Gel Candle Designs: Crazy Sea Candles

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By Ron Giordan of Mystic Candles

Here is a fun candle that can bring a smile to anybody's face. We refer this to be a crazy gel candle.

It's not a candle that replicates a nature scene, but a candle that is created out of the clear blue.

Just one day an idea pops into your head and voila! A crazy type candle appears. And it sells! Can't argue with that!

This fun candle was just that, out of the blue.

When I first showed it to my wife she said," How in the heck did you come up with that idea? I said," I dun no, it just happened." And that's my story and I'm sticking to it! It just happened, really it did!

You see, when we buy embeds, we don't always know what were going to do with them.

We place them in inventory.. and when the light goes on, it's things like this that can happen. And this is what you'll need to do this candle:

• 4 oz ivy bowl
• Blended white sand (ref. our turtle article in the may issue)
• Glass crab (RusticEscentuals.com)
• Fish on a wire
• Aluminum Soda can assortment (craft store - usually with the doll house area)
• Tiny seashells
• Coral pieces
• Gelwick
• Wick stickum
• 1 Pd Penreco MP Gel
• Scent

Step 1

First thing you want to do is glue the soda can to the crab. I use an adhesive called E6000. It works great on broken glass embeds as well as this project. I glued the can to the top of the left claw. Let this cure for at least 24 hours.

Step 2

You can prepare the rest of the candle while your crab gets a rest. Attach your wick just slightly off center towards what we call the background of the scene with a wick stickum. Add your sand mixture to the bowl.

Step 3

Now we need to get our fish ready. We need to bend the wire a little so the fish will be looking at the soda offering. I use 2 pair of needle nose pliers for bending. The wire appears to be like piano wire and is rigged. Using two pliers to form the bend takes pressure of the glass base. Through error, I have broken the base of these fish many times by trying to bend the wire without the help of an extra tool. If the base does crack for some reason, you can glue it back together using the E6000 adhesive.

Step 4

Set your coral and what ever else you would like to add to the scene. Don't forget that this stuff will be in the background of the scene. Add your fish placing it close to the front of the glass. Add more sand if the scene needs it. When the crab has dried, you can add it to the candle. Now, this is important to remember, this needs to be placed also to the front of the candle in an angle. Why is this important you asked? Well, lets take a closer look at the soda can. It is made of aluminum, but the printing is on a thin aluminum label. We want this well away from the extreme heat of the candle. It's a matter of safety. There is no effect to the can label when placed properly in the candle. I placed a flame from a lighter under the can and nothing happened to it. The label didn't melt or burn. But, when doing projects like this, you need to be concerned with the safety issues. Don't ever assume it should be ok. Just make sure when you purchase these, that they are the aluminum style cans. I don't have the name brand for these, but by the time you read this, I will have purchased more for inventory. Email us and we will be glad to give you the name of the manufacture. What also helps with our project is the wick we use. We use the brand called gelwick. They were designed to be used with Penreco Gels and have a petite flame. It's a perfect wick for your gel candles.

Step 5

Now that your candle is ready, it's time to melt your gel. For us it's the same old story. It doesn't matter how many or how little candles we make at a shot, we melt our gel by the pound. This way the scent can be weighed correctly eliminating any other possible hazards. When your gel is ready, pour your scent in and stir. This is another area some people just don't get. And I read and hear about this issue all the time. You need to really stir your scent in to get a proper mix. It doesn't matter that your adding more air bubbles. The bubbles can be worked out. A little oven work or a heat gun remedies this minor problem. Like our Turtle hatchling project, we used our scent blend called Island Dreams and for the others we used mango, coconut and another one of our blends called Mystic. We found mild scents sell good with candles like these.

Conclusion

Well, we hope you enjoyed our crazy candle project and that it brings you either some personal enjoyment or sells great for you like it has for us. Don't forget, if you screw up, it's easy to do again. One thing for sure is, projects like these can take the edge of a hectic day. Call it therapy if you like, I like to call it just plain getting crazy. At least my wife says so. I'm guessing I need help. Oh well! Enjoy!

This information is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or other professional advice. Laws and practices often vary from state to state and if legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability that is incurred from the use or application of the contents of this publication / website.

Gel candles may resemble a beverage or food product. All pictures and references are "non-edible" items made of nonfood (wax, glass, etc.) components. Be certain that you understand the steps and precautions in making any gel candle design and in using the gel candles. Failure to follow instructions could result in fire, injury or smoke damage. If you have any questions contact your Supplier.

It is not recommend to use flammable items, dead sea creatures, or real food items in gel candles. It is recommended that you double glass your designs, with the wick and gel in the inner glass, away from the design and gel in the outer glass. It is up to the designer to ensure that the design is safe for the end user. You/Designer should provide instructional warnings to end user, especially to not leave any burning candle unattended.

Never leave a burning candle unattended. This material is NOT intended to be used by or made by children under 18 years of age without close adult supervision. Keep all candles (gel, soy, wax) away from children. Anyone younger than 18 years of age needs adult supervision to make or handle Gel Candles. safety

Burn candle only on a stable, heat-resistant surface for no more than four hours at a time. If flame gets too large or exposed wick is greater than 1/4 inch, extinguish flame and trim wick. Keep away from drafts and flammable material. Do not allow matches or wick trimmings to fall into melt pool. Never burn the last half of a candle. Do not move while burning or if gel is still hot. Keep wick centered and trimmed to 1/4 inch to prevent smoke and soot buildup. Do not extinquish gel with water -- if possible smother the flame, or use baking soda for small flames, or a fire extrinquisher.

Get updated information about the gel from Penreco, Before lighting any candle (gel or wax) review safety precautions here. If you have any questions contact your Supplier; if you are the end user contact your Gel Candle Maker.

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