Hand Rolled, Two Color, Taper Beeswax Candles
Creative, Multicolor Design for Dripless Taper Candles
Mar 4, 2009
Hand rolled beeswax candles are fun to make. The high quality beeswax sheets can be made into candles of various shapes and sizes. The same round, cotton-braid wick is used in hand rolled beeswax candles of all thicknesses, and each different size burns as beautifully as the next.
The template at the bottom of this article shows you how to cut sheets of beeswax to create beautiful hand rolled tapers with a swirl of color around the candle. This is a fun and creative interpretation of the well-known, hand rolled beeswax candle.
Hand Rolled Beeswax Candle Supplies
- 8" x 16" beeswax sheets, at least two colors
- heat gun (or hair dryer)
- cutting mat
- craft knife
- thick, round cotton-braid wick
Making Beeswax Candles: the Process
- Use an 8"x16" piece of cardboard, and trace the template at the bottom of this article onto it with a permanent marker. Make sure to click on the template below to see the entire thing.
- Choose two beeswax sheets of primary colors; for example, blue and red.
- Place the template on your cutting mat, and place the blue beeswax sheet on the template. Carefully cut the beeswax sheet along the template lines with your craft knife.
- Do the same with the red sheet.
- Take Blue A and Red B. Heat them gently with the heat gun. Be careful, you don't want to melt them!
- Place Red B just over the diagonal edge of Blue A and gently press them together. If warm the beeswax sheets will easily stick together.
- Cut a 13" piece of wick. Press wick onto the straight edge of Blue A.
- Gently roll the wax around the wick.
DIY Hand Rolled Candle Tips
- The wax must be warm to stick well. It if is cold, you will end up with air bubbles in the rolls of the candle, and cracked wax. Air holes cause a candle to burn quickly, and cracked wax is ugly. While a hair dryer will work, if this becomes a hobby you should purchase a heat gun. A heat gun is a much more efficient tool, and will not blow things off of your workspace.
- Be careful not to heat the wax too much, if it seems almost liquid then wait for it to cool off. A rubber, grease-proof cutting mat is the best surface to roll candles on because the warm wax will not stick to it.
- Roll wax around the wick carefully. It is easy to accidentally roll off-center, and end up with uneven ends.
- Bloom is natural. Bloom looks like a white powder, and develops on beeswax over time. If you use your beautiful beeswax candles for display and they develop bloom, simply dust bloom off gently.
Little Pieces
Don't throw the little pieces away! Each individual C can be rolled into a birthday or hanukka candle. Attach the edges of C pieces together and roll around a wick to make a shorter candle, suitable for use as a Shabbat candle.
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