Was visiting a website the other day and they were offering 100 hour candles for $6.99 each. Huh?

I've been buying those Novena candles in the Mexican foods section of my market. Usually I wait till they go on sale for anywhere from 79 to 99 cents but even at list price these are still a deal. They are about 10 inches high, come in a glass container (I save these for candle making at some time in the future...maybe) and burn as long as 150 hours. Most supermarkets have these (some have religious scenes on them and others are plain). Been using these for a couple years and have a few dozen (bought on sale) in storage. Good stuff.....DCK

-- Don Kulha (dkulha@vom.com), November 11, 1999

Answers

Don, I've been buying mine directly from my friendly local Catholic Church. They're in plastic containers, however, rather than glass. But the plastic obviously doesn't melt as the candle burns, because I've been watching these candles burn all bunched together in the candle stand in our chapel for over a year now, and even though it sometimes looks like a fire waiting to happen, these big ones have never caused any problems, nor have any containers melted unless tipped (and then the "melting" consists of warping the shape).

Price at my church is $24 for a case of 24.

If you don't plan to leave them burning until they're gone, DON'T FORGET TO BUY THE LONG LIGHTING STICKS THAT WILL GO CLEAR DOWN INTO THE TALL CANDLE WHEN IT GETS TOO LOW FOR YOUR FINGERS AND A MATCH. In our chapel we take one of those sticks, light it from the flame of another candle, and then stick the hot-tipped stick into a little tin can of sand. Works great.

You can buy those from your Catholic Church, too, although might they be in the Mexican section at the grocery store?? Haven't checked - will try to remember to look there, but most days my entire brain disk is too full to add much more to it and I forget crucial things. Sigh.

Actually, I don't remember anything unless it's written down - so I keep a huge y2k 3-ring notebook, which is the only way I have a clue about what needs to be done.

-- peg (peg@futureandahope.com), November 11, 1999.

We're using Novena candles too...found mine at the dollar store.

-- Mabel Dodge (cynical@me.net), November 11, 1999.

HINT if you run out of long matches, use spagetti, light it with a match-lighter, works great. take care az

-- az (pda345@primenet.com), November 12, 1999.

Chubby Hubby works at a landfill. He has all of his crew on the look out for candles. He brings tons of them home. In all shapes and colors, lots of them new and wrapped in cellophane. Since I have cats, I save the cans and make candles. I reuse the wicks from the candles. I stick a bunch in a large coffee can and put in the solar oven to melt them. When they are done, cold and hard, I put a package of book matches on top and then wrap in a piece of Seran wrap. These then get recycled back to all the people who work at the land fill. I bet I have made close to 300 of these buggers. I really got burnt out, and have quit making them for awhile. But the candles are still coming home!! I have 4 of those boxes that hold 10 reams of paper, that are full of candles waiting to be melted. The reason I melt is because of the wide base that the cat food can provides, providing a lot more safety. And all melted wax goes back into the can.

Taz

-- Taz (Taz@aol.com), November 14, 1999.

If you buy candles, look very carefully at the wick. If the center of the wick looks like any form of shiny metal it is lead. You will get exposures of as much as 100 times normal ,PER HOUR ,when you burn these candles. Do not use candles with a metal core wick.

Many cheap candles from China and South America/Chile are made with lead wicks and are deadly over many years exposure.

-- candlemaker (candlemaker@burn.com), November 14, 1999.

wal-mart sells them (hurrican candles) at 4 for $5. they last for about 5 days

-- RZN (robinsun@netscape.net), November 15, 1999.