The Bottom Line
A great, down to earth, basic book that is indeed very "complete"! Norma covers the whole gamut of candle making in an easy to understand fashion. A great book to explore the vast array of different techniques, types and styles of candles.
Pros
- Over 40 candlemaking techniques are covered - it really is complete!
- Gorgeous photos of a wide array of wonderful candles.
- Detailed discussion of basic equipment, supplies and safety.
- Fairly well detailed instructions for projects
- Fun historical sidebars talk about the history of candlemaking.
Cons
- Only some of the photos actually match the projects in the book.
- No discussion of commercially available wicks or wax.
Description
- A great basic book that covers the breadth of candle styles, techniques and types.
- Projects ranging from containers to cut and curl - with basic instructions for making them.
- Well written, easy to understand instructions on the projects.
- Good basic instructions in safety, equipment and supplies, though a bit out of date.
- Lot's of used copies available!
Guide Review - The Complete Candlemaker by Norma Coney
If you're looking for a great basic book on candle making that covers pretty much everything from A to Z, you can't go wrong with TheComplete Candlemaker. Everything from container candles to hand dipped tapers to specialty finishes is covered. I wouldn't recommend it as your only candlemaking book, but it should certainly be on the shelf! Though candle making is an ancient art form, the book feels a bit out of date. The recipes for the candles are all based on making your own blends of pure paraffin, stearic acid and other additives - important to understand for an advanced candle maker, but not really that necessary for a beginner with all of the great wax blends readily available today. Several of the step-by-step projects are well illustrated, but I wish more of them were. There are many gorgeous candles pictured, but I wanted more pics of the actual project candles.
