People have been using candles for five thousand years as a source of illumination. The Egyptians made them from chinton and reed, the Romans from papyrus and animal fat.
Modern wax candles are quite simple to manufacture, and you can make candles yourself at home.
You will need
Wax, cotton thread, scotch tape, enameled jug with spout, large pan, dishwashing liquid, cardboard, nail.
Instruction manual
1
Prepare a candle mold, a piece of rubber hose is good for this, its diameter and length depends on the size of the candle itself, to your taste. Make a through cut along the entire piece so that the hose can be turned into a strip, it will be easier to remove the finished candle, wrap the tape with tape. Glue a piece of thick cardboard to an even cut of one end of the form, when the glue dries, in the middle, pierce the awl hole for the wick.
2
Twist the wick of the desired length from the floss or cotton thread, tie one end with a large knot, pass the other through the hole in the cardboard and wind its pretensioner onto the nail or needle on the other side of the rubber tube. Lubricate the inside of the hose with petroleum jelly or detergent. Fix vertically the finished form with plasticine on a sheet of plywood or on a cutting board.
3
Place a large pot of water on a gas stove or stove, heat the water, but do not allow it to boil. Place an enameled jug in a saucepan with debris cleaned from debris in a water bath. Melt the wax, stirring with a stick, to a liquid state and a temperature of not more than 70 degrees.
4
Gently pour molten wax into a rubber mold with a small jet. If you make a relatively thick candle, after a while, due to the shrinkage of the wax around the wick, a void may form, into which melted wax should again be poured. Wrap the cloth with rags so that the candle hardens slowly, otherwise it may crack.
5
If you want to get a colored candle, instead of wax, melt ordinary white household candles, adding to them a planed wax crayon for drawing, choosing one color you need. For a pleasant smell, add some vanillin. When the finished candle completely hardens and becomes cold, cut or wind up the adhesive tape, expand the hose, the candle will easily separate from its walls. Cut with a knife a piece of cardboard with a knot from the lower end - the candle is ready.
note
Do not melt wax, paraffin or stearin over an open flame to prevent fire. If the fire nevertheless flares up - do not extinguish it with water, just cover it with a wet rag.
Useful advice
To get a beautiful blue glow of a candle flame, soak the wick in a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride.
For stable combustion of the wick, it is impregnated in a solution of nitrate.
Drops of wax frozen on clothing can be removed by ironing them through a paper towel.
