Stella1952

Very KEWELL, cybersix!! I love inventive ways to use wax!! Oh, and I totally remember the lips, AND bottles :pI like your idea of filling it with potpourri... the texture difference would really set off the smoth wax box. Great job!!

Those are GREAT!!

Think of it this way, and maybe it'll help: a pound of feathers and a pound of lead weigh the same - one pound; but the VOLUME of feathers it takes to make one pound is far greater than the volume of lead in one pound of lead.

NICE crystals, Soja!! They look great!!

I am using aluminum molds. I have reproduced the "problem" in all of the different mold compositions I have - tin, aluminum, china, plastic & silicon.We are still investigating this one... velly interesting...

Cargill P-1 cracks like bad concrete!!! I have managed to be able to use it by blending it with other waxes, but on its own or with universal soy additive (stearic) it cracks, "blooms" and does all sorts of strange things! I asked my supplier, and he passed on advice from the mfg rep who said to pour it very cool... unfortunately the temperature he suggested was well below the melting temp for P-1...:undecided It does seem to be very temperature sensitive... Container type soys are so soft, they don't give me any trouble with cracking.

Besides the difference in noses, there is a difference in brands of palm waxes and scents... The stuff I use has very good scent throw.

Looks GREAT, Mozzie!! I am having the same changes with crystals and palm wax... Lately, I have not been able to reproduce the "fireworks effect" and I am beating my head trying to replicate the exact conditions... The temperature here has wormed up considerably from when we poured the others, so I think that has to be a factor. BUT what you said about the remelt and then nada rings a bell here. Palm wax scary? Nah... Interesting? You betcha. Frustrating? Sometimes... Donita, I have been using palm for some 'cane experiments if that says anything about what a glutton for punishment I am...:laugh2:Bonzaaaaiiiiiiiiiii................

Well, we aren't pros by any stretch of sane imagination, but we're TOTALLY GONE on palm wax, so here's the sum total of our knowledge: We've been using JBN's palm wax and their palm stearic. We have experienced a wide range of crystal patterns from none at all, to so many the candle looks almost frosted, and everything in between. We have observed different effects depending on the pouring temp, room temp, mold temp, mold composition, amount of wax used in the project, shape of the mold and amount of stearic used thus far. I expect that humidity will begin to figure in there also as we go into our humid season here in LA. Except for the candles which came out with no visible crystallization (perfect in every other way - just no fun patterns and stuff), we have been very happy with all our palm results, even the unexpected ones! The palm wax is a little unpredictable to obtain the exact same results from batch to batch, but we are testing under tight conditions to get the effects "dialed in." Some effects are more difficult to achieve consistantly than others. As far as fragrance throw, we find it is slightly less than the C-3 soy we use, but only slightly - the cold and hot scent throw are great (using FOs and EOs from several sources - EOs have less scent throw than FOs, as expected). We like a very fragrant candle, but seldomly exceed 1 oz. per pound. If a scent doesn't have much throw at that dose rate, we just don't reorder that scent again. We have never had a problem with the palm wax releasing well from any mold (with or without stearic) EXCEPT when we got too impatient and tried to release too early... no amount of stearic acid can compensate for impatience and shooting oneself in da foot!! No need for a spray finish to obtain SHINE - JBN's palm wax hardens really well and buffs to a high gloss to enhance the patterns - not as soft or greasy-feeling as other waxes.

This is a difficult issue to resolve because palm wax seems to differ greatly from supplier to supplier; fragrance oils differ; the amount of additives (palm stearic, UV stabilizer, etc.); the melting temps, pour temps, air temps, etc. differ; and the mold composition differs. All these factors seem to have a strong impact on how the crystals form, the pattern(s) they make; the uniformity of the patterns, etc. The variety of effects possible are what interest me, but the complexity of influencing factors makes it hard to pin down EXACTLY how it's gonna behave each time! I love the surprises it shows me and honestly, have NEVER been ashamed of any of the candles we've poured with palm... but sometimes, I don't want a surprise, I want to be able to replicate the effect in a project. Sigh. Back to Da Laboratory...

Soja, have you tried pouring cooler - like 150-160? I get very consistant crystals at that temp in a 3" aluminum pillar mold (and my other molds too) and I don't wrap or preheat the mold or anything. My kitchen air temp is usually arount 75-80 when I am pouring.

The palm I get from JBN has a good hot throw.

Maybe power burning as a test is not an entirely bad idea! Although I usually am very careful not to burn any candle for more than 3 hours (less if they are tealights), I DO occasionally space out, fall asleep, wander off or just plain forget about them.:embarasse It's nice to have an idea of what would happen if someone "power burned" them... Maybe it'd be a good idea to do a test now and again without trimming the wicks because many folks have never trimmed a wick in their lives and cannot be convinced that it matters! Until I started reading up, I always left mine about 1/2" long and never trimmed them unless they 'shroomed or got ratty. Thanks to you folks, I am now a changed woman! I am very impressed at how hard folks here work to make high quality products! It takes a lotta love to keep trying and y'all are an inspiring bunch!!

Because palm wax manufactured from different sources seems to have noticably different properties, I am hesitant to recommend anything unless I know someone is using the exact same wax that I use... Along with the questions Andy posed in this thread, I would like to know exactly what criteria should be measured in a burn test and what is the "standard" we are trying to achieve? I have been testing for a 3 hour burn, then a 2 hour burn, then another 2 hour burn... total of 7 hours. I weigh the candle before the test and after each burn to see how much wax has been consumed. I note the melt pool diameter, the flame height and the length of the wick (before trimming for the next burn). Am I missing anything (besides my mind...)?

Big, irregular crystal patterns like that happen when pouring HOT, in my experience with the palm wax I use. Try pouring at 150-160 (even showing a few crystals and getting a little slush) and see what happens... At those temps, I get a very regular, quarter-sized burst crystal pattern. I have not been heating my molds; air temperature in the kitchen is about 80... Usually open the door for ventilation... Congrats on the job!! Even though the candle wasn't what you wanted, I like it anyway!! I love surprises!!

Does anyone have any solutions to the cracking problem when burning candles made with Cargill P-1 (soy pillar blend)? It's giving me fits - even a tiny floating flower cracked after being lit for only 15 minutes and drowned itself!!! My Tiki guy cracked up and blew his brains out all over the table... The pillar in the attached photo started cracking only about 15 minutes after lighting... I don't even know WHAT to say about the votive... it was test burned inside a luminary. When we burned one in the open room, it "bloomed" then cracked up. Notice the change in the wax - becomes grainy and lightens in color and crumbles into powder!! I have been told by my supplier that the Cargill rep said if it is cracking, it's because it is being poured too hot and said that some folks pour as low as 115-120 I've tried hotter; cooler; with stearic; without stearic, etc. Any ideas, no matter how bizarre, are welcomed!!

Oh yeah!!! Now DAT'S Palm wax at it's finest!!!

Duct tape is my friend. So are Aacco clips for holding molds closed. The only more disconcerting puddle is the one that forms and grows under your dog when you don't get to the door fast enough! I'm all for the "don't ask; don't tell" policy.:tiptoe: It is a gorgeous candle - who knew it was 'spozed to be taller...

OK. I know this is probably a lame question, but when you said votive HOLDER, are you talking about a container in which one burns votive candles (which also might make a good mold) or are you talking about a manufactured votive mold? I am wondering if you have a wax problem or if you have a mold problem...Is the wax actually STUCK to the sides of the mold or is the casting (candle) hung up? Sometimes mold vacuum will prevent a casting (candle) from sliding out... Chilling can help it to release; alternatively, running hot water over the backside to heat up the mold (not the candle) will help on some stubborn ones - depends a lot on the material from which the mold is made... The reason I ask is because I have had palm candles "hang" in containers not designed as molds - not because the wax was stuck to the container (ie. wouldn't release), but because the candle could not physically fall out because of a little ripple or unnoticed bump or whoop-de-do on the interior of the mold toward the bottom (although there was this ONE glass flowerpot that hung right under the lip where the glass bulged inward just a tad... hadda chisel that one out...). I use lots of "found" items as candle molds and as molds for other media and sometimes the tiniest flaw on the interior can prevent making a clean getaway... I've had no problems with release with any of the palm candles I have made using palm stearic or the ones I made with no stearic at all (both wax and stearic from JBN - wax packaged from Malaysia). It releases well from aluminum, tin, hard and soft plastic, glass and china. I have not used any release agent on anything except the new aluminum molds I just got - I sprayed them lightly with silicon and wiped it down after a few moments (I'll probably spray them every few pours as aluminum tends to oxidize slightly without a little TLC and I want them to stay nice). I hope this helps...

Oh, WOW!! I think those look GREAT!! I am not sure I know what the definition of a "rustic" is... I generally work in other media and I have come to treasure the look of hand-crafted items. I don't want to make candles that are absulutely flawless and perfect - there are machines to make things like that. I like human, natural looking things. An artist friend of mine made a remark once that really stuck with me... she said "The beauty is in the flaw." When pouring layers, depending on the temp of the wax being poured, the layer it is poured on top of, etc., the wax can appear like crystals all the way to absolutely hard, smooth opaque areas. I love that look! Overpours are part of the charm of layered candles and can produce interesting effects that I like. I hope you WILL do this again... and again... and again!!

Sure does look SMOOOOOOOTH as a baby's bottom!! How does this wax perform after burning the candle? Are you seeing the typical rough tops and frosting? Does it tend to soot more? Is there any difference in wicking vs. 100% soy wax? Wouldn't hurt my feelings a BIT to lose the rough tops and chaulking... Thanks for sharing this - gotta check it out!!

Beauloser, don't fret. HONEST - palm wax has given me the least amount of headaches since I started pouring candles! I find it VERY predictable in what it does under what circumstances, etc. I find it has a wide range of pouring temps and is a pretty forgiving wax in many cases. It does have certain characteristics, so I just try to work within those parameters.I am SUCH a noob at this chandlery stuff... but one thing I have gathered from reading all the posts here and there on veggie waxes is that there is a LOTTA difference between brands and suppliers and there is a lotta hype and disinformation out there. I read things on supply sites that totally contradict my (admittedly limited) experiences (like one supplier said you MUST use stearic acid for palm wax for mold release. Not with the wax and molds I use... mold release is the least of my concerns with palm - candles drop out of the mold easily without the stearic acid). I can only conclude that many problems are the fault of the particular brand of wax one is using. Because I have not come up in the "paraffin tradition," I have no preconceptions about how the wax should behave, so sometimes being a noob is good!! The only wax that is giving me trouble is the Cargill NatureWax for pillars, which I get from a local supplier. The stuff is too sensitive to heat and cracks when burning. It also changes consistancy (becomes grainier) and color (lightens as if stretched) when heated and tends to crumble and powder. I am 'sperimenting to concoct a blend that doesn't crack. If anybunny has any info on how to tackle this cracking problem with the pillar wax, I sure would be interested!! Ummmm, I am not too schooled about wicking - so many kinds and sizes and stuff!! Our first candles were wicked with hemp-core wicks, but they 'shroomed too much. So then we tried ones from the same supplier where we buy our palm wax (JBN) and they are working out pretty well. Typically, our problem is underwicking. The wick recommendations will say, for example, "CDN 8 - soy wax 1.75" - 2.25" containers; Other waxes - 2.5" - 3" containers." Uh huh. Our palm wax needs more wick than does our C-3 soy, so I don't include it in that "Other wax" spec. I find in general, that the recommendations are on the conservative, underwicked side of things. I am still experimenting to find the happy medium... Also, those specs refer to CONTAINERS. I don't pour palm in containers, so the recommendations go straight out the window right there! I would use the above wick for a votive sized palm wax candle.Needless to say, we have a lot to learn and I am enjoying every minute of this! Although it is frustrating sometimes to find little consistant, solid info on veggie waxes, I have no problem experimenting to obtain a good understanding of the medium. The one time I have used paraffin, I was shocked at how DIFFERENT it is from soy and palm!! Easier? I dunno - it's all about what one is accustomed to using and how willing one is to learn new tricks. Although I love predictability, I also love learning new tricks, so I am having a blast with this! Thanks for everyone's interest!

Thanks, y'all. I am shooting for the look of polished geodes... these remind me of japanese viewing stones kinda sorta... Most of the ones I have done have been "leftover" projects, so the scents usually vary, but they smell wonderful anyway. I usually make several sizes of these at once, so I just wander around with the wax adding dabs to the ones that are ready... I enjoy making these... they are tedious and never turn out exactly as I thought... the wax does its own thing which always turns out better than anything I had imagined! The hardest part is waiting to demold them to see what I've done... I store leftover wax in cans (god forbid ANYONE should throw away a can around this place) and remelt over a flat pan of water. My kitchen is trashed for all time, I believe...

Patience, that's the way my palm candles burn. I suppose it is slightly underwicked, but I actually LIKE fancy candles which burn down the middle... that way, I can use a tea light or votive in them over and over. It looks lovely to moi!!

Here are a few of our newest creations... layered palm wax pillars (several scents - some layers glow under UV light), a patchouli raspberry pillar and a soy pillar (my partner calls this "atomic vomit green" - it glows green under UV light). Thanks for lookin'.