Dripping Skull Candles 💀 DIY Halloween Props

I like when diy channels show when things don't work it helps show that making mistakes is part of the process and that it is completely ok.

I did this tutorial and it turned out AMAZING!

Two things I did differently:
- I didn't want to do all that work just to have the candle burn down, but I couldn't use a flameless candle since that has batteries that need changing, so I used a real candle and hollowed out the top and slotted in an LED tea candle that could be controlled with a remote
- I used hot glue to adhere the candles to the skulls and then just dripped wax over the seams and it looked great. Worked like a champ and was super solid.

That drill took a lot of pressure off his mind..

So i made these this year and they came out amazing. I painted my skulls with 5 different colors of acrylic paint instead of using wood stain. It gave me a really realistic look using varying shades of brown and a dark red. I used a watered down paint and sponge. Thank you two for all your great videos and creativity. Keep them coming.

Easy way:
Wrap the candle with wax paper.
Temporarily hot glue it to the skull.
Mold around it with white hot glue & make the melted effect.
Remove the candle & then the wax paper.
Put the candle back in the mold.

This way you can replace the candle easier if it’s finished.

Great tutorial. I used Minwax Gel Stain and it dried in like 15 min so that was nice.

Melt some wax in a pot then use that for the drippy effect instead of being quite so close to the heat gun

Another idea if you don't have candles, is to use the toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls. Create a top circle for the faux candle out of card stock or left over toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls (just a little bigger then the circumference of the roll). Glue to the top side of the roll to cover. Then take a hot glue gun and form the "WAX" and "drips" and build it up and over the sides of the candles. After glue has dried, paint entire candle white with acrylic paint , all over the roll and "wax" parts (several coats of paint). Let dry then glue faux candles to skull and dripped glue over skull and let dry. For the wick just get jute twine paint that white with a little bit of black paint at the end to look like it was burning glue to middle of the top candle. OR instead of the top covered of candle... poke toothpicks or floral wire into a x shape inside of the toilet paper roll glue the wire sticking 1'4 inch on the outside of the rolls. Bend down and glue the wires with hot glue. Proceed as usual for the candle except covering the top part with card stock or extra toilet paper roll. At the end just ad a dollar tree flickering candle into the top of the "candle so it sits onto the "x" wires that are inside of the faux candle. Then you can just replace battery when needed or tea light. great for when you have little ones that knock stuff over or worried about fire if you leave them alone.


Or use pvc pipes to make the candles as well... same concept build up wax with hot glue and add paint variations then glue to skulls... might have to glue pvc end to skull with E6000 as its sturdier then hot glue and depending on the plastic hot glue will peal off of plastic when dried.


You can also, distress with just washes of acrylic paint and water and wiping with paper towels or a old cloth and dry brushing for the skull, if you or someone is sensitive to fumes from the oil stain like I am.


Sorry, just thought I would share, as this idea just popped into my head as I was watching this video.

use RED pillar candles to melt around the skull, and use BLACK candles

This looks great! I found some battery operated candle sticks at Dollar Tree and the shorter ones had a base. I glued the base to the skull, then melted was around the base to fill in and drip down the skull. Turned out pretty good and you don't have to worry about the real flame. :)
I'm so glad I found your channel and your tutorials!

What about filling the interior with expanding foam, then cutting and recessing the candle down a bit?

I love that you show some of the trial and error. Also woodstain! I am so excited to try that!

Saw how that skull fell over and rolled at 3:54? Now imagine that happening with a real lit candle on top (making the entire decoration top-heavy) that just set your house ablaze. Although this is very cool looking this looks extremely dangerous. I would not feel comfortable burning those even if I never left the room they're being used in.

I just so want a bunch of these in my house year round! I thought creating a candle "holder" with hot glue to hold a candle and melting wax over it might work simply. I might fill or partially fill the skull with cement to make it less wobbly. There is something about a nicely weighted skull.

I’ve used a die grinder to cut the eyes out then paint the inside black, looks like a real skull, good video, happy haunting!

A matt clear coat would keep the stain from rubbing off. I'd even recommend using an acrylic wash. For "safety first" I would recommend drilling out the candle and using an led tealight.

Its amazing how much the stain improves the look of those cheap plastic skulls.

A little hand torche like what a Chef uses to char things would be quite handy for your project. ;)

a good uprgrade could be using different color candle (black, red, white) to create multiple layers of wax on each skull

You know what would have worked a lot better and looked more realistic. Like with the tapered candle. Drill a hole in the head for ALL the skulls. get some spray foam to fill the cavity. Slide the candle down inside because that's what they seem to look like in all the pictures I have come across. and then melt candle wax to fill and voids from over-cutting the hole. This helps lower the center of gravity and stabilize the skull more.