Can you paint candles?

[flar7]

if so, what kind of paint is safe to use?

[Silverfern]

Yes you can, there is this thing that you mix with acrylic paint and then you just use it on candles
have a look at this link

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=40925&PRODID=10467&AID=1159985&PID=994947

[Morrighana]

Actually, you can just use a drop of ordinary, household dishsoap instead of this medium. (Careful not to use toooo much soap...your paint will bubble and/or the color will be affected by the color of the soap, lol :p )

[Flar's Freyja]

:loveduv:

Thanks for the thread, Baby! Flar and I recently saw a beautiful painted candle and I just bought two gorgeous pillars covered in metallic paint with crescent moons on them - I told him that I could probably find info in his forum but he beat me to it! Thanks, SilverFern and Morrighana, I'll check out that link.

[MammaStar]

Also, if you don't want to mix your own, you can pick up special paint in a craft store for painting candles too. :D

That's the shortcut I use. :p

[Morrighana]

Aww, but that's soooo expensive! Especially if you paint a lot of 'em. For the same price, you can get at least thirty times as much paint in the normal acrylics, and that's estimating conservatively. If you were planning to buy the medium, then yes, the cost would end up about the same, but if you use the dishsoap method you save a whole lot of $$.

[Flar's Freyja]

So, the dish soap method works.......and I also saw on this site that someone decoupages some really prettty candles ;) What is a safe type of sealer to use for that process?

[VroomBroom]

I have never heard of a sealer for decoupage candles(there has to be one, right?), but I have made ones with dried flowers on them (pillar style) and sealed them on the candle with melted clear wax.

[Morrighana]

It would depend on a)what material one planned to decoupage on to the candle and b)what type of adhesive is being used. You wouldn't want to decoupage, for example, photographs on to candles, because no matter how you seal them, they will burn, and not exactly in a safe matter, lol. Also, some adhesives will cause slight sparks if they come too close to a flame, even when dry. You'd probably want to stick with peices of a thin material, such as tissue paper, and stick to larger candles. Rolling them in a layer of melted wax would work (and coat them so when they catch on fire (and they will, lol), it burns down at the same rate as the candle. You could also use a product such as Mod Podge, but you may have to trim anything that comes too close to the flame (or reccomend this to your customers if you are planning to sell).

[VroomBroom]

*dug out Mod-Podge jar*

It (Mod-Podge) says its non-flamable, but to eliminate tackiness, apply clear acrylic sealer. Isn't that flamable??:eek:

[Yvonne Belisle]

You can also use melted wax for the adhesive. If you want to do a picture print it onto thin paper. You can also use the melted wax over the design to seal it in. For metalic paints rub and buff works wonderfully on candles.

[Flar's Freyja]

I would think that the acrylic sealer would be flammable....and clear wax for both purposes makes sense to me.

Now if I ever get around to learning how to make the actual candles........

Thanks, everyone! I'm learning a lot here!

[VroomBroom]

Making candles is not hard at all!!! Some of the molds may be a litte costly, especially if you only have the need for that style just once. I use beach sand to mold my candles in. It gives a nice texture to the outside of the candle. Empty quart (or smaller) milk containers work well for square pillar candles, because you can just peel the outside away when they harden. I have heard (never tried) that you can use paper towel tubes to make tall pillars. Im sure you would have to spray the inside of the tube with something to get the tube to release and not stick to the candle.

Has anyone here ever tried this??? I would love to make tall pillars like that, if it really works!:)

[KaimelarFeylove]

i used toilet paper tubes and insense for a wick.. worked very well

[Morrighana]

*puts on her cheery salesgirl voice* If you want to buy the metal molds, but find the cost prohibitive, check out Michaels. We often have a flyer in circulation, which boasts a 40% off One Regular Priced Item Coupon (the next one runs Saturday, Jan 17 until Friday, Jan 24 in Canada, and Sunday, Jan 18 until Saturday, Jan 25 in the US). If you get one mold each time there is a coupon, it becomes very affordable.

On a related note, Michaels now carries Soy wax! It's absolutely marvelous, because it's animal AND environmentally friendly (no bees harmed like beeswax and no nasty toxins like parrafin), and it's incredibly clean burning. PLUS, it's microwaveable, so if you're making candles with kids you do not have to involve the stove. It's just all around great, and you could use your coupon on it too.(not at the same time, granted, but they come out so darn often.)


Hehehe

[VroomBroom]

Morrighana, do you work at Michaels?? You did that so well! :nonono: I always forget about the Michaels coupon!!! I will have to start remembering it *ties string around finger* :D





Thanks for the info one the tiolet papaer tubes, do you supposed the paper towel tubes would work the same?? And how did you get the candles to release from the paper?? Just peel?:rolleyes:

[Morrighana]

Hehehe, was I that obvious? Yea, the coupon is SUCH a good deal, I don't buy anything without it! :p

[VroomBroom]

Just alittle!;)