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Wax Embeds


EricofAZ

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I ordered some versagel that should be here in a bit.

One of the designs I want to make requires the embeds to be suspended pretty much in the center of the gel. I was wondering about making the embeds with high melt point wax. Maybe 163 degree paraffin or heck, maybe even micro. I have no idea how this might interact with the gel once the wick starts to burn down and melt the wax. Anyone have any experience with that?

There's not a lot in the way of good books out there that I have seen, but I'm game to read more if you know of any that are worth buying.

Thanks in advance.

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Vicky posted a good thread on do's and don't's. Also, in the search I see there is some discussion about using wax embeds and a few ideas about how to pour the gel so as to not melt the embed.

You tube has been the source of entertainment and somewhat scary actually. There's a lady out there making designs on tissue paper and soaking that in hot wax then wrapping around pillars. Not the kind with tealights in the top, real pillars with a wick. Woohoo on that one!

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To suspend any object in gel make sure you are using the high density versagel. That's the most important thing. There are basically two techniques that you can use: The layer technique and the drop and hope. The layer technique is simply pouring your gel in layers, letting it solidify, placing your embed in, then pouring another layer. This works the best in regards to having your embed exactly where you want it, but the layers leave lines on the glass. A heat gun "sometimes" takes those lines out by applying heat to the outside of the candle after it has completely cooled. The other method that I have used is the drop and hope method, pour your container full of gel, immediately put it in the fridge to cool, then drop your embed in a short time later and hope that it sinks to just the right spot. This method can be refined by testing it out. In either method you do not want your gel so hot that it has become thin. Pouring gel at certain temperatures produces different thickness of the gel as you pour it. The temperature at which you pour and the speed in which you pour also has a effect on how many bubbles you get in the gel. When dealing with wax embeds I generally like to pour a cooler, thicker gel so that I do not have to worry about pulling the dye out of the embed and into my clear gel.

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I ordered some versagel that should be here in a bit.

One of the designs I want to make requires the embeds to be suspended pretty much in the center of the gel. I was wondering about making the embeds with high melt point wax. Maybe 163 degree paraffin or heck, maybe even micro. I have no idea how this might interact with the gel once the wick starts to burn down and melt the wax. Anyone have any experience with that?

There's not a lot in the way of good books out there that I have seen, but I'm game to read more if you know of any that are worth buying.

Thanks in advance.

I used to use IGI 1260. The MP is 163. I was able to pour the gel fairly thin (fairly hot) over the embeds and had no melting. The embeds burned right along with the gel using zincs.

If you are going to color your gel...it only takes a tiny little bit for gel to color. A toothpick works great if using liquid color. Just keep dipping it in until you get the color you like. If you want uniform for future or multiples of the same then I'd suggest to go by the drop. I'd suggest one drop at a time taking your stirring spoon to drizzle a little on a piece of paper or something. The color you see is the color it will stay unlike regular waxes that change as they cool.

Oh, and you would want to pour slow which helps to prevent air bubbles. Also while stirring your gel the slower probably the better as too fast stirring will also cause air bubbles in the wax. You can get some or most of them out if it happens by putting the jar in the oven on a very low temp or sitting on a window ledge. Sometimes you want little air bubbles to look like it is under water. That is fine. If you get an air bubble void in the jar...that is not so good for burning and you may want to zap it with your heat gun from the outside of the jar to try to melt that out of there.

And I forgot this....if you can, try to get your zinc wicks with a higher safety tab like 9mm.

Edited by jeanie353
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jeanie, thanks, I guess I'm on the right track. Thanks for the tip on toothpicks. I was thinking that a full drop of liquid dye would be way too much for small amounts of melted gel. I ordered some 160MP from General Wax and I might order a slab of 1260 just to compare.

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jeanie, thanks, I guess I'm on the right track. Thanks for the tip on toothpicks. I was thinking that a full drop of liquid dye would be way too much for small amounts of melted gel. I ordered some 160MP from General Wax and I might order a slab of 1260 just to compare.

You are so right on a full drop being too much for a small amount of gel. It never crossed my mind to tell you one drop is for a good sized amount of the stuff. Glad one of us is on our toes :)

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LOL, I like things that work both brain halves. Some of this is pure science and requires exacting formulas. Some of this is art and art needs to be intuitive.

Ok, some dolphin moulds arrived today and I'm waiting on the high MP wax. :)

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LOL, I like things that work both brain halves. Some of this is pure science and requires exacting formulas. Some of this is art and art needs to be intuitive.

Ok, some dolphin moulds arrived today and I'm waiting on the high MP wax. :)

Totally! Now I can support my habit with the excuse I am keeping my brain sharp :yay:

Good luck on the new project

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  • 2 months later...

To suspend items, could you not use fishing line or some kind of thread, pour your gel in, then add your item to display in while hanging on the thread, and when the gel is cool enough just pull thread or fishing line out and the item will be suspended? Hope this gives out some ideas..HTH

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I haven't made gel candles in a few years, but I always used the ice cube method. Take a cookie sheet or Pyrex lasagna pan, pour 1/3-1/2 and let cool (warm, not cold). Lay embeds in rows and squish down a little if gel is still soft. Pour gel on top and let cool. Cut "ice cubes" of gel with embed inside. Now you can embed the ice cube and have the wax or glass embed be positioned exactly where you want it. :)

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I haven't made gel candles in a few years, but I always used the ice cube method. Take a cookie sheet or Pyrex lasagna pan, pour 1/3-1/2 and let cool (warm, not cold). Lay embeds in rows and squish down a little if gel is still soft. Pour gel on top and let cool. Cut "ice cubes" of gel with embed inside. Now you can embed the ice cube and have the wax or glass embed be positioned exactly where you want it. :)

Thank you for sharing this I never thought of doing that. I'm definitely going to try it. :D

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  • 3 years later...

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