Beeswax & coconut jar candle

A beeswax jar candle softened with coconut oil so it doesn't crack, pull away from the glass or tunnel.

Difficulty: ●●○
Time: active 1 h · cure 2–4 days

Steps Calculator

Safety first

Never leave melting wax unattended, not even for a minute. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
Melt wax in a pouring pitcher set in a pan of simmering water (a double boiler). Never put a pitcher or pan of wax on direct heat.
Use a candle or candy thermometer the whole time and stay inside the wax supplier's temperature range. Overheated wax smokes, discolors and can reach its flash point.
If wax catches fire: turn off the heat and smother it with a metal lid or a thick layer of baking soda. NEVER use water, which flashes to steam and throws burning wax. Keep a lid and a class B or ABC extinguisher within reach.
Wear closed shoes and keep a bowl of cool water nearby for splashes on skin. Hot wax sticks and keeps burning, so cool a burn under running water for 20 minutes.
Handle fragrance oils with gloves and ventilate the room while they're hot.
Put warning labels on any candle you give away: burn within sight, keep away from children, pets, drafts and anything flammable, trim the wick to 1/4 in (6 mm) before each burn, burn no more than 4 hours at a time, and stop when 1/2 in (13 mm) of wax is left.
Never heat beeswax above 185°F (85°C). It discolors.

Steps

Weigh your wax and fragrance using the calculator results. Cover your work surface with paper or a silicone mat.
Pre-warm clean, dry jars until they're warm to the touch, about 100–120°F (38–49°C). Beeswax grips cold glass badly.
Center and stick a wick in each jar and hold it upright with a wick bar.
Melt the beeswax and coconut oil together in the double boiler. Beeswax melts at 144–147°F (62–64°C). Never go above 185°F (85°C).
At 160°F (71°C), take it off the heat, add any fragrance, and stir gently for a full 2 minutes.
Pour at 155–170°F (68–77°C), leaving 1/2 in (13 mm) of headspace. Keep a little wax back for a top-up.
Let the jars cool slowly in a warm room. Wrap them in a towel if the room is cool, because fast cooling cracks beeswax and causes pull-away.
If a sinkhole forms around the wick, poke a relief hole and top up with the reserved wax reheated to the pour temperature.
Trim wicks to 1/4 in (6 mm).
Rest for 2–4 days before test-burning.
Test-burn one candle before making more or giving any away. Burn it 1 hour per inch of diameter (up to 4 hours) and check that the melt pool reaches the edge without soot or a flame taller than about 1 in (2.5 cm). Adjust the wick size and repeat.

Candle calculator

Wax Container holds (fl oz of water)Fill it with water to your fill line and measure How many Fragrance load (%)% of wax weight Jar width (in)Inside diameter at the widest point Wick series Units Scent

Wax20.6 oz

583 g · 20.6 oz

Fragrance oil1.0 oz

29 g · 1.0 oz

Total pour21.6 oz

7.2 oz each

Starting wick#2

Test burn 3 h, then check the melt pool.

Melt to: 144–147°F (62–64°C) or a little above
Add fragrance at: 160°F (71°C), then stir gently for 2 minutes
Pour at: 155–170°F (68–77°C)
Cure: 2–4 days before judging the scent throw

Beeswax is viscous, so this is one step larger than the soy chart.

Melt about 10% more wax than the total. Some always stays in the pitcher.

If something goes wrong

Wax pulls away from the glass or cracks: Add more coconut oil (up to 30%), pre-warm jars more, and cool slowly under a towel.
Tunneling (the flame burns a hole down the middle): The first burn was too short or the wick is too small. Burn 1 hour per inch of diameter (up to 4 hours) so the melt pool reaches the edge. For a candle that already tunneled, wrap foil around the rim with a hole in the middle and burn to even it out. Go up a wick size next batch.
Wick drowns or the flame is tiny: Beeswax needs generous wicks. Go up one size.
Faint scent: Beeswax holds fragrance weakly and has its own honey scent. Lean on that, or pick strong notes and stay at 5–6%.