What you will need

Wax (Pillar of Bliss Votive/Pillar Wax )

Coloring (you choose: color blocks, liquid dyes, powder dyes, color chips)
Pouring pot
Fragrance (oil-based, 100% concentrated and designed for candlemaking) Youll
need 1 oz. to 1.5oz. of fragrance oil per pound of melted wax.
Candle Additives (vybar 103) optional (UV Light Protector) optional
Heat source (stove, hot plate, oven)
Melting heat source (you choose: turkey roaster, presto pot, hot water heater) The
turkey roaster that I am referring to is an electric unit with a heat control knob on it.
It holds 25 lbs. of wax. Hamilton Beach sells theses at stores like K Mart, and Ames.
Stainless steel measuring cups and measuring spoons (fragrance oil will eat
through plastic measuring cups)

 Stainless pitcher for transferring your melted wax from your roasters to your
pouring pots on the stove
Wooden spoons
Votive Molds
Pan at least 13 X 9 with 1/2" water in it (This can hold 2 pouring pots at a time).
This will be used as your double boiler.
Wicks (CD wicks or Zinc core wicks work the best with WOW Wax)
Safety glasses
Candy thermometer
A room temperature environment of about 70 degrees - No drafts and no fans
running.
Work clothes
Floor mats or cardboard for your floors
Scales for weighing wax
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks (optional)

Procedure to follow
for making 4 pounds
of candles
1.

Weigh 4 pounds of Pillar of Bliss wax on a scale

2.

Turn your oven on 150 degrees F. Put your empty metal votive molds on a tray
and put them in the oven to get warm. You want your molds to be about 150F
when pouring into them. You never want to pour hot wax into a cold mold
because this will cause your wax to set up too quickly and your candles will
develop jump lines.

3.

Put 1/2" of water in your 13 X 9 pan on the stove. Set your temperature setting
on your stove to low to medium. Get your pouring pots, color, additives,
fragrance, votive molds, and wicks ready for the candlemaking process.

4.

Put the 4 pounds of Pillar of Bliss wax into a clean pouring pot.

5.

Put the pouring pot in the 13 X 9 pan that is on the stove, and allow your wax to
melt. You never want to melt wax with the pouring pot directly on the heat
source. This can become a fire hazard and/or can result in your wax becoming
scorched. If your wax becomes scorched, it will smell like burnt oil or like burnt
fuel. If you notice that your wax smells like this, it is ruined. You cannot correct
wax that has become scorched.

6.

Check the temperature of your melted wax periodically with a candy

thermometer. You will want to get wax up to 195 degrees F. Be careful not to
get your wax too hot or it will become scorched (as mentioned above).

7.

Add 1-10 drops of liquid candle dye to the melted wax. Stir. When using liquid
candle dye, we suggest never using more than 10 drops of dye per 4 pounds of
melted wax. Using more than that will cause your candles to smell somewhat
like chemicals. If you desire rich, dark colors, you may want to use candle blocks
instead of liquid candle dye. It is at this time you can add candle additives to
your melted wax. For this particular wax, you can use tsp. vybar 103 per 4
pounds of melted wax. You may also want to add UV light protector to your
candle wax; especially if the color of the wax will be blue, purple, or pink. These
colors can easily fade when exposed to sunlight or other UV light.

Make sure that you dont over do it with the vybar. While vybar can increase a
candles scent throw, using too much vybar can inhibit scent throw. You never
want to use petrolatum in any molded candles because you will not be able to
get your candles out of their molds!
8.

Remove pouring pot from heat and allow the temperature of the Wax to drop
to 180 degrees

9.

Add 1 oz. to 1.5 oz. of fragrance oil per pound of melted wax to your melted
wax mixture. Line up your molds on the edge of your counter. Pour the molds in
the front first...allow those to set up until you see a creamy film on the top of
them, and then move them back and pour your next row of molds in front of
the ones that are setting up. When it comes to votives, there are several
problems that you may encounter. Votives have to be poured twice because
votive wax sinks after the first pour. On your first pour, fill your votive molds
until there is only 1/16" of the mold not filled. If you completely fill your votive
mold, you will end up with a sloppy second pour. If you pour your votive molds
below the 1/16" mark, your votives may appear to show where you did your
second pour. For the absolute best results, you will want to save enough wax
from this first pour to do your second pour. 4 lbs. of wax tends to make
approximately 32 candles.

It is a good idea to keep that in mind so that you stop pouring when you hit the
32 mark. That way you have enough wax left over to do your second pour. Set
this pot aside (not on a heat source) for your second pour.
10. Votives set up relatively quickly so you will want to get started straightening
your wicks and centering them in the molds. Wicking candles is much easier
when you use the pretabbed prewaxed zinc core or CD type wicks. Allow your
candles to cool a little while until you see that the bottom of the votive mold
has about 1/4" of candle setting up. Now, straighten your wicks, and place them
in the candle.... properly centered. The wicks will actually stick to the bottom of
the containers. If you try to wick your candles too soon, your wicks will move
position and will not be properly centered. If you wick your candles too late,
your wicks will not migrate to the bottom of the container.

11. Allow your votives to cool at room temperature for approximately 2 hours.
Then you are ready for your second pour. Avoid pouring your second pour
before this 2 hour period because you may get sinkage on your second pour as
well. Waiting too long after your first pour to do your second pour may result in
your votives appearance revealing that you poured them twice. Place your
pouring pot containing your left over wax from your first pour on the stove and
allow the wax to reach 160-165. Do not add any extra fragrance to this wax
because it may cause your second pour to be a different color than the first
pour.
12. Now, go through and straighten all of your wicks...but do not break the wax
when doing this. Pour your second pour only up to the level of your first pour. If
you go beyond the first pour fill mark, the wax has a tendency to go behind the
first pour and may cause little bubbles in your candles. This may not sound like
a terrible problem, but these tiny little bubbles will turn into tiny little
holes.....and customers will not like them!
13. Allow candles to cool at room temperature, and pop them out of the molds.
Store finished votives in an air tight container so that they maintain freshness.

14. If you are making larger than votive-sized molds, you will follow the same
instructions as listed above, but there are two differences:
(a) You will need to poke holes in your candle after your first pour is set up about
1/2 way in order to release any air pockets.
(b) Larger molds will probably require several repours.

Votive Troubleshooting Guide

PROBLEM

CAUSE

SOLUTION

The colors of my votives are

fading.

Exposed to sunlight or
fluorescent lighting

Candles that are blue, purple, and pink

may change color in sunlight or when
exposed to fluorescent light. UV light
protector should be used when making
your votives.

The wicks on my votives are

going out when burning.

Something is clogging your

wick. Your candle came in
contact with water.

Things like crayons, pigments, and mica

can clog candle wicks. Make sure that
you only use coloring that is specifically
formulated for candle making.

The color is not mixing with

my candle wax.

You did not heat your wax hot

enough for the coloring to
dissolve into the wax. You are
using the wrong kind of
coloring.

Make sure that you never use soap

coloring or food coloring when making
candles. If you are using the correct kind
of coloring, then try heating your wax
hotter and stir the mixture thoroughly

Votive Troubleshooting Guide

PROBLEM
My votives do not have any
scent throw.

CAUSE

SOLUTION

You did not use enough

fragrance. You used too much
vybar. You are not using a large
enough wick.

You should be using 1-1.5 oz. of

fragrance per pound of melted candle
wax. Using too much vybar can bind your
scent. You may need to use a bigger
wick.

Thank you for your patronage

and support over the years!
Due to this support, Natures
Garden has become the largest
distributor of fragrance oils in
the USA; serving more than
80,000 customers! We could
not do any of this without YOU!
42109 State Route 18
Wellington, OH 44090
1-866-647-2368
1-440-647-0220 (fax)
www.candlepro.com