How to Dip a Pillar Candle
- 1). Place approximately 2 inches of water in the bottom of your double boiler and put it on a medium-hot stove. Set the coffee can or a similarly shaped tall, thin "dipping vat" in the top of the double boiler.
- 2). Fill the coffee can with candle wax. Choose beeswax, paraffin wax, soy wax or a commercial candle wax mixture. Melt the wax until it is all liquid, stirring occasionally. Check the temperature of the wax with your candy thermometer, around 165 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for dipping tapers.
- 3). Cut a piece of wick twice as long as the taper you want to make, plus 5 inches. For instance, if you want an 8-inch taper, measure 8 inches twice, plus 2 more inches to provide each candle with a functioning wick, plus another 3 inches to hold onto while dipping, for 21 total inches. Limit the height of your taper to the height of your dipping vat.
- 4). Tie a nut or heavy washer onto each end of the wick. The weight will keep the wick straight as you dip it into wax.
- 5). Hold the wick by the center 3 inches and dip both sides into the melted wax. Pull the wick up and allow the wax to cool for several minutes. Each dip should take only a few seconds, and each cooling period should last two or three minutes. Repeat the process about five times, then cut the weights off of the bottom of the taper with your scissors.
- 6). Continue to dip and cool until your tapers reach the desired size. Hang them around a coat hanger or ceiling hook where they will not be disturbed while they harden and cool.
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