Making candles the Room Spell way
Greetings and salutations, oh weary internet traveller. Black Phillip here, taking control of my vessel for another information splurge. This blog post will explain how to make scented candles the Room Spell way.
Creating something that doesn't exist is a beautiful thing. Room Spell was born out of frustration. No scented candle company in the world was being bold or imaginative enough to satisfy my vessel's taste. The home scenting market was missing an alternative edge. Not just in style alone; in scent terms too. Too many times, my vessel had bought candles that claimed to smell like something strange, but upon lighting the candle, it just smelt "nice". The final straw; a "vampire" candle which smelt of cherries. Room Spell was born.
It was evident to me, that in order to be different, I must proceed in a different manner. You will find my processes to be very unique and somewhat revolutionary. Research might as well be my middle name; I tirelessly research story elements to understand scent profiles for all new blends, but in the early days, I did countless hours of research purely on the core items needed to make candles. All available types of wax were tested. Different oils from different suppliers were bought and experimented with. Different wicks were sampled. All possible combinations of materials were explored, until I found the perfect way to create my scented oddities. It was a very long process, but it was something I had to go through, in order to arrive at my desired destination. After these long trials, I set about making my first scent profile. The way I do this has developed over the years, to include some truly radical practices.
To be allowed to work, my vessel must first give me control. This is done by my vessel immediately giving me my hands, by applying the black nitrile gloves. As soon as his hands are completely covered, his brain takes a back seat and I take over.
Before anything else, I choose an appropriate soundtrack to listen to whilst I work. I like ambient and atmospheric music. Some of my go-to genres are Viking folk music and ambient space music. Batcave is another genre I like. Yes, that is a real genre! Very occasionally I will also listen to black metal and sometimes, for some reason, my ears yearn for Enya. Setting the scene to match my state of mind on the day, is paramount for a successful "cook" as I have come to call the creation process. When I have selected the music, I create appropriate lighting. I need to be able to see what I am doing, but it also needs to be dramatic or dimly lit. My vessel has some old theatre lights, which offer many different settings, colours and light levels. I strategically place these around the loft laboratory and set them to appropriate colours and levels depending on my mood. My creation station is overlooked by a print of Anton LaVey, which was created by A Forest Of Shadows (if you don't know them, I suggest you look them up! Tremendous artworks!) and a severed head hangs from the opposing wall. Finally, I open the window, which is next to my creation station. Air is life. Life is needed to create. A supply of air is an essential part of my process. Opening the window next to where I work, ensures the candles are imbibed with plenty of fresh air.
When the environment is prepared, it is time to get some wax melting. I weigh out the wax in it's solid state; two hundred grams per candle. Often, I will create four candles at once (cue "fork handles" jokes) so I need to weigh out eight hundred grams. I use Sasol mineral wax. It is imported from Germany and is detoxified and contains triglycerides, which stabilise the molecules and help them to expand, so they can take on more scent particles. I put the eight hundred grams of wax into a double boiler pan. Next, I prepare the tins that will house the creation. I use the same type of tins that True Grace use, but my metal tins are made from reclaimed metal. It is impossible to tell exactly what metal they are made from, but there is definitely some aluminium involved, as the tins dent easily if they are not carefully handled. To prepare the tin, a wick needs attaching to the internal base of the tin. I do this with a wick sticker. I learnt very early on that this is the most consistent method for wick attachment. The wick is then pushed through a hole in a wooden ice lolly stick, which are custom made by me. The wick is then folded around the stick and sealed into place with a miniature bulldog clip. I can make a total of twenty four candles in one cook.
Once the tins are ready, I load up large metallic jugs with the fragrance blends and black colourant. I have my blend information stored in a secret location in my loft laboratory. Most of them can be recalled from memory, but occasionally I must check the booklet! This is the only part of my candle making process that I will not share with you. I have created some truly magnificent scent profiles and I will never share their secrets with ANYONE.
At this point, the wax will be reaching it's melting point. Depending on which blend I am creating, I melt the wax for varying times. Essence of Vampire for example, requires pouring immediately after the wax has completely melted. This is because the wax molecules will not be completely expanded at the point of full melt, so they will only take on a small amount of scent, which allows the candle to only give fleeting moments of the scent profile. It is engineered this way to make it smell like a vampire is stalking you, as you only get occasional whiffs of it. On the flipside, the wax for Nassau Buccaneer is taken to a very high level of heat, so the molecules of wax expand to their largest level, so they can take on a large amount of it's dirty fragrance. This is how I engineer things to make some candles stronger than others. A process that not many other scented candle makers employ, but one that I find extremely effective. It adds a unique piece of drama to what I create.
When the wax is poured into the jug, which contains the fragrance oil mixtures and the black colourant, I mix the blend with my rubber ladle. I mix it the same way every time and the same way that I mix my tea - fifteen times to the right and five times to the left. The mixture is poured into the awaiting tins. The wicks are then straightened out, as they sometimes sway a little bit when the hot wax heats them up. It is important at this point to leave a bit of the mixture in the jug. The wax I use is not a one-pour wax. The candles set concave, so they require a "top-off" by re-melting the purposely leftover wax and pouring it on top of the set wax. This gives a nice, smooth, level top to the candle.
Each candle blend now goes through a unique process. I will not go into too much detail here, as these are processes not employed by any other scented candle maker. I am pioneering these methods. They give my candles a vibrant edge, which I have not experienced from any other scented candle in the world. I believe this part of the scented candle making process to be the most important bit by far. I use differing combinations of psychoacoustics, dried herbs, tinctures, energy stimuli and elemental magick. Each candle has a different approach, and is left in a different environment, depending on blend. As the candle wax cools and hardens, the candles become deeply invigorated on a molecular level, from exposure to the environment they are left in. This is what makes my candles so endearing and captivating.
The very next day, the candles are topped off with the leftover wax They are then given a rest period of two weeks, before they are sold, in a static, calm environment, in order for them to cure. They are then moved to a large cupboard, to join their fellow complete units, until they are bought from our website, or packed up and taken to market.
That is how we make candles here at Room Spell. I do hope you found this blog post interesting.
This is Black Phillip, signing off and returning control to my human vessel.
Creating something that doesn't exist is a beautiful thing. Room Spell was born out of frustration. No scented candle company in the world was being bold or imaginative enough to satisfy my vessel's taste. The home scenting market was missing an alternative edge. Not just in style alone; in scent terms too. Too many times, my vessel had bought candles that claimed to smell like something strange, but upon lighting the candle, it just smelt "nice". The final straw; a "vampire" candle which smelt of cherries. Room Spell was born.
It was evident to me, that in order to be different, I must proceed in a different manner. You will find my processes to be very unique and somewhat revolutionary. Research might as well be my middle name; I tirelessly research story elements to understand scent profiles for all new blends, but in the early days, I did countless hours of research purely on the core items needed to make candles. All available types of wax were tested. Different oils from different suppliers were bought and experimented with. Different wicks were sampled. All possible combinations of materials were explored, until I found the perfect way to create my scented oddities. It was a very long process, but it was something I had to go through, in order to arrive at my desired destination. After these long trials, I set about making my first scent profile. The way I do this has developed over the years, to include some truly radical practices.
To be allowed to work, my vessel must first give me control. This is done by my vessel immediately giving me my hands, by applying the black nitrile gloves. As soon as his hands are completely covered, his brain takes a back seat and I take over.
Before anything else, I choose an appropriate soundtrack to listen to whilst I work. I like ambient and atmospheric music. Some of my go-to genres are Viking folk music and ambient space music. Batcave is another genre I like. Yes, that is a real genre! Very occasionally I will also listen to black metal and sometimes, for some reason, my ears yearn for Enya. Setting the scene to match my state of mind on the day, is paramount for a successful "cook" as I have come to call the creation process. When I have selected the music, I create appropriate lighting. I need to be able to see what I am doing, but it also needs to be dramatic or dimly lit. My vessel has some old theatre lights, which offer many different settings, colours and light levels. I strategically place these around the loft laboratory and set them to appropriate colours and levels depending on my mood. My creation station is overlooked by a print of Anton LaVey, which was created by A Forest Of Shadows (if you don't know them, I suggest you look them up! Tremendous artworks!) and a severed head hangs from the opposing wall. Finally, I open the window, which is next to my creation station. Air is life. Life is needed to create. A supply of air is an essential part of my process. Opening the window next to where I work, ensures the candles are imbibed with plenty of fresh air.
When the environment is prepared, it is time to get some wax melting. I weigh out the wax in it's solid state; two hundred grams per candle. Often, I will create four candles at once (cue "fork handles" jokes) so I need to weigh out eight hundred grams. I use Sasol mineral wax. It is imported from Germany and is detoxified and contains triglycerides, which stabilise the molecules and help them to expand, so they can take on more scent particles. I put the eight hundred grams of wax into a double boiler pan. Next, I prepare the tins that will house the creation. I use the same type of tins that True Grace use, but my metal tins are made from reclaimed metal. It is impossible to tell exactly what metal they are made from, but there is definitely some aluminium involved, as the tins dent easily if they are not carefully handled. To prepare the tin, a wick needs attaching to the internal base of the tin. I do this with a wick sticker. I learnt very early on that this is the most consistent method for wick attachment. The wick is then pushed through a hole in a wooden ice lolly stick, which are custom made by me. The wick is then folded around the stick and sealed into place with a miniature bulldog clip. I can make a total of twenty four candles in one cook.
Once the tins are ready, I load up large metallic jugs with the fragrance blends and black colourant. I have my blend information stored in a secret location in my loft laboratory. Most of them can be recalled from memory, but occasionally I must check the booklet! This is the only part of my candle making process that I will not share with you. I have created some truly magnificent scent profiles and I will never share their secrets with ANYONE.
At this point, the wax will be reaching it's melting point. Depending on which blend I am creating, I melt the wax for varying times. Essence of Vampire for example, requires pouring immediately after the wax has completely melted. This is because the wax molecules will not be completely expanded at the point of full melt, so they will only take on a small amount of scent, which allows the candle to only give fleeting moments of the scent profile. It is engineered this way to make it smell like a vampire is stalking you, as you only get occasional whiffs of it. On the flipside, the wax for Nassau Buccaneer is taken to a very high level of heat, so the molecules of wax expand to their largest level, so they can take on a large amount of it's dirty fragrance. This is how I engineer things to make some candles stronger than others. A process that not many other scented candle makers employ, but one that I find extremely effective. It adds a unique piece of drama to what I create.
When the wax is poured into the jug, which contains the fragrance oil mixtures and the black colourant, I mix the blend with my rubber ladle. I mix it the same way every time and the same way that I mix my tea - fifteen times to the right and five times to the left. The mixture is poured into the awaiting tins. The wicks are then straightened out, as they sometimes sway a little bit when the hot wax heats them up. It is important at this point to leave a bit of the mixture in the jug. The wax I use is not a one-pour wax. The candles set concave, so they require a "top-off" by re-melting the purposely leftover wax and pouring it on top of the set wax. This gives a nice, smooth, level top to the candle.
Each candle blend now goes through a unique process. I will not go into too much detail here, as these are processes not employed by any other scented candle maker. I am pioneering these methods. They give my candles a vibrant edge, which I have not experienced from any other scented candle in the world. I believe this part of the scented candle making process to be the most important bit by far. I use differing combinations of psychoacoustics, dried herbs, tinctures, energy stimuli and elemental magick. Each candle has a different approach, and is left in a different environment, depending on blend. As the candle wax cools and hardens, the candles become deeply invigorated on a molecular level, from exposure to the environment they are left in. This is what makes my candles so endearing and captivating.
The very next day, the candles are topped off with the leftover wax They are then given a rest period of two weeks, before they are sold, in a static, calm environment, in order for them to cure. They are then moved to a large cupboard, to join their fellow complete units, until they are bought from our website, or packed up and taken to market.
That is how we make candles here at Room Spell. I do hope you found this blog post interesting.
This is Black Phillip, signing off and returning control to my human vessel.