When I was doing a lot of beeswax candle making with school kids, I faced the same problem of wicks either burning out or raging too large and melting the candle into a misshapen blob. The price of 'proper' candle wicking was prohibitive, so I found I could use braided cotton pajama cord. These cords consist of a large number of strands to make a cord about 8 mm diameter. It's very reasonably priced and available at any sewing shop. I was mostly making the rolled up foundation type candles, and just had to experiment to determine what diameter candles needed 4 strands and which ones (fat) needed more. The same principles applied to moulded candles, but generally speaking, more strands/unit of diameter. I'll attach the text of the handout I gave the kids to accompany the session. Finally a question: Which will burn longer, a candle 1" in diameter and 6" long, or a candle 2" in diameter and 3" long? Answer: Neither. They will both burn shorter... MAKING CANDLES FROM BEESWAX Bees gather NECTAR and POLLEN from flowers. - Pollen to feed young bees - Nectar to make honey and wax Beekeepers collect wax by melting down the cappings cut from the combs of honey during the extraction process, by collecting scrapings of wax from inside the hive and by melting down old combs. Much of this wax is made into FOUNDATION to put into new frames to put back into the hive. The type of candle we'll be making is made from these sheets of foundation, rolled tightly around the wick. The other type of candle is a moulded candle, made by pouring melted beeswax into a container with the wick suspended down through the middle. Finally, there are dipped candles. They are made by repeatedly dipping the wick into melted beeswax and allowing the layers to cool between dippings. BE CAREFUL WHEN MAKING CANDLES BECAUSE BEESWAX CAN CATCH FIRE VERY EASILY ! Use a 'double boiler' so that you are not heating the wax directly. \ / \ \ / / | 3 3 ... | | ... 3 3 ... | | ... 3 * m e l t i n g | ... | | ... 3 ** w a x *** 3 ... | | ... 3 **************** 3 ... | | ... \__________________/.... | | ............................ | | Water in outside container | \______________________________/ \|/ H E A T For dipping the wicks into molten wax, I use an *old* (never to be used for anything else again, believe me) electric frypan. You MUST put 10-15 mm of water into it along with the wax - if you heat beeswax directly, it is likely to RAPIDLY boil over and/or catch fire. Foundation comes in different sizes and thicknesses. We will be using FULL DEPTH MEDIUM BROOD foundation. You can also buy special WICKS for making candles. We will be using BRAIDED COTTON PAJAMA CORD that you can get from a sewing shop. We will use only 4 of the strands. If you use too many, the candle will burn too fast. If you don't use enough, it will go out and not burn cleanly. 1. Cut the wick LONGER than the candle you want to make. 2. Pick out 4 strands and DIP them into melted beeswax. Lay them down so that they will dry STRAIGHT. 3. CUT the sheet of foundation into two pieces. 4. Lay the wick across the wax. 5. Roll the wax TIGHTLY around the wick. 6. Use an old PAINT BRUSH to brush on melted wax to finish the candle. 7. CUT the wick neatly at the bottom of the candle and leave about 10 mm at the top. ------------------------------------- Nick Wallingford Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (East coast, N Island, New Zealand) Internet [log in to unmask] -------------------------------------