Thoughts on blending

[Forrest]

Some of the things I read on the board recently got me to thinking, always a dangerous proposition. The thing that got me thinking was TT pointing out that the manufactures put additives in the wax that have a different melting temp. My first thought was that when you melt solids that are made up of components with different melting points the components tend to separate. Usually the component with the higher melting point will sink to the bottom until they reach their melting point. So, I suspect that after your wax has melted it needs to be stirred well before doing anything with it. My next thought was on blending the wax with the FO. If you pour room temp FO into melted wax it will create temperature zones in the wax that may cause some of the additives to solidify. The way to prevent this is to pour the FO slowly while stirring.

[TallTayl]

Yes.

 

stirring seems to be the weakest link. Stir thoroughly and frequently while cooling to pouring temperature to keep the ingredients as homogenous as possible without fancy manufacturing equipment. 

[birdcharm]

The first candle making book I ever read said to add the scent in drops ... I know I've mentioned this before, but most people don't have the time to add it quite so slowly, although I do make it a point to pour the f/o slowly while stirring with a large spoon.  Others here have other good stirring methods, including the use of spatulas, etc.  It always makes me wonder when I see a video where the scent is splashed in and lightly "stirred" (not really stirred, like in a circle or a figure eight pattern, but a quick back & forth movement) with a thin stick ... I mean, how exactly is that going to adequately incorporate the scent?

 

[SageSlowdive]

Bumping this for a question:

 

Has anyone tried to add their oil in with a turkey baster or something along those lines, a little at a time while stirring? Just wondering if this has worked for anyone.

[TallTayl]

1 hour ago, SageSlowdive said:

Bumping this for a question:

 

Has anyone tried to add their oil in with a turkey baster or something along those lines, a little at a time while stirring? Just wondering if this has worked for anyone.

What are you trying to achieve?

[SageSlowdive]

2 hours ago, TallTayl said:

What are you trying to achieve?

 

Just curious on how well the molecules merge by doing this? I'm sure it would be tiresome to do this every time and stir simultaneously.

[TallTayl]

11 hours ago, SageSlowdive said:

 

Just curious on how well the molecules merge by doing this? I'm sure it would be tiresome to do this every time and stir simultaneously.

The longer you wait to add the fo, the cooler the blend gets.  Cooler temps interfere with the crystal formation of the wax and can prevent homogenous blending of the FO. 

 

 

[SageSlowdive]

3 hours ago, TallTayl said:

The longer you wait to add the fo, the cooler the blend gets.  Cooler temps interfere with the crystal formation of the wax and can prevent homogenous blending of the FO. 

 

 

But, what if you keep it on low heat and continue to add it?

[Forrest]

20 hours ago, SageSlowdive said:

Bumping this for a question:

 

Has anyone tried to add their oil in with a turkey baster or something along those lines, a little at a time while stirring? Just wondering if this has worked for anyone.

I always add my FO while stirring, just because the FO and wax are at different temps, and I want the wax well stirred when I add the oil. However, I'm still putting heat into my wax until I'm finished adding the FO.

[SageSlowdive]

3 hours ago, Forrest said:

I always add my FO while stirring, just because the FO and wax are at different temps, and I want the wax well stirred when I add the oil. However, I'm still putting heat into my wax until I'm finished adding the FO.

 

I always heat to 187, add the fragrance oil and start stirring, then keep it on low heat until it reaches 185 again - THEN I start a 2 minute stir. (little trick I found on this forum) so far it's produced decent results.