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How to: Bottle cap candles
January/February 2011

We saw these crafty bottle-cap candles scattered around the spread at a beer dinner and couldn’t resist attempting to make a stash for ourselves. Luckily, the process is even simpler than drinking your way through the bottles.

What you need:

20 clean, flat bottle caps

1 1-pound package microwaveable soy candle wax

20 2-inch, pre-waxed candle wicks with wick clips

glass liquid measuring cup with pouring spout

baking sheet lined with aluminum foil

• Evenly space the bottle caps upside-down on the lined baking sheet; set the tray on a workspace in a room-temperature area away from breezes, or, for best results, place the baking sheet in a low oven for 3 minutes. (Cool bottle caps won’t bond well with wax.) Set one wick in the center of each bottle cap, ensuring the wicks stand straight up.

• Following the wax manufacturer’s instructions, microwave about 2 cups of wax flakes in the measuring cup until the wax is completely melted and measures 180 degrees on a thermometer (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).

• Pour the melted wax into the bottle caps until each is full but not overflowing, and let the tray cool 2 hours.

• Store candles in a cool, dry container or refrigerate. Before burning, trim wicks to 1/4 inch. Each candle should burn 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Published January/February 2011
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