How To Make Hurricane Candles Tutorial

Learn how to make your own Hurricane candle's |(Method 1: without inclusions)

You can make two types of Hurricane shells: with or without inclusions in
the sides of the shell.

The two methods differ a little because in the first case, you will need an
insert to keep the decorative elements in place while the wax hardens.
So I've logically separated this article in two pages. The first page, which
you are currently reading, is focused on the first method, the one without
inclusions.

The second page will give you all the information you need to include
decorative elements into the sides of your Hurricane shells.

Specifications:

• Difficulty: relatively easy
• Time needed: about 1 hour (+ cooling)

Supplies needed:

• 1 Hurricane mold,
• 5 Kg of a Hurricane blend,
• candle dye, if you want to,
• 1 Stanley (utility) knife (to level the top of the shell).

and of course the usual supplies: thermometer, double boiler, pouring
jugs...

How to make a hurricane shell without inclusions

• As usual, start by preparing all the supplies and tools you'll need during
  this project so that you don't have to start searching for something in the
  middle of a critical phase.
  Melting such a large volume of paraffin and bringing it to the right
  temperature will take some time so start right away. Make sure you leave a
  thermometer in the melting wax at all time.
  As you won't add any inclusions, your mold does not need any special
  preparation. Just make sure the wick hole, if any, is plugged with mold
  sealer.



Fill the mold to the top and eliminate as many air bubbles as you can

• When the paraffin has reached the right working temperature (190°F), fill
  the mold (you may fill it up to the top as you won't have to move it into a
  water bath), gently hit the four sides with a wooden spoon to free up any
  air bubble and let the paraffin cool off until a skin starts forming at the
  surface.
  Given the large volume of wax a hurricane mold can hold, this could take
  some time. Check the mold and its contents now and then to survey the
  cooling process.



When a skin starts forming at the surface of the wax, puncture and
remove it using a sharp kitchen knife

• When a skin starts to form at the surface, use a kitchen knife to puncture
  and remove it. Any residual wax can be disposed of in the melting jug. This
  should give you a good idea of the thickness of the shell walls.
  Once these walls are at least 5 mm thick (beware, what you see in the mold
  is not always what you'll get when the shell is unmolded), puncture the
  surface skin one last time and remove it (cut the skin as close to the edge
  of the walls as you can). Now, slowly but steadily, pour the contents of the
  mold back into the melting jug.
  When all the wax has been poured out, hold the mold vertically above the
  melting pot: this will avoid big fat wax build-ups against the shell walls.
  Hold the mold in this position for about thirty seconds or until the
  dripping stops. At this stage, the wax has become tacky and needs some time
  to run off.
  Now that the shell is empty, put the mold back on the countertop and let the
  shell cool off completely. Now and then, look inside to check that there
  aren't any large blob of wax against a wall or on the bottom. If that's the
  case, use an old spoon to remove it (take care not to damage the bottom or
  one of the walls while doing that).



Once the shell has hardened completely, unmold it and use the Stanley
knife to remove any irregularities from the sides of the walls

• When the wax has hardened completely (the mold must be cool to the touch
  and the insides of the shell must be hard and not tacky anymore), unmold the
  shell and use a Stanley knife to remove any irregularities from the top side
  of the shell.
  If you wish to and if you feel it's necessary, you can use a piece of very
  thin sandpaper to polish the inside of the walls.



In the last step, flatten the top of the shell using a hot oven plate or
an old pan

• As always, the last step will be to flatten the shell (or, in this case,
  the top of it).
  To do that, I usually use a hot oven plate or an old pan. I then hold the
  shell on top of it and melt some of the wax until the top of the shell is
  perfectly plane (don't exaggerate or there will be nothing left of your
  shell!).
  If you see spots on the surface of the shell that looks like frozen, don't
  worry, it's normal: wipe the surface of the wax with an old nylon stocking
  to remove these spots and make your shell shine.



A nice, plain Hurricane shell

• Your Hurricane shell is completed! If you feel like it, you may now paint it, engrave it, glue all kinds of
  decorative elements onto it (like dried flowers, scrapbooking items) or just
  leave it as is.
  Don't forget that, when you're ready to use it, you need to place a small
  heat-resistant plate inside it, just under the votive or tea light candle, to
  avoid damage to the bottom of your shell.

  Now jump to the next page where you will learn how, using an insert, you can
  add inclusions inside the walls of a Hurricane shell.

DIY hurricane candle tutorial | (Method 2: with inclusions)

A Hurricane shell looks great when you add inclusions inside its walls

Let's now examine the method that uses an insert to incorporate decorative
elements (inclusions) within the sides of a Hurricane shell.
The basic principle is the same with added difficulty, that of manipulating
the insert and the necessity of using a water bath.

Specifications:

• Difficulty: relatively difficult
• Time needed: about 1 1/2 hour (+ cooling)

Supplies needed:

• 1 Hurricane mold and an insert,
• 5 Kg of Hurricane blend,
• themed or various inclusions,
• 1 water bath whose size and water level match the mold and its weight,
• 1 mold handler,
• 1 Stanley knife (to level the top and inside walls of the shell).
  and of course the usual supplies: thermometer, double boiler, pouring
  jugs...

How to make a hurricane candle with inclusions:

• As usual, start by preparing all the supplies and tools you'll need during
  this project. Picture 1 shows a Hurricane mold with two inserts of different
  diameters. Be sure you pick the best insert for the job: your inclusions
  must fit tightly in the space between the insert and the mold and not move
  or float towards the surface when you'll be pouring the paraffin in the
  mold.



• It will take a rather long time before such a large volume of paraffin
  melts and reaches the right pouring temperature (190°F). So start there
  before you worry about the rest (with my melting configuration, 5 kilos of
  paraffin require about two hours to be pourable). Don't forget to check the
  water level in your double boiler at regular interval and add some if
  necessary; failing to do so may damage both your double boiler and your heat
  plate and, in the worst case, set the countertop on fire!



• Prepare your Hurricane mold: put the weight in place now (for more
  information about this, read the article titled "the water bath technique)
  because it might prove tricky to do it when insert and inclusions are
  already in place. Double check the water level in the water bath (and, while
  you're at it, in the double boiler again).



Position the inclusions in the space between the insert and the mold

With the insert centered inside the mold, put your inclusions in place
(using one or two long wooden sticks will help).

• It's important that your inclusions are tight enough between the insert
  and the mold so that they won't move and/or float when you pour the wax but
  remember you'll need to rotate, lift then remove the insert while the
  paraffin sets. Be sure your inclusions are not stuck to death in there or
  you'll have a hard time removing the insert. Believe me, removing an insert
  stuck in the cooling wax isn't exactly an easy thing to do!
• Once you have poured the paraffin in the mold, it will be too late to
  wonder how you'll get the mold into the water bath.
  Be sure before you pour that you have made up a system that will allow you
  to move the mold safely and without burning your hands (two simple lengths
  of electrical wire passed under the base of the mold will do the trick).

  When the paraffin reaches a temperature of 190°F, pour it slowly in the
  middle of the insert. Don't try and pour paraffin between the insert and the
  mold, you would only succeed in spilling hot paraffin and disturbing your
  inclusions. You will probably spill some paraffin so make sure your mold
  sits on a large piece of cardboard or on a thick layer of old newspapers.
  Once the mold is filled up to one centimeter under the top (give paraffin
  some time to flow from inside the insert to everywhere else in the mold,
  scrupulously tap the sides of the mold with a wooden spoon to free up as
  many air bubbles as possible (and there will be a lot of them, stuck under
  and inside the inclusions). This is vital if you're using artificial flowers
  because these tend to lock up lots of air; if you don't tap the mold, or not
  enough, you may end up with a shell full of holes on its surface. But don't
  hit the mold too hard, you don't want to damage or dent it.

• Using whatever system you put in place, lift the mold and plunge it into
  the water bath. Work slowly as not to let any water mix with the paraffin.
  If you've done your homework correctly, the water level in the water bath
  should be just above the wax level in the mold. If that's not the case, you
  only have a few seconds to fix it or a line will appear on top of your
  finished shell.



Plunge the mold into the water bath

• Leave the mold alone during two minutes, then slightly rotate the insert
  without moving it to ensure that it won't get stuck in the setting wax.
  Sixty seconds later, rotate it again and, at the same time, lift it up two
  centimeters. You'll need to hold it in place at this new height.
• Wait for another sixty seconds then repeat the movement (rotate and lift).



With a one minute interval between each step, rotate and lift the insert
up two centimeters until entirely removed

• Repeat until the insert is entirely removed from the mold. Don't try and go
  too fast here...
  The wax on the outside of the mold, cooled by the water bath, should now be
  hard enough to hold all inclusions in place.
  You may notice that the wax level in the mold has dropped a little. You may
  add some hot paraffin but be sure not to go above the initial level or
  you'll get ugly lines on the shell.
• The hardest part is over! Now, you must check the thickness of the walls
  of your shell. When they're thick enough (10 mm are a guideline but it all
  depends on the thickness of your inclusions; they must be entirely covered
  by wax), remove the mold from the water bath. It should be cool enough now
  and you should be able to manipulate it bare-handed. Remove the mold weight
  and wipe the mold dry with an old cloth: you must avoid at all prices that
  water gets mixed with paraffin when you'll empty the mold back into the
  melting jug.

  Remove any skin that may have formed on the surface of the wax then, slowly
  but steadily, pour the contents of the mold back into the melting jug. Hold
  the mold perfectly vertical above the melting container. This will prevent
  build-ups of wax against the shell walls.

  When all the excess paraffin has left the mold (this could take some time as
  the low temperature makes it tacky), put the mold back on the countertop and
  look inside. If you notice any wax build-up against the walls or the bottom
  of the shell, try removing them with an old metal spoon. You will notice
  that the walls remain perfectly plane, thanks to the insert. If you happen
  to damage the bottom of the shell while removing excess wax, reheat some
  paraffin and pour a thin layer in the shell to repair the bottom.
  Don't worry if the top of the shell has a rather rough aspect: you will take
  care of that when the shell has cooled off completely. Don't unmold the
  shell yet.



• You will now that the shell is ready to be freed from its mold when the
  latter is cold to the touch and the shell almost glides out of it by itself.
  If you pouring temperature was right and you hit the sides of the mold well
  enough before you put it into the water bath, the surface of your shell
  should be close to perfect. Tiny air holes where the inclusions touched the
  mold are almost unavoidable; if you notice spots that look like they're
  frozen on the surface of the shell, you can get rid of them by wiping the
  shell with an old nylon stocking to polish it.
  Now let's take care of the top of the shell: level it as good as you can
  with your Stanley knife (but be careful for both your fingers and the
  shell). The inside walls can be polished with a piece of ultra-thin
  sandpaper. To level the top perfectly, put the shell upside down on a hot
  oven plate or an old, hot pan.

So that's it, you've just made a Hurricane shell, complete with decorative
inclusions. It wasn't that easy? Don't worry, you'll acquire experience and,
if you made any mistake this time, you probably won't repeat them with your
next shell. Be ready to face new challenges and potential problems when
you'll try other types of inclusions, though. But that's part of the fun,
isn't it?

Author: Chris, Owner of HowtomakeCandles.info
. Check out his website with loads of informational resources for candle
makers, and show your support!