Floating Candles

I made 96 0f these floating candles for a Harry Potter-themed event. I made them out of several lengths of PVC pipe. I selected the size of PVC pipe based on the outside diameter of the tealight candles I was using to create the lit flame effect safely. To begin with, I used 1 smaller length of PVC pipe as a test, and then when I bought more as the tests were successful, I accidentally bought one with a smaller inner diameter. In order to solve this, I went and sanded the inside of each length of pipe to allow the tealight candle to fit inside. I cut each candle at different lengths to make it more realistic rather than having each candle being the same length. Once the tealights were friction fit inside the pipe, I used hot glue to add drips of wax. I used different techniques of applying the hot glue. For some, I added a large blob of glue and let it drip down on its own to try and create a more natural feel. On other candles, I simply started at the top of the candle and slowly dragged the hot glue gun down towards the bottom. I stopped at different heights as well so the drips weren’t symmetrical. To prevent people from spotting that they are hollow pipes, I used white rubber endcaps that friction fit into the bottom.