On Thu, 24 Apr 1997 17:54:28 -0700 Genie <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Hi!
>We have been following the mailing list for a couple of weeks.....
>One of the questions I have: what or how do you make candles from the
wax(if
>any)?
 
Genie:
 
You can buy wax for this purpose, or after awhile in Beekeeping you
accumulate some from the cut-off cappings.
 
Melt the mess in hot water and the wax goes to the top. let it solidify
& remove.
 
Then when you think you have enough, put wax in a bucket full of water,
heat it up...then you can take "wicking' and keep dipping and redipping
and 'voila' you have a homemade candle. Use a longer piece of wicking
and dip the other end after you finished the first one and then you have
two 'connected' candles. My wife did it outdoors the first time and she
and some friends had a "dipping do"!
 
That's the simple way.
 
My wife collects bayberries, boils em down to get the bayberry wax
and then adds beeswax..because bayberry by itself tends to be
brittle and the soft beeswax prevents this.
 
Now, if you want fancier & 'straighter' candles you can buy a special
dipping outfit from a Bee Supply House..like Brushy Mountain here
in the U.S...you probably have some in Canada. Maybe Dave Eyre on this
list has some candle making equipment.
 
All it consists of is a special (simply made) rig that keeps the wicking
taut so that when you are through dipping, your candles will be a bit
straighter than the more primitive method described above. It
also will handle six candles at a time.
 
Then you can also go ahead and spend money for fancier molds.
But, try the simple way to get a 'feel' for it and then later you
can decide if you want to spend some money for extra & fancier
equipment.
 
Anyway, I am sure that you will hear some more from others...but
they do make great gifts at Xmas time. Hard to beat the combo of
a jar of honey and a pair of homemade bayberry candles.
 
Do you have bayberry bushes in your area?
 
Al,
 
Al Needham--Scituate,MA,[log in to unmask]
Author Of "The HoneyBee"--An Educational Program
Check Out " The Amazing BeeCam " At:
http://www.xensei.com/users/alwine/