Making A Candle

Last week I gathered up all of my leftover candle wax I'd collected from spent candles I'd burned last winter as well as some of my Scentsy pot wax I'd saved.  I put all of the similar scented wax pieces into a couple candle jars that still had wax in them and set them into my large slow cooker.  I added a couple cups of water and set it on high, then left it for an hour.  When I came back all of the wax was melted.

50 piece wick set includes sticky pads to anchor them in place

I purchased a wick set from Amazon for $6.98.  I decided to up my game a bit and I'm pretty sure I have enough wicks here to last me a lifetime.  I positioned one of the wicks in a clean candle jar.  I mixed all the melted wax together, careful not to let any bits of debris get in there, then poured it into the jar.  I left a little bit for a second pour.

This method holds my wick in place perfectly while the wax sets

I used a pair of table knives to hold my wick up straight until the wax cooled and hardened.  Then I heated up the remaining wax in the slow cooker for another hour and did my second pour to fill in the voids that are inevitable when making candles.

I recycled a tin wick base and reused it with the leftover piece of wick I trimmed off

After the candles was finished I trimmed the wick.  The piece of leftover wick was then inserted into one of the leftover wick bases from an old candle.  I used a pair of pliers to crimp it in.  Now I have a "free" wick to use next time so I'm more than sure these wicks I bought will last a good long time.

Warm pumpkin spice scent perfect for next fall

This is the first time I've tried making candles using my slow cooker and I love doing it this way.  Super easy and no fuss.  My candles aren't the prettiest, but they are nice smelling and I love to have them to burn on a cool evening.  Plus I hate to toss out all that good wax.  By saving it up to melt down and reuse I get to enjoy bonus candles.