You make a normal pillar candle, let it cool and harden and remove it from the mould. Then apply the outer coating of wax in whatever style or effect you want:
Variations on tapers
Making Bubbly candles on
purpose. Dipping a finished candle in melted paraffin that isn't
at its hottest will result in a thin layer of bubbles over your
candle surface which is very attractive in a rustic way. I made
some tapers, using 145 (62 C)degree melt point wax. For the
last two or three dips, I let the melted wax cool off to about
120 (50C) degrees.
Floral, Herbal, grubby and Hurricane Candles:
Make a paraffin pillar candle, wait till it's totally dry and set it inside a mould that's a little bigger around. Then sprinkle potpourri or dried herbs and flowers around the candle and fill around the sides with more wax. That way the flower pieces won't be in the middle part that burns. The outside wax should be a harder (higher melt point) wax than the inside candle so the outer floral shell doesn't melt.
I also made a regular moulded candle, let it cool completely and fixed some dried pressed flowers to the candle using melted wax and a paintbrush. To seal the flowers, I then dipped the whole candle in clear melted paraffin at a temperature of about 120 degrees (it was 138 melt point wax). I dipped it twice, and the flowers show through nicely, and there are bubbles in this outer layer of wax.
You can spray candles with
non flammable craft spray paints. An under layer of deep blue,
red or green looks nice with a dusting of gold or bronze paint
over it.
To make rustic looking candles
with a sandy looking surface, pour the wax cold... just as it
begins to thicken.
Cake
Candles, Whipped Wax
You make a normal pillar
candle, let it cool and harden and remove it from the
mould. Then apply the outer coating of wax in whatever
style or effect you want:
To do this, just melt some
more paraffin. You can colour it if you want. Use a higher
melt point type of wax than used in the original candle if
possible.
Take it off the heat and use a
hand mixer or wire whisk to whip up the wax for a minute or
so. Then paint the whipped wax onto the outer surface of
your candle with a stiff paintbrush or a tongue depressor or
other stick type implement. It may help if you slightly
melt the outer surface of the core candle a bit with a hairdryer
or rub it around in an old fry pan. The new wax layer will
adhere better to a layer of slightly warm/melted wax.
I haven't tried this, but some
say a pinch of cream of tartar in the whipped wax helps it to
adhere better.
To make variations, add other materials to the whipped wax before you apply it to the candle: Sand , herbs, potpourri.
Or to get a stippling effect, apply the wax to the candle, then go over it in a gentle jabbing manner with a very stiff stencilling type brush at a 45 degree angle to the side of the candle.
Or, don't whip the wax, just paint it on thickly (let it cool a bit before you start) Then roll then entire candle in sand or dried herbs or potpourri and it will stick. Let this cool fully,
You can then over dip the
entire candle to seal it and give it a shiny surface if you wish.
The higher melt point
of the outer layer of wax will let it stay fairly intact while
the core candle burns down naturally. Then your herbs or
flowers won't get into the melt pool of the core candle and catch
on fire.