|
Conrad Bérubé |
|
![]() ![]() |
| Farmserve Africa Farmer to Farmer volunteer report Higher incomes for beekeepers through the
Trip dates june 5 to june 16, 2003 Conrad Bérubé |
![]() |
|
By Conrad Bérubé
August 2003
Pure beeswax candles are long-burning and produce an agreeable fragrance-- perfect for a special meal or a romantic interlude. making free-standing candles, especially if they are tapered or cylindrical, usually requires an expensive mold or hours of tedious dipping. this pamphlet outlines how condoms can be used as a cheap alternative to pricey latex molds (a latex mold that produces a single tapered candle can cost $60 canadian!)
Making the candles is fairly easy—it just takes a bit of time to set up. first cut the ends off of some small cans—the type used for tomato paste work well. cut the cans in half to produce two smaller tubes. drive nails through the “cardinal points” about a thumb’s width from the lip of the can. force some small sticks, of the kind used to skewer meat for barbecuing, through adjacent holes to form “stretcher handles”. these will comprise the mounts for the condoms.
Next, cut as many wicks as the number of candles you want to make (use good quality cotton string). the wicks should be about 2 inches longer than the intended length of your candles—or about 8 inches altogether. dip the wicks into molten wax to prime them for burning and to facilitate our next work. set these aside temporarily.
|
|
Open up the same number of condoms as you have tomato-can mounts. feed a condom through the mouth of each of the tomato-can mounts and stretch the mouth of the condom around the can. use string or a tight rubber band to hold the condom on the can. thread the wick through the body of the condom and clamp or tie the tip of the wick into the reservoir tip of the condom. set the mount across a couple of supports (beehive top-bars work well for this) laid on top of a bucket so that the condoms hang downwards (see illustration). fill the condoms with enough wax to make an easily marketed candle. as you pour the wax into the condom it will pull downwards—stop pouring before the upper end of the wick falls below the lip of the can. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Once the candles are hardened remove the rubber bands from the tops of the mounts and pull the condom down through the can. remove the clip or tie from the lower end of the wick. gently remove the condom from the candle so that the condom may be re-used (so far I haven’t had much luck in using condoms more than once—so make sure you include the cost of the condom in the cost of the cande). trim the wicks but leave about a quarter of an inch of wick at either end so that consumers can decide in which orientation they will burn the candle. |
|
Make sure to store candles in a cool place so they don't deform from the heat.
|
|
Because worker honeybees do not mate, their "chaste" behaviour was admired by catholic monastic orders. at one time only pure beeswax candles were used in religious ceremonies of the catholic church. |
For more information on the farmer-to-farmer program write to
Farmserve Africa Program
OIC International 240 West Tulpehocken Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
For more information on the Peace Corps visit the following website:
or write to:
Peace Corps
806 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20526
Or call (toll-free): 800-484-8580 or look up the local recruiting office under the government listings in your telephone directory.
Back to Conrad's Farmer to Farmer home
page