How to Make Taper Candles

Taper candles add elegance, warmth and a soft glow to any occasion. You can purchase them in a store or you can make your own taper candles at home using a few simple ingredients or tools.

Taper candles are usually slender, convex candles that range from six inches to twenty inches in height. They should always be burned using an appropriate holder so that they don’t tip over.

Traditionally, folks used to make their own taper candles at home using animal fat. This fat was rendered into a substance called tallow and used to make soap and candles. Nowadays, most candle makers use paraffin wax to create dripless candles that leave very little candle wax residue, soot or smoke.

Dipping taper candles is quite simple and requires minimal investment in equipment. They are made through a process called dipping in which each dip builds on the last layer of wax to create a column. This process of building a candle dipping a wick into candle wax can take an hour or many hours depending on the desired thickness of the final product. The longer the taper candle, the more time that is required.

To make tapered candles you must first heat your paraffin wax in a double boiler to the temperature of 145 degrees. This is called the dipping vat. Place a vat of cool water near the dipping vat. This is called the cooling bath.

Dip the wicks for your candles into the liquid wax for three or four seconds and then hold the wicks so that excess wax is allowed to pour back into the pot. Then dip them in the cool water bath for six to ten seconds. Repeat this process until the candle is the desired size. It usually takes between forty and fifty dips to achieve completed taper candles.

To give your taper candles a glossy finish, reheat the candle wax in the double boiler to the higher temperature of 180 degrees Farenheit. Dip for a final time and then allow the candles to dry for ten minutes. By that evening, you should be basking in the glow of your own homemade candle light.

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