sugarysweet95

Just wandering what you mean by this? I used vybar for the second time today to make some floating candles (thought i'd try it out) and the top (luckily soon to be bottom) was all bumpy. I thought was a mistake, but now wandering if thats an affect of vybar (the last time i used it it didn't do that)

Hi everyone and happy christmasJust wandering if anyone can helpe me. I've recently bought some candle dye powder from pourette but i'm having trouble getting it mix into the wax properly. I've had this happen with other dye chips, like the ones from pourette. It seems to stay as little flakes and sinks to the bottom of the wax. I know the wax isn't saturated with dye, as when i add more it still goes a darker colour. I just using straight paraffin, always give my wax a good stir and add my dye when the wax is about 80 degrees or more. I have tried adding it both before and after i add the scent. It doesn't always happen, but i haven't been able to put a finger on what the difference is! Its annoying as i have to give my melting jug a v good clean each time i use it and sometimes the little flakes get into the wax!!!Does anyone else have this problem and / or know what to do to get the dye to melt in properly?

Never used microwax itself, but i use microcrystalline hard which is a candle additive. You only use a small amount (about 1%) and it makes straight paraffin stronger, have a higher melting point and burn longer!!! I use it for m chunks and it works great, not much bleeding of the colour at all!!!I may be wrong, but i reckon this microwax may just b wax w microcrystalline hard already in. Either way, may be worth giving it a go. You can get it from these sites (in the uk, but prob ship worldwide).http://www.soapbasics.co.uk/www.candlemakers.co.uk As you use it in such small quanties it works out v cheap!!!

I've had a few difficult scents (particularly the christmas scents i've been using lately) and i find adding a bit of stearine works wonders!!! I just added a few teaspoons until the scent dissolved. I left it to heat a bit (in a double boiler so temp didn't rise too much) til the stearing melted. Anyway it took up the scent really well. I stir it really fast in one direction which causes any un-mixed in scent to form a puddle at the bottom, so you can tell if it's all melted. I suppose i am using extra stearine without extra testing, but it's only a small amount and i've heard you don't have to be that accurate with stearine amounts anyway. It's worked great for me so far!!!!

I guess i like the idea of a little cottage industry where every candle is lovingly hand made - hand poured, hand added all the stuff basically!!!!Where i live theres loads of cheap mass produced ones so thats my unique selling point (that and my candles are much prettier!!!!) LOLEach his own i guess

ooops, didn't mean to make it sound like i was criticising people, sorry if i did offend anyone. I was just saying my opinion and wandering what other peoples opinions were!Sorry again if any offence been caused!

If your really stuck and the layers just don't stick, you can try a heat gun on them to meld the two together (if they're not too bad) or dipping them in v hot water also helps, but you have to be careful no wax melts around a water droplet! The 10 degrees hotter will be why the other layers don't work

But doesn't using all this machinery take the fun out of candle making? I think the most fun part is pouring the wax and crossing your fingers that it turns out ok!!!! LOLAlso doesn't it take out the whole hand made element? If you use machinery, isn't that just like all the other bog standard cheap candles you buy from shops???Think i'll stick to melting wax on my kitchen stove and having fun, and hopefully making a little profit!!! Much more fun!!!!!

As long as it can take the heat (try very hot water in it first, but be very careful) and as long as the top is the same/wider than the base and their are no major indulations in the mould, then yes you can use it. I like using old yoghurt pots for my odd wax and in a candle book they have moulds made of strong cardboard!!! Never tried this but it looks interesting. When i first started i used to make tall pillars in long glasses, worked well, though my housemates weren't too happy at the lack of clean glasses!!! If it's for fun, then just try as much as your imagination (and saftey!!!!) allows!!!!

I've been testing loads of wicks, not used any fo and on some of my candles the smaller wick size mushrooms and the bigger wick size doesn't!!! Other times it's the opposite for like the same candle, second/third burn etc. So to be honest i think it can sometimes be one of those things u just have to live with. I supposed it can be reduced by testing etc but i think it depends on so many variables you'll never always get it quite right!!!! LOL

Ok, can someone please help me!!!I've done a search on the forum for air bubbles and have tried most of the techniques i can find!!!!! I poke holes round the wick, pour at the right temp (80 degrees) pour slowly and tap the mould to dislodge the air bubbles.This usually works fine for most of my candles, but i like making long cylindrical pillars with slanted coloured layers, but always get darn air bubbles in the lower layers (what becomes the top). This means that i have to have the mould slanted so can't get in with a heat gun to the lower layers and it makes darn awkward to tap too when its tilted. I did see one idea about using a butter knife, but think if i did that i'd get the wrong colour wax on the wrong part of the mould!!! I use striaght paraffinSo is there anything more one can do to rid their candles of air bubbles, particularly for the slanted layered candles?

That would be great, what colours you got? How much left and whats the cost??? To the UK???Thanks

Does anyone know any suppliers (that ship to the UK) that sell candle pens. I've done a search on google and the archives and got nought!!! Found two suppliers in the UK - Fullmoons and kered crafts, but there quite expensive as is ebay!!!Was thinking of using them to write things like merry christmas on!!!Has anyone on here used candle pens? Are they any good?Thanks

You could try giving the mould a good clean, if its stuck wax at the bottom thats causing the problem. Heating it up in an oven or summit works well and then wipe it out with kitchen paper. I would then give it a good few washes in hot soapy water. It worked for my moulds, which sounds like a similar problem.

Hmm, not too sure about that! One of my polycarbonate moulds, which i got when i was just starting, went all funny. I think as i was new at making candles, i added too much fo/dye/poured too hot etc. Anyway for ages this mould was being annoying, the candles would just not come out and if they did they weren't very shiny!!! Anyway to get the candles out i had to put it in the oven to melt the wax, then i gave it a very good wipe (when it was still hot from oven) to get loads of the wax out and then i gave it a very good clean in hot soapy water a few times. And now it works brill, the candles come out and are nice and shiny again!!! Typical after I bought a new mould the same!!! Anyway, it's worth a try i guess.

i've had this problem with polycarbonate moulds. In the end i just switched dyes so i didn't need as much. Sometimes using different waxes can also help it take the colour better. I didn't bother cleaning it, made more candles in the moulds and after a few goes the colour all but went. Didn't get any of the stained colour on the wax either. So it may be better just to stick it for a while, as bleach is very powerful chemically and if too much FO can damage the side of a mould, just think what bleach would do!!! (I just use hot soapy water to clean my moulds).

I'm not sure about the splattering, but i've had candles crackle and spark on me when i accidentally got water in the wax, (from a double boiler) so it might be that?

Wow, those carved candles look great! Sadly i'm not brave enough to try carve candles yet! Oh well, just xmas fragrances for now ps - how long do they take to carve?

One way is to get the heart embed and melt it slightly on a hot pan or summit. You can then stick the embed to the pillar candle and it should stick in quite well. To make it more secure, you can then dip the candle in dip and carve wax and just remove the excess over the embed. Also one technique i like it melting the embed slightly like above and stiking it to the inside walls of the mould itself. If you then put the finished candle (with the wax poured in the mould around the candle) in a water bath pretty quickly, the finished pillar looks great with the embed in securely, but it can still be seen well!!! (If you make your own embeds i've found using microcrystalline hard helps prevent them from bleeding, you only need like 1%) Hope thats helps!

Thinkin of feb already! Wow, your organised! I'm still busy thinkin of ideas for xmas!!!!! Anyway candelights are a good web site, i've used them and their nice and helpful and their prices are reasonable. PS - What are people doing for xmas candles? I've got xmas scents, but i can't draw so their goes the nice painted type ones!!!!!

One web site i've recently come across is http://www.candelights.co.uk/ Their wax is quite cheap but good and the owners seem nice and friendly. I had some trouble with candlelicious and find full moons quite ezpensive, but each his own i guess

Ok, I've never really tried container candles, but aren't they supposed to only fully melt in the top layer, with only a small 1cm or so depth of a melt pool? The rest is supposed to stay solid right? So this would mean that all that scent would remain, so it would only really be lost at the very very end (when the room prob smells strong enough anyway!!!!)

I pre wick my pillar moulds, so find it much easier to use the concave top. The reason? If i'm careful i can get the mould seal and wick to fit into the concave bit so when i lay it down ready for pour, the candle is nice and stable and straight. I find with flat top metal moulds i have to balance it on a yoghurt pot or something so the mould seal and wick falls over the pot hole doesn't make the mould tilt! Also i think cylinders look more finished off with a concave top.

You can get an additive called microcrystalline soft which you can add to pillar wax. I've never tried it, but its supposed to make the wax more sticky so it doesn't shrink away from the container the same and i think it makes it burn at a lower temp too If you have lots of paraffin wax, may be worth just trying the additive than buying different wax!

Oh and another UK website i've used before too is www.stillturning.co.uk They have the tea light cups too and good postage rates. I've found most of these random candle making stores from ebay!!!!!