Stick in the pit

So I have all this beeswax which smells awesome every time I walk past it. So I thought to myself what else can I do with this stuff, I have already made a ton of candles, now to try something new. I work in a field that is at times physically demanding, or can be really hot and humid, being in boiler rooms or on top of office towers in the sun. I have tried many "natural", environmentaly friendly deodorants, and they don't really help in the curbing the under arm smell department, unless I apply it multiple times through out the day but that is just not practical for me.... cause I just don't want to do it, really. I am a pretty low maintenance fella.

I read a few instructional  blogs on the matter. found a couple that I liked. I started simple, didn't want to have to go out and buy a shit ton of stuff if it wasn't going to work, the only thing I had to buy was arrow root powder, and baking soda but that's because we ran out. So I made it, let it solidify overnight, and used it the next day for work instead of my Olde Spice, well it was hard, like really hard and sticky felt like it was ripping out hair, got back home after work, which was a good test day in a boiler room, doing a repair and having to carry stuff up a couple flights of stairs. And it worked I was surprised I had my doubts. So I came home melted the sticks back down added more coconut oil and a few drops of castor oil so the sticks weren't so hard and sticky. It is still a bit sticky for my liking, next batch I will try a different recipe with cocoa butter or shea butter, to make it a little more smooth. I am going to buy some more essential oils to add to the deodorant I am thinking Sandalwood, Cedarwood and a small amount of Tea Tree oil. Right now I have the last few drops from my bottle of Lemon oil, and a couple drops of citronella, It doesn't smell terrible but it could smell better.

Instructions and directions when I perfect this stuff. I want to try one more batch and then make a judgement, on what the best way to do it is.

And This is what I put them in left over deodorant containers, worked out beauty. 

I am a Pillar of my Community

See what I did there in the title...... oh well because I have been making Pillar candles, it really isn't as funny when you have to explain it. I'm sorry.

Since filtering of the Bees wax has occurred, candles I have been making. Actually I have been making candles since before the wax was filtered I am that impatient, but so far so good..... I have been learning from my mistakes.

Making dipped taper candles is the easiest way to make a candle, but the most time consuming and the ugliest if you don't know what your doing.

I have been experimenting with different mediums for molds and how as to keep the wick centred. Two of the sizes I have been playing with seem to be working out well. I need a few more different sizes of wicks and molds to try out. This has been fun and because of this we have been burning candles everyday.

I have since run out of wax need to go make another purchase and start filtering again, I have given away all our 2" and 1.5". So I need to make some more, then I can take pictures for the Burning Wax! Tips post I wrote up earlier, so go check it out and if I haven't put up pics then check it out in about a week or two, after I get myself some more wax.

I have on order some more sizes of wicks, to try and make some better tapers, the smaller size I have is still too large, causing to hot of a flame and they are dripping which is a no-no.

Peace back to doing house stuff... lame

Burning Wax! Tips

This is a quick tips guide for burning candles; what I have learned and found about burning beeswax candles. I use most of these tricks while burning my candles and testing them.

The wick on your candle when new is going to be longer than 1/4".  Before you light the wick, cut it down to 1/4" (about 4 pennies stacked... oh we don't use pennies anymore okay well then 3 nickels stacked, or 5 dimes or 4 quarters equal 1/4"). When lighting the candle, light at the base of the wick to help soften the wax and/or melt it so that the wick has fuel to burn. A wick works as a siphon. When there is a hot pool of wax around a lit wick, the heat from the flame draws wax up the wick and it is used for fuel to create light and more heat. The wick is still burnt but much slower then the wax. If lighting the wick from the tip you will burn more of the wick before it has a chance to create a pool of wax to feed from.

When deciding to burn a candle, estimate the time the candle will be burnt for (how long is the candle going to be lit). That's when you can choose what size of candle you should light. A candle that has time to make a pool of wax right to the edge, or with in an 1/4 - 1/8" of the edge, is a candle that is burning properly. A candle that only has time to make a small pool of wax around the wick, is a candle that is going to tunnel.

Oh no my candle is tunneling, don't worry we can fix it.

If a candle wants to start tunneling there are some tricks that are easy to do.

First is hugging the candle, where you can wrap your hand around the outside of your candle and put gentle pressure on the outside, squeezing in. Be careful when doing this so as to not spill wax on yourself. The wax is very hot and will do some serious damage to your skin.

squeezing the sides in enough for the heat from the flame to start melting the tunnel.

Another method of hugging is just using your thumb or finger and pushing the edges in to the center, raising the pool of wax, to allow for 1/4" of the wick to stick out.

Press the sides in and down towards to wick evenly all the way around, while raising the pool of wax,
with out drowning the wick. Make sure to leave a 1/4" of wick above the pool of wax

Alternative method is adding more wax.  If you have wax drippings from a previously burned candle than you can add some pieces to the pool if it looks like it is starting to tunnel. Again, just add enough to bring the pool up so 1/4" of the wick is protruding.

Some people like the tunneling look of the glow of the flame behind a golden wall of beeswax. So if that's what you like than go for it. Just keep the shell of a candle and break it up to feed other candles so you don't waste any of the wax.

When you have decided that you have had enough, and want to extinguish the flame. It is recommended that you push the wick into the pool of wax to put out the flame, so to essentially wax the wick. After dunking the wick in the wax push back up to straighten out, and you will have a prewaxed wick to re-light.

Pass the honey, Honey. Pass the sugar, Sugar. Pass the tea, Bag?

"We're putting it on Wax,(it's the new style)"

Yep, that is a quote.

Well we decided to try something new, we like honey, we use a lot of honey, and it smells awesome. So what have we got planned? Bees wax candles, Why? Cause we need to make a mess somehow. but at least it is a mess that smells good.

raw, pre-cut, dirty, smells awesome

I purchased some raw bees wax from a local apiary, where I go to get the liquid gold. On this trip I asked if I could purchase 5lbs of wax also; show up and there it is, chipped off the old block with a chisel and marteau. Fill up a few jars of honey and we're off. So then after about a day of the block sitting on the computer desk and smelling terrific, I decide to start chipping it into smaller pieces to ease the melting process. This is a little bit of a task, so I make up a double boiler with an old mason jar, old pot, and a coiled up piece of copper wire. Filled the mason jar with water and placed my chisel and putty knife into the mason jar to heat up. I then push the chisel and putty knife into the wax till it starts breaking apart and repeat this process till I am left with pieces in the 2"-3" with a ton of little chips and flakes everywhere. They look like good sizes for quicker melting, so I start melting them down in the double boiler system.  While that is happening I start creating a makeshift filtering system, now that's the secret part can't let that one out. Filter is made, wax still melting. after about 30mins wax has fully melted. Pour wax through filtering media, onto baking pan... old baking pan, lined with parchment paper.

All chopped up.

She's always there happy to help, dangerous or safe

Getting wax off stuff is a pain in the ass,and anything used quickly becomes something old and something you don't care about. Kind of like how North Americans treat our elderly in old age homes.... ouch that's a sore spot. So was that wax that just dripped on my hand. Use caution and PPE.

All the crud left in the filter media

found this little fella, in the filter too. 

After filtering the wax and letting it harden it takes on a lighter colour since dirt and debris have been removed. Yes, if it is previously unfiltered it is going to have dirt, propolis, pollen, bees and bee parts, and who knows what else.

The whole process makes your house smell nice and sweet like honey.