Introduction: How to Make Hand Candles

By
About: I like sewing and crafts,and trying new things. I'm vegetarian and always looking for new recipes. My cat's name is Mirko and likes to be in the centre of things, so you will see him in several of my instruc…


I ran across a tutorial on how to make a candle by dipping an inflated balloon into wax. It got me wondering if I could do the same with a latex glove. The thing about the balloon candle is that it doesn't have a wick, you just place a tealight inside of the wax shell. I didn't like that, I wanted my hand candle to have wicks on the fingers. So instead of dipping the glove in wax, I poured wax into the inside with wicks running through the fingers. To make my hand candle more ghoulish for Halloween I added some red wax to make it look like the fingers are bleeding.

In this instructable I will show you on how to make your own hand candle.

Warning the flames can burn very high, use caution, never leave candle unattended.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

  • Candle wax (I used white/off white and red for the blood)
  • Powder free disposable gloves/exam gloves (ie latex)*
  • Candle wicks
  • Pot for melting wax
  • 20 gauge wire
  • Clamps
  • Duct tape
*A note about the gloves: I work in a lab so I have access to several different types (and sizes) of gloves. The gloves I used withstood the heat of the wax, but I found that some thinner gloves seem to tear a bit around the wick and started to leak, I managed to clamp the leak shut with some binder clips was still salvageable. The ones I found worked best were Curad Latex Powder Free Exam Gloves. We also Nitrile gloves in our lab but I haven't tried those yet.
While I was writing up this Instructable it occurred to me that dish-washing gloves may be used as well. They are much thicker and likely won't tear, although they often have a lining inside (you can probably just turn them inside out) .

Step 2: Preparing Glove

  • Poke a tiny hole in the tip of the each finger you want to have a candle wick.
  • Tie knots in the wicks about 1 cm from the end.
  • Poke the wick through the hole from the inside (the knot should be inside the glove right against the tip).
  • Cover the finger tip with duct tape covering the wick and the hole to prevent the wax from seeping out.

Step 3: Making a Holder

To make it easier and safer to hold the glove open while pouring hot wax into it I used some wire to fashion a loop. I slipped the loop around the opening and used some clamps to hold it on. To make sure that the wick(s) stay centred in the fingers I knotted them together and wrapped the loose end around a pencil to anchor them (see image below).

Step 4: Wax

A word of caution, be careful when pouring the hot wax as the gloves may tear and spill the hot wax everywhere.So pour away from yourself fingers to prevent burns.

The amount of wax you will need depends on the size of glove that you are using, you can fill a glove with water and then pour it into a measuring cup to get the correct amount. It is a good idea to melt more than you need in case you spill. Place a plate or tray under your glove to catch any drips or leaks. Melt your wax in a pot on the stove then slowly pour it into the glove. Once filled hang it somewhere to allow it to set (I hung mine from a banana hanger). I placed a cork between the thumb and fingers since the thumb seemed to sag.

Hand Gestures
Before the wax sets you have an opportunity to bend the fingers (and tape them up) if you want to make hand gestures, such as a peace sign, Vulcan salute etc.

Step 5: Admire Your Handy Work


Once the wax has fully hardened you can peel/cut off the glove. Trim the end of the wick from the bottom. If the bottom is uneven you can use a knife to carve it flat so that it can stand without tipping.

Step 6: Adding Red


Simply melt a small amount of red wax. With a spoon scoop up some of the red wax and drizzle around the fingers, letting it drip down the hand.

Halloween Decorations Challenge

Participated in the
Halloween Decorations Challenge