flickering palm Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I was looking on candlewic.com and noticed there are different kinds of stearic acid. I currently have both vybar and stearic acid, but have not used them with palm wax. Two questions: 1. Am I able to use vybar and/or stearic acid with palm wax? 2. What is the difference with the different kinds of stearic acid? Thanks for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 First couple of questions - why would you want to use either in Palm wax? What is it you are trying to achieve by using these additives to your Palm? Palm is so high in stearic already it hardly seems necessary to use it in Palm wax, and I honestly would have no idea what vybar would bring to the table. Vybar is usually a binding agent to help bind FO to the wax, but I've never felt it necessary to bind my fo to palm wax because it takes the FO so well and throws both hot and cold without any additions, I've never even considered using vybar. Probably the differences in the stearic is one would be vegetable derived, and the other tallow derived. Those are the only 2 instances of stearic I've ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Yes you should have a good reason, otherwise probably best to leave well enough alone. I have found a use for stearic only in the case of the starburst palm from IGI, which does better with 2% stearic or 5% feather wax mixed in. It makes that wax drop out of the mold as easily as the others, and decreases voids to minimal or none. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenancy Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I had a problem unmolding at one point and they recommended stearic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I've only heard of adding stearic to palm pillar waxes that have difficulty releasing from the mold. But you should try it without first to see if it needs any. I would never use any additive in a wax that isn't necessary. I also can't imagine adding vybar would benefit palm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I've never used the starburst palm that Top is talking about, so I can't speak to that, but all the other types of pillar palm wax I've used (Quartz, Tortoise shell, feather, etc.,) I've never had a problem with them coming out of the molds. They always just slide right out. You can do as Top suggested and try adding 2% stearic to help with release. Also, how do you prep your molds? Maybe a little spray with silicone or mold release will help and you won't need the added stearic. Personally, I would skip the vybar altogether. I really don't think it will give you any added benefit, and would just be an unnecessary step and product you don't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I've used the crystal pillar palm from Candlewic before in aluminum molds. The pillars just slide right out of the mold when cool. I don't use additives in it at all. I also like to chill the molds before adding the hot wax so I get some awesome rustic palm pillars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flickering palm Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 I use starburst palm wax from Lonestar. The reason for my questions is because I'm having trouble getting the candles to release from the molds. I've used mold release, usually to no avail. It's especially hard to remove the finished candle from the square aluminum molds. I think I'll try adding the 2% stearic and see if that helps. Thanks everyone for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have used palm. Vybar is something that I use for parafin to increase the amount of FO that I can add,... but only if the wax is not already blended. Some of the IGI is so strongly formulated that Vybar does nothing. If your mold has very slick pure sides, one of the tricks is to let it cool overnight then put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then take it out. The wax will cool more and at room temp, the mold will expand faster than the wax and you will get your candle out. If the sides on your mold are scored or have marks from a scrub brush, well, um, toss it and buy a new mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricofAZ Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 By the way, there are palm specific additives. I would not use the regular stuff that is for soy or paraffin. Palm burns hot, very hot, and the wrong additive can change the crystal pattern. I just use palm plane and right out of the bag. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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