Posts Tagged ‘soy candle making’
Making any kind of candle is a fun hobby and pastime. Candles add to the decor and ambiance of any home. However, soy candle making has become a popular craft for many who in the past have enjoyed making candles from paraffin wax.
Soy wax is a wax which is a processed form of soybean oil. Soy wax has a lower melting temperature than traditional waxes. Thus the hot weather could cause the candles to lose shape. Because of this, it is generally used to make container candles. However, there are additives available which can be added to the wax making it suitable to use in molds.
Soy candles, when well-made, burn cleanly and slowly. Cleanup is much easier than that of traditional wax. Another benefit of soy wax is its availability. Soybeans are grown here in the United States and new crops are harvested every year.
I’ve been teaching art at the elementary school level for several years now, and it recently occurred to me that the old curriculum was growing stale. First I asked around for ideas from other teachers and classroom aides. They had a few inventive suggestions, but nothing that stood out as creative yet simple enough for a grade-schooler to handle. Obviously the project needed to be fun – the messier the better to get a kid enthused about it.
Then I found some instructions online for soy candle making. It was just the sort of idea I needed, and I knew just when to introduce the project. Each spring, after farmers around town plant their crops, they begin spreading manure over top. Needless to say, the odor isn’t exactly pleasant and it permeates the entire school. By making fragrant candles during that week, our class will be getting a temporary respite.