Now that I’ve figured out how easy it is to make candles with my No-Mess Candle Making Method, I’ve been making lots of candles around here. I decided to make a pillar candle, but I needed a mold.
The solution? A Pringles can.
It’s the perfect size for a nice pillar candle. All you do is pour the melted wax in the can, let it harden, and peel away the cardboard, like so:
Make A Pillar Candle With A Pringles Can
Equipment:
-
Wax (Old Candles, etc)
Pringles Can
Embroidery Floss
Paperclip or Washer
Milk Jug
Pot
Plastic Fork
Paper Towel Or Newspaper
Scissors
Clothespin or Skewer
Directions:
Clean out the Pringles can with soap and water to make sure you don’t end up with a greasy candle. Dry the can with a paper towel or rag.
Make the wick. I used cotton embroidery floss, but you could use any kind of cotton string. I took three pieces of floss slightly longer than the Pringles can. I tied them to a washer and braided them. When it was done, it looked like this:
Clean out the milk jug with soap and cut it in half so you have a plastic tub to hold the wax. Put the old candles inside the jug.
Fill a pot with water and float the jug in it. Turn the heat on medium, bring the water to a bare simmer, and let the wax slowly melt. It takes about 10 minutes.
When the wax begins to run, dip the wick in the wax so that it is thoroughly coated. Fish the wick out with the plastic fork and lay on a paper towel or newspaper to dry.
When the wick is dry, carefully drop it so that it is centered in the candle. Attach to a skewer or clothes pin so that it stays in place.
When the wax is melted, pour into the candle. Use a plastic fork to keep back any old wicks or debris, if necessary.
Let the candle sit until completely set up. Peel away the can and snip the wick short.
Enjoy!
Perfect!
Plus, there’s the bonus of, y’know, getting to eat Pringles. With a purpose! 😉
Exactly!
I just made a candle like this yesterday. I used a couple of old, half-burned red candles, but used an old camping coffee pot to melt the wax and sat it in a pan of water. The candles had been shot up by lead pellets when my friends and I were in college. I fished out the wicks, then after they were straightened and dried I lashed them together to get one long wick. The candle poured fine, and looks like the candle in your article. The only problem I had was that even though the red wax dried fine on top of the candle (bright red), the sides of the candle that were in contact with the Pringles can are cloudy. If I scorch the sides of the candle with a lighter they lose the cloudiness and look like the top. Is there a way to have them come out red from the beginning, or is this just how it is when the wax is in contact with something when it dries? I had thought about lining the Pringles can with wax paper because I thought the wax might stick to the can, and to avoid the spiral pattern of the cardboard, but ended up going with the plain can. Other than the cloudiness, the candle looks and burns fine. Plus I was able to salvage a few dozen lead pellets and BB’s, and even a few nails from 20 years ago that we shot at the candles. If I remember correctly, we were doing “ballistics” tests with the pellets, putting them in the pellet gun backwards before shooting them, and also putting BB;s in the hollow end of the pellet to get that mushrooming effect. Just more proof that alcohol and candles go great together. Yeah…good times!