Votives are so versatile and everybody loves them. These candy corn votives make great gifts and they are fast and easy to make. Layered votives are made by pouring the wax in layers of different colors into the votive cups. The easiest way to make any layered candle is to use a single pour wax with little shrinkage. Paraffin/Vegetable blended waxes and soy waxes made for votive and pillar candles work very well for these layered candles. You can customize the pattern for any season or holiday like red/white candy cane votives for Christmas. Use these instructions for square votives also.
Items you will need:
Votive molds (8 votive cups are needed per lb. of wax)
Votive wick pins
3 Melting pots
Thermometer
Pre-tabbed votive wicks
Votive or pillar candle wax
Orange and yellow candle coloring (liquid, diamond, color block)
Candy corn fragrance oil (about 1-1/2 oz. per lb. of wax)
Suitable work area
A stove or hot plate
A wax melter or pot for water (to double boil the wax)
Step 1
Prepare your work area and gather your materials. Turn your melter to 200 degrees or set up your pan of water and melting pots if you are double boiling your wax. Calculate how much wax you will need and heat your wax to 190-200 degrees. Each pound of wax will make about eight votives. Insert the wick pins into your votive molds and arrange the molds on your pouring table or wick your molds.
Step 2
Add 1 oz. of scent for every 1 lb. of melted wax when the temperature reaches 180 degrees. Divide the wax in three equal portions. Add orange color to 1/3 of the melted wax, add yellow color to 1/3 of the melted wax and leave the other 1/3 white. It’s better to start with small amounts of the dye because you can always add more to reach your desired color. Stir the wax with your thermometer until the color is well dissolved. You can test your color by putting a drop of wax on a white piece of paper. Keep in mind that when the wax is hardened it will appear lighter than it looks in the melting pot and darker than it appears on the white piece of paper.
Step 4
Pour the orange wax into the votive mold slowly but smoothly 1/3 full. Use a heat gun to remove any wax that may have splashed on the sides of the votive mold while pouring. These wax spills will mix with your other colors if they are not removed from the mold before pouring the next layer.
Step 5
Wait about a half hour for the orange wax too cool before pouring the next layer. The wax should be cool enough to withstand pouring the next layer without breaking through and mixing. The first layer should also not be cool enough to pull away from the side of the mold otherwise the next layer will run down the side of the candle giving you drip marks. Pour the yellow layer at about 180 degrees so that the votive cup is now about 2/3 full. Wait approximately another ½ hour and then pour the white layer to the top of the mold.
Step 6
Allow the votives to cool fully before attempting to remove from the mold. If the candle does not easily slide out of the mold, tap it gently on the counter or place it in a refrigerator for five to ten minutes then try removing it from the mold again. Never pry or scrape the wax out of the mold. Slide the wick pins out of the candle and insert a pre-tabbed wick.
Enjoy your candles!