Asher

Is there such a thing? I have seen some machine-made votives that looked like they could have been made of plastic. They were perfectly shaped and appeared to have no signs of shrinking...tops and bottoms were level and, well, just about "perfect". Tea-lites tend to be this way as well. It's hard to describe the wax, since it tends to have this almost crystallized surface. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Any ideas as to the wax type?

I recently bought a Renuzit air freshener candle just to see how well it worked. The candle itself was a very well-constructed miniature chunk pillar, but I didn't get the scent throw I was expecting...especially for a Renuzit product. I wish I could make a pillar that looked even half as nice as this one, though.

Awww, shucks :rolleyes2 And thank you Jenn for the tip on keeping the wicks in.

You know, it's difficult for me to achieve a dark color with dye blocks. I'll add a bunch and the mix will look really dark, but then it sets much lighter. I noticed you have a liquid dye bottle in there. I'm thinking it's easier to use a dropper than trying to cut fragments off of a dye block....and you've actually achieved a dark color! These candles of yours look very clean. I tend to favor a mottled look, but the solid look is more photogenic. I think you did well, my friend. As for the scents, there are a few that seem to fill the entire room, while others are much more faint, even though I always use the same amount. Of course, if you're accustomed to the scent it may be more difficult for you to notice it. Of course, I tried doubling the scents in mine one time (from 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. per pound) and the result resembled some sort of crime scene: Much of the extra fragrance oil came right back out. I later learned that something called 'stearate' would help keep the oil inside. Anyway, go ahead and try more fragrance oil if you want...just don't get this mess above

I just manually place the wicks in after the first pour, doing my best to center them. They're close enough that no one makes comments about the wicks not being perfectly centered. I do want to try those wick pins, though.

I just use the Yaley Premium wax with melting point of around 145 (just use the 40% off coupons from Michael's). I also use the 44-28-18 (or something like that) zinc-core wicks, but was told to get 34-40 SP zinc since the 44's are causing lots of mushrooming. I once got some IGI non-shrink votive wax, but it threw my timing way off. Besides, I like stuff that enhances mottling.

Yikes! Well, I had bought a Yaley white dye block years back and finally used it up with that batch of red and white candles. I did burn one of them already, so they are functional. However, I certainly noticed the way my mix turned cloudy. It was hard to center those wicks properly....of course, even in clear mix I have trouble getting that silly base to center correctly, especially since the zinc core is never perfectly straight. Anyone here use centering pins that form a hole in the votive for the wick? How do you get the wick to stay in?

Boy, I really have a tiny operation compared to most of you. Mine looks clean because there isn't much production coming out of it. I've got ONE double boiler, 16 votive molds and 3 pillar molds (only one seamless, though).

Very nice...a few look like strawberry shakes with whipped cream and dripped with cherry syrup :smiley2: All I know about mottling is that it is caused by oil....whether it be fragrance oil or a special additive called mottling or "snowflake" oil. I know that certain wax mixtures prevent mottling, while others facilitate it, so there are a few factors involved.

I'd be very interested to see everyone's candlemaking work areas. Here's my humble candle "factory": I have the double boiler in a pot on the stovetop (which I have to clean frequently).

So, how in the world do you get colors to blend gradually like that? Man, I've got so much to learn

Admittedly, this batch of red-topped cinnamon candles were just about the best I have ever made. The last time I had tried to use a white dye I didn't use enough and got drab grayish candles. This time I was prepared and just saturated the wax with it so it actually looked white. The red tops were an afterthought, believe it or not. These became the first batch of dual-color votives and perhaps the best.

Oh, and by the way....I didn't even have any special container wicks so I just used a 44-24-18 zinc-core wick. I don't even know if it's big enough for the candle.

Please understand this is the FIRST container candle I've ever done, so I was just trying to see if I could make a decent one. I actually thought it came out fine, but I give most of the credit to 1) the nice glass container and 2) the special container wax that I had bought 4 years ago and hadn't used. All I really did was add some orange dye and poured it....the wax and container did the rest

Thank you all for your comments. I was going to mention that each one in that large group is from its own batch. Normally, I'll do eight at a time and save one as a 'sampler'. Honestly, I tend to save the best one as the sample candle, so what you see are the best examples. With regards to the tops, I still encounter problems every now and then. It was a long trial and error process just getting them to come out nice most of the time. I just do the first pour, wait until I start to see the first few snowflakes develop (around 60-70 minutes), and then do the second pour. I rarely will get tops that are perfectly level. Usually, there is a small indentation from the wax setting, which is okay. About this votive swap, I had heard something about it, but haven't read any details about it. I certainly have some to swap

I set the wick using something like an overgrown toothpick that sits at the top of the mold. The wick is tied to this toothpick thingy (can't think of the name for it) and threaded through a hole in the bottom of the mold. I seal the hole with a small screw and some mold sealer (i.e. putty). When trying to release the candle I do notice that as soon as I remove the sealant and the screw the candle will start to come out. It gets my hopes up for a few seconds, then it just stops. When I'm mentally prepared for it I'll try to do another one, this time with additives and more patience....and perhaps I can try another mold (i.e. a slightly smaller one). I did make a very nice pillar with that same mold about 4 years ago and it is being proudly displayed in my brother's home. If only I could remember what I did back then. I'll try to get a photo of all four I did recently.

At least my kitchen had a nice cinnamon scent By the way, take a look at the candle on the far right. See how it is sitting askew? There is a bump that formed beneath the wick base. In fact, half of them had similar bumps, though not quite to this extent. I just feel bad for these candles...looks like they've had a rough life already

I do think the "fingernailing" looks neat as well. The weird thing is that much of it showed up the day AFTER I had placed it on the mantle for display...as if it wasn't done cooling inside or something. I thought I had a magic candle I admit to being a tad impatient with the cooling duration, so I'm sure I was rushing the pours. I also think my wax was not a pillar blend. Any ideas on how to extract the candle from the mold without completely destroying the surface? I used a seamless 6" x 4" pillar mold. I couldn't take it out evenly, no matter what I did, so one side would always make contact with the edge of the mold. I even tried freezing the darn thing and it was still an ordeal to extract. I need to stick with containers and votives

One reason I am not putting a lot of effort into pillars is that everyone's talent level would appear to be MUCH more significant than mine in this regard. I noticed there were just a handful of votive pics on here, so I'll offer a few now: The candle in front is affectionately referred to as the "McDonald's candle", owing to it's color scheme (that school bus yellow color isn't quite as orange as the pic shows). Also, the third candle from the far wall in the second row is the "Shrek candle". It's more vivid in real life and does resemble the color of our favorite ogre, Shrek.

I do poke the relief holes in. Just amazed how much the wax appears to shrink...pour after pour. I'm guessing this is a wax issue, though....like I'm probably using votive wax or something. I have envisioned myself sawing off part of the candle, though I don't have the necessary tools to do this. And I don't even have an angle iron...but I do have a hammer and some screwdrivers. Would these help? I have remedied my level issues by not making pillars for the time being. I think it's a sign that I'm supposed to stick with votives, though I have made one container candle: No need to extract it from a mold, and no level issues. Heck, these might even be easier than votives!

There is a reason I tend to focus my attention on votives. Simply put, they are easier to make. I've tried a few pillars here and there, but the waxes I've used always sink so much, and after about 3 re-pours I have no wax left to fill in the next crater that forms. Once the candle finally sets it is such an ordeal to extract it from the mold. Invariably, the edges of the mold scratch the surface as it's coming out. And then there's the issue of making sure the candle is level. The best procedure I can come up with involves melting away the bottom of the candle in a pot. Before I know it, I've melted away an inch of the candle because I can't seem to get the darn thing even on the bottom. The pillar below doesn't show the scratches so much. I had used a different wax with this, so the mottling effect almost resembled flower petals in some spots. There were really no "snowflakes" with this one. Notice the pour lines near the bottom of the candle. This particular specimen has been relegated to a mantle that is several feet away from the nearest sitting area. It looks quite nice from a distance.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I wanted to share a photo of the "crime scene". Apparently, this is the result of doubling the amount of fragrance oil while also adding ZERO stearic.

Maybe they wrapped some sort of imprinted waxy film around a white candle. I've seen candles with designs on the sides that I knew weren't created through the pouring process. When I look at photos like the one below I just can't believe they were actually poured this way. I'd be very interested to see the cross-section of these.

By the way, will stearic cause a loss of mottling? I know I can add oil to increase the mottling, but would I need to adjust the amount when adding stearic as well? Come to think of it, I think I've used stearic in the past....like a few years ago. It is like a white grainy sort of substance, right? Something you wouldn't want to set next to the sugar container for fear your child or spouse would douse their corn flakes with stearic by accident. Honestly, I don't remember why I got it back then. Maybe to harden the wax and increase the life of the candle. Does it do this as well?

I know I could easily recommend the Blueberry Cobbler from Lone Star....and there's a nice one called Country Breeze. Both are very strong. They just have such a huge variety and the $2.00 samplers are nice.