7 day beekeeping ecourse.

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=114786

>