Ok, do you want to hear the long story or the short one?
The Long Story
A running friend of mine’s husband was a dean at a college in NC, He retired over a year ago and started raising bees, collecting and selling honey! I messaged her a couple days ago and asked if they sold beeswax as I would love to get some for my salves and ointments but also to try to make my own beeswax candles. She said that was something he’d been thinking about but doesn’t currently do.
The next day I get a text from her saying she was at a bee supply store and sent me pictures of huge blocks of beeswax and asked if I wanted her to pick some up for me. I jumped at the chance especially since the pricing was better than I could find on etsy plus without any shipping charges! I am meeting her to get 2 half-pound blocks on Wednesday.
On Sunday, I randomly was asking people at work if the have ever made candles and has making supplies sitting around. I looked online Saturday for supplies but it occurred to me that this is often a hobby that comes and goes in people’s lives and I might be able to find someone with things they don’t want. Fast forward a couple hours later and I have 2 bags brought in from one of my coworkers who ran home to get them!!!
I’m so excited for you to start this journey!!! . The candles need to cool COMPLETELY to get them out of the molds… if they are a little soft at all they will not come out. place somewhere cool for them to completely cool off for the first time. Also, if it still will not come out of the mold, put in refrigerator for about 20 min or in freezer for 5-10 then try again. :).
If you’re near a beach, try making them in the sand! I love them with shells and other various sea “things”…. I can’t wait to see your creations!
Blessed Be! Jan
I have considered making candles, but I don’t really have the living arrangement for it. Especially the cooling process, as @jan_TheGreenWitch has mentioned. I do have family who make candles, and I have been burning one of their candles they gave my household as gifts.
What I love is the intentionality of making the candles. When my SO’s brother and his partner gave me my candle, they basically said they made it, scent and holder and all, with my witchy background in mind, which just melted my heart.
I made beeswax candles on my own for the first time last year, but I used the massive blocks of beeswax - they take forever to melt. I think going with the pellet version you have is going to much quicker and easier! (Edit: I got ahead of myself- looks like the pellets are for soy candles - I thought they were the white beeswax pellets! My bad )
Jan is right about letting them cool completely! I would also share the tip I learned about making sure you have enough wax melted to fill the candle mold/holder completely - if you fill it part way, then stop to melt more wax, and then try to top it off there will be a visible line between the two pours. The candle will still work, it’s just an aesthetic bloop that some people don’t like.
Also in terms of safety, beeswax should never get too hot because it can scorch (messing with the texture and causing it to lose some of that lovely honey scent). Since beeswax is flammable, always use the double broiler to melt it (and don’t let it touch the heat source).
It can get a bit messy but it’s a fun process! And beeswax really is the king of all candle waxes, if you ask me. I know your candles are going to be lovely!
I have heard it is slow to melt (which is good when it comes to the finished product) and I wonder if I can use a grater that would be dedicated to candlemaking to shave it into smaller pieces
This is awesome! A loooooong time ago I used to make candles. I just used crayons and oils so they smelled pretty. I got creative with layering colors. Ice in your melted candle gives a cool effect. Other than that I don’t remember anything else!
Look at those! Your beeswax is going to make some bee-autiful candles
Grating the beeswax sounds like it might work! I tried to cut it into chunks with a knife when I was making soap with it and that… is not a safe method that I can recommend. It was a nightmare
My strategy going forward is to melt the blocks all at once and then pour them into much smaller molds (maybe 1 ounce each or so) and store them that way. Then it would be much easier to divy it up and take what I need going forward!
Or that’s the idea, at least - I haven’t got around to finding and getting the smaller 1 oz. molds yet!
It seems like a good idea, right? I even heated the knife to help it cut better too! Alas To be honest, I’m glad I still have all of my fingers after hacking away at that beeswax block lol. Beeswax is some hardy stuff!
My pleasure!
I remembered a mold I had been looking at- it has cute little bees in the design!
But I couldn’t figure out how many ounces each little hexagon would be. It might work okay for measuring wax for candles, but I think these would be a bit too big for the very precise measurements needed for soap recipes. I’m continuing my hunt for the perfect mold too!
Good luck and happy shopping, Artemisia! May you find exactly what you are looking for
I ended up turning the oven on the lowest heat setting and letting it sit in there for 15 minutes. Came right out! Since I didn’t make the candle and it was damaged some from previous attempts to remove it I wasn’t worried about what shape it was in when it came out.
I will keep both of your suggestions in mind, they could come in handy if it ever happens to me!
You go, Artemisia! Make those candles! 
)
Good to know, that was another thought I’d had to get smaller pieces.
I even heated the knife to help it cut better too! Alas 
To be honest, I’m glad I still have all of my fingers after hacking away at that beeswax block lol. Beeswax is some hardy stuff!
