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What wax do you use for clams?


Belinda

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What wax or waxes do you seem to get a smooth appearance and pops out of the clam easily? What temp do you usually pour? I'm having some trouble with recent blends looking smooth or popping out easy. The best wax I've found that will give me smooth tops and comes out very easy is TCS tart wax but I love ordering from RE more and wanted to use their 133 wax for clams. Poured some last night and they were very wavy and bumpy. I poured around 155-160.

Good throw but they look horrible! Does anyone use this wax and how do you get smooth tops? Thanks!

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1 hour ago, Lorelei said:

I love the KY Para Soy Tart Blend at RE.  I've played around with adding a bit of soy to it to get smooth tops.

I've also used straight Ecosoya Pillar Blend, it needs a longer cure time but it pops right out!   

What temp do you pour into clams? I have some of this ordered and have used it in the past and loved it (just hate cure time) and thought I'd mix a little more paraffin with it.

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23 hours ago, Belinda said:

What wax or waxes do you seem to get a smooth appearance and pops out of the clam easily? What temp do you usually pour? I'm having some trouble with recent blends looking smooth or popping out easy. The best wax I've found that will give me smooth tops and comes out very easy is TCS tart wax but I love ordering from RE more and wanted to use their 133 wax for clams. Poured some last night and they were very wavy and bumpy. I poured around 155-160.

Good throw but they look horrible! Does anyone use this wax and how do you get smooth tops? Thanks!

 

I am having the exact same situation @Belinda!

I loved the TCS tart wax, but I order so many other thing from RE, I wanted to try the 133. I am going to try adding some IGI 4630 to it, I like to have a slightly softer tart anyway. I'm hoping 10-20% will improve appearance and throw but won't compromise it's ability to pop out of the clams.

I also might try some soy at the same % and do a side-by-side. I will keep you posted on the results!

I have used the CBL 129 from Candlewic in the past, with a pinch of 4630 to soften it up, and had good results with that as well. But honestly, if these experiments don't go well, I'm going to suck it up and go back to the TCS blend, that stuff was the bomb. I'll just order like 50 lbs at a time to make it worth it!

 

Oh, I am terrible at taking the temp before I pour, usually by the time I'm done stirring it's close to 150-160. For the sake of the scientific method, I will try to measure and record everything!😄

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@Sarah S, thank you so much! I actually ordered 50 pounds of TCS wax today. The shipping is outrageous from them though! I put 50 pounds of wax from RE in my shopping cart and the shipping was almost $30 less. Their wax is a little higher though I think which takes away from the big difference in shipping but still!

I did message RE about 133 and they do say it requires a re-pour so I might try that and see how it goes. The tops are very ugly compared to TCS wax. I was using 4625/4630 for clams but got to where I couldn't get them to pop out of the clam very easy and sometimes I pick up a plastic smell on the top of the wax. I don't seem to get that smell with TCS or KY wax though.

I'll let you know if pouring 133 twice makes the tops smoother. Thanks for your reply!

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OH man, I don't  even like doing a repour for candles, I really don't want to have to do one for tarts! 😭

Please do let me know how it goes.

I don't recall the shipping from TCS being too bad for me, but I'm in mid-Maryland so that probably made a difference. And I think I ordered maybe 20lbs to test, so it wasn't super heavy.

I do think that RE and NG have great shipping once you get past a certain $$ in your cart. Which is easy with all those tempting FOs! I wish TCS had a more user-friendly website, but maybe that's how they keep their costs down! 😆

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I've been testing the GW 416, but the frosting is just ridiculous.  I'm going to try adding beeswax to see if that helps.  Southwest Candle Supply showed me melts made with the Q230 and they look AMAZING - no frost, great CT  - just beautiful. If the beeswax & 416 doesn't work, I'll try the Q230.  

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On 10/22/2017 at 4:13 PM, Belinda said:

What temp do you pour into clams? I have some of this ordered and have used it in the past and loved it (just hate cure time) and thought I'd mix a little more paraffin with it.

 

150-155 

 

  I've mixed the paraffin that is like Vaseline with it (I'm sorry I can't remember the name) I bought it at NG with it.

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10 hours ago, Lorelei said:

 

150-155 

 

  I've mixed the paraffin that is like Vaseline with it (I'm sorry I can't remember the name) I bought it at NG with it.

 

If you bought it at NG, it was probably the Joy Wax. I liked that wax a lot, but geeze, it's pricey. I strongly suspect it's a blend of 4627 and soy.

I bet you could get similar results mixing the KY parasoy with 4627, or 4630.

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On 10/25/2017 at 7:55 AM, Sarah S said:

Now that I'm pondering all this, maybe I'll mix the KY 133 with some GW 415 and IGI 4630, and see what I come up with.

It'll be a Frakentart!

 

😆😆

Ha! That's too funny! A lot of mine are that way LOL! 

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On 10/25/2017 at 7:51 AM, Sarah S said:

 

If you bought it at NG, it was probably the Joy Wax. I liked that wax a lot, but geeze, it's pricey. I strongly suspect it's a blend of 4627 and soy.

I bet you could get similar results mixing the KY parasoy with 4627, or 4630.

 

It wasn't the Joy Wax but I love that one too.   I looked up my order and it was the WOW wax.    It throws like crazy.

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18 hours ago, Lorelei said:

 

It wasn't the Joy Wax but I love that one too.   I looked up my order and it was the WOW wax.    It throws like crazy.

 

I haven't tried that one! If I have a successful holiday season I might order some Joy and Wow as a present to me for personal use. 😁

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Ok, first round of testing the 133 mix is done!

I will apologize in advance for the terrible pictures, I have the very first iPad ever made and the camera is really crappy. 😂

 

My my wax blend was 80% KY 133 from RE, 10% GW 415 from CW, 10% CBL-125 (CW's in house production of IGI 4630)

 

I used the 6 cavity clamshells, 2oz cups, and a silicone daisy mold.

 

I heated my blend to 180 using the double boiler method, and added my fragrance at 175ish. I did use a couple different fragrances, but all were at an 8% FO load.

 

The brown tarts were poured at 150

 

The white tarts were poured at 140

 

I could see no visible difference between the ones poured at 150 vs 140, both were still quite bumpy on the top surface. It wasn't quite as bad as the KY 133 by itself, but still noticeable.

You'll see in the pictures I have a couple purple and green tarts, they were all made the the Candle Source's tart wax at 90% and the 4630 at 10%. Their tops are very smooth, although the 6 cavity clamshell does dip a bit in the cavities.

 

 

The bumpiness was not very noticeable on the daisy tarts, but of course we are looking at a much smaller surface area.

 

The HT is good for 8%, and I do think these last a long time. I'm on day 2 in the melter in my bedroom, scent is still strong, and I melt for solid 4-6 hour intervals.

 

The 80/10/10 blend is really hard, so I think I have room to try 80/10/20 and still be able to pop it out of the clams. Maybe that extra 10% 4630 will smooth everything out.

 

I will try another round of testing, but so far I feel like the TCS wax gets better results with less hassle. Maybe I'll have to test some more of their FOs to make the most of the shipping costs 😉😄

 

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I talked to someone today, they told me they are using 50% GW415 and 50% pure paraffin ( no details given on that) for both their melts, tarts and containers. Said it works great with no frost and great hot and cold throw. and they sell it constantly.   The GW416 has been pure frost hell for me, so I'm about willing to try this mixture.  I made clamshells last week with the Q230 and it is creamy, with just one small almost unnoticeable spot of frost. Cold throw is good, but since its all soy I'll need to wait a while to test melt it.

 

For me, I used to use a 70/30 para soy mix years ago.  I'm inclined to use a mix using paraffin in melts for both throw and to cut down on cure time.  If I can sell the parasoy mix in containers, I would be happy to, but so many people are hung up on the idea that soy = healthy

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4 hours ago, Sarah S said:

Ok, first round of testing the 133 mix is done!

I will apologize in advance for the terrible pictures, I have the very first iPad ever made and the camera is really crappy. 😂

 

My my wax blend was 80% KY 133 from RE, 10% GW 415 from CW, 10% CBL-125 (CW's in house production of IGI 4630)

 

I used the 6 cavity clamshells, 2oz cups, and a silicone daisy mold.

 

I heated my blend to 180 using the double boiler method, and added my fragrance at 175ish. I did use a couple different fragrances, but all were at an 8% FO load.

 

The brown tarts were poured at 150

 

The white tarts were poured at 140

 

I could see no visible difference between the ones poured at 150 vs 140, both were still quite bumpy on the top surface. It wasn't quite as bad as the KY 133 by itself, but still noticeable.

You'll see in the pictures I have a couple purple and green tarts, they were all made the the Candle Source's tart wax at 90% and the 4630 at 10%. Their tops are very smooth, although the 6 cavity clamshell does dip a bit in the cavities.

 

 

The bumpiness was not very noticeable on the daisy tarts, but of course we are looking at a much smaller surface area.

 

The HT is good for 8%, and I do think these last a long time. I'm on day 2 in the melter in my bedroom, scent is still strong, and I melt for solid 4-6 hour intervals.

 

The 80/10/10 blend is really hard, so I think I have room to try 80/10/20 and still be able to pop it out of the clams. Maybe that extra 10% 4630 will smooth everything out.

 

I will try another round of testing, but so far I feel like the TCS wax gets better results with less hassle. Maybe I'll have to test some more of their FOs to make the most of the shipping costs 😉😄

 

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I get the exact same look as you with 133, even when blended with another wax, I usually get dimples like crazy!  I wish the wax would share some dimples on my cheeks ha!  Anywho, I know it isnt a one pour wax so I expected to do repours if needed, but TCS definitely is less headache for a better result.  Maybe we should all email them to update their site and shipping methods better.  I like some of their oils and their tart wax was pretty good in my testing as well, but a shipping calculator vs choosing my own and and updated site would be appreciated as I feel even the oil selection has been the same FOREVER.  Not to mention, some oils still dont have descriptions and their "New fragrances" have been new and the same ones FOREVER as well lol.  Either way, I will not judge product from a website setup, but it sure doesnt help the way it is now.  Back to 133, I had decent throw results on this wax as well but didnt test many oils in it yet. 

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I LOVE TCS wax more than any wax or blend that I've tried for clamshells. I do like KY para/soy wax for clams but don't want to wait on cure time. I poured some clams with 133 the other day and they are SO ugly unless you do a re-pour. I did some with a re-pour and they are very smooth on top and cold throw is great but I had to put them in the freezer to get them out of the clams. TCS wax always comes right out, no issues whatsoever. Their shipping to me is horrendous though! WAY more than RE's or anyone's for that matter. I bought 50 pounds of wax from them last week and it was $59 to ship it. I about died! I guess if I'm going to continue to use their wax for clams I will have to buy in huge amounts to make the shipping cost effective for me. I even emailed them and asked why it was so high. Loren said he checked it and it was right. It was almost that much for 40 pounds. I told him to give me 60 pounds if shipping wasn't much more and he said they sell in 50 pound bags and the shipping was only like $6 more for 10 more pounds of wax so I just went for that. It's still way higher than what RE charges for shipping 50 pounds of wax to me. I don't get it. 

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I also like 143 mixed with 4786 but not for clams. I used to do a 50/50 of 4625/4630 for clams but then that got to where it wouldn't pop out and seemed to pick up a funky smell from the plastic. I just don't like paying such a high price for shipping when others ship a lot cheaper than TCS.

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25 minutes ago, Velma said:

I talked to someone today, they told me they are using 50% GW415 and 50% pure paraffin ( no details given on that) for both their melts, tarts and containers. Said it works great with no frost and great hot and cold throw. and they sell it constantly.   The GW416 has been pure frost hell for me, so I'm about willing to try this mixture.  I made clamshells last week with the Q230 and it is creamy, with just one small almost unnoticeable spot of frost. Cold throw is good, but since its all soy I'll need to wait a while to test melt it.

I see many in which blend 50/50 pure soy and paraffin.  I am not ruling out having soy in the mix (doing parasoy), but I sure am worried about the performance of soy after this year of horrible test results from long-term wax makers.  The inconsistencies seem to be out of control lately.

25 minutes ago, Velma said:

 

For me, I used to use a 70/30 para soy mix years ago.  I'm inclined to use a mix using paraffin in melts for both throw and to cut down on cure time.  If I can sell the parasoy mix in containers, I would be happy to, but so many people are hung up on the idea that soy = healthy

That sounds like a good %, maybe even 80/20 depending on how much you like to work with soy waxes vs paraffin.  I know what you mean by soy still taking the lead on "unhealthy" speculations.  However, there are many successful all paraffin vendors and many online wax customers who do not mind what it is as long as it throws well.  Do what you want to do and go from there.  After all, this is supposed to be enjoyable and the more you have a passion for this craft/art and what you believe in to be great, the better your products turn out and the better attitude you have about selling your product because you are proud of it.

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On 10/23/2017 at 1:52 PM, Sarah S said:

 

I am having the exact same situation @Belinda!

I loved the TCS tart wax, but I order so many other thing from RE, I wanted to try the 133. I am going to try adding some IGI 4630 to it, I like to have a slightly softer tart anyway. I'm hoping 10-20% will improve appearance and throw but won't compromise it's ability to pop out of the clams.

I also might try some soy at the same % and do a side-by-side. I will keep you posted on the results!

I have used the CBL 129 from Candlewic in the past, with a pinch of 4630 to soften it up, and had good results with that as well. But honestly, if these experiments don't go well, I'm going to suck it up and go back to the TCS blend, that stuff was the bomb. I'll just order like 50 lbs at a time to make it worth it!

 

Oh, I am terrible at taking the temp before I pour, usually by the time I'm done stirring it's close to 150-160. For the sake of the scientific method, I will try to measure and record everything!😄

is TCS The Candle Source ? Which blend is it ? 

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11 hours ago, Sarah S said:

Ok, first round of testing the 133 mix is done!

I will apologize in advance for the terrible pictures, I have the very first iPad ever made and the camera is really crappy. 😂

 

My my wax blend was 80% KY 133 from RE, 10% GW 415 from CW, 10% CBL-125 (CW's in house production of IGI 4630)

 

I used the 6 cavity clamshells, 2oz cups, and a silicone daisy mold.

 

I heated my blend to 180 using the double boiler method, and added my fragrance at 175ish. I did use a couple different fragrances, but all were at an 8% FO load.

 

The brown tarts were poured at 150

 

The white tarts were poured at 140

 

I could see no visible difference between the ones poured at 150 vs 140, both were still quite bumpy on the top surface. It wasn't quite as bad as the KY 133 by itself, but still noticeable.

You'll see in the pictures I have a couple purple and green tarts, they were all made the the Candle Source's tart wax at 90% and the 4630 at 10%. Their tops are very smooth, although the 6 cavity clamshell does dip a bit in the cavities.

 

 

The bumpiness was not very noticeable on the daisy tarts, but of course we are looking at a much smaller surface area.

 

The HT is good for 8%, and I do think these last a long time. I'm on day 2 in the melter in my bedroom, scent is still strong, and I melt for solid 4-6 hour intervals.

 

The 80/10/10 blend is really hard, so I think I have room to try 80/10/20 and still be able to pop it out of the clams. Maybe that extra 10% 4630 will smooth everything out.

 

I will try another round of testing, but so far I feel like the TCS wax gets better results with less hassle. Maybe I'll have to test some more of their FOs to make the most of the shipping costs 😉😄

 

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You're going to need to get much closer to 30% on the container wax to see any change in them leveling out. 

 

It sometimes helps if you pour as low as you can....maybe around 150 and cover them for approx. 15-30 mins while they cure. 

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1 hour ago, Nickie said:

You're going to need to get much closer to 30% on the container wax to see any change in them leveling out. 

 

It sometimes helps if you pour as low as you can....maybe around 150 and cover them for approx. 15-30 mins while they cure. 

Container does help some, but I didn't add much when trying clams so I had the same result as you and she's right about temperatures, it seems to shrink up and sink more if cooled too fast.

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