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Make your own Citronella Candles
Think citronella candles don't work? Stop wasting you money on mass produced ones,
and make your own. They work well and are far less expensive. I spend a lot of
time camping, and these work well against most flying insects (except Mayflies).
Best of all, they are a great way to use scrap wax, and recycle your coffee cans.
While you have the wax melted, you can also make some fire starters for that summer
campfire as well.
As always, safety is our primary concern. Be sure to be safe when putting your
candle together.
er.
Materials
Coffee can or other suitable, non-flammable container.
Wax - any type, scraps work well.
Wick - #6 square braid.
Square wick tab - The wick is too large to fit in round tabs.
Citronella Scent Oil.
Wax - The wax can be anything you have laying around. Drippings, half
burned candles, floor scrapings, and other scraps are ideal.
You can use scraps of scented wax, as this helps offset the offensive
odor of the citronella.
Wick
Citronella candles work best when they produce a lot of smoke, so I use
an oversize wick.
Instructions
1. Paint a coffee can - optional, but this improves the appearance.
2. Crimp a length of wick into a square tab. This is just done to weight
the bottom of the wick.
3. Collect together some scrap wax and melt down enough to fill the can.
4. Suspend the wick in center of the can.
5. Stir in a minimum of one ounce of citronella oil for each pound of
wax, then fill the can to about 1/2 inch from top. Allow to
cool fully. Set aside leftover wax.
6. Reheat the wax left from step 5 and make a second pour to fill the
shrink void and level the top of candle.
7Once fully cooled, trim the wick to about 1/2 inch long. This is longer
than for most candles as a clean burn is not desirable in
a citronella candle.
8. Keeping the plastic lid will help keep water and dirt out of the
candle when not in use.