In colonial times, candle making was an essential annual chore in all households. Taper candles were the only source of light for people's homes, and there were no commercial candles available as there are today. Each household made its own candles, usually once a year. The average household needed around 400 candles a year, so this was a huge job.Since the candles were made from tallow, or animal fat, this event usually coincided with the autumn slaughter of animals for meat. Tallow could be made from the fat of all farm animals, but that from sheep tallow was the most desirable. Pig tallow had a very bad smell, and was used by ... Read More...

Molds for making candles can be purchased easily on several web sites or in specialty craft stores. There are many types of candle making molds in hundreds of designs available.One piece seamless molds are convenient. They are usually aluminum and have a hole in them to hold the wick in place while the wax is cooling and curing. These may be air cooled at room temperature, put in a refrigerator for faster cooling or in a cool water bath. The idea of the one piece candle making molds is that you don't need to trim a seam when the candle is removed.Tea light candle molds are made of a durable but flexible ... Read More...