Customer Reviews

Basic Candle Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started (How To Basics)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am totally new to candle making and This book takes you step by step through the process to get you started. There are plenty of pictures and simple, easy to understand directions. In addition, he gives helpful hints on some of the lower cost items you can use. Highly recommend it for any beginner.

I had never made candles before buying this book. This book gives GREAT advice on everything from designs to supplies. The projects shown in the book are wonderfully described, and the pictures are so good you could use them alone if you wanted! The author does a great job of explaining the little things that I never would have thought of on my own. This is a must have for anyone who is new to candlemaking!

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW! this book shows you step by step with photos every step of the way and in english. this is must have for a beginner or someone who need to freshen up on candlemaking!

If you have made candles before, this book isn't for you. It is however the perfect book for me. I am new to candlemaking and have read all the candle books in the library and bought several more. But when I make candles, I find myself jumping from book to book trying to get all the steps straight.

This book is an extremely detailed explanation (with pictures) of the steps to making several types of candles; container, molded, dipped, and rolled beeswax. It is like having an expert standing beside you, "This is the way you prime wicks. This is how to add color to the wax".

Includes information on equipment, a good explanation of the different kinds of wicks and then step-by-step instructions with lots of pictures and a checklist of materials needed.

Once I get the hang of candle-making, this book will probably be put back on the shelf in favor of more advanced techniques. But until then, this is the next best thing to having an expert walk you through each step.

This book is very descriptive. It shows step by step photos that get rid of any confusion that is prevalent in most how-to books.

This is a great book for people who are just starting making candles or has never done it before. The pictures are big and all color and the directions are clear. It also has a list of supplies that you'll need to get started for basic candles with easy to do projects.

Excellent long-lasting bound Book. Excellent colored photos throughtout!
Highly Recommend for Candle Maker Beginners!
Would have to be "Advanced" Candle Maker to need any other Book!

This book could be helpful to those interested in candle making who have not done any research or read anything on the process. If you already have a rudimentary knowledge of candle making you might not find this book as useful, although I am sure you will still appreciate the shopping lists!

I really like the way this book is "bound". It is spiral bound with a light weight cover. This makes it very easy to have the book with you while making candles as it allows the book to lie flat and open. The book is full of pictures of every step of the process. The new candle maker will find this helpful. In some areas there are perhaps too many pictures. For example, on the hand dipped taper section it has 3 ½ pages of pictures of just prepping your wicks for dipping.

Although this book is good for the person who has not done any research or read any other books on candle making, it does have some discrepancies that concern me. My first concern being the advice and use of 140 degree melt point paraffin wax for all its projects. This is medium melt point paraffin, but not well suited to tapers and pillars as it will not be as hard of a wax. The only additive it discusses it Stearin, which is a good additive. Vybar has become more popular than stearin in recent times. It also does not explain that if you are using a pre-blended wax, you are not going to need additives. A novice could ruin their project by using a pre-blended wax and then adding stearin or vybar to it. It may be personal choice, but their directions of use of a thermometer concerned me. I personally put my thermometer in as soon as I begin to melt the wax. Once wax is liquefied, its temperature can raise very quickly. At approximately 250 degrees, a wax fire can happen. This book does not say to put the thermometer in until you have melted the wax. I would be concerned if you got side-tracked prepping molds or answering a phone, your wax could reach a dangerous temperature before you could even begin to realize it. This book advises adding the scent at 180 degrees. The potential problem with this is that if your fragrance oil has a flash point of 160 degrees, you could nullify the fragrance by adding it at 180 degrees. The oil would essentially burn off without being absorbed. As part of its pouring process the reader is instructed to transfer the wax from a double boiler to a pouring pot. My issue with this is that that process may cool your wax much more than what you wanted for the pouring temperature.

Some of the features that I really enjoyed were the shopping lists for each project. This helps you know in once place exactly what you will need. You could make a copy of it and take it shopping with you and avoid forgetting anything. It also had a chart of dye combinations for different colors and scent blending combinations. These are very helpful charts for any candle maker.

Over the entire book was worth adding to my library. The writer did at times seem to "talk down" to the reader, but made every attempt to break down all the steps of the candle making process. The pictures alone are a great tool for the beginner candle maker.

This book was purchased with my personal funds and I was in no way compensated for this review.

What's best about this book are the step by step photos included with the instructions. That's what makes it so easy to understand even for the novice.

Offers valuable tips and advice for those who are more advanced as well. This book is a must for your collection if you're serious about candle making.

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This is a great book if you've never read anything about candlemaking previously. I didn't realize it was going to be so 'simple'. It's extremely basic and I found it almost childlike. It's very easy to understand, has good pictures, and would be great if you are a real beginner.