RANUNCULUS CANDLE

We will look at the process of making a ranunculus.

What we’ll need for making:

1) Bleached beeswax
2) Silicone mat
3) Waxed wick
4) Kitchen thermometer
5) Wax melter or containers for a double boiler
6) Dye
7) Ball stylus tool (ball tool)
8) Spoon
9) Knife
10) Utility knife (scalpel)
11) Awl or thick needle
12) Center mold
13) Set of cutters and veiners for ranunculus
14) Universal veiner with a width from 5 cm

You can see more about the materials via the link - Open

STEP 1. PREPARATION

1) Working conditions
The room should be warm and free of drafts. Work on a warm surface so the wax cools more slowly. If your countertop is cold, place a towel, a wooden board, or a heated mat on it.

2) Melting the wax
Put the wax into a container and place it on a double boiler or into a wax melter (make sure no steam gets into the wax). Melt the wax to a liquid state.

3) Check the mat
Lay out the silicone mat and remove any dust. If needed, lightly grease it with a bit of vegetable oil (optional).

4) Lay out the tools
Arrange all the tools in front of you.

STEP 2. PREPARING THE WAX

1) Add the colorant
Add the colorant to the melted wax. The amount depends on the shade you want. If you’re aiming for a vivid color, use a well-pigmented dye. Be careful: adding too much colorant can make the wax more brittle.

2) Stir until uniform
Stir the wax thoroughly to fully dissolve and disperse the colorant.

STEP 3. MAKING THE CENTER

• Pour the melted wax into the center mold and leave it until it’s half-set.
• When the wax in the mold is about halfway set, pierce a centered wick hole with an awl or needle. If needed, place the mold in the freezer until it fully hardens.
• Once fully set, remove the center from the mold. If necessary, finish/enlarge the wick hole with a hot needle or awl.

Cutter size chart - Open

STEP 4. STARTING THE FLOWER

• Add a little white wax to the green wax. Once dissolved, pour the wax onto the mat and spread it with a spoon.
• With Cutter No. 1, cut out 8–9 petals and give them texture with a veiner (it’s best to make a few extra petals).
• Use a modeling tool to round the petals.

• With Cutter No. 2, cut out 16–18 petals and texture them with a veiner.
• Use a modeling tool to round the petals.

• Glue the first row of petals onto the set center, raised 1–2 mm above it. Each next petal should overlap the previous one, and the last petal should be glued under the first.
• Do the same with the No. 2 petals, gluing them in two rows.

Cutter size chart - Open

STEP 5. FLOWER CENTER

• Remove the green wax from the melting pot, add clear (colorless) wax and tint it to the desired color.
• Using Cutter No. 3, cut out 16–18 petals.
• Give them texture with a veiner and round the shape with a modeling tool.

• Using Cutter No. 4, cut out 18–20 petals.
• Texture with a veiner and round with a modeling tool.

• Using Cutter No. 5, cut out 18–20 petals.
• Texture with a veiner and round with a modeling tool.

• Using Cutter No. 6, cut out 10 petals.
• Texture with a veiner and round with a modeling tool.

• Add a little clear wax and wait until it fully dissolves.
• With Cutter No. 5 and a craft knife (scalpel), cut the next petal size by tracing around the cutter’s outer contour; you will need about 35–40 petals of this size.
• Give these petals texture with a larger veiner and round the shape with a modeling tool.

Cutter size chart - Open

STEP 6. FINISHING THE FLOWER

• Glue the first row of pink petals (size 3) around the circle, rising 1–2 mm above the previous ones. As with the green petals, each pink petal overlaps the previous one, and the last petal is glued under the first.

• Glue the next row of petals of the same size in the same way as the previous row.

• The next two rows consist of size-4 petals; glue them the same way.

• The next two rows consist of size-5 petals; glue them the same way.

• The next row consists of size-6 petals. Starting from this row, glue the petals slightly lower than the previous row.

• Next, glue the remaining petals of the largest size, placing each row lower than the previous one. In this lesson there are 4 rows in total, but the number of the last petals will depend on their thickness and personal preference: the thicker the petals, the fewer you will need.

Cutter size chart - Open

• When the candle is ready, make a hole and insert the wick. Press it from below to the still warm wax so it does not come unstuck. Before lighting, remember to trim the wick to 0.5 cm.