starlessjade

Well it looks like I won't have too much trouble with rustics, since I tried to turn this one into a rustic. Don't worry, I'm not giving up... in fact I'm actually pretty happy with it... I thought it would turn out so much worse and I think it will actually be salvageable. Plus I learned a lot about what not to do. If I pour another tonight, I'll update.

Well, I'm really planning to work on rustics but my IGI 1343 is still in transit and I got my 4625 yesterday, so I thought I'd try pouring a regular pillar since all I've done so far are containers. The plan: Layed pillar with Satsuma scented orange layers and Pomegranate scented red layers. First, I didn't have my FOs and dye chips ready to go, and ended up accidently using Mahogany instead of red. I added some cranberry to it and that reddened it up a little but now it's got so much dye it's almost black. Then, I thought that if I used a wick pin I wouldn't need to seal the wick hole at the bottom of the mold. So after I peeled all the orange wax off my countertop, I sealed the mold up and tried pouring again. I poured several of the layers too soon, and one of my orange layers actually disappeared because it mixed with the red layer and the red dye was so overpowering. I got white lines in some of the layers- jump lines from pouring the wax too slowly, right? And now the best part of all. Somehow I totally missed the fact that after poking relief holes, you let the candle cool, THEN fill with hot wax. I filled right after I poked the holes, essentially accomplishing nothing. The bottom of my candle now has a giant cone-shaped sinkhole. But hey, it looks pretty good if you set it right side up, and it smells great! Maybe I'll give it another shot after work tonight. Actually, I should probably ask- is there anything I can do about the sinkhole in the bottom at this point? Can I still fill it in? Can I somehow cut off that whole portion of the candle? I'd still like to at least test the fragrances I used, and I'm assuming it wouldn't be safe to burn like it is. Come to think of it, does adding too much dye make a candle unsafe to burn? I'm pretty sure this sucker has more dye than paraffin at this point.

After searching through threads, I have pieced together this info on how to make a layered rustic pillar candle, with frost and with interesting but still attractive effects. I just wanted to check and make sure everything sounds correct before I start playing. I do still have one question though- should the mold be chilled beforehand or not? I've found people saying both, so I'm guessing either way has its advantages or disadvantages, but what exactly are the pros and cons of chilling the mold? Wax Pure paraffin- IGI 1343 is good Add UV inhibitor to keep colors from fading Add 3 tablespoons of steric acid to increase FO load and create frost Wick Flat braid, square braid, or LX Pouring -Do not use mold release -Add FO at 170-180 degrees, then let wax cool to about 150 and pour slowly into the mold -Wait until wax starts to show signs of cooling and gently slosh to get a little wax up the sides of the mold- try tilting mold and rolling 360 degrees -Wait until the wax in the mold has a “skin” on top but is still sloshy underneath (about 20 minutes) -Pour next layer at 150, either gently or letting some wax get through the top of the last layer depending on desired effect, repeat sloshing -Final layer- poke relief holes around the center that penetrate every layer, and pour a layer of hot wax making sure to fill in the relief holes Cooling Let the candle cool at room temperature until it’s ready to come out of the mold. Do not force cooling or removal.

www.genwax.com has 9 oz and 2.25 oz in square frosted glass. I just ordered some of the 2.25 oz to try. They have sort of rounded off corners, but they might be worth checking out. www.fillmorecontainer.com has frosted glass jars in a footed square shape, in 4 oz, 10 oz, and 18 oz. I also use glass votives from Wal Mart to make container candles.

Cool, two recommendations for "The Candlemaker's Companion." I just found it on Amazon.com I seem to remember having some sort of colored wax when I was a kid that could be manipulated like clay, and I'm pretty sure it was beeswax (I have no idea if it was a blend or not, though) so the beeswax/paraffin combo definitely sounds like it might be worth looking into as well.

Probably 1-2 hours for the more complex stuff. The simple little flower at the top, maybe 20 mins and I think it was at least 3 hours for the slightly mutated butterfly. The beauty of it though is that you can make the cane as large as you want (I read an article about someone who made a 20lb cane) and for most applications you only need very thin slices, so if you make a big cane it can last you forever. I made the purple rose about 3 years ago- it was originally 2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. It's been with me through two craft fairs and countless projects. Premium polymer clay runs about $11 a pound at best (at Michael's the 2 oz blocks are $2.50 each!) and I found microcrystalline 175 for $9 a pound. It was $3.15/lb for microcrystalline 195, and I picked some of that up to experiment with blends just in case the 175 didn't hold up to burn tests. The translucent version of my clay actually has a texture very similar to wax, and I had to really fight with it to get it through a pasta machine without cracking, so I'd imagine that's what I'd be getting myself into with actual wax.

I certainly would not be presumptuous enough to call myself an artist if all I did was slice up store-bought canes and stick them onto things. I make my own millefiori canes from scratch. I start with nothing but colored blocks of clay and some tools for cutting and rolling sheets, and shape and combine all of the cane components myself. The basic idea is that you build a cane of large diameter, sometimes several inches, in order to be able to create fine detail that would be impossible on a smaller scale. Then the cane is reduced through squeezing, stretching, or rolling into a much longer cane with a smaller diameter. A clay cane can be reduced almost indefinitely without losing detail, and as for a wax cane, we'll just have to see what the limits are. I doubt I'd be able to get in nearly as much detail with any wax, or do color blends (I'm trying to imagine sending a sheet of wax through a pasta machine...) but I'd like to see what it can do. Please excuse the terrible photography. EDIT: I'm talking about using cold wax just like I would clay, no dipping or anything, and it sounds like this microcrystalline wax might just be pliable enough to work with.

Thanks Beth, I'll look for that book! I might owe a few people candles if I get the technique figured out.

Thanks a bunch Janette, I'll check out that microcrystalline wax, and will definitely post pictures if it works out at all. BTW, I love your avatar! I would definitely join the Dark Side for candy. EDIT: After a little research, microcrystalline wax sounds perfect. If anyone is actually following this crazy conversation, it is apparently added to candle wax as a hardener yet has a structure that makes it pliable. "Due to its high melt point and pliability, pure microcrystaline also makes a good sculpting wax for art projects and lost wax processes." -http://www.genwax.com Now, to figure out the best way to dye it... Wish me luck!

I tried messing with container wax and it was actually quite a bit softer than poly clay (cool, or at least just warmed from my hands) ...but I think pillar wax would be too tough. Also, I have tried covering candleholders with clay, but unfortunately the heating and cooling of burning a candle in them made them crack.

I'm confused now, does "cane" mean something different when you are talking about candles? I meant it as in a millefiori cane. I could easily make peace signs, stars, flowers, whatever with cold wax if it had a consistency anything close to clay, but the problem would be that the walls of the candle would need to be made of a hard, high melting point wax to prevent it from melting, and that's basically where I'm stuck.

Okay, I really would appreciate some help here. I was wandering around the internet and found this photo of candles that are decorated with a veneer made using a millefiori technique, and I was wondering if anyone knew of any information source about doing millefiori in wax- a website, a book, personal experience- ANYTHING. I am primarily a polymer clay artist, my specialty being millefiori, and if I could adapt this technique to wax I would be happier than you could even understand, and be able to make some unbelievable candles. p.s. I'm sure I can find info on doing the candles themselves- hurricanes, right?- but it's the caning techniques that I'm interested in, particularly what kind of wax is used.

Those are absolutely gorgeous. I grow sunflowers every year and prefer the colored ones- oranges, reds, etc. and your candles make me think of those. They would be perfect as a Thanksgiving or autumn centerpiece. Did you just keep the molds tilted at the same angle as you poured layers? Sheesh, I haven't poured a single pillar yet and am already looking for interesting ideas and techniques.

Thanks guys, just wanted to double check before I started pouring.

I was just reading a web page about making pillars, and it said that aluminum molds are more durable but metal molds give candles a rustic effect. It didn't explain anything more than that, and none of the other instructions I've found for rustics say anything about needing to use any specific type of mold. So, do I need metal? Or is aluminum fine?

So far I've been playing with containers, but I'm a big fan of planning ahead, and my mom loves rustic layered pillars, so I'd like to try to make her some for next Christmas. I haven't been able to find a good answer to this question... when using two or three different fragrances for the layers in a pillar, does the candle move from one fragrance to the next as it burns, or do the fragrances mix? Or is it a combination- the fragrances just blend as it transitions from one layer to another? Does it depend on the thickness of the layers? And while I'm at it... does the wick size used in a pillar depend on the height at all, or is it just the diameter? (other than that it obviously has to be long enough!) I guess what I'm asking is that if I wanted to make a 3x6 pillar in the end, could I test 3x3 pillars or would I have to use 3x6's? Could I do initial testing on 3x3's and then burn a 3x6 at the end just to make sure?

You have to use the blue one, second from the left. It looks fancy while the others have more of a recycled jelly jar look to them. A lot of people think the jelly jars are cute though, so do some of them too!

Ring of Fire- You're right, I did try a search and it didn't come up with what I was looking for at all. Thanks for the help guys, now I feel like I have a good starting point. (finding the container I want and starting with the recommended wick for that size) Sugarysweet- aha, I was wondering why you wouldn't want to just use the largest wick possible, and also why the candle I made last night has a giant smokin' flame. DUH.

I've been looking to buy some, but only 50 lbs at most, so go ahead and sell it to someone who wants the whole lot. If you don't have any takers, PM me with price and shipping to 86001.

Newbie here... I'm wondering how everyone goes about testing different wicks. I'm sure you all have methods or routines that you like to follow, and it would be nice for me to at least have some sort of starting point. Feel free to send me to other threads or websites.

lol... Hillbilly Homebrew, I like that! I bet I'd make a killing if I went with themes like Nascar, Route 66, hunting, etc. for naming. Mmm... Tropical Trailer Park! Seriously though, I was thinking that "country kitchen" type scents might do well in a place like that. Spices, baked goods, lemon, etc. And of course lots of Christmas fragrances since it's a November show.

This show isn't until November, so I should have plenty of time to work on my product.

My mother and I have done a local show for two years now and are ready to give it up- at least, with the crafts that we were previously selling. I've been only making candles for just a couple weeks now but I already love it and I am already running out of places to put candles and friends to give them to, so I'm thinking about going to the fair next year with candles. This is a small city, and dare I say very white trash. The previous years everyone balked at our prices on polymer clay art and handmade purses, and snatched up handpainted "git 'er done" signs and Route 66 toilet covers like they were candy. Do you think that candles would stand a chance at a show like this, if most of them were simple and therefore reasonably priced?

Have you ever smelled the real Be Delicious perfume? I wear it, and if your FO turns out to be anything like it, it will be absolutely amazing. I ordered a dupe from someone on eBay. Nectarine Blossom & Honey sounds like something I would totally buy.

Okay, you've convinced me... I'm ordering Cupid! Now to decide on samples... I'm just using paraffin container wax. I haven't tried soy at all, so I'm not worried about its performance in that at this point.