Refilling candles seems like something impossible, but it couldn't be easier. Read more to learn exactly what to do to refill your candle, allowing it to burn virtually endlessly.
Here at The Royal Candle Maker, we sell a few types of refillable candles. How you refill them varies dependent upon the size of the candle you are working with. All of our 8in candles and bigger refill with votive sized candles, and 7in candles and smaller fill with tapers. Both refill sizes are available at our four Renaissance Festival locations.
Refilling 8+ inch candles
Refilling your candle is easy, but there are some things to think about first. Read on to learn more!
What is a votive?
Have you heard the word votive before, but aren't exactly sure what it is? Check out the candle in the video above. The candle you see in the video is a votive - all votives are cylindrical, and their dimensions are about 2 inches tall by 1 inch in diameter. We sell over 80 scented votives at our Renaissance Festival locations (unfortunately, they are not for sale online). However, votives of various brands, scented and unscented, are available for purchase at any home goods store, such as Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond.
Why do votive's matter?
Votives matter because they are the perfect size and shape to refill our 8 inch carved candles. Following our Burning Instructions for carved and specialty candles, you will need to first light the wick on your 8 inch carved candle, and over several lighting sessions, eventually a 2 inch deep well will have melted into the original candle around the wick. Our candles are made to burn around the wick without affecting the outer layer of the candle, so the beautiful outer carving will not melt as long as the aforementioned burning instructions are followed.
Replacing your votive:
Once the well has melted deep enough, blow out the wick and let the wax cool completely. This may take several hours depending on how hot or cold the room in which the candle is, and depending on how long the candle was lit for. After the wax is completely cooled and solidified, you can place your scented or unscented votive in the well that was melted into the candle. It generally will fit just fine, but you might have to shape the well using a carving tool (such as a butter knife) to allow the votive to fit perfectly. Our carved candles are always unscented, so for those of you who want to add a scent to your candle, the votive is the perfect solution.
Keep in mind:
It should be noted that all of our carved candles have a "glow" that shines through the wax. The glow is based off the color of the core, or innermost layer of the candle, which is what melts to create a well for your votive - and the color of the votive becomes the new glow! This is one of the wonderously magical components of our candle designs - the scent and color can change at your whim!
Refilling 7 inch candles or smaller
Refilling a 7 inch or smaller candle can be done, but it requires a little more work. Read on to learn more!
What is a tapered candle?
Tapered candles, also known as tapers, are bout 3/4 inch in diameter at the base and about 8 inches tall, come in a variety of colors and scents. We sell scented and unscented colorless beeswax taper pairs, and unscented pairs of colored and uncolored tapers at our Renaissance Festival locations (unfortunately, they are not for sale online). However, tapers of various brands, scented and unscented, are available for purchase at any home goods store, such as Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond.
Why do tapered candles matter?
Tapers are important because they are the perfect size and shape to refill our 7 inch (and smaller) carved candles. However, they first need to be cut into two inch sections, with 1/4 inch of wick exposed. To do this, first take note that the tapered candle has a cotton wick at the core, and is dipped continuously into hot wax that builds up around the wick once cooled and hardened. So no matter where you cut your taper, you will eventually run into a cotton wick. Cutting around the wick needs to be done so carefully, and it will be described more in the following paragraphs.
Safety:
It should also be noted that the cooled wax is very hard and sometimes can be difficult to cut. Great care should be taken to avoid the candle rolling around or the knife slipping. If you are uncomfortable cutting your own taper, please reach out to us and ask if you can purchase pre-cut tapers. Or, when you purchase your tapers in-person at one of our Renaissance Festival locations, ask our carving master Jerry or apprentice David to cut the tapers for you. It does indeed require some level of skill to complete such a task and we are happy to help if you aren't sure you can do it on your own safely.
Cutting your tapers:
If you do feel confident enough to brave the dangers of cutting your tapers yourself, the first thing you will need to do is measure out and mark 2.25 inch sections of the candle. An 8 inch candle should provide 3 full 2.25 inch sections, with about a 1.25 inch section left over. Once you have placed your marks, slice your candle through the wax where you marked them until you hit the wick. At this point, you will need to slide your knife around the wick in order for the candle to break at the mark, then once the wick is completely exposed, use your knife (pointing away from your hand and body) to slice all the way through the wick. There may be a snap as the wick breaks so be careful where you are pointing your knife. Continue this process on the other two marks on your candle, and then on the other candle in the pair of tapers.
After you have three 2.25 inch candle sections (and the extra smaller 1.25 inch section left over) divided from your taper, you will need to expose .25 inches of wick from the smaller end of each 2.25 inch section. This is a bit of a process, as you will need to use a knife to scrape the wax away from the wick without cutting the wick itself. Be sure to position the candle so that your knife is scraping the wax away from your body, and so that removed wax doesn't fall all over your clothes or in a place where you do not wish excess wax to be as it can be messy, and somewhat difficult to clean up afterward. Once the .25 inch wick is fully exposed, you are ready to place it into the well of your candle. To learn how to to melt a well into your candle, continue reading below!
Replacing your tapers:
Following our Burning Instructions for carved and specialty candles, you will need to first light the wick on your 7 inch (or smaller) carved candle, and over several lighting sessions, eventually a 2 inch deep well will have melted into the original candle around the wick. Our candles are made to burn around the wick without affecting the outer layer of the candle, so the beautiful outer carving will not melt as long as the aforementioned burning instructions are followed.
Once the well has melted deep enough, blow out the wick and let the wax cool completely. This may take several hours depending on how hot or cold the room in which the candle is, and depending on how long the candle was lit for. Once the wax is completely cooled and solidified, you can place your 2 inch taper sections into the well that was melted into the core of the candle. It generally will fit just fine, but you might have to shape the well using a carving tool (such as a butter knife) to allow the taper to fit perfectly. Our carved candles are always unscented, so for those of you who want to add a scent to your candle, a scented taper is the perfect solution.
Keep in mind:
It should be noted that all of our carved candles have a "glow" that shines through the wax. The glow is based off the color of the core, or innermost layer of the candle, which is what melts to create a well for your taper - and the color of the taper becomes the new glow! This is one of the wonderously magical components of our candle designs - the scent and color can change at your whim!
Have you tried refilling your candle yet?
It's very common for us to hear from patrons who are uncomfortable burning their candles - to those of you who feel this way, please be reassured that our candles are designed to do this. Our master carver and founder, Jerry, has had one of these candles for over 40 years and he has refilled it hundreds of times. So there is nothing to fear! If you are still anxious about lighting your candle, or just don't want to, take comfort in knowing you are like most of our patrons and we still love you dearly and want to hear your candle story - where/when did you get your candle? Where do you keep it in your home, or did you give it away as a gift? How has your experience been with your beloved new piece of functional artwork?
To those courageous souls who do indeed light the candles we sell, we want to know what your experience was like! How long have you had your candle? How many times have you refilled it? Who got it for you and what location have you visited us at? Tell us all the details!
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