MAKING LONG BURNING LARD CANDLES

MAKING LONG BURNING LARD CANDLES

GATHER SUPPLIES: Pre cut bottles, get thick rope or coir wicks ⅛ to ¼ inch. 1inch washers with ¼ inch hole, .041” wire to keep wick stable. Lard, Beeswax, Stearic Acid

RECIPE: 1 beer bottle candle 4 oz Lard, 1.5 oz Beeswax, 1 oz Stearic Acid  After many tests this recipe is found to harden candel well when cool, contains no piggy smell, burns for many hours with minimal soot burn.

PROCESS: Cut bottles.  Cut wick length 1 inch past top of candle. Measure diameter across bottle opening & cut wire to easily fit inside and touch both walls.  Insert wire into wick 1 inch from bottom.  Place washer on the same end of the wick where wick starts. Pull wick thru washer hole and fray the end.  Use hot glue to attach the wick and washer to the bottom of the inside of the bottle. Press down washer and wick firmly to the bottle base and hold for 10 seconds.  Melt lard, beeswax & stearic acid.

Ladle melted mixture into cut beer bottles & wine bottles or wine bottle boats.  Use sticks, skewers or any other rigid object to hold wick in place where you want it at the top of the bottle until mixture cools and hardens.  It is best to let the candles cool slowly as to get firmer, smoother candles.