Sci Fri: Beeswax Candles

Double Dipping encouraged!

What an AWESOME project!
A little bit of Properties of Matter Science resulted in some sweet little candles.
Not quite tapers.
More like...birthday candles. But sweet none the less!

 Beeswax in Solid State

Over the years, I've stocked up on bulk or bar beeswax wherever we buy our honey.

Oftentimes a bag with approx 10oz is around $5.

We use it for beeswax modeling, but we were truly saving it for a good time to try candle-making.

Beeswax candles are beautiful to burn at mealtimes or art hour, but really pricey. 

We were about to learn why!

Luckily, I researched this project until I found the very best tutorial on 'Simple Homeschool', leading me to quality tips and detailed steps. http://simplehomeschool.net/candle-making-with-kids/#sthash.b6q9Srb3.qjtu

 

To speed our melting time, we grated the wax on an old cheese grater.

This required considerable elbow grease. 

As we took turns grating, I realized that once we completed todays batch, it would turn to a solid mass in the mason jar that we would simply store away for next use.  

The grated bits proved perfect time-savers, as we had to continue adding to the melted mix, for height.

 

A tall glass jar with a wide mouth is best to use for melting in a boiling water bath. 

 

A few tips we learned about melting....

~keep water bath very hot, but not boiling. Bubbles will shift around your wax jar and cause spillage.

~quick dips prevent your previous dips from melting!

~a balanced drying rack is crucial! Worth taking the few minutes to set something up (hang a dowel rod, don't balance a chopstick over a jar!)

~have several wicks ready to dip so you can rotate and not waste time

The results happen fairly quickly.

But you do need a bit of time (several hours) if you want substantial sized tapers.

These would be super sweet birthday gifts; natural and handmade (and useful!)