A hand candle might seem like something only for Halloween and, yes, it is a great prop on Halloween night, a flame rising from each finger of a wax hand. But some people just like hand candles because they are quirky conversation pieces. For Halloween, you can make a bloody hand – minus a finger or two – but for ordinary display, you can make the hand look normal.
It’s a bit messy, but not hard at all, to make the hand candle. You’ll need a disposable glove as the mold and some types of gloves can tear. To ensure against this, use a dishwashing glove, turned inside-out.
Cut a wick for each finger and make them long enough to come all the way out of the wrist area of the glove. Poke a small hole in the end of each finger – but not the thumb – then push the wick through, from inside the glove, out. Leave each wick piece sticking about an inch out of the tip of the finger area. Tape over each fingertip to keep wax from seeping out.
Use a metal ring, or make one out of a coat hanger, to hold the glove as you pour the wax. Slide the glove inside the opening of the hoop, then fold the wrist area of the glove over the wire. Use clothes pins or clamps to hold the glove edges to the hoop. Set the hoop over a vase or other object to hold it still. Gather the wick ends, wrap them around a pencil, tape them on the pencil, then lay the pencil across the hoop.
Melt the wax and, if you want, add a tint and/or scent. Pour the wax into the glove. Allow the wax to set and then remove it from the glove. Cut the glove off of the hand and trim the wicks.
As the wax hardens you can position and mold the hand and fingers, if you want. You can make a “v” from the first and second finger so that you have a peace sign. Or, just bend a finger this way, and curl others, so that you create the look you want. Sometimes, as the wax hand hardens, the wrist area will not be perfectly flat. If that’s the case for the one you make, just use a knife to trim the area so that it’s straight and flat.
If you’re making a Halloween version of the hand candle you can create a bloody look by melting red wax – or dyeing wax to be red – and dripping some of it over the fingers. Also, if you’re making the Halloween version, you can cut off one or more of the fingers to give it an even creepier look. Whether for Halloween or not, the hand candle will definitely grab attention, and you’ll have a lot of fun making it.
Hand Candle