How to make a candle from a terracotta pot?

[RachelJ]

Hi I'm looking at making candles out of these terracotta pots and just wondering what they are sealed with?

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @RachelJ

Great  little  project plan you have I used to make candles  so I have a bunch of background info I can share if you  need help. I used to do  beekeeping so bees wax was my fav  wax.

Sorry the manufacturer dosnt really talk about  materails  used. One  would  hope on ceramic it would be mostly flame proof but we   need to know for sure

I think  you should buy a  pot for candle test purposes and see if it meets your requirermnts is  what i used to do, 

[EricL]

Hello @RachelJ 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about sealing your terracotta pot.

I propose using the candle mix itself as an interior sealer for the inside surface of the pot. Unlike water the viscosity of candle mix is much thicker and will not immediately penetrate the porous surface of the pot. By placing a small amount of liquified candle wax mix inside the pot and rolling it around to cover the interior surface you effectively create a surface seal. Once the candle wax is dry you can then pour the rest of the mix into the pot.     

However, @Jewelleryrescue brings up a very good question and that is fire safety. Is the pot paint non-flammable and can it withstand the heat of a candle. For testing purposes, I recommend placing a regular candle inside the pot and testing it outside of your house away from everyone. When the candle reaches the bottom of the pot you can then have a look at the results and see if there are cracks on the pot or if the paint flamed up. 

If it looks like the pot has cracked under the heat or the paint has caught fire, please do not use this pot for your candle project.

Once you've determined that the pot is safe to use you can then begin your project. In the interest of health and safety never leave an open flame unsupervised. If you need to leave, make sure that the open flame is extinguished. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @RachelJ  and 

@EricL  Idea of a test run is good. 

I would put a  wick in the candle pot weighted like tea tree candles to the base and pour in what ever  melted wax you are  using as a test and light it to test wick thickness is a good burn not to tall a flame and this will melt the wax to a hot liquid on the surface all the way to the bottom eventually testing pot heat saftey tolerance as it will get hot. possibly and be to hot to pickup safely.  Do this is in a safe fire proof wind free test zone.

Candle making is  fun