One of the easiest novelty candles to make is the streak candle. What makes this project so easy is that you do not have to change anything you are doing when pouring your candles.

1. To start this project, first select any pillar type mold. Melt your wax 10-15° F higher than your usual pouring temperature. Add your scent as usual but do not add color.


2. Before pouring your wax into the mold take any color block or pigment dye and shave it into smaller pieces, you can do as many colors as desired.


3. Once you have shavings of several colors, pour your wax into the mold.


4. As soon as you are finished pouring, take pieces of your shavings and place a needle through the shavings.


5. Hold the needle with the shavings against the mold. The dye will begin streaking down the sides causing a "tie dyed" effect. Repeat this using the same or different color, being careful not to over color.

Any mold can be used for this project.

Each candle made will look different than any other one and allows you to do an infinite amount of themed candles such as red, white and blue or any other color.

Need a good gift for the holidays? What about a home-made candle? Tri-color candle jars are easy to make and beautiful too!

Materials Needed:

• 2 lb of Palm 1 wax
• Pouring pitcher
• Thermometer
• Burgundy liquid dye
• EVO-12
• Apothecary jar
• RRD-50 wick
• Wooden popsicle sticks

Step 1

Add 1 lb of the Palm 1 wax into the pouring pitcher.

Step 2

Clip the thermometer onto the top of the pouring pitcher with the thermometer inside.

Step 3

Place the wax filled pouring pitcher into a large pan of boiling water. This will create a double boiler for you to heat your wax. Do not allow the water to boil dry.

NEVER HEAT WAX DIRECTLY ON A HEAT SOURCE. Heating wax on direct heat can cause the wax to overheat and possibly ignite.

Step 4

As the wax melts, monitor the temperature with the thermometer. For accuracy do not allow the bottom of the thermometer to touch the bottom or sides of the pouring pot. Tip the pouring pot until the bottom of the thermometer is covered with the liquid wax. When the wax temperature reaches 185° F add two teaspoons of the liquid EVO-12 Burgundy color and stir.

Step 5

Now you are ready to pour the first layer into the Apothecary jar. Monitor the temperature making sure it is at the pouring temperature of 180° F. Pour the first layer of colored wax into your jar to a height of 1”. After approximately 5 minutes place the RRD-50 wick into the jar. Make sure the wick tab is centered on the bottom of the container. The hot wax will cause the wick to lean so use wooden popsicle sticks or wooden coffee stirrers to prevent the wick from falling toward the sides of the jar. Place the stick across the top of the jar to support the wick. Two sticks may be needed. Place the wick between each stick until it is centered.

Step 6

Allow the wax to cool for approximately 3 hours or until the layer is solid and firm.

Step 7

To prepare your second layer you will add 4 oz of Palm 1 wax to the colored wax that remains in your pour pitcher and repeat the melting and pouring process above (remember do not add any color).  We are increasing the wax amount so that the original color will decrease in intensity.

Step 8

Repeat the cooling time for the second layer.

Step 9

Last layer, add 4oz. of Palm 1 wax to the remaining wax in the pour pitcher and repeat the melt and pour processes, making sure that the pour temp is at 180° F. Repeat the cooling process.

There are countless techniques available to candle makers to help solve color challenges. The first question a candle maker must ask themselves is how important is uniformity. Uniform color may be extremely important to larger manufacturers as well as any candle maker looking to sell their candles wholesale to stores that will be reselling the candles. The uniformity is important for aesthetics on the shelf in a retail environment.

Increasing batch sizes solves this challenge. The larger the batch, the easier it is to measure dye accurately. This is simply achieved by using a larger melt tank. The sound of a larger tank might sound painful on the budget, but sometimes it may be necessary for some investment in equipment if the candle maker is looking to produce candles that are "factory perfect".

If you are using color blocks, it never hurts to buy larger amounts of dye per order to insure colors from the same lots. Candlewic offers aggressive pricing on 144 piece lots. This saves money on shipping expenses, material cost, and helps to insure you have enough dye on hand to handle any order that comes through your door - especially during the busy season.

Quality measuring tools are very important when measuring color. Whether you are using a scale, a dropper, or a measuring cup, it is important that you use the precise amount each time. It helps to have a heat resistant white surface to put a few drops of color on to visually see if they match the last drops but remember the drops will not accurately represent the true color.

Believe it or not, there are times when color uniformity is not as important as it seems. Take for instance online purchases. All monitors and printers interpret color slightly differently, so the color of the finished candle will probably never match the screen of the purchaser. Slight variation may be OK. If you are marketing the fact your candles are hand poured, there are times when customers expect slight differences in color and actually appreciate the choice between shades. In the case of fundraisers or direct sales, the purchaser is usually helping to support the seller and has a bit of tolerance for slight variations in color. It is up to the candle maker to make the choice and tailor their operations to fir customer expectations.

This is article part two in a three part series on choosing candle Color.

• Read Part I: Choosing Candle Color: The Basics.
• Read Part III: Choosing Candle Color: Products.

Our industry, including ourselves, focuses a great deal on the importance of fragrance when making candles. But an important aspect of the candle is also the color. In addition to people enjoying the fragrance, for many they also need it to match the decor of the home as well. In many instances, the choice of the pillar is based solely on color and not fragrance.

Color grabs our eyes, alters our mood, beautifies our surroundings, and evokes feelings of days long past. A great deal of material has been written on the topic of color and, in fact, there is a great website completely devoted to the subject of color and how it truly influences the world.

Because the subject is so expansive, this article will only highlight a few key aspects that impact the candle maker directly. For our purposes in the candle making community, color may quite simply be boiled down to the sensation caused by light rays as they interact with the human eye, brain, and past experience. Here are a few tips that help candlemakers control color and use it as a tool to help create wonderful candles that tempt the eye and tease the senses.

The Basics of choosing candle colors

For some of us, it has been a while since we sat through an art class. If the following paragraph is too dry or basic, please continue on to the next paragraph about the actual techniques that are used in candle making.

The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. These 3 colors are mixed to create all the other colors in the rainbow. When you mix the 3 primary colors, you get the secondary colors, green, orange and purple. From there on out you can mix any color you need. This is how a color wheel was developed. When using multiple colors in a single candle, a good starting point is to use analogous or complementary colors. Analogous colors are those that are next to each other on the color wheel such as shades of yellow and green. Complementary colors are those that are opposite on the color wheel. These are just the basic starting point to a phenomenon that knows no boundaries. You can use colors that resemble groupings found in nature, school/team colors, the latest popular interior design colors, or anything else that touches you or your customers' inner feelings.

This is part one of a three part series on choosing candle color.

• Read Part II: Choosing Candle Color: Techniques
• Read Part III: Choosing Candle Color: Products

Did you know that color selection can tell us a lot about personalities?

Yellow
Stable, Provides security, Dependable, Efficient.

Red
Fun-loving, Lively, Spontaneous, Flexible, Carefree, Hands-on.

Green
Tough-minded, Powerful, Efficient, Usually right, Possesses deep knowledge.

Blue
Warm, Compassionate, Romantic, Idealistic.