LRC06301983

Anyone here know someone who makes or sells the metal Insignia/Seals that you press into wax that has been dripped onto an envelope or sometimes a diploma?

I have found some that are the size of a penny, but I am in need of a much larger one, if possible the size of a silver dollar with my initials on it.

A friend of mine said some stationary shops make custom rubber stamps that can be used for this but I haven't found a stationary shop which does this in my area.

Does anyone here know where I can find something like this or perhaps you make these items yourself?

I found one extensive website, but it is all the way in the UK.

Thank you for any help in advance!

-Luke-

Good lookin out DustP.

I'll go check out Lowes today.

From all this self mold making they know me by name there.

Its actually kind of embarassing and people look at you funny when a bunch of lowes smilling faces greet you by name when you hit the door...

I also get people asking me if I work there a lot and if so where they can find stuff. Usually I just show them where it is...somtimes its easier to go with the flow...

Lol.

Pam, thank you for your incredible faith in my creativity. Lol.

Yes I understood you perfectly.

That makes a lot of sense and is a really good idea...

I was also thinking...someone on the board here replied to another one of my posts and said for like $12-$20 (I think was the general range) I could get a powered suction type hose from the auto parts store. They use it for siphoning gas, but I would imagine as the individuals suggested, it would work great for quickly changing out water in a mold....

Thanks everyone for a bunch of good suggestions that I will end up using. Keep them comin if you have them.

It really makes life easier to brainstorm with a bunch of other Chandlers! (as Pam put it so poetically)

-Luke-

Smooth sided coffee tin...

Smooth sided flour jar/container... (this is what I made my first mini-hurricane in)

Ice bucket for chilling a wine bottle..

Depending on how large you want it, if there are no inner lips for the candle to catch on, use a small 3gallon bucket like you would to mop a floor. This will be a large hurricane but it would work too...

Pretty much anything that has smooth sides from the bottom to the top and it close to seamless.

I think donita or someone mentioned once that a mortons salt box (the round one) was her first hurricane mold.

Something like this might work.

Someone else might have a better suggestion...

-Luke-

I am going for a rustic look in a lot of what I am pouring, but I don't necessarily want a "water pour line" per say. I have to think about this because since I will probably be filling up a trashcan size water bath I have to figure out how to get that much warm water...first thought was garden hose, but that is really cold as far as water baths are concerned.

Maybe run a hose from the sink or pour in a kettle of boiling water along with the hose water simultaneously to even out temp...I dunno I'll have to run some tests.

of course using the cold hose water will be perfect for some candles because I will use the cold to give it a cracked marble effect.

but you answered my question. I just need to keep a steady rise/flow and make sure the water isn't too cold.

however, scented you were thinking ahead of me when you said I might want the lines...I hadn't thought of it but that might be cool to pour 3 inches of water...wait 5 minutes..pour 5 more inches of water...so on and so forth...to get a horizontally stripped candle...I'll have to play around with it...

you guys are so helpful. someday I'll know everything about candle making like you do.

-Luke-

I think I had just gotten back from a visit with my therapist Dr. J. Daniels when I actually came up with the idea of making a candle so big. Hmmm...liquor and candles...

Just Kidding.

Yeah I was weighing the use of a waterbath with one of my wax monsters, and it isn't necessarily to heavy to move, I mean it is heavy, but ultimately its just extreemly awkward because I have yet to be able put any kind of handles on the mold etc...

however, I was under the impression that adding water to a water bath with a mold with hot wax in it would cause frost lines and or visible horizontal bars running all the way around the candle showing where the water was at etc...

or was that an urban candle making legend?

I can weight the mold down so that I'm not too concerned about.

And I'm actually going for a rustic finnish, so if the water is a little cooler than room temp or even cold water out of the tap maybe, this you say might enhance or contribute to the rustic effect?

Hmm...interesting thoughts...

Donita you are ghtting as bad with your postings as I am with my PM's.

I looked in the information section and did some general research on water baths, but I can't find the answer to my question.

That's my disclaimer. I did some homework.

Can I pour wax into a mold that is already in a water bath? Yes there is the risk I will get wax in the water, but ignoring that for a minute...what effect will it have on the finnish?

Thanks for anyones help in advance!

-Luke-

Between the two of us we make quite a pair. I can make them big, but you can make them pretty. lol. Eventually mine will look nice like that!

Very good job.

I feel almost proud of this little hurrican revolution of two that I have started.

How thick are the walls? how is the glow?

It looks like the walls are a little thicker than I have made mine and I have been considering making them a little thicker for strength but was concerned about light dissipation...

The flowers are really pretty.

I acutally think Michael is onto something...

Wouldn't it be cool to have like one of these candles that is like what...7 foot tall in the corner of an entry way...put a neon (or other non heat generating light) of a complimentary color running up the center of it for a few feet...

I'll bet that thing would glow....

anyone ever put a neon light into a candle?

I saw one guy who just bought one of those old style garden faucet heads...you know the ones that come out of the wall and have the spider web looking turner...

He drilled a hole in the side to fit it, put the garden faucet head in the hole..and soder/welded it into place.

It wasn't pretty by any means, but it looked like it did the trick.

Occasionally if you want to attach another wax object like a flower to the side of another candle...

Or say you have a mold and all the sudden it starts to leak...or there is a certain part you want to harden faster...

If you get a can of that pressurized aresol computer keyboard dust spray (its like $5.00 at walmarts)...keep it on hand and shake it up really fast for a few seconds and when you spray it in medium controlled bursts it comes out really cold...like if I shake and spray it on my wall it will form little ice crystals.

This stops any leaky way in its tracks. Also solidifies wax on anything you are trying to stick it to...

I hope that made sense.

-Luke-

A cold insert... now there is an idea....

What I do use occasionally is preasurized keyboard cleaner spray which chills really fast if you shake up the can good before you spray it.

Consider this a tip, it is kind of like an insta-freeze spray if wax starts to leak out somewhere it isn't.

Maybe I could just put the insert in tight and if it does start to leak spot hit it with the insta-freeze. Things to think about. Maybe plumbers putty and the freeze spray.

I'll have to try that.

Again, good ideas people.

Thanks for all the help I've gotten so far!

-Luke-

Lets say though that you wanted the bottom or top of your candle to be perfectly level, or perhaps you were making a cane and you wanted to top to have a slant cut, wouldn't a heated wire rig like that be just the thing?

okay so then how does a cane differ from a hurricane?

Does a cane ONLY have a shell and no bottom? or is it just the sheer size that promotes it to a cane?

Another post kind of triggered this question, it was by a lady who was having trouble cutting wax. Myself, I often have a hard time getting smooth edges I like etc...

So, what is/are your favorite tools for cutting and/or shapping wax?

has anyone ever used either of these two items?

http://bigwebpages.com/members/candlecutter/products.html

http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/construction/hotwirecutter.aspx

I'm especially interested in the feasability of the second one because the diameter of the candles I make is so large.

Are there any other heated tools you have used or created?

I also heard about someone using dental tools...

Thanks all, it will be really interesting in hearing what some good tools you like to use/keep on hand are!

-Luke-

Michael...all I can say it....you had me at neon.

I'm sold.

If you don't yet have a subscription to Architectural diagest, get one, and keep a look out, it will only be another few years till I blow up big...

or should I say..."glow up big.."

wow that one was so cheesy it was painful even for me.

Donita, why would I want a Whick electric canner, or two for $300 when I can get one of the turkey things for closer to $100 and I think it hold more wax?

No seriosuly, I'm not being a jerk I don't know, what are the pro's/con's?

Pam, hey how's it going?

Actually, the few canes/hurricanes (everybody keeps saying cane but I'm not sure what the deffenition of a cane is, anyone is welcome to enlighten me here) came out rustic on accident. So I'm doing my homework to see what I was doing so I can keep doing it.

I made a couple of hurricanes in some coffee/flour canisters and they came out really smooth and I didn't like it at all. lol.

But now that I try to make them rustic on purpose I'll probably screw it up. Often accidents are the best.

My wife hasn't stopped giggling over your comment Dragon.

Kudos.

Very funny.

You should see me heating up my mold with my four foot, hooks up to a grill size propane tank, foot long flame, 1500 btu, roofing torch.

Now that is a tool even the "toolman" himself would be jealous of.

Its also great for killing weeds and melting the ice off the sidewalk in the winter.

I'll have to try the sloppy pour...I'm not sure how high I will be able to get it to splash up on the sides cause the sides of the mold are like two feet high.

Physics of it would be what?....the higher I pour the wax from into the mold, the greater the splash would be right?

hmmm I'll have to think about this because since I use an insert....

Maybe I can splash and then quickly put in the insert before pouring the rest...

logistics logistics.

Thanks for the suggestions. I knew joining this forum was a good idea.

Seriously, all ya'll are so smart!

-Luke-

I heard you Mystic angel.

I've already located the nearest Gander Mountain. Lol.

When you do get time to play with it I DEFINENTLY want to hear all about it.

Thank you all who suggested this turkey roaster. It has solved so many problems with cheaply melting large quantities!

-Luke-

Man did I feel stupid when I realized they weren't real muffins!

Guess thats a good thing that they look so good. lol.

I dunno about New England, but I live in Longaberger Basket/Amish country where stuff like that sells like hotcakes (no pun on baked goods intended)

I wouldn't sell it for $40 though. I would sell it for $39.99

you need to do creative marketing and sell them individuall for higher than you would (i.e. as a set they are $35, but individually they are $7)

and then make the whole set a bargain like the whole set for cheaper than buying them individually.

Also, charge something like $39.99 or something unique like $37.17

I was a psych major for a while and its proven that these techinques work to a good extent. Stuff like that gives people the illusion that its not $40 (which it virtually is but they don't see it that way) or with the second number that you are being honest about how much it cost you to make + time + reasonable profit etc...

Maybe this is a little shady, but you wouldn't be doing anything the supermarket doesn't...

okay that is my weasel advice for today.

Dai I think would be proud of me. (sorry shameless inside joke)

Just my two cents, and I'm new so you can still ignor me.

-luke-

Sharyl,

Thank you for your kind words. Most people say I am generally unorthodox and a bit of a loose cannon. I've never had anyone phrase it so nicely "thinks outside of the box."

I will post pictures as I can get them and of any new shells I make. The semester started up again so I'm pretty swamped right now, but look for some pic updates in a month or so.

BTW, you mentioned it comes with a propane burner...

Do all of the turkey Fryers run on propane?

If so, can I get one that uses electric?

-Luke-

I thought I looked under techniques and tips, but I probably didn't. Sorry for asking here before I looked for myself thoroughly.

Good suggestions though.

TallB - thanks for the tip about not using mold release, that is totally something I would have forgotten and also for your comment on the cookie cutter on the pics forum.

thanks!

-Luke-

Way to really jump on this post.

I think its been like 15 minutes.

this was really useful.

If anyone has any special/specific formula's for particual rustic or antiqued finnishes that they have used I would love to hear more.

Scented, Fern, Dust, Lindsay, thanks a lot for the clarification.

-Luke-