A Visit to Creative Candles in Kansas City
On yesterday’s blog, I gave you a little tour of the Hallmark Visitors Center in Kansas City, Missouri, which was very interesting. When we left Hallmark, we paid a visit to our friends at Creative Candles, also located in Kansas City. We at MSLO, have been featuring their fine candles in Living, Weddings, and also on my television show. I even listed Creative Candles as one of my “secret sources” on my Web site, and for good reason. These candles are crafted with old world techniques, using only the finest blend of waxes. They burn cleanly and for a long period of time. The color choices are fabulous and there are several styles from which to choose. It was wonderful seeing Ken Weiner and Pam Fleischer, the lovely husband and wife team who own Creative Candles. I really enjoyed our in depth tour of the facility.
1 Here I am with Pam Fleischer and Ken Weiner, the wife and husband team who own and operate Creative Candles. Credit: Tim Pott
2 These wonderful candles have been featured in Martha Stewart Living, Weddings, as well as on my television show.
3 These candles are hand-crafted using traditional methods. They produce anywhere from five to ten thousand candles here per day!
4 Pam and Ken personally gave us a tour through the facility.
5 I have been lighting Creative Candles for many years and have listed them as one of my 'secret sources' on my Web site. Credit: Tim Pott
6 Creative Candles is the company behind many private label candles sold at places like Pottery Barn, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Simon Pearce.
7 The heart of the candle is the wick and Creative Candles uses a fine cotton linen cord.
8 The candles are made using a blend of seven different waxes, including carnauba wax, a wax of the leaves of the palm Copernicia prunifera from Brazil. It's also used in lipstick, car wax, and chocolate as a hardener.
9 This is white beeswax, which is typically an amber color, a result of impurities which bees bring into the hive. Filtering the melted beeswax removes those impurities, leaving it white, making it easier to dye.
10 Tapers are all hand-dipped with multiple layers of wax. One long strand of wick is wrapped around the dipping rack.
11 Chris Wood Jr. showed us the process. Tapers are the most popular style of candles, followed by pillars.
12 This type of rack makes 84 tapers at the same time!
13 The wax is heated in large vats to 190-degrees F. Credit: Tim Pott
14 After each dip, the tapers must cool to 100-degrees before they can be dipped again. If not sufficiently cool, wax from subsequent dips won't stick.
15 The tapers are dipped and cooled repeatedly until the desired thickness is attained.
16 A standard 7/8-inch diameter taper is dipped about 28 times.
17 When the dipping process is complete, the tapers are measured from the top and marked. The rack is then lowered into a tank of 180-degree wax to that mark, melting off the excess, which will be used to make more candles.
18 The tapers are then taken off the rack and separated into pairs, still attached by the wicks at the top.
19 Keeping the pairs connected like this makes it easy to hang the candles in stores for display.
20 We saw many different racks in various stages of dipping.
21 Fans are used to aid in the drying process.
22 Harry McDaniel was making Celebration candles, slender 1/4-inch diameter tapers. Celebration candles are quite festive.
23 Because Celebration candles are so thin, there's enough room on each rack to make 144 at a time!
24 Celebrations candles are sold in special tube packaging and come in 6-inch or 15-inch lengths.
25 While tapers are Creative Candles most popular product, they also make molded candles, like these three-wick pillars.
26 When pillars are removed from their molds, they appear shiny and often have rough edges or seams. A quick pass with a blowtorch removes imperfections and gives a nice smooth matte finish.
27 Ken explained that this order of pillars was made for Polo Ralph Lauren. Credit: Tim Pott
28 The pillars are made by pouring melted wax into molds, like these. The wicks are held in place by notched bars across the tops of the molds.
29 Wax is poured by hand into each mold. Credit: Tim Pott
30 Chris then showed us how votives are made in this large metal table mold. This table mold, which is more than 100-years-old, makes 200 votives at a time.
31 Melted wax is poured into the mold and allowed to set. The overflow is then scraped off, to be used again.
32 While the wax is still semi-soft, spindles are pushed up through each votive, forming holes for the wicks, which will be inserted later.
33 You can see the spindles through the votives in this photo. Credit: Tim Pott
34 At the precise moment, the table mold is cranked apart, freeing the votives. Credit: Tim Pott
35 The unmolded votives
36 Ken showed me a votive wick which will be inserted through a spindle hole. Credit: Tim Pott
37 The layers of wax on the work surfaces look very Jackson Pollock, don't you think?
38 They also make a line of ball candles and floating candles. These are molded with white wax and are colored after they are unmolded. Sherry Davis showed us the process.
39 She has pots of the same colored wax used for dipping the tapers, which ensures that all of their candles match one another.
40 Holding two floating candles by their wicks, Sherry submerged them into the melted colored wax.
41 They are placed onto a tray to cool and dry.
42 The unique, rustic finish on these pillar candles is called Tuscan.
43 The finish is achieved with a unique beeswax over-dip. This over-dip process creates a marbleized textured layer of wax; which allows the flame to radiate through the candle, revealing a rich, warm glow.
44 Recently, Creative Candles generously offered everyone in my television audience one set of tapers as a give-away, just like the ones Ken showed us here.
45 Ken proudly showed us the Metric candle, which is a full meter long! They are popular for weddings and other festive events.
46 Lisa Gersh, our COO, and I were both very interested in the taper gift sets. Credit: Tim Pott
47 The set includes a pair of modern glass candle holders—a perfect holiday gift!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Such an interesting Blog. I've always wondered how candles are made, and now...I know.
Thank you, Martha!
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | December 2nd, 2011 at 1:16 am
Kansas City, here I come. What a lovely blog and pics about Creative Candles.
Posted by: ann | December 2nd, 2011 at 4:30 am
Absolutely engrossing!! I have bought Creative Candles, many of them, love them! So glad to see how they came to be, so to speak. Thank you Martha.
Posted by: Gail Hildreth | December 2nd, 2011 at 8:02 am
I'm fascinated by the metric candle.I wonder what kind of holder you would need!
Thanks for the tour Martha, I'm always learning something new!
Posted by: Cindy F | December 2nd, 2011 at 9:02 am
Hi Martha, I have always loved candles and have quite a variety of types and beautiful colors. I have them displayed all around my house not only for their beauty, but to use whenever we have power outtings at night. I thoroughly enjoy seeing this blog posting all about how candles are perfectly made at Creative Candles in Kansas City! Your photos are once again fantastic! I would love to visit that place and all of the others that you share with us! Pam and Ken certainly are wonderful people who own that great company and they look so happy to have you visit! I do remember seeing many of those candles in your magazines and on your TV Shows-beautiful! Thanks for sharing their great website, also! Loved seeing The Pet Show yesterday with Marc and F&S! I love animals and am off to check out the fabulous Daily Wag! Hope you have a delightful weekend! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | December 2nd, 2011 at 10:03 am
Martha,
Thanks for showing a good ol' USA company making a high quality product from start to finish. I also like that you gave the full names of the workers. Theay are good at what they do and deserve their day in sun. This is one of the truely wonderful things about what you do as a company.
Posted by: Chadwick | December 2nd, 2011 at 10:58 am
Martha, interesting tour of Creative Candles. Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | December 2nd, 2011 at 11:05 am
Hi Martha,
Thanks for another interesting and informative tour. I plan to have a look at their brand in the stores - I especially like floating candles which I light up every Christmas. I also like to put small candles in frosted jars in the fireplace that we otherwise don't use except to light fake logs. Thanks again and have a great weekend! Trish
Posted by: Trish | December 2nd, 2011 at 11:37 am
Hi Martha, very interesting tour Martha, I love candles of all styles. I read your tweet on twitter about Alexis's new blog. I found it different and amazing, love it. Wish you a wonderful weekend.Best wishes to all xo
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | December 2nd, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Hi, Martha,
Very interesting! I agree with the other posters ~ It's important to support Made in the USA companies!
Posted by: Bobbie | December 2nd, 2011 at 1:35 pm
I recently bought a set of your Christmas Santa ornaments. I got them because the package said they were shatterproof. The package was right. Our 15 month old grandson tested them by throwing them and banging them together, and I'm pleased to say they withstood the workout. A suggestion for a future product, child friendly ornament hangers.
Posted by: Jan White | December 2nd, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Super blog, Martha! Thanks for sharing your pictures. I bet it smelled great in that factory.
Posted by: Angela | December 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 pm
I love factory tours - thanks for showing us a fine American manufacturing company with family ownership.
Posted by: Karen | December 2nd, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Hi Martha,
Thanks so much for sharing your visit to the candle factory with us. I always wondered why the taper candles were connected by the wick. And, after seeing all that wax on the floor, I will never decide to make candles at home.
Actually, thanks for sharing all of your experiences with your readers. You are always doing such interesting things and it's fun to discover the world with you. It's nice that you take the time to photograph and document your life for your readers. We appreciate it. Thanks!
Posted by: Cheryl Terdina | December 3rd, 2011 at 8:47 am
I enjoyed seeing the pictures of the candles being made. It has the same workshop atmosphere as a fine art pottery (Ephraim Faience) in my small town in Wisconsin. I agree with the comment above that its nice to see beautiful products being crafted so nicely in America. I would like to see more places like this profiled. Thanks
Posted by: LCP | December 3rd, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Amazing photos Martha. I've always been interested in candle making. The scent in the facotry must've been fantastic!
Posted by: hampers | December 5th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
for the future bride on the list,this would be great. you add a beautiful hankercheif, a lovely letter, and a bridal magazine for the xmas list.
Posted by: benita wheeler | December 6th, 2011 at 7:35 pm