How-to: Rolled Beeswax Candle
Are you intrigued by what you’ve heard about rolled beeswax candles? Want to know more?
Are they really THAT easy to make? (They are.)
Do they really make your house smell like honey? (They do!)
Will you really become addicted to making them? (Yes, you most assuredly will.)
Not only is making rolled beeswax candles one of my favorite craft projects, but it’s also one of my six-year-old daughter’s favorite craft projects, as well. So read on, because we’re both going to show you exactly how to make rolled beeswax candles for yourself, and trust me, if the six-year-old can do it, then so can you.
To start your project, you’ll need to acquire beeswax sheets and candle wicking. For the wicking, buy the type that you can cut to size yourself, because you’ll want to play with all lengths of candles, I bet.
For the beeswax sheets, if you’re lucky you can find some locally, perhaps from a honey farm or a candle supply store. I know you’ll ask, so I’ll go ahead and tell you that I buy my beeswax sheets and candle wicking in bulk from Knorr Beeswax–and no, they don’t pay me to tell you that! To mitigate the harm (and the expense) of shipping, I try to buy all that I think my family will use for the coming year in a single order.
The beeswax sheets will be much larger than you’ll likely need for a single candle, so you’ll want to cut them to size. Although you’ll want to play with sizing as you become more familiar with rolled candlemaking, here are a few of my favorite sizes that work well within the standard sizes of the large sheets:
- regular candle=8″x8″ sheet
- short candle=4″x8″ sheet
- tapered candle=three 8″x8″ sheets, cut in half along the diagonal
- birthday candle=2″x2″ sheet
Save every bit of beeswax that you trim off of your sheets, because later I’ll tell you how to use even tiny bits to decorate your candles.
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About the Author
Julie Finn I'm a writer, crafter, Zombie Preparedness Planner, and homeschooling momma of two kids who will hopefully someday transition into using their genius for good, not the evil machinations and mess-making in which they currently indulge. I'm interested in recycling and nature crafts, food security, STEM education, and the DIY lifestyle, however it's manifested--making myself some underwear out of T-shirts? Done it. Teaching myself guitar? Doing it right now. Visit my blog Craft Knife for a peek at our very weird handmade homeschool life; my etsy shop Pumpkin+Bear for a truly odd number of rainbow-themed beeswax pretties; and my Google + for links to articles about poverty, educational politics, and this famous cat who lives in my neighborhood.
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I find it *really* hard to do this evenly, or even sort-of evenly. Do you have any tips? It doesn’t matter how many times I roll, un-roll, and re-roll.
If you look REALLY closely at the beeswax sheet, you’ll see that although the honeycomb pattern lines up on the diagonal one way, it lines up in a straight vertical line the other way. I like to roll so that I’m rolling down that vertical line, and by keeping that line matched between the candle and the unrolled sheet as I’m rolling it up, I’m able to keep the candle perfectly lined up.
If it’s totally impossible, though, for you to keep it even, just make it a style element!
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Your how-to has inspired me to make rolled beeswax candles for my wedding !! (14 months away, so here goes). But I wanted to mention that Knorr Beeswax lists 20 sheets for $50, but candlewic.com lists them much cheaper (referenced on martha stewart’s how-to candle thingy) 10 sheets for $16.50, or 50 sheets for $68.50…. Although, I haven’t been able to compare shipping or quality – only quantity.
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