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Candle Making Equipment
Making candles requires certain equipment. Some of it is specific, but some of the things are items that you might already have in your home.
Double boiler can be bought but you can melt your wax with an improvised one. Look for a steamer pot or a saucepan that you no longer need, it will be the lower part of your "double boiler". The upper part can be a melting pot, a coffee can (even some glass coffee percolator will do) or another saucepan, smaller than the first one.
In time, your "double boiler" will get all covered with old wax you can't get rid of, but if you are really serious about making candles, find yourself a presto pot, or some real double boiler made of non stick material.
For hand dipped candles, try to find a deeper upper part. Otherwise, you'll need a proper candle dipping vat.
If you don't have a candle thermometer, you can get by with a candy thermometer or any cooking thermometer that has a range of 100 - 350 F (or 39 - 177 C).
If you like making candles that require heating wax on high temperatures, you might want to consider putting on some safety goggles.
Wicking needle is acquired while making molded candles. It gets the wick into the mold. And then you use mold plugs or you can seal the mold with some putty. Another option is to have a mold magnet.
There are a few tricks to get your molded candles out of the molds but it will be a lot easier if you get some mold release or silicone spray. Even then, some candles have to be put in a freezer for a while before the "decide" to leave the mold unharmed.
Pillar candles require making relief holes. You can do it with a wood stirring stick, chopstick or a skewer. They can also be used as wick supporters.
If you can get your wicks straight while making votive candles, votive wick pins will reserve a perfectly centered space for inserting the pre-tabbed wick after wax pouring.
If you're using pre-tabbed wicks, stick them to the bottom of the containers with a hot glue gun or with the help of a double sided adhesive tape or glue dots.
Measuring cup or jug will help you determine the amounts of supplies you need for a specific candle. When you get familiarized with the measures, you'll have less leftovers.
If you would like to write on your candles, there are liquid wax markers convenient for nice details.
Taper candles are sometimes too big for the candleholder. If you're afraid that knife might ruin the candle, you can shape the candle base with a candle shaver.
It's good to have scissors and a knife around, something for stirring - a wooden spoon or a stir stick, some aluminium foil and paper towels.