Sheri Vegas of the sheri vegas channel shows how to make rolled beeswax candles from honeycomb beeswax sheets. There is no pot of hot wax to babysit and no jar to fill. You lay a wick on the edge of a sheet, roll it up, and seal the seam. She also shows a spiral taper cut on the diagonal and flower decorations pressed out with cookie cutters. One candle takes about ten minutes.
Why rolled beeswax is the easiest first candle
Most candle making means melting wax, watching a thermometer and waiting hours for a pour to set. Rolled candles skip all of it. The sheets are already wax, so the work is all in your hands. That makes this a good project to do with kids or grandkids, with an adult handling the heat gun. Nothing gets hot enough to burn, and a crooked candle can be unrolled and tried again.
If you want to try poured candles after this, see how to make a soy candle.
Choosing beeswax sheets and wick
Honeycomb sheets come in natural gold and in dyed colors. An 8 x 8 inch sheet rolled end to end makes a candle about 8 inches tall and close to an inch across. Cut the sheet in half across the middle and you get two shorter candles instead. For a fatter pillar, butt a second sheet against the end of the first and keep rolling.
Use cotton square braid wick. A thin candle under about an inch wide wants a small wick like a #1/0 or #2/0. A wick that is too big smokes and drips. One that is too small drowns in its own melted wax. Cut each piece about an inch longer than the sheet.
Priming the wick is optional. Sheri dips hers in melted beeswax until the bubbles stop, then lays it on baking paper to dry. A waxed wick grips the sheet better and lights more easily.
Keeping the roll tight and straight
Almost every problem with rolled candles comes from the first turn. Press the sheet firmly around the wick so there is no air gap in the core, then roll with even pressure across the whole width. Watch both ends. If one end creeps ahead, the candle will lean and may topple. A ruler laid along one side gives you a straight edge to follow.
Cold sheets crack. If your room is cool, wave a hair dryer over the sheet for a few seconds before you start. It should feel pliable, not soft or shiny.
Burn safety
- Trim the wick to about 1/4 inch before every lighting.
- Stand the candle in a holder that grips it upright. A tall thin candle tips easily.
- Keep it out of drafts. Beeswax drips when air pushes the flame sideways.
- Never leave a burning candle alone, and keep it away from curtains, pets and small children.
Holiday gifts and decorating ideas
Rolled candles make a sweet handmade gift. Bundle three in different colors with kitchen twine and a gift tag, or stand a pair in a small box lined with tissue. Swap Sheri's flowers for snowflakes or tiny Christmas trees for December, eggs for Easter, or hearts for Valentine's Day. Keep the offcuts from the diagonal cut. They are perfect for small cutout shapes.
Pair a candle with homemade wax melts or a tin of beeswax lip balm for a little gift basket. A concrete candle holder rounds it out.
Troubleshooting
- The sheet cracks as you roll. It is too cold. Warm it a few seconds with a hair dryer.
- The seam keeps opening. Warm the outer edge for no more than five seconds and roll the candle across the table under your palm.
- The candle leans. The roll went off square. Unroll and start again against a ruler.
- The flame tunnels or goes out. The wick is too small for the candle width. Go up one wick size.
