Candles

Finally, Aaron felt we had enough beeswax stored up to make a few candles.  We had enough wicks to make six, but it turns out we have enough wax to make 15-20 candles.  This was our pilot run.  And like most of the things we do around our house there was some trouble shooting involved.

First, We collect the wax in our solar wax melter.  We take frames out the hive that aren't needed anymore and place them in the solar wax melter.  The sun melts the wax and it runs down into a pan.

Second, We process the was.  The was in the pan has wax, honey, water, and debris in it.  It is dark brown and gritty and ugly.  We fill a pot with an inch of water and add the contents from the pan.  Once everything is melted we pour the wax through a wire screen and then through three layers of cheese cloth into a fresh pot.  This gets out alot of the debris.

Third, we pour the hot wax (plus honey/water/and fine debris into a Tupperware container and let it sit over night to solidify.  When it does this is stratifies.  The water goes to the bottom, then the debris in the middle, the wax makes a nice solid brick of pretty wax in colors ranging from bright yellow to white depending on the age and properties of the wax.

Fourth,  We take the wax brick and but it in a pot on low heat, melting it slowly and making sure not to burn it until all the wax is melted.

Fifth, Set up the candle jar.  We have been collecting only glasses, especially those tiny ones that people use for alcohol because they are the perfect size and pretty.  This was our first opportunity for trouble shooting, every blog/book says to place the wick in your container and then to keep it centered and standing using a toothpick across the top and clip the wick to it using a paper clip.  Our paper clips were to heavy and kept tipping the wicks to one side.  So we used that blue tape that you use when your painting trim.  I ripped off a piece that could span the top of the container (our little glasses), poked a hole it using a pen and then threaded the wick through.  The metal piece of the wick sits in the bottom of the glass.  We made sure to center our wicks.  You need to leave enough room to pour the wax in so I rolled the sides of the take up, but I could have cut it.

Sixth, Pour the hot wax into the containers and let sit till it cools and solidifies.  Leave some room at the top.  We discovered that as the candles cooled, the tops cracked.  Aaron explained that this is because the wax was cooling to quickly on the outside and not the center.  Our solution was to pour another layer of wax on top after the wax was solid.  They look really pretty because we used two different waxes, meaning they are from different times and as a result are different colors.  Our candles our a pretty yellow with a pale yellow/white on top.

Our Six Candles.