Are you looking for a fun activity to try with your kids? Or do you want to make a gift for someone? An ice candle might be just the thing!
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Today’s project I am sharing with you is a craft that my mom told me her mother used to do in the 60s. I gave it a try and thought I’d share it and my ideas on it with you.
Today I am making an ice candle. It makes for an interesting gift or a fun activity to do with your children.
DIY Ice Candle Making
What you need:
A cardboard carton (milk, cream, etc.)
Candle Wax
Candle Scent
Candle Dye
Wick(s)
Ice Cubes
A metal bowl and pan to use as a double boiler
A spatula
How To:
Start by cutting off the top of your carboard container. A good pair of kitchen shears or scissors will do the trick.
Get your wax into a metal bowl over a pot of water. Be sure your bowl does not have a rubber coated bottom (to keep it from sliding around) …you don’t want to melt that.
Follow the directions on your wax package.
If you are recycling old wax, melt it until there are no solid chunks left, and let it cool for a few minutes before adding any scent or dye.
While the wax is melting over the pan, finish getting your container ready for the wax. Take a wick and stick a piece of tape to the bottom of the metal piece. Stick the metal bit to the inside bottom of the container – try to get it as centered as possible so that when it is lit the candle will melt evenly.
The package for the wax should tell you at what temperature you should add your dye and scent. After adding each, use a spatula to mix the dye and scent thoroughly into the wax.
Step away from your wax after you have turned off the stove and added the scent and dye, to fill your container with ice. Try to keep the wick as centered as possible. It might be helpful to rotate the container 90-180 degrees every now and then to get ice all around it.
Next step: carefully pour the melted (dyed and scented) wax into the container filled with ice.
Now it is a waiting game. Wait until the ice has melted (30 minutes to an hour).
To test whether the ice has fully melted or not, simply give the container a little shake…if you hear a rattle there are still solid pieces, and the waiting continues. When you shake the container and you do not hear a rattle you can tip it over in the sink and drain off the melted ice.
After draining the container of the melted ice, you will cut it out of the container. You might want to have a towel handy for this part in case you encounter any more water. You can cut and rip the cardboard off the wax to reveal your unique candle.
After the candle has been freed from the cardboard container, the last step is to trim the wick.
For a full video step-by-step guide check out my latest YouTube tutorial below:
Notes:
- If you are recycling the remaining wax from an old burned-out candle, it will still have scent (and color) so you do not necessarily need to add more (scent or color).
- If you are recycling the remaining wax from several old burned-out candles, make sure their scents will be a tolerable combination for you.
- It is easier to make these candles in smaller carboard containers – like in the school cafeteria lunch milk cartons. OR you can simply cut down the height of your milk or cream carton. I obviously did not.
- If you have a larger carton, i.e. a milk carton, you can add multiple wicks so that the larger surface area melts more evenly instead of just hollowing out the middle.
- A great source for wax for this project is your local craft and hobby store, or you can easily buy some online with here.
- If you don’t have a metal bowl for this project, this one is a good choice.
- There are many scientific topics of conversation supplied by this project to discuss with children if you make it a family project: temperature, states of matter (solid, liquid, gas), voids, displacement, color/mixing colors, etc.
- You can also discuss how just like each of us, each ice candle is one of a kind.
If you make your own ice candle, I’d love to hear about how it turns out and see photos. Leave me a comment below or tag me in your Instagram pics.
