Tin Can Candles DIY
Turn vintage and pretty tins and cans into beautiful candles with this fast and easy DIY project!
I have so many beautiful tins that once contained food products. I want to keep the tins, because they are so beautiful, but what can you really do with old tins? What is the best way to display them in your home?
They can be displayed on shelves of course, especially open shelves. A pretty collection of tin cans, especially vintage tin cans looks absolutely great as a shelf decoration.
But this DIY turns those lovely tins into beautiful candles too. That way you can display them, and use them for something worthwhile, as well as being pretty to look at, these tins are so decorative for your home.
Tins to use for this DIY Project
You can use any tins for this DIY project, but the more decorative and prettier the tins are the better.
I had some of these absolutely beautiful tins of tea. They are just so pretty (the tea is pretty good too!). They are such lovely tins that really deserve to be displayed and shown.
I also bought an amazing tin of salt on a trip I took a couple of years ago to Iceland. It is the most beautiful decorative tin, and it needs to be seen and displayed prominently to be appreciated.
You can also buy old ‘antique’ cans especially for this purpose. If you look on places such as eBay, or scout out antique and thrift stores, it is possible to find old tins that are perfect for turning into candles.
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Supplies Needed for this DIY Project
Tin of your choice
Metal Jug for Melting Wax
Note: Most candle wicks are about 6 inches long. If you have a particularly large tin that you are using you may need a longer wick. But 6 inches should take care of most tin sizes.
You can buy complete kits that contain the wax flakes, as well as candle wicks and stickers for holding the wicks in place. Such as this one.
Fragrance oils of your choice.
Related: Make these pretty Copper Cap Candles
Related: Make these Cozy Coffee Candles
How to make Tin Candles
If the tins you are using are particularly dirty or soiled, wash and clean them first.
Melt the wax flakes according to directions. An ideal way is to melt them inside a metal jug in a saucepan full of water. Turn on the water to boiling, and place the metal jug containing the wax flakes inside the saucepan of water.
Melt the wax flakes, using as many as you need to get the required liquid amount to fill the tin with. As the wax flakes melt the volume in the jug decreases, so keep adding more wax flakes until you have the desired amount of liquid wax.
If you want to make the wax fragranced, add a few drops of your favorite wax fragrances or essential oils to the wax once it has melted into a liquid.
While the wax is melting, attach the candle wick to the bottom of the tin. Center it as carefully as possible. If you have a candle making kit they usually come with two-sided stickers that can be used for this.
Otherwise you can either pour a little dab of wax on the bottom and place the wick into it until it hardens, or even use a dab of glue to hold the wick in place (usually the wick has a metal disk that attaches to the bottom).
Pour the melted candle wax inside the tin as carefully as possible (it will be extremely hot). I usually let the melted wax cool down a little bit before pouring. I also make sure that I use an oven glove or similar to handle the container with the metal wax in it.
Pour the wax into the tin as high as possible up to the top. Allow the wax to completely dry and set. Once it is dry and has set, trim the wick (I never trim the wick until the wax is completely set so I don’t cause the wick to move too much).
See our Beginners Guide to Candle Making here!
The great thing also about using tins for this DIY project is that they come automatically with lids! So you can place the lid on the tin when not in use to preserve the candle scents and keep them dust free.
Enjoy making these pretty tin candles, either for yourself and your home, or as special gifts to give to others!
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