Enotionaldebt

8 hours ago, BenderSF said:

different

8 hours ago, BenderSF said:

Very cool mold, BTW!

 

If you've already tried TallTayl's and NightLight's advice and haven't seen an improvement, is there anything you can take out of the equation to try to isolate the problem?  Just some general things that come to mind:

• I think you said in your other post that you're not using fragrance yet, right?
• I assume you're not adding anything to wax (dyes, additives, etc?)
• Have you used that same mold with a different wax just to see if you get similar results?
• Is the mold homemade?  I know ZERO about molds, but I wonder if it could be the material that the mold is made from?
• Do you have a different mold you can try with the same wax using the same technique (same temps, etc.)?
• Have you used that same wax before?  (Specifically that same batch, since every batch can be different.)

 

Good luck, and keep us posted.  I don't use beeswax OR molds but it's a really interesting problem.

 

editing post to add this:
Another thing that might be interesting would be to turn one half of the mold on its side and make half a candle like that.  It should cool a lot faster that way, and I'd be curious if the faster cooling has any effect on the pockmarks.  (I assume TallTayl's advice to pour at a lower temp would also affect the cooling speed.)

Thank you for all of this, I forgot to tag you in my comment but you can scroll a little further to see my response. Here are the main issues I’m dealing with 

1. melting the was to the correct temperature (140-155 degrees) mine is fully melted at around 180 degrees. Maybe I’m rushing the wax melt process? Takes about a full hour. 
 

2. I’m struggling with filtering the wax once it’s melted. I’ll provide pictures of the cheese cloth I am using that just won’t filter through. I tried using a metal freeze filter, but the holes are too large to filter this wax. 

12 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Beeswax doesn’t love to be overheated.  Generally, the melt point is around 140-150*F. I tend to melt to 160-ish and pour into silicone sprayed molds to promote smooth surfaces and easy de molding.  If it’s cold in the shop and am using cold silicone molds, 165 can help prevent jump lines.  
 

I’ve never once had surfaces like your photo in decades of using beeswax. 

How long does it take to properly melt beeswax? It takes me around 1 hour to fully melt half a pot of beeswax in my 10lb pot. Today I managed to have it reach 174 degrees.. still need to lower by 15 degrees. I really hope this is the reason why I’m getting craters. Or maybe it is the brand of beeswax I’m buying?

im also getting a lot of shrinkage, I already filled the shrink hole earlier.. now there’s a little more I need to fill. 

6 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Do you render your own beeswax?

I bought this beeswax from Amazon 

Hey everyone so I have tried parafin wax and also soy wax. The soy wax candle looks PERFECT but it breaks easy. And parafin is out of the picture because it’s toxic to breathe in. So I’m stuck with beeswax. I do have to admit I am struggling to properly melt the wax at the recommended temperature. By the time all the wax fully melts, it jumps to around 180 degrees. 
 

I have reasons to believe that my mold isn’t the problem (it is DIY) because the soy wax version turned out super smooth with no craters or air bubbles. I will try to make another candle tomorrow, using everyone’s advice. I just can’t believe how much of a struggle it is! 
 

here is the soy wax version I made, and here is the mold release I am using. 

If I melt the wax above 170 degrees will it cause this? Sometimes I accidentally melt my wax at 180-190 degrees. Does this completely ruin my wax and cause this issue? I really need help I can’t figure it out!

it is not scented, I don’t want to try and add any scent to it until I can make a really nice looking candle

Hey so this beeswax is a white beeswax instead of the regular yellow beeswax. Also let me send photos of what my mold looks like on the inside 

I’m using a double boiler to melt my wax, but I’m about to move on to using a crock pot wax melter. I read an article on candle making mistakes that are frequently made. And it talks about water mixing with melted wax. Maybe that’s my problem? If not I could use some help!

also I am using beeswax. I wish I could use soy wax to make this candle but it’s just so brittle and easily breaks when I pull it out of the mold. So I’m stuck using beeswax 

I’ve been trying all week to make the perfect candle but so far not too much luck. I figured beeswax is the best candle wax to use for silicone molds. I’ve tried beeswax, parafin, and soy wax. So far soy wax looks the best but it’s so brittle. So I feel like beeswax is my next best option. I don’t want to use anything that is toxic. 
 

but here’s a photo of my issue with the beeswax candle.