Vintage teacup candle

A thrifted teacup filled with scented soy. It's a charming gift, as long as the cup is sturdy, heat-safe and not a treasure.

Difficulty: ●○○
Time: active 45 min · cure 1–2 weeks

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.
Only use a sturdy ceramic cup that's heat-safe and has no crazing (fine cracks in the glaze), chips or hairline cracks. Crazed or thin cups can crack from the heat and leak hot wax.
Check that the cup isn't a valuable antique before you use it. Heat can craze or crack it, and the wax won't come out cleanly.
The handle and cup get hot. Don't carry it while lit, and burn it on its saucer or a heat-proof surface.

Steps

Weigh your wax and fragrance using the calculator results. Cover your work surface with paper or a silicone mat.
Inspect each cup against the light for crazing, chips and hairline cracks, and skip any you're unsure about. Wash, dry and pre-warm the cups until they're warm to the touch, about 100–120°F (38–49°C).
Stick a wick in the exact center of the base. Teacups flare outward, so size the wick for the top diameter and hold it straight with a clothespin or wick bar.
Melt the wax in the double boiler, then heat to 185°F (85°C).
Off the heat, add the fragrance and stir gently for a full 2 minutes.
Cool to 125–140°F (52–60°C) and pour, leaving about 1/2 in (13 mm) below the rim. Wipe drips off the outside of the cup straight away.
Let the cups set for 24 hours at room temperature, then smooth the tops with a heat gun.
Trim wicks to 1/4 in (6 mm). Set each cup on its saucer.
Cure for 1–2 weeks, covered.
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

Wax9.6 oz

271 g · 9.6 oz

Fragrance oil0.8 oz

22 g · 0.8 oz

Total pour10.3 oz

5.2 oz each

Starting wickECO 6–8

Test burn 3 h, then check the melt pool.

Melt to: 113–119°F (45–48°C) or a little above
Add fragrance at: 185°F (85°C), then stir gently for 2 minutes
Pour at: 125–140°F (52–60°C)
Cure: 7–14 days before judging the scent throw

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

If something goes wrong

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.
Wax pulls away from the cup: The ceramic was cold. Pre-warm the cups and cool the candles slowly.
Hairline crack appears after burning: Stop using it. The cup wasn't heat-safe. Pick thicker stoneware or porcelain with no crazing next time.
Mushrooming wick, soot or a tall flickering flame: The wick is too big or too long, or the fragrance load is too high. Trim to 1/4 in (6 mm) before every burn, keep drafts away, and go down one wick size or lower the fragrance next batch.