Basics

The basis for all of the gel candles includes the following items:

• Candle gel
• Wicks – preferably coated as they are easier to work with
• Scissors for trimming the wick
• Accessories as listed in the recipes

Beach Themed Candles

Beach lovers will enjoy the thought put into this candle as well as the beauty of having the seashore brought inside. 

Items Needed:

• Glass containers: Size and shape are totally up to you; small fishbowls are wonderful for larger candles
• Sand, either regular beach sand or glitter sand
• Seashells and Sand Dollars – you can purchase these at your local craft store or find them on the  beach
• Fragrant oil for scenting the candle, if desired.

Instructions

• Using hot glue secure the wick to the inside of your glass container.
• If using coloring or scented oil place in gel as it melts.
• Pour sand in the bottom of the container.
• Pour in a layer of melted gel– if you want a pale ocean color, tint with light blue dye while melting. Similarly, if you want the candle to have a fragrance, add a light-bodied fragrant oil while melting the gel.
• Add seashells and sand dollars around the outer edges of the container.
• Add another layer of gel, covering the shells completely.
• Depending on the depth of your container, you may be able to add another layer of shells before topping off with gel.
• Allow to set and trim the wick to ¼” from top of container.

Variations

• After adding the sand cover put a layer of small shells on top of it before beginning gel layers; or
• Add a large conch shell on top of the sand then use smaller ones as you layer the gel.

These beach themed candles make great centerpieces for outdoor or indoor weddings or summer parties.

Bride and Groom Candles

Give the bride and groom a set of matching candles made using champagne flutes.  Add a light scent and color that corresponds to the wedding color to make them even more special. If you prefer to have the candle colored more like champagne, use a pale yellow color.

Items Needed:

• Champagne flutes – plain or inscribed with “Bride” and “Groom”
• If desired, small bride and groom figurine, small ceramic wedding bells, or other wedding celebration accessories you would like to add. Make sure any items you choose are ceramic.
• Fragrant oil for scenting the candle, if desired.
• Lace or ribbon for decoration

Instructions

• Secure the wick to the bottom of the champagne flute using hot glue.
• If using coloring or scented oil place in gel as it melts.
• Fill the flute partially with gel.
• Place the bride figurine in one flute, the groom in the other flute – if using inscribed flutes, make sure the bride is in the bride flute and the groom is in the groom flute.
• Continue filling with gel until approximately ¼ inch from rim.
• When gel sets, trim wick to approximately ¼”.
• Tie a pretty ribbon or lace bow around the base of the flute.

Variations

• Instead of using a bride and groom, add plastic wedding bells as you fill the flute. Alternate layers of wedding bells and gel until you reach the top; or,
• Use artificial flower petals that represent the bouquet carried by the bride.

 These flutes make great keepsakes to remind your favorite couple of their special day.

Gel wax has greatly changed the world of candle making. With its transparency the possibilities are limited only by your imagination and the speed with which it sets makes producing large numbers of candles less time consuming than with traditional candles.

Making gel candles uniquely individual is one of the most appealing aspects of the process. The only thing that has to be taken into consideration is that containers must be used, unless of course the time is taken to make unique molds as well.

Gel candles can be made using seashells from vacations, coins from travels around the world, even beer cap collections can be used to make personalized candles.  They can be tinted using dyes and scented using fragrant oils.

Materials

Before you begin making the candles you need to assemble your materials. The most expensive part of the process is the gel wax itself. You will need:

• Gel wax
• Glass containers – use your imagination, shot glasses, martini glasses, fish bowls;
• Fragrant oils – if you want to add scent;
• Dye – if you want your candles colored;
• Wick – the length of which is determined by the height of your container; use wax coated wicks for gel candles, not paper wicks.
• Décor for putting in the candle if desired.

You should also have a pot or kettle to melt and pour the gel from. Camping equipment is an excellent place to find a sturdy kettle to use. It will stand up to the repeated heating.

Making Your Candles

First you need to make sure that your containers are very clean and dry. Any residue or foreign materials that remain inside the container can cause your gel wax not to set properly.

You will need to melt you gel; however, you must keep an eye on the gel as it is melting as it can reach its flash point very quickly and be on fire before you know it. Using a thermometer is the best way to insure that you don’t exceed the recommended temperature. Also, do not under any circumstances whatsoever melt the gel in the microwave, it is very dangerous.

If you are going to color your gel you can do this after the gel has melted. Test the color by pouring a small spoon of it on a sheet of white paper, if the color is darker than you want it, add more gel, if it is lighter than you want it, add more dye.

This is also the time to add fragrant oil if you want to make scented candles. Again, add more if you aren’t satisfied with the odor and if it has too much smell add more gel to the mix.

You are now ready to position your wick. The method you use will depend on how precise you want your candles to be. If you are giving them for gifts and don’t want bubbles, you will want to use the pencil method. If you are making them for yourself and don’t mind some bubbles use the easier, hot glue method.

The hot glue method entails using hot glue to secure the wick to the bottom center of the container. As the wax is poured in, it will react with the glue and cause some bubbles.

The pencil method requires filling the container with wax, dipping the wick in the wax, removing the excess wax from the wick and rolling it around a pencil. Position the pencil over the container with the wick in the center and dropping it down into the gel. When the gel cools cut the wick no longer than ¼ inch.

If you are adding embellishments to your gel candle you should dip them in wax and arrange them in the container before you pour the wax in the container. You should also arrange them closer to the outer edge to make them visible.

Enjoy

Once your candles set you are now ready to enjoy your candles. Gel candle making is not a difficult process and can make beautiful gifts to share with your friends and family, during holidays or just because you want to share your newfound talent.

Another theme or design you can use for making decorative gel candles is a jar of preserves. These candles are usually called “preserved gel candles”, though they are not actually preserved in anyway themselves. It’s just their look.

They are often made inside a canning jar, the type with the wire bale and hinged lid. It’s actually an excellent type of jar for a gel candle because it is quite thick and sturdy, and will be able to easily handle the high heat of a gel flame.

Inside the candle, it looks just like preserved fruit in syrup. The gel itself is usually coloured just a bit to match the type of fruit being represented, and embedded in the gel are artificial pieces of fruit. The fruit pieces are usually made of wax or glass, so they aren’t a hazard when the candle is being burned.

These candles to can be scented to match the fruit, though any scent can be used. They are a lovely addition to any room with a country or rustic theme.

Remember that glitter needs to be as safe as any other embedded item used in a gel candle. You don’t want your sparkling glitter to create actual flaming sparks later on.

Regular craft glitter may not be your best choice, though it really depends on what its made out of. And trying to find out exactly what the material is can be tricky sometimes. When it doubt, don’t use it.

Some glitter is made of fine paper foil, which may be a hazard once your candle starts to heat up. Don’t assume that any glitter safe for wax candles is naturally OK for gel candles. Gel candles heat up quite a bit more than a wax candle, which will create different safety issues.

High-quality glitter products made from crushed glass are your best bet for use in a gel candle. It’s more expensive, but its both safer and more dramatic in your candle.

When adding glitter to your candle, stir it through the liquid candle gel before you pour it. It distributes better in the finished candle that way.

By far the most popular design for gel wedding candles are those made in champagne flutes. Very traditional for a wedding, as long as your guests realize they are candles and not drinks. You can either leave them plain, to resemble a real glass of champagne, or jazz them up with some themed embeds.

A pair of gold or silver rings in each candle would be a nice touch, or wax version of the flowers used in the ceremony. Never use real flowers, because they will become a fire hazard when the candles are burning.

Planning a themed wedding? Use your gel candles to show that off. With some searching, you should be able to find safe knick knacks to suit your theme that would work in a gel candle.

When using gel candles in a wedding, you should never place them near any flowers or possibly flammable decorations. They will burn hotter than traditional candles, so plan their placement ahead of time.

Many gel candle suppliers or makers can accommodate your specific design needs, if you want to order a batch of custom made candles for your wedding. Of a bunch of crafty bridesmaids could get together and have a candle-making party.

The transparency of gel candle wax makes is terrific for creating very decorative candles, with other objects “floating” inside. It looks much like water, and works particularly well for candles resembling small aquariums or ocean scenes.

With a bit of colouring, the gel can be tinted and made into some very realistic looking drink candles, too. They are especially popular when made to look like glasses of champagne, as wedding decorations.

The gel is really only made by one company at the moment, and you should seek the authentic product to ensure a safe product. It’s made by Penreco, and the brand name is Versagel.

Gel candle wax is made up of about 95% mineral oil, and 5% polymer resin. It comes in three types: low, medium and high density gels. They are usually labeled CLP, CMP and CHP.

For making the fancy candles with little embedded decorations, you need to use the high density gel (CHP). It’s firm enough to support the items without having them slowly settle through the gel to the bottom of the container. CHP candle gel can also take a higher dose of fragrance oil for scented candles. When making candles, it’s melted down to a liquid, and poured into containers with a wick fastened in the center.

One other look that gel candles are well-suited for are drinks. Candles can be made into very realistic looking mugs of beer, glasses of soda pop, and lovely flutes of champagne. And this last one is a particular favourite as a wedding decoration.

Many wedding supply sellers are now offering these types of candles, but you can also make your own if you are looking to cut costs. It can also be a fun project to do with your bridesmaids or friends before the big day.

First start with sturdy glasses. Unfortunately, champagne glasses tend to be very delicate. Cheap ones are usually thicker and work better for these types of candles, because they burn hot and can shatter fine glass. To be on the safe side, extinguish the candles before they burn down too far.

If you are trying to make your candles look like real glasses of champagne, you’re not going to be embedding any objects within the gel. So you can use the light density gel (CLP). All you need to do is melt the gel and pour it into a champagne flute that has a wick fastened to the bottom. There are almost always bubbles in poured gel, which adds to the effect.

The trick is to get the right colour. Using either solid or liquid candle dye, you’ll need a tiny amount of an amber shade. The exact amount will depend on how many candles you are making. It takes very little dye to colour candle gel, so take it easy.

Containers used for making gel candles should be thick and solid glass. Candle gel is hotter than wax once it starts burning and can crack thin glass. Candles made in delicate wine glasses or martini glasses may look nice, but may not be that safe. So keep your candles safe by using quality heavy glassware. You can use the same types of wicks used in wax candles.

What makes gel candles unique is that other decorations can be embedded in the clear gel, making very realistic aquarium and other water scenes. So a very important gel candle supply would be these little decorations, usually just called “embeds”. For safety sake, only use embeds that are glass, wax or stone. Seashells would work also. Anything flammable like herbs, flowers (real or silk) or plastic must be avoided.

Some companies offer gel candle making kits, so you can get all the appropriate supplies together. A nice option if you are new to making gel candles. Some are themed, so you can make a certain type of candle. There are also more generic kits available which would allow you to be a bit more creative and design something yourself.

The gel used in making these types of candles is a new product, created by a company called Penreco. The brand name is Versagel, and it comes in low, medium and high density.

Look for the product name so you know you are getting authentic and safe candle gel. Bitter Creek has a good selection of Versagel and other gel candle supplies. More and more craft stores that carry candle supplies are starting to also carry candle gel. You might want to ask about it, if they don’t.

And as with pretty much any craft project, there are kits you can buy rather than trying to assemble all the supplies yourself. Depending on the kit, the specific style and design of the candle is usually set. A kit for a small aquarium candle has all the supplies needed specifically for an aquarium candle, though you can usually add a bit of your own creative flair to the final product.

Some kits are a bit more generic and don’t restrict you to a certain type of candle. A basic kit like this should contain enough candle gel for at least one candle, wicking material, tabs for attaching the wick to the bottom of the container, a glass container for your candle and a selection of dyes and scents for the gel. Of course, a full set of instructions should also be included.

Kits for specific designs will also include the decorations to “float” inside the gel, like little glass fish, turtles, roses or pretty much anything at all.

With kits that don’t include the embeds, you will have to come up with those yourself. You can’t just drop anything into your candle though. If you have any intention of actually burning your gel candle at some point, make sure that everything that goes into it is not going to burst into flame. No natural plant material, like flower petals or leaves should be use nor anything made from plastic.

You can buy safe embeds from gel candle supply stores, or just look for any small decorative knick knacks made out of ceramic, metal, glass or stone. Check your local craft store for plenty of ideas and options.

One last note on gel candle making kits. Find out what brand of candle gel is inside. For safe candles, you should stick to the authentic Versagel brand of gel. For kits designed to make embedded candles, the gel should be the high-density type. Kits containing low-density gel are not made for using with embedded decorations. If you try to add them, they will just settle through the gel and end up sitting on the bottom of the candle.

There are many places online that offer custom candle creation, especially shops that specialize in wedding or shower decorations. You can discuss your particular needs with them, and see if they can accommodate your artistic vision. When going this route, you will likely have to agree to buy a quantity of candles, though some smaller craftspeople can probably make you just one single candle to suit your needs. Be prepared to pay extra for it though.

You will also need to be realistic when designing your custom gel candle. There are limits to what can be done, and what materials can be used safely.

And instead of paying someone else to make your custom gel candles, you can always roll up your sleeves and make your own.

Many craft stores (both online and in the real world) are selling the supplies you need to make gel candles. You can choose the colour, scent and any additional embedded knick knacks to suit your purpose. This is where you can let your imagination take over to create exactly what you want.

The floating items can reflect your specific occasion, style of décor or any other theme that you need. Even one-of-a-kind personal items can be used inside a gel candle, providing they are not flammable in any way.

Making your own custom candles can be fun, and a good way to get exactly what you want. Not everyone is that handy though, especially when having to handle hot candle gel. If you can’t make it yourself, there will surely be a craftsperson out there who can do it for you.