Obviously, there is some merit to the old saying "Experience is the best teacher". Again, obviously, there is also merit in the old saying "Practice makes perfect", but I'm much more like the guy who came around later and said "Perfect practice makes perfect". If I continued to practice the bad form I was performing I would never have perfected the backhand spring. I would have ended up on my head more often. I had to adjust my thrust and I had to perfect the timing due to the fact that at age 14 I was growing faster than my coach anticipated. I was a gangly 5'6" gymnast, and that doesn't always bode well on the beam and bars. It's not that big of an issue on the floor. Well, I like learning, and I like knowing something is the right way to do it before I do it, but if that's not an option, I like knowing as soon as possible what the right way is, so that I don't make the same mistakes over and over again. I don't know about you, but I absolutely HATE making mistakes; even if I'm a novice at something. I prefer to KNOW the ins and outs before I dig into it. So WHY did I not read up on the ins and outs of candle making before pouring (see what I did there) myself in to it? God knows.
I am not one to waste money, so I didn't dish out tons of cash and then find myself unable to pay rent. I didn't do anything quite so foolish as that. No, I know and I knew before I started, that I would need a few practice runs before the real and viable products could be made and sold for profit. It was more or less a guessing game really, not knowing exactly how much I would put out before being in the money, but it's a working progress and a work-in-progress, so I don't mind having a bit of fun as long as I can reheat the wax and start over if I need to. About the only thing I will be out is the container the candles go in, and I can reuse those if I can ever find a way to get ALL of the wax out of the damn things.
I would say, without going into all the details, that the three things I wish I knew before getting into candle making would be: First, knowing that I could microwave the flaked wax and I wouldn't have to buy pots and do the double boiler thing. I may end up just investing in a larger measuring cup with a handle and a spout (plastic) and doing it that way. It's faster, cleaner, and I don't have to wonder how much I'm putting into the cup because I can use my handy-dandy digital scale to weigh it out. You may or may not know but need to know, that WATER is the only thing that measures out the same in fluid ounces as it does in mass. One pound of wax makes 20 ounces of liquid to pour. If you make 4 ounce candles you'll need 1 pound to make 5 candles. (I could have added that fact to my things I wish I knew, but I knew that from some fun fact video I watched many years ago, and for whatever reason it stuck with me.) I relearned that fact recently, but it is a good thing to keep in your head.
I wish I would have known that the double-sided sticky pads that you put at the bottom of the candle to hold the wicks will come off if you pour the wax even 1 degree too hot. I think I went through 10 before I realized this fact. I have all but poured cooler wax and find myself stirring pretty furiously at the end to keep the wax from getting too hard in the bottom of my pot. It only took 10, so yeah, I'm not that daft. I learned and I adjusted. This was a BIG thing though because my fingers didn't always fit into the jar to put the sticky pad at the bottom if the jar was too tall. I've taken to using shorter candle containers and it's likely going to stay that way. They travel better in the mail as well.
Also, I wish I would have known that I could and should cut the wooden wicks BEFORE I pour the wax. I didn't even think about it. I just added the wick, and poured and then tried to cut the wicks when the wax hardened. NOPE. I ruined the tops of almost all the candles when I did that. I compensated by heating them up in the microwave enough to get the top to melt, but that melted the bottom too, and BAM the sticky thing came off! You live, you play, you learn. Cut the wooden wicks before you put them into the jar. (Also pour closer to the wick and not the side of the jar because you can drip the wax on the glass and then it's a bear to get off. I mean, that's OK if you're keeping your candle, but if you intend to sell them the client probably expects you to be a bit more careful when you pour. Learn from my mistakes folks, learn from my mistakes.
There's probably a dozen other things, but really candle making is so simple. I literally scoop the flakes of wax into the measuring cup and put it in the microwave for four (4) minutes. If it's not done I stir it and pop it back in for another 30 seconds. While the wax is melting I set the candle jars with the two-sided sticky pad, the wick, and if I'm using a cotton wick (I don't really use them anymore) I put the stabilizer on top to hold the wick straight. You can cut those wicks off after the wax cools. I test the temperature of the wax and since I use Golden Wax products (soy) I wait for the wax to be around 122-123 degrees. I add the scent just before I pour it, and I stir it well before I pour the wax into the jars.
After you pour the candles (this is the MOST important part) LEAVE IT ALONE until it hardens. I sometimes wait until just before the candles fully harden and I add flower pedals, glitter, or tiny beads to the top to make it a bit prettier. Most of my candles are white when I pour them. I use colors from time to time, but mostly just keep it as simple as possible. I use 7 ounce mini-yogurt style glass clear jars for my candles. I can barely reach the bottom to put the sticky pad in place, so sometimes I make sure I'm pressing firmly to keep the metal wick stand in place. It really is important to not pour too hot to remove that sticky pad. You don't want your wick roaming around. You're done.
Candle making is fast. It's easy. There isn't that much of a mess to clean up, and the plastic measuring cup that I use doesn't really get too hot. If you microwaved glass measuring cups you'd want to be sure to use pot-holders to remove the measuring cup from the microwave, and be really careful not to burn yourself. Like I said, things I wish I knew. I sort of figured that one out on my own, but I bet there are videos about what you should, would, and could use. Everyone likes to pass on a bit of wisdom when they can. For me, I think the most I could tell you is to have fun and not put too much money into it if you just want to make candles for friends and family or gifts.
One 7-ounce candle with the right twine wrap, maybe a few beads on the twine, and a wooden wick would sell for upwards of $15.00 at a retail store, but even including the jar, the scent, the wax, and the wick, I pay about $1.45-1.90 depending on how fancy I want to be. I charge $9.00 online and I ask that the client pay actual shipping. I don't charge handling. I wrap with bubble wrap and in a good box. I even have a little warning sticker on the bottom of each candle, but you can get a roll of 500 stickers for $5.00 online.
Etsy makes it simple and easy for people to make and sell really cool products. You can get into it and make a bunch more money if you have the money to pour into the supplies, racks, boxes, wrap, etc. You can get your cost basis way down if you are able to afford a really good capital investment. I think I put in $300 for the candles and I'll net $600 the first round. I'll pour that money back into the supplies and start over with the products. It may take a few swings and sets to call it a "profitable business" but for now I'm in the learning stage(s) and I don't mind putting in a bit more money and time to learn what I need to know. I'll keep you posted.
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