Anybody know how to make these? DD and I saw some at the mall today. Thought they were really cute but way too expensive. We have an old fish bowl and have thought of what we would like to put in it to decorate it but don't know how to make the candle. I Googled, but all I can find is where to buy them or the kits. Any crafty ladies know how?

I don't want to make them to sell, just one for us for a craft.

By Jewlz on Monday, February 6, 2006 - 06:44 pm:

http://www.gelstuff.com/makeagelcandle.html

this has the directions and more info ...heres the directions it had .... good luck btw the gel wax u buy at michaels or a craft store....
How to Make a Gel Candle
http://www.gelstuff.com http://www.affordablecrafts.com
Materials Required:
Glass container(s)
Small vegetable pot
Gel Wax
Wick(s)
Oven mitts
Paper towels
Optional materials that make it easier or better ☺
Fragrance oil, choice of dye, and/or embeds
Several pieces of fine floral wire
Several 4-6 inch sections of wire coat hanger
As many alligator clips as you are making candles
1. Select your glassware. It should be clean, reasonably sturdy, and allow room for the wick and
the embeds. (The embeds should not be closer than 1” to the wick to prevent discoloration.
2. (If using wick stick-ums, place the wick stick-um either on the wick tab or in the bottom of the
container.) Place your wick in the bottom center of your container. It helps keep the bubbles
down if you preheat your glass in a warm (not hot!) oven. ** If you are not comfortable handling
the warm container, then don’t! We don’t want you to get burned or break something! **
3. Select a pot to heat your wax in. The ideal pot is a small, round pot of the kind you might use
to heat up a can or two of vegetables. An old pot is best because it is difficult to clean all the gel
from it after you finish, and if you decide to use it again, you don’t have to wash it. Simply cover
it up and store it in a clean, dry place.
4. Add your wax to the pot.
5. Turn on your burner or heating element to low heat or flame. Too hot and you scorch your
wax. Just keep an eye on it – if it is slowly melting, then you are doing fine. If it starts to smoke,
remove it from the burner and allow to cool. Reduce the heat or flame before putting your pot
back on to finish melting your wax. If you have a candy or meat thermometer, then you can
make sure the wax is heated between 140 to 160 degrees.
6. Place your embeds (if any) into the container, keeping them as far from the wick is as
practical. (You can “string” your embeds through the loop with very fine fishing line. Place the
short section of wire coat hanger across the mouth of the container. Tie the fishing line over the
wire once you have your embeds hanging where you want them.
7. Once your wax has melted, you can add your fragrance and dye, if any.
8. SLOWLY pour the wax from the plastic cup into your container. I have found that using a
funnel allows me to keep the bubbles to a minimum and also keep from disturbing any embeds.
This does not work for everyone. You will need to experiment to find the best way for you to
pour. If your embeds move while you are pouring your wax, you can use very fine floral wire to
re-arrange them before the wax cools.
9. To hold your wick straight while the candle cools, you can lay another four inch or so piece of
wire coat hanger across the mouth of your container and clip the wick to it using an alligator clip
or other type clip. Be careful not to pull on the wick too hard, or the wick may become
unanchored and float free. If this does happen, use the piece of coat hanger to push the wick tab
back into place. Once the candle cools, the tab will stick even if the stick-um loses its
effectiveness.
10. Allow to cool completely. If you used embeds that you strung to hold in place, don’t cut any
of the lines until 24 hours have passed.
11. If you candle has too many bubbles or it is cloudy (as long as you have not removed any of
the wires, line, etc) you can still place your candle on a cookie sheet within the over and bake it
at about 140-160 degrees. If the clouding is because of too much fragrance oil, then the baking
may “cook it out” Baking your candle in this fashion also removes bubbles. In warmer climates,
you can always put your candle on a warm surface and that heat will make the bubbles rise to the
surface.
12. Once you are satisfied with the way your candle has turned out, cut all the lines and trim the
wick to 1/8 inch. Add your warning label.
13. Make everyone within three miles (or related by blood, marriage, or debt) come and look at
your awesome creation!!

By Imamommyx4 on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 11:45 am:

Thanks. All I found was places to buy them. The directions looked awful to start with. But after reading thru, not too bad.