karinz40 Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I've been making tarts but want to make a few free standing candles after seeing some cute ones in a store last week. I did make one using 4625 but the wax got through the wick hole on the bottom. Then after finally plugging that and letting the candle cool for 2 days, I looked and saw that the top had sunk. How do you make the candles look so perfect? Thanks Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Many waxes are "two pour" (or more). While the wax is hot, it expands, shrinking as it cools. Sometimes it creates air pockets inside around the wick. Nearly always it leaves a depression in the top finished candle unless it is topped off.What i have to do with my waxes is poke relief holes as candles cools, then fill those holes and top off with more wax.Back when i started with containers and pillars I read a lot about "caverns", "air pockets", and such in the archives and in recent threads. The process to prevent holes and to make the finished candle pretty is very similar between most waxes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 As TallTayl said, most paraffin pillar waxes (4625) will shrink and compress on cooling leaving sink holes. The relief holes she speaks of need to be done, because the sink holes can create air pockets and without the poked relief holes and the repour to fill them, the candle will not burn correctly. To prevent leakage around the wick hole there are several tricks. I use a home-made jiffy wicker (a wick tab and a piece of rubber - see pic) some people use putty, and others still use metal tape. All work to varying degrees. Also, when making molded candles like that, the top of the mold is the bottom of the candle. There are a couple pillar tutorials in the tutorial section that you can read about and look at pictures to know what we are talking about. Good luck. Pillars are fun, and I actually like making them much better than containers, even though they are a bit more time consuming. (jiffy wicker system) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefmom Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 As TallTayl said, most paraffin pillar waxes (4625) will shrink and compress on cooling leaving sink holes. The relief holes she speaks of need to be done, because the sink holes can create air pockets and without the poked relief holes and the repour to fill them, the candle will not burn correctly. To prevent leakage around the wick hole there are several tricks. I use a home-made jiffy wicker (a wick tab and a piece of rubber - see pic) some people use putty, and others still use metal tape. All work to varying degrees. Also, when making molded candles like that, the top of the mold is the bottom of the candle. There are a couple pillar tutorials in the tutorial section that you can read about and look at pictures to know what we are talking about. Good luck. Pillars are fun, and I actually like making them much better than containers, even though they are a bit more time consuming. (jiffy wicker system) OH! That's cool. What kind of rubber do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I am still using the rubber that came with the Jiffy Wicker (no longer made or available) but you can use that craft foam rubber found at Wal-Mart. Close enough to the real thing that it would work. I can get about 10-15 uses out of each little square and when I bought the system it came with the needles, rubber (about 100 little squares like the one shown), and washers. I lost the washers, but they were the same size, shape, and had the same sized hole that my wick tabs have, and the little tap on the wick tabs I use actually help secure them to the rubber. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karinz40 Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 All of that info makes a lot of sense. For some reason I thought I could find a wax with one pour for pillars. Now I know to melt enough wax for a 2nd por. I will find something as similar as possible for the wick home, The putty just does not work for me.I love pillars and burn them here at home a lot but of course they re the ones I have purchased from a store and have no scent. Thanks for the info. Really appreciate it. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I use the high temp metal tape. Someone mentioned plumbers putty once, but I have never tried it. The metal tape does the trick on my molds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfear Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I use Candlesciences' suggested method; a wick-stick-um and a piece of duct tape. It works great every time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am always into the simple elegant solutions, and I'm pretty certain there is no quicker and easier way of wicking a tin mold than this: Get these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/METAL-WICK-BARS-3-4-x-4-Lot-6-/360366828298 And these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Candle-Making-MAGNETIC-MOLD-SEALERS-Lot-6-/360379726311 Stick about 1 1/2 inches of wick through the hole and slap the magnet over it to hold and seal. Secure the wick in the wick bar at the other end. Pour wax. Not the slightest fuss involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Magnetic mold sealers--will definitely be getting some of those-- great idea, thanks Top ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFyre Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am always into the simple elegant solutions, and I'm pretty certain there is no quicker and easier way of wicking a tin mold than this: Get these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/METAL-WICK-BARS-3-4-x-4-Lot-6-/360366828298 And these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Candle-Making-MAGNETIC-MOLD-SEALERS-Lot-6-/360379726311 Stick about 1 1/2 inches of wick through the hole and slap the magnet over it to hold and seal. Secure the wick in the wick bar at the other end. Pour wax. Not the slightest fuss involved. I saw those on eBay the other day and was thinking of getting some...until I realized all my molds are concave and aluminum. Bummer. Well, now I have an excuse to buy some more molds... so I can buy magnetic mold sealers! Whoo-hoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I could never get the magnets to work right. They leaked worse than anything else I ever tried, so I gave up on those very quickly. Others have success, but I never did, which is why I use the system I use. Never a leak. Ever. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am with you JC. Plus, i mainly use seamless aluminum, which are not usable with magnets. A short strip of metal ducting tape (not duct tape) works 99.999% of the time with all of the pillar waxes i use including beeswax. A whole years worth of that tape is like $10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I normally use seamless aluminum with metal tape. The magnets of course are for the tin molds that suppliers generally call metal molds. I like the motto "everyone has their way of doing things," but for the occasional project with those, the magnets never fail me. However, I usually use traditional plaited wicking in those cases, which is thin and floppy and held very well by the magnets. I don't think it works as reliably with all types of wicking or unusually high pouring temps. Also important not to pull too much wick through the hole because you don't want it near the edge of the magnet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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