How To: Wedding Gel Candles

Materials Needed:

Gel (available at most craft stores)

Candy thermometer

Pot or pan to heat gel in

Wick material

Container for gel candle

Metal spoon


Optional Items:

Dye

Scent

Objects to embed in the gel


Safety Note:

The gel is an oil-based substance and is flammable. Care must be taken to not exceed the manufacturer’s recommended temperature or the gel could catch on fire. Whenever working with gel, keep a fire extinguisher, baking soda, and a pan lid nearby. Keep children and pets out of the kitchen and be sure to use protective equipment for your hands and eyes. If you use a dye in your gel, use candle dye, not food coloring. Scent will almost always have a lower flash point than the gel so be careful to only add a few drops.

The container used for a gel candle can be practically anything. Gel will not hurt a container and can be removed if you no longer want a candle in it. Generally, a thicker-walled container is better than a thin wall. If you do use a thin-walled container, only burn your candle for 2-3 hours at a time to prevent the glass from overheating and breaking.

There are different kinds of wick material available for making candles. For gel candles, zinc core wicks or wax-coated wicks are best. Do not use paper wicks. When placing the wick in your candle, keep the wick one inch above the bottom of the container or above an object suspended in the gel. While burning your candles, keep the wick trimmed to one quarter of an inch.

After you have assembled all needed materials, it’s time to start. First you must prepare the container. Clean and thoroughly rinse your container. Any residues left could react with the gel and leave you with undesirable results. If you want to have something suspended in the candle, use sewing thread to position the object by running the thread through the object and taping the ends to the outside of the container. (Don’t knot the thread around the object.) After your candle has solidified, gently tug on one end of the thread to remove it from the candle. The wick can either be added after the gel is poured or can be suspended in the container by wrapping the excess around a cooking skewer or a pencil.

Check the directions on the gel so you know what the target temperature is. This temperature will very from manufacturer to manufacturer. Estimate the amount of gel needed to fill the selected container. Gel can be reused so don’t worry about getting too much. Place the gel in the pan and melt over low heat. Use the candy thermometer to assure you don’t exceed the recommended temperature. Never leave melting gel unattended. Use your metal spoon to stir the melting gel. Never use plastic utensils as the gel will get hot enough to melt them. Wooden utensils are not recommended as they will cause bubbles in the gel.

After the gel has melted and reached the recommended temperature, add dye if desired. Add only a few drops at a time. If the color goes darker than desired, add some more gel. If you are scenting your candle, now is the time to add a drop or two. Pour the gel into the container. If you don’t want many bubbles, pour slowly into a tilted container. (Think pouring a beer into a glass.)

Your candle can be cooled anywhere it won’t be disturbed. If you want fewer bubbles in the candle, cool it in the refrigerator. Don’t touch the gel while it’s cooling unless you want fingerprints in the top of your candle.

Any excess gel can easily be removed from the pan after it has cooled. Since the gel can be reused, return it to the original container or save it in a resealable plastic bag.

If you have more bubbles in your candle than you want, or if the wick has drifted too off-center to be usable, you can reheat the candle in an oven at 175o F until the gel melts. Stir the gel well and try cooling again. It’s very unlikely that you will be able to remove all of the bubbles from a gel candle. However, the bubbles are part of what makes a gel candle unique so a few bubbles should be desirable.