How to Make Taper Candles

Guide Note: Taper candles are fun to make and it doesn't take a lot of equipment to get started. How to Make Taper Candles will show you how to make your own hand-dipped tapers to keep or give away.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Step 1: Assemble Your Equipment
• Step 2: Prepare the Dipper
• Step 3: Melt the Wax
• Step 4: Dip the Tapers
• Step 5: Cool and Cut
• Conclusion
• Resources

• by Liz Casler

Introduction

• Taper candles are the tall, thin candles you see on people's dining tables in candlesticks. Making taper candles is a rewarding craft project for someone with a little patience. By using a dipping frame, you can make numerous tapers in a short amount of time. You can make beautiful, glossy tapers for your dining room, or rustic tapers for your winter cabin.

Step 1: Assemble Your Equipment

(Creative Commons photo by Per Ola Wiberg)

• It's best to get all of your materials together before you begin to melt your wax. You can find almost anything you'll need at a craft store or online candle supply company such as One Stop Candle Making Supplies, Candlechem Company, Inc., or The Candle Maker.

1. Wicks: The candle's wick delivers wax (fuel) to the flame. It must deliver the right amount of melted wax for the candle to burn well and cleanly. Therefore, wick choice is very important. The type you'll need will depend on the other materials that you're using. Glory Bee Foods, Inc. has a wick chart to help you determine what size wick to use. The wicking will need to be longer than the candles you intend to make. In other words, if you're making two 10-inch candles, make sure you have at least 22 inches of wicking.
   1. Flat wicks are the most common wicks and are used in taper and pillar candles. They tend to self-trim and are composed of flat plaited or knitted fibers.
   2. Square wicks are also used in taper and pillar candles. They're especially good for beeswax candles.
2. Wax: The wax you use will depend on what type of candle you want to make. There's no particular wax that is best for candles, but some waxes work better than others for certain kinds of candles. No matter what kind of wax you decide on, make sure to get a high quality product. For hand-dipped tapers, you'll want a wax with a melt point around 140. The thicker and taller the candles you intend to make, the more wax you'll need. Melt enough wax to fill your dipping container.
   1. Paraffin is the most commonly used wax. It's inexpensive, and comes in varieties with different melt points.
   2. Beeswax burns more slowly than many other waxes and smells sweet naturally.
   3. Soy Bean Wax is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. You'll need a larger wick if you use soy.
3. Thermometer: Candle wax must be heated to specific temperatures.
4. Double boiler (or other system for heating wax indirectly)
5. Dual taper dipper or dipping rack: You can buy a dual taper dipper or multi-taper dipping rack from a candle supply store. But you can also make your own dual taper dipper from a thick piece of wire. A third option is to tie two lengths of wick, several inches apart, to a wooden spoon or rod.
6. Container for dipping: Should be deeper than the height you want the candles to be.
7. 2 metal nuts (for dual taper method)

Optional Additions

1. Fragrance: Scented candles account for about 75% of candles sold in the U.S. If you decide to put fragrance in your own candles, you must know how much to add, or they will not burn properly.
2. Colorant: Both dyes and pigments are used to create colored candles. Dyes burn well and are used to color candle wax all the way through. Pigments don't burn well so they are usually used just on the outer edges of candles.

Step 2: Prepare the Dipper

(Creative Commons photo by Paul Maingot)

• No matter what type of dipping instrument you decide to use, you'll need to prepare it by attaching the wicks.

Dipping Rack

1. Adjust your frame to the correct length. You'll need to make the frame a little taller than you want your tapers.
2. Cut a length of wicking long enough to thread the whole frame.
3. Tie one end of the wicking to the bottom of one arm.
4. Wind the wicking onto the frame according to your frame's instructions.
5. Tie the wick snugly when you reach the final arm. Make sure that there's not too much slack anywhere.
6. Cut off excess wicking, if there is much.

Dual Taper Dipper

1. Cut wicking 6 inches longer than the combined length of your two tapers.
2. Attach one nut to the bottom of each taper to weight down the wicking.
3. Drape the wick over the dipper, leaving an equal length of wicking on each side.

Spoon or Rod

1. Cut two equal lengths of wicking, somewhat longer than the length you want the tapers to be.
2. Tie both wicks to a spoon or rod. Leave about two inches between the two so that the tapers don't touch as you make them.
3. Tie one nut to the end of each length of wicking.

Step 3: Melt the Wax

(Creative Commons photo by Peter Becker)

• Once you've got everything else ready, you can prepare the wax for your candle.

1. Melt your wax over low heat.
2. Introduce any additives, such as color or fragrance, into your wax once it has reached the correct pouring temperature. Add any dye last.
   • Pouring temperature beeswax: 150 and 170 degrees F
   • Pouring temperature paraffin: 190 and 200 degrees F
   • Pouring temperature soy wax: 155 and 165 degrees F
3. Stir the wax from time to time. Continue to do this as you dip your tapers.

Step 4: Dip the Tapers

(Creative Commons photo by Alvaro Gandara Astray)

• You can dip your tapers into the double boiler you used to melt the wax if it's deep enough. However, you can also pour the wax into a dipping vat set up as a double boiler.

1. Reduce the temperature of the wax once all of it is melted. Use the thermometer to make sure its temperature is between 150 and 175°.
2. Dip the wicks slowly into the hot wax, keeping about a half-inch of the wicking at the top out of the wax.
3. Keep the wicks in the wax for about 5 seconds, or until there are no more air bubbles.
4. Slowly lift the wicks out of the wax.
5. If the wick is bent, fix it with your fingers.
6. Let the wax on the wicks cool a little, but not completely. You can hang them somewhere from a hook, or dip them in a vat of water between waxings.
7. Repeat the process. After the first dip, don't leave the tapers in the wax—just dip them in and take them out immediately. Continue until the tapers are of the thickness you desire.

Step 5: Cool and Cut

(Creative Commons photo by Daniele Margaroli)

• Once you've finished dipping your tapers, you'll need to allow them to cool, and trim them up a bit.

1. Let the candles cool until firm to the touch.
2. Cut off the metal nuts.
3. Cut the candles off the dipping apparatus.
4. Make a clean cut across the bottom of each taper if you want a flat bottom.
5. Hang the tapers to cool the rest of the way.

Conclusion

• Once your tapers have completely cooled, you can hang then as a decoration, or trim the wick for burning. Your wick needs to be the correct length to burn properly. If it's too short, it will drown in the pool of wax that forms as the candle burns. If it's too long, it will smoke and oxygen won't feed the flame properly.

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Resources for How to Make Taper Candles

• Candlechem Company, Inc.
• The Candle Maker
• Bear Creek Candle Company: Wick Trimmers and Dippers
• CandleMakerSupplies.com: Making Dipper Taper Candles
• CandleMakerSupplies.com: Melting Wax
• CandleMakerSupplies.com: Types of Wax
• General Wax: Frequently Asked Questions
• Mycraftbook.com: Learn to Make Hand Dipped Candles
• National Candle Association: Colorants
• National Candle Association: Fragrance
• National Candle Association: Waxes
• National Candle Association: Wicks
• OneStopCandle.com: Basic Taper Candle Dipping
• OneStopCandle.com: Candle Making Supplies
• OneStopCandle.com: Taper Candle Dipping Frame Instructions

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